The previous YI Action Camera launched by Xiaomi a little over a year ago was marketed to compete with the premium GoPro cam’s. This time, the manufacturer has unveiled a better specced action cam, which includes 4K recording capabilities, bringing it into direct competition with the GoPro Hero lineup.
The YI 4K Action Camera packs a 12MP Sony IMX377 image sensor with a seven-layer lens, f/2,8 aperture and a field of view of 155 degrees. The action camera’s six-axis gyroscope edges it ahead of the GoPro Hero 4, since the gyroscope allows electronic image stabilization. The YI 4K Action Camera boasts pretty impressive video recording abilites when FPS is considered. Glorious 4K footage can be shot at 30 FPS, the same goes for 2.5K resolution. It can shoot 2K videos at 60 FPS, and for slow-mo enthusiasts, 120 FPS for 1080p and 960p footage, and lastly 720p at 240 FPS.
Xiaomi has also added an LCD touch display to the YI 4K Action Camera. Its predecessor lacked a display, which can be considered as a deal breaker for many. The inclusion of a display would mean that you won’t necessarily have to sync the camera to your phone’s display, draining more battery on both the phone and the camera, or blindly recording footage without a display, hoping that you’ll end up with good footage at the end of the day. Not only that, the 2.19-inch touchscreen comes with Corning Gorilla Glass protection so that’s an extra plus.
The YI 4K Action Camera supports dual band WiFi at 2.4GHz and 5GHz and Bluetooth 4.0 if you so ever want to sync your phone with it despite it having a screen. Also, not forgetting, a micro SD slot to store your lovely 4K clips. The camera is powered by a 1,400mAh battery, which can supposedly record in 4K for up to a good two hours. According to Xiaomi, the YI 4K Action Camera will run longer than the GoPro Hero 4.
The YI 4K Action Camera will be sold at 1,199 CNY (RM739.06), which is definitely affordable considering what the camera can offer, and guess what? It is available in white, black, and the trendy rose gold! However, as usual, the camera will be available exclusively in China. How will the YI 4K fare up against the GoPro Hero 4? What do you think?
