YI Technology introduced itself to the United states with the YI Action Camera in late 2015. That device, which is still being sold today, surprised many because of its simple design and small price. It's part of the imaging technology company's strategy to penetrate the U.S. market with affordable, quality products.
In 2016, YI revamped its lineup. The YI Home Camera 2 and YI 4K Action Camera are now the flagship products, showing real signs that the company plans to stick around and become highly competitive over time. The YI 4K Action Camera is particularly interesting because of capabilities at a price that is still lower than other devices in the class. It's an action camera sporting a touch-enabled display, 4K support, lengthy battery life, and dual-band WiFi. Elsewhere you could pay big bucks for these features, but YI is selling this action camera for $249.
Hit the break for our review of the YI 4K Action Camera.
The YI 4K Action Camera, like most devices of this type, is small and compact. Why? Because you need to be able to take it with you everywhere without ever thinking about its size. Action cameras are meant to be versatile devices that go where you go, and the YI 4K Action Camera can do just that, measuring 2.6 x 1.7 x 1.2 inches. It's small enough to fit in your pocket or anywhere else.
Along the sides you'll find the speaker, power/capture/record button, battery and microSD card slot, standard tripod screw, and micro-USB port.
YI's offering is made of hard plastic unlike the rubber you'll on the Vikeepro 4K Sports Camera, but the latter's material is definitely preferred. Taking the YI 4K Action Camera with you on adventurous excursions could prove to be hazardous for the plastic frame. Rubber, on the other hand, can handle bumps and bruises because the material absorbs shock upon impact.
Whether you're carrying it by hand or mounting it on a bike or helmet, this action camera won't get in the way or be uncomfortable; however, don't let the compact design trick you into thinking the YI 4K Action Camera is weak. YI made sure this is a little beast of an action camera.
What I appreciate most about YI's efforts is its commitment to produce in-house accessories. Forget about going around hunting for accessories from different brands and hoping they work with your action camera. The YI 4K Action Camera is supported by a growing number of accessories developed and sold by YI itself. The same can be side for select companies, but they often charge a lot of money for even the basics that you'll want.
YI sells a waterproof case, a leather case with a protective lens, a selfie stick with a Bluetooth remote, a floating grip, a hand mount, a bike mount, a head mount, a chest mount, a helmet mount, a pet mount, a carrying case, and a UV lens. None of these are expensive and all of them will only enhance your experience with the YI 4K Action Camera.
Many third-party accessories will be compatible the YI 4K Action Camera, too, because of the standard tripod screw. This actually makes YI's action camera stand out; not many action cameras on the market today come with a standard tripod screw, and it's not like you're paying a premium to get one here.
Hard to come by on an action camera is a display, but YI included a 2.19-inch (640×360) widescreen LCD display covered by Gorilla Glass on this one. It's a great benefit, and the image quality on the display is a step up from what you normally get on these devices.
Did I mention it's a touchscreen? Putting the competition in the rear view mirror is the YI 4K Action Camera's touch-enabled display. Other action cameras leave the controls to physical buttons, a setup that is way too tricky and illogical. YI is doing what every action camera manufacturer should have been doing long ago: implementing touchscreens to give users natural controls.
Just remember that this display isn't representative of what your images and videos actually look like. The display is meant to be a viewfinder above all else.
Navigating through the YI 4K Action Camera's menus is a breeze, especially because of the touch-enabled display. YI puts everything right in front of you to tap through. From the viewfinder, you have on-screen buttons for the gallery, mode switches, and settings.
Courtesy of the Sony IMX377 image sensor and Ambarella A9Se75 chip, here is the camera's photo and video resolutions:
Photo resolution:
- 12MP (4000×3000)
- 8MP (3840×2160)
- 7MP W (3008×2256)
- 7MP m (3008×2256)
- 5MP (2560×1920)
Video resolution:
- 4K / 30fps (3840×2160)
- 4K Ultra / 30fps (3840×2160)
- 2.5K / 30fps (2560×1920)
- 1440p / 30fps or 60fps (1920×1440)
- 1080p / 30fps or 60fps or 120fps (1920×1080)
- 1080p Ultra / 30fps or 60fps or 120fps (1920×1080)
- 960p / 60fps or 120fps (1280×960)
- 720p / 240fps (1280×720)
- 720p Ultra / 60fps or 120fps (1280×720)
- 480p / 240fps (848×480)
Great numbers all around, but let's see how shots come out.
The impression I got from the YI 4K Action Camera was positive. My neighborhood is full of trees, so it's difficult for sunlight to get through. That might be why most of the pictures seem cold-ish to you, but I was satisfied by the setup's ability to capture sharp images. Maybe the only real issue I had was occasional blurriness when the camera didn't want to focus or didn't focus fast enough.
One thing we're not able to show you is any video. Why? Our first unit wouldn't let us into the gallery or move files to another device, but even the second unit sent by YI was plagued by this. The second unit we received would actually overheat and restart anytime we tried replaying video. So I've elected to just move forward with our review and make note that either we had awful luck with two units or there's an underlying issue to be addressed by the company.
Because of our issues, we recommend clicking here to get an idea for video on the YI 4K Action Camera.
The YI 4K Action Camera is your run-of-the-mill action camera because there's nothing about it that blows you away. It's really just a cheaper GoPro-like device made by another company, which is totally fine. YI waited for others to spend a large amount of time and money on developing action cameras before it inserted itself into the conversation, meaning its own action camera doesn't have to be priced high to make up for development. While the software bugs are a little odd, it's not a deal breaker. So, if you're looking for an affordable action camera capable of 4K video but don't want to go with a shady brand, YI's offering is for you.
Buy it now: YI, Amazon
