Yi Technology’s 4K+ Action Camera Review
There are only a few quality action cameras that are virtual reality grade and that can record video in UHD 4K with 60fps. Selecting the right one for the next adventure is even easier than ever before. Yi Technology has engineered next level hardware into their newest 4K+ Action Camera to be the world’s first that can capture 4K in 60fps for $339.
Disclosure: A 4K+ Action Camera was supplied at no cost for review. I have not been compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos are courtesy of Yi Technology unless otherwise stated.
Yi Technology’s 4K+ Action Camera Unboxing
What’s In The Box:
- Yi 4K+ Action Camera
- 1,400 mAh Battery
- USB Type-C Cable
- Waterproof Case/Housing
- User Manual
Yi Technology 4K+ Action Camera Right Side
Action cameras available today come in a few shapes and sizes. The two most popular shapes are a small square with everything sealed and a slightly larger rectangle with removable and replaceable parts. The most useful is the latter for a number of reasons.
Exchanging batteries, swapping microSD memory cards and changing housings are a few of the ways that this size of action camera is most people’s choice. I found it to be the right size to record a cool time-lapse video of a sunset while I was on a trip in Shanghai, China.
Shanghai Sunset with Yi Action Camera
Many of the best new Yi 4K+ action camera features came from an optimized firmware update. Those features are voice control, RAW photo capture mode, Live Streaming (Facebook Live & YouTube Live), smart battery saving function when in time-lapse mode, added languages and optimized micro SD card compatibility.
Image and video quality is what makes the Yi 4K+ such a winner. It has a fantastic Sony IMX377 12MP imaging sensor with Exmor R, 7-element glass lens, class-leading Ambarella H2 chipset and a quad-core Cortex-A53 ARM processor which combine to produce sharp photos with deep rich color. Electronic image stabilization or EIS produces smooth looking 4K video in 30fps. Add an active gimbal from Yi Technology to make video look even smoother.
Yi Technology 4K+ Action Camera Quality
Controlling this action camera via voice commands increases its ease of use so that a free hand can Tweet or hold a selfie stick. The commands that the 4K+ can recognize are to take photos, shoot in burst mode, start recording, stop recording and turn off the camera. An enhanced microphone system reduces ambient wind noise even better than the first Yi 4K action camera.
According to Yi, the waterproof case for the 4K+ can handle depths of up to 132 feet and temperatures down to -22 degrees Fahrenheit. With or without the waterproof housing, the Yi 4K+ action camera takes 12MP photos at 155 degrees wide.
The 2.2” Gorilla Glass protected touch screen has retina level 330ppi resolution and was highly responsive to taps and swipes. Swiping between modes was instant. Changing settings was easy with a clear and well thought out menu system. Replaying videos on its screen was smooth too. Doing everything above with Yi’s free app for iOS or Android was equally as easy.
Connectivity has been expanded in this camera with the addition of a USB Type-C port. Along with charging, the port offers the ability to attach an external microphone, AV out and has a faster transfer rate to move 4K video onto a computer. The transfer rate has been increased 100% from what the Yi 4K could do with its micro USB port.
Yi Technology 4K+ Action Camera Touch Screen
Its 5GHz Wi-Fi chip provides a speedy way to wirelessly broadcast with Facebook Live and YouTube Live. The wireless connection can be used to observe live video recording on a smartphone screen. An option in Yi’s app allowed me to transfer a lower resolution video file to my iPhone for quicker uploading.
Picking the right micro SD card for the Yi 4K+ action camera is as easy as checking their matrix. It is no surprise that they recommend more SanDisk microSD 4K transfer speed enabled cards than any other brand.
Currently, the camera can handle up to 64GB of UHS Speed Class 3 U3 storage. Out of the nine micro SD cards shown in their compatibility matrix, five of them are from SanDisk; such as the Extreme U3 64GB, Extreme PRO U3 64GB, Extreme PLUS U3 64GB, Extreme Pro U3 V30 64GB, Extreme U3 V30 64GB, and Extreme U3 V30 32GB. The other memory brands Yi recommends for the camera are Transcend, Lexar and Sony.
Who is the 4K+ Action Camera for? It is for people that want an action camera to take on vacation, to broadcast live video and take amazing time lapsed video. It is also for professionals that need a small camera that can handle recording 4K video at 60fps. Yi has superbly blended professional quality hardware and ease of use into their new 4K+ Action Camera.