Yi Technology 4K+ Action Camera
The world’s best-value action camera
$299.99 From Yi Technology, yitechnology.com Features 4K at 60fps, image stabilization, touchscreen and voice control, Raw format images
The Yi 4K+ isn’t hugely different to the original Yi 4K, apart from the ability to shoot 4K video at 60fps, which means a maximum bitrate of 120Mbps — double what the Yi 4K offered.
Inside is the same 12MP Sony IMX377 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with Exmor R, but this version has a new Ambarella H2 chipset and quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor.
You probably won’t use the Yi 4K+ much for stills photography, but you can. It shoots very usable 12MP images, which you can save as JPEGs or keep in Raw (as .DNG files).
Unlike its predecessor, the 4K+ recharges via a USB-C port, and there’s an adapter for an external microphone in the box. It takes a microSD card up to 64GB capacity.
There are a few tiny corners cut. Unlike the GoPro Hero6 Black, the Yi 4K+ is not natively waterproof, only splashproof, although a separate Waterproof Case Kit (apparently also “dustyproof”) is available. Compared to the GoPro, the Yi 4K+ lacks GPS, gyroscope, and accelerometer sensors, so your videos don’t include tags for location, direction, and speed. You either care about that or don’t.
What is an issue is the short battery life — the 1200mAh battery lasts for just over an hour in 4K mode, although we did get almost two hours when using Full HD 1080p.
Aside from the subtle checkerboard pattern on the front, the Yi 4K+ looks exactly the same as its predecessor. It’s a compact 2.5 x 1.6 x 1.2 inches in size, and weighs just 3.3 ounces. The large 2.2-inch touchscreen is coated in tough Corning Gorilla Glass. It’s colorful and contrasty, with great viewing angles, and extremely sensitive to touch, making the clear, simple operating system a breeze to use. The new voice control software adds to that, but results are mixed. Shouting commands such as “Yi Action take photo” or “Yi Action record video” produces results, but it doesn’t work too well outdoors, which is kinda what the camera is supposed to be for.
The free Yi Action app is, refreshingly, not required, but can access all the camera settings and host an almost-instant live feed. You can transfer images and videos to your phone and apply filters and image effects, and share to Facebook, Instagram, and — showing its Asian heritage — Line.
The ability to shoot at 4K does come with a few caveats. Ultra 4K mode — the Yi 4K+’s most detailed option — tops out at 30fps. So does 4K HD mode. However, in regular 4K mode, the Yi 4K+ can record in 60fps (or 48fps or 30fps). At 60fps the results are impressively sharp, with good contrast and well saturated color. Video can be a little choppy if you hand-hold, which is a result of the low frame rate and the fact that the image stabilization applies to 4K only at 30fps or below. For the smoothest possible video, consider shooting in Full HD 1080p.
The bottom line. Unbeatable value. Don’t go for GoPro before trying this capable, easy-to-use action cam. Jamie Carter