I decided to give the V3 + IMX179 platform another shot to see if it had improved. Spoiler alert: it has not. Don’t buy these cheap trash cams. The “1080p” video looks like an old VHS tape or a kid drawing with crayons. The 1440p video is OK, but it has issues too (see the shot after the credit clip for a “fun” example).
Long story short, don’t buy these cheap cameras.