The footage from the 135-degree f/2.8 lens always looks tack sharp too. It's quick to adjust exposure as you move around while recording and the colors are always warm and punchy. The camera produces sharp and contrasty videos which are fluid and smooth. So how good the Yi 4K Action Camera is in reality? It's very good. Similarly to GoPro’s app, Yi Action has a social network element to it - you can share your Yi 4K Action Camera content, see and follow other people’s work wirelessly from your phone.
Yi also supplies an app for iOS and Android that allows you to control the 4K Action Camera remotely from your phone or tablet. You can quickly circle through the shooting modes, and once you have a mode opened, you can easily set the shooting parameters through the settings menu. Some say that it's a rip-off of GoPro's UI.
It's so intuitive that you wouldn't believe it. The interface of the 2.19” screen is very responsive and easy to use. The new camera also doesn’t include any mounting accessories in its retail box so make sure you purchase some separately - a quick search revealed there's plenty of affordable gear to be found online.Īnother big positive for us is that the Yi 4K Action Camera has a standard tripod mount built in its body whereas with the GoPro, you can only mount it on a tripod if you have a case on. Granted, the Yi 4K Action Camera is bigger than both its predecessor and the mentioned GoPro cameras, so it's not able to fit into any of the cases of these two. The Yi camera has a few more aces up its sleeve - it packs a larger battery that promises twice the recording battery life (up to 120 minutes of 4K action), and it also packs dual microphones, 5GHz Wi-Fi connectivity and electronic stabilization for videos. This puts the Yi 4K Action camera right in-between GoPro’s Hero 4 Silver and Black cameras feature-wise - bringing the best of both devices into a much cheaper action camera body.Īt the time of writing the Yi 4K Action Camera costs just €234 compared to the €380 GoPro Hero 4 Silver that has a touchscreen but no 4K video recording and the €440 Hero 4 Black, which has 4K video, but doesn't have a screen. Last year’s model lacked a display, and so does GoPro’s top 4K-capable Hero 4 Black.
There’s also a recording mode, as well as a 720p setting, which offers even higher framerates of 120fps and 240fps.Īnother key upgrade is the touchscreen on the back. The sensor is a new 12MP Sony unit that delivers 4K video at 30fps compared to last year’s 1080p. The Yi 4K Action camera is a tremendous leap forward compared to its predecessor.
Not only does it shoot 4K video but it does so with excellent quality, an intuitive UI and it even has a viewfinder touchscreen on the back. This year's Yi 4K Action Camera, however, is another story. Last year Yi Technology, a sub-brand of Xiaomi, launched the Yi Action Camera, which was a cheap GoPro knockoff that wasn’t very good. And in the case of the Yi 4K Action Camera, it didn't take a while before we realized we might have a winner there. So whenever a new, cheaper contender rises in China, we can hardly wait to set up a match and see if this is the One to dent GoPro's shiny armor. But the GoPro action cameras remain premium products with a premium price tag. If you are looking into getting a new action cam, you may have heard people talk down the Chinese-made action cameras for failing to deliver the same level of features or quality as GoPro.