The RedTiger ViewClear 70 and the RedTiger F9 are both 4K dash cams, both from the same company, both under the same brand banner — and they could hardly be more different to live with. The ViewClear 70 is a rearview mirror camera: it replaces your entire rearview mirror with a 12-inch touchscreen that shows a live feed from the rear camera whenever you want it. The F9 is a compact wedge camera, about the size of a deck of cards, that hides behind the mirror and records quietly without drawing any attention.
People ask me which one to buy roughly every week, and the honest answer is that they serve different drivers. This guide walks through video quality, the screen experience, parking mode, and installation so you can pick the one that fits your car and your habits.
Both cameras record the front in true 4K at 30 fps, and both handle night driving well for their price class. The ViewClear 70 uses the Sony STARVIS 2 sensor, which is genuinely a step ahead at night — license plates stay readable in low light, and oncoming headlights cause less blooming than older sensors. The F9 uses a STARVIS sensor too, but the first-generation version, so its low-light footage is a notch softer. In broad daylight you will struggle to tell them apart; at 9 p.m. on an unlit road, the ViewClear 70 wins.
The rear cameras are where they diverge more. The ViewClear 70 ships with a 2K rear camera, which is unusually sharp for a mirror cam and one of the reasons rideshare drivers like it — you can actually read the plate of the car behind you. The F9's rear camera tops out at 1080p. That is fine for catching a rear-end collision, but if you want to identify a tailgater's plate, the ViewClear 70 does it noticeably better.
Here is where these two stop being comparable at all. The ViewClear 70's 12-inch mirror screen is the entire point of the product. It gives you a constant rearview feed with no blind spots from headrests or pillars, and it doubles as a touchscreen for settings and playback. First-time users often say it takes a couple of days to get used to glancing at the mirror and seeing a screen instead of glass — the image is slightly less crisp than a real mirror in harsh sunlight, and the auto-dimming needs a minute to adjust at night. But for anyone with a tall load, a rear passenger blocking the view, or a van without rear windows, it transforms reversing and lane changes.
The F9 has a small 2.45-inch screen that you will barely look at. That is not a flaw — it is the design. The F9 is meant to be seen as little as possible. You check the screen at setup, maybe occasionally to confirm it is recording, and otherwise it sits behind the mirror blinking its green LED. No glare on the windshield, no glow at night, nothing for a passerby to spot through the glass.
The F9 is the easier install, full stop. Adhesive mount, route the rear cable around the headliner, plug into the 12V socket — most people are done in 30 to 45 minutes. Because the body is small, it tucks behind the mirror and the cable run is short.
The ViewClear 70 replaces the mirror, which means the mounting is physically bigger and the cable management matters more. You wrap the straps around your factory mirror, then hide the power cable up the A-pillar and along the headliner to the rear camera. Budget closer to an hour and a half if you want it looking clean. The payoff is the mirror-screen experience every drive, but it is a heavier footprint on the windshield and a bigger visual presence in the cabin.
Both cameras support the hardwire kit for parking mode, and both have a G-sensor that locks footage when the car is bumped. The ViewClear 70 has a slight edge on parking coverage because its buffer-based parking mode captures a few seconds before the impact — that pre-event footage is what actually tells you whether someone backed into you or you backed into them.
| Feature | ViewClear 70 | F9 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | 12-inch mirror cam | Compact wedge |
| Front resolution | 4K, STARVIS 2 sensor | 4K, STARVIS sensor |
| Rear resolution | 2K | 1080p |
| Screen | 12" touchscreen mirror | 2.45" LCD |
| Parking mode | Buffered, pre-event capture | Standard, G-sensor |
| Install time | ~90 minutes | ~40 minutes |
| Best for | Vans, SUVs, rideshare | Discreet daily driving |
Both cameras record audio with a built-in microphone, and both let you toggle it off when you would rather the cabin not be recorded — a setting worth knowing if you drive for a rideshare company with its own recording policy. GPS is where the models part ways: the ViewClear 70 includes GPS so your footage carries speed and route data, which makes insurance claims easier to document. The F9 does not have built-in GPS; you can buy the GPS module separately, but out of the box your clips have no speed stamp or route log. If you ever plan to hand footage to an insurance adjuster, that speed and location data on the ViewClear 70 is a real advantage.
Storage is handled the same way on both: a microSD card up to 256 GB, with loop recording overwriting the oldest clips automatically. For 4K use, buy a high-endurance card — a standard card will wear out faster under constant writes. The ViewClear 70 also has voice control, so you can say "take photo" or "lock video" without taking your eyes off the road, while the F9 relies on the physical buttons. Minor differences, but they add up over a year of daily driving.
If you drive a van, a tall SUV, or anything where the rearview mirror view is compromised — or if you do rideshare work and want passengers to see a screen instead of a tiny camera — the ViewClear 70 is the right call. The 12-inch mirror display and 2K rear camera solve problems a wedge camera cannot touch, and the buffered parking mode is a genuine safety upgrade.
If you drive a normal sedan or hatchback and just want reliable, invisible 4K protection for the daily commute, the F9 does the job at a lower price and a fraction of the installation effort. Nobody will know it is there, and that is exactly the point.
One more note on price: the ViewClear 70 usually lands around $250, while the F9 typically sits closer to $130–$150. That gap is not a markup — you are paying for the screen, the better sensors, and the rear camera. Both are solid, well-reviewed cameras for their segments, and both will cover you in an accident. Check the latest price on both models here — the F9 is often discounted, and the ViewClear 70 has been bundled with the hardwire kit in recent sales, which changes the value math significantly.
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