That's because low res is perfectly fine for dash cams. You need super high res and to be pretty close in order to capture license plates, so you shouldn't be relying on the cam to grab the plates. The best thing to do in any situation is to say the plate out loud to capture it on the audio.

My cam is a Viofo or something like that, but I can't recommend any of them. I've had l my share of annoyances and I've read similar about Garmin, Blackvue, and others. Its also been a few years, so they may have new models, but from what I see online, they look more or less similar.

What I did learn is this:

1. Having front and back cams made it easier to pick out a license plate because you have more time to get a clear shot. You can also see what happened before that dickwad cut you off.
2. Using a fast microsd card is critical. Don't expect to throw in any old microsd sitting in your desk drawer.
3. If it's not recording, it does you no good. Check regularly. Make sure you know what the lights mean because 90% of using it is listening for the beep and the light when it starts up.
4. Be careful how you wire it up. If it gets power when the car is off, you'll be swapping batteries if you leave it sit for too long. Some aux plugs are powered when the car is off. Even if your battery can handle it overnight. You will eventually go on vacation and forget to unplug it. Boom! Dead battery. That one happened to my partner, but with an aftermarket seat warmer.

People sometimes underestimate the processing power required for high resolution, high quality videos. There is quite a simple reason why pretty much no dashcams or IP cams, unless expensive, are giving you iPhone footage.

I've seen people using GoPros, they're quite cheap and good, but tend to get quite hot (for reasons stated above)