YI Technology has announced that its new Yi 4K Action Camera 2 is currently on presale at Gearbest for $249.99.
The original Yi camera, which came out in March 2015, was marketed as a budget alternative to GoPro. Priced at around $65, the Yi camera is only half the cost of GoPro's entry-level offering, the GoPro Hero, but with better specs and additional features compared to its competition.
The YI 4K action camera is a 16-megapixel camera that records video at 1080p/60 frames per second using Sony's Exmore R BSI CMOS image sensor, which is the same image sensor included in the Nexus 5X and 6P. GoPro Hero, on the other hand, records 1080p videos at 30 frames per second and only has 5-megapixel camera built in. The YI also beats the GoPro Hero in memory capacity (64 GB vs. Hero's 32 GB), lighter weight (72 grams vs. Hero's 111 grams) and longer battery life.
The Yi 4K Action Camera 2 is the updated version of the original Yi. It uses Ambarella A9 chipset similar to the GoPro Hero 4 Black edition, and has a 2.19-inch, 330 ppi resolution touchscreen display comparable to the GoPro Hero 4 Silver. It also flaunts a 2-pack, 1,400 mAh battery compared to the GoPro Hero 4, and can record 110 minutes of 4K video at 30 frames per second. Additionally, it can also support 1080p and 720p video recording. The battery life will reportedly last up to 8 hours on standby and 2 hours of continuous shooting.
Another cool feature of the new Yi Camera is the ability to shoot slow motion and time lapse footage. It can capture 740p videos at frame rates up to 240 frames per second, which results in video playback of approximately 10 percent of normal speed. At 1080p in slow motion mode, it captures at 120 frames per second.
In time lapse mode, the Yi 4K 2 supports multiple shot intervals including 0.5 seconds through 60 seconds between shots. As a final shot at the GoPro Hero 4, the Yi 4K 2 also includes electronic image stabilization, which results in smoother playback of high intensity captures.
Other YI products have not been released in the U.S. as the company focuses primarily on the Chinese and Asian markets. The new Yi 4K, however, is available for shipping to the U.S., as Gearbest offers international shipping to the States.
Customers can purchase the YI 4K Action Camera 2 through Gearbest website.
