Xiaomi marked its debut at the ongoing Consumer Electronic Show (CES) this year and along with announcing a white color variant of its Mi MIX smartphone. The company also took the wraps off its new action camera. Called the YI 4K+ Action Camera, the pocket-sized camera has been developed by Xiaomi’s sub-brand.
As the name suggests, the Yi 4K+ Action Camera is capable of capturing 4K video @60 fps ,which is said to be double the rate of GoPro’s Hero5 Black and also a first in its category. Compared to the predecessor, Yi 4K, the latest action camera offers twice the frame rate. The new Yi camera uses Ambarella H2 SoC processor with 2GB of RAM that offers a maximum bitrate of 120Mbps. It is said to be the first 14nm video processing/encoding SoC. The chipset consumes low power while delivering 4K Ultra HD videos.
The camera comes with Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). It features USB Type-C support and is capable of shooting in RAW format. It further comes with features such as live streaming and VR support.
In terms of specifications, the Yi 4K+ Action Camera measures 65 x 30 x 42mm and weighs 96.3 gram (camera + battery). It features seven layers of glass lens with 155-degree field-of-view and f/2.8 aperture. With a 2.91-inch touchscreen, the display offers 640×360 screen resolution at 330ppi.
The Yi 4K+ uses Sony IMX377 12-megapixel CMOS image sensor with Exmor R. Although it is capable of shooting in 4K Ultra Wide resolution with 30 fps, one can choose to shoot in as low as 480p resolution with a wide field-of-view. One can further shoot time-lapse videos in 4K with set intervals of up to 60 seconds. ALSO READ: CES 2017: Xiaomi Mi MIX white color variant unveiled, still China exclusive
For slow motion recording, the Yi 4K+ offers 720p resolution with 60\120\240 fps at rates of 2\4\8. Users can record video and capture time lapse photos at the same time. The Loop feature allows one to record a continuous video loop which overwrites itself until the shutter button is pressed to stop it and save. The maximum video length on loop is 120 minutes.
It comes with support for 2.4G/5G dual band WiFi, supports 5Ghz Wi-Fi and comes with built-in Bluetooth 4.0. The Yi 4K+ is not waterproof but if you buy the case, which is sold separately, then it will make the action camera waterproof up to 40 meters under water.
Pricing and availability details of the Yi 4K+ were not announced at the CES 2017. In comparison, the Yi 4K (originally priced at $249) currently sells at $199 (approximately Rs 13,500). However, given the first-in-its-category features, the Yi 4K+ is expected to be priced somewhere around $350 (approximately Rs 23,850), about $50 lesser than the Hero5 Black.
CES 2017: Xiaomi announces Yi 4K+ Action Camera with 60fps 4K recording