Xiaomi, one of China’s greatest tech company and the fifth biggest cell phone producer on the planet, has turned out with an upgrade to its Yi Action Camera called the Yi 4K. The Yi 4K Action Camera 2 is the overhauled variant of the first Yi camera, which turned out in March 2015. In a market that was generally dominated by GoPro, it acted as a pocket-friendly option to GoPro.
The new Yi Action Camera 2, tagged at around $65 is also referred to as Yi 4K by the company, owing to the gadget’s 4K video recording feature. It is only half the cost of GoPro’s basic model the GoPro Hero, with better specs and additional features. The device features a Corning Gorilla Glass 2.19-inch screen. This 16-megapixel camera records video at 1080p/60fps using Sony’s IMX377 sensor which you would find in the Nexus 5X and 6P. It comes with a 7P lens and f/2.8 aperture and offers a 155-degree wide viewing angle.
The system is powered by Ambarella A9 chipset similar to the GoPro Hero 4, and has a 2.19-inch 640 x 360 pixels, 330 ppi resolution touchscreen display which is better than the Hero 4 Black release yet is like the Silver version. Another cool component of the camera is the capacity to shoot slow motion and time lapse videos at a frame rate of 240 fps, which gives a playback of 10% of normal speed. It bolsters multiple shot intervals including 0.5 seconds through 60 seconds amid the shots and at 1080p in the slo-mo mode it captures at 120fps.
Whereas the GoPro Hero records 1080p videos at 30 fps and just has a 5 MP built in camera. Not just this Xiaomi Yi surpasses the GoPro Hero in storage capacity as well. While Xiaomi Yi comes up with a 64 GB of internal storage, the GoPro Hero on the other side offers a 32 GB of storage. Lighter in weight with 72 grams Yi 4K feels like a feather when compared with Hero’s 111 grams.
One of the highlights of the camera is the 2-pack, 1,400 mAh battery which is guaranteed to offer more battery life than GoPro Hero 4, and can last up to 8 hours on standby and 2 hours of constant 4K video at 30 fps shooting.
As a final nail in the coffin of the GoPro Hero 4, the Yi 4K 2 incorporates a 6 axis gyroscope electronic image stabilization, which is an element the company claims, missed out on the GoPro Hero 4 and results in a smoother playback of high power captures.
The device has a microSD slot and double band Wi-Fi support to connect the camera with Android phones. Image processing is done by the Ambarella A9SE SoC which underpins the H.264 codec.
The Yi 4K comes in shades of Black, White & Pink. It is estimated at approx. Rs 12,500 whereas, the Yi 4K with a Bluetooth remote and selfie stick is priced at approx. Rs 13,500.
Xiaomi Yi 4k beats GoPro totally and is unquestionably a must buy in case you’re going for a mid-range camera and are looking for stunning features.
