For a long time, the market for action cameras has been dominated by GoPro, but that might be about to change. The unassumingly named Yi 4K+ is a stunning new action camera from a relatively unknown company and it not only matches the best GoPro has to offer on quality, but trumps it on price, too.
Who or what is Yi? It’s a company backed by Chinese firm Xiaomi, the world’s 5th largest smartphone manufacturer. So it’s no fly-by-night rebrander. This is a camera built and sold by one of the technology industry’s giants.
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Yi 4K+ action camera review: What you need to know
Basically, if you know GoPro, you know what the Yi 4K+ is all about. It’s a pocket-friendly action camera that records up to 60fps in 4K resolution, up to 120fps in 1080p and up to 240fps at 720p, making it the world’s first 4K 60fps action camera, although it’s now been joined by the recently announced GoPro Hero6 in that respect.
It has the right specs on paper and comes with a waterproof case, but doesn’t have built-in GPS. Most importantly, image quality is as good as, if not better than the GoPro Hero5 Black, and it’s cheaper too. In short, it’s currently the best buy in the action camera market, and that’s unlikely to change when the GoPro Hero6 Black arrives.
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Yi 4K+ action camera review: Price and competition
That’s because while the Hero6 Black costs £500 and the Hero5 Black is £380 the Yi 4K+ is a mere £300, which makes it an incredibly good buy. There’s also the £240 GoPro Hero5 Session, a smaller variant of the Hero5 Black, but that doesn’t have a display, and comes with a lower resolution sensor instead. Both GoPro models offer up to 60Mbit/sec recordings. Finally, there’s also the Sony FDR-X1000VR for around £320. The latter offers up to 4K at 30fps, an 8.8-megapixel sensor and records at 100Mbit/sec.
YI 4K plus Action Sport Camera 4K/60fps WIFI Camera with Waterproof Case (EU Version) - Black
Yi 4K+ action camera review: Design and features
The Yi 4K+ is a compact camera that measures 65 x 30 x 42mm and smaller than the GoPro Hero5 Black. That’s primarily because it isn’t waterproof like the GoPro – you have to pop it in its case if you want to shoot in the rain or underwater, though this does negatively impact audio quality in recordings.
It follows GoPro, though, in terms of its overall design, with a rectangular body, protruding lens, 2.2in 640 x 360 touchscreen the rear and multifunction button on the top. A nice touch here is that the button has an LED embedded in it, which flashes red when recording.
On the left-hand side there’s a flap covering a USB Type-C port, which is used both for charging and audio input. Connect the bundled USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapter and you can add an external microphone. You can also purchase a Type-C to RCA adapter. Underneath is a 1/4in tripod mount and this is where you’ll find the battery and microSD compartment.
Just like the GoPro, the Yi 4K+ is rather picky with microSD cards. Due to the sheer volume of data being transferred to the camera, you’ll need one of the fastest cards around - a U3 class card to be specific. There are a few compatible cards listed on the Yi website.
YI 4K plus Action Sport Camera 4K/60fps WIFI Camera with Waterproof Case (EU Version) - Black
I found the Yi 4K+ interface very easy to understand, yet it still provides a deep level of customisation for budding enthusiasts. From the homescreen, if you swipe from top to bottom, you get a set of quick toggles. Swipe from either side and you can quickly switch between video and photo modes. Scroll upwards and you can to other modes, such as Time Lapse Video, Slow Motion, Burst, Timer and Live.change
Yes, that’s right. You can live stream directly from the camera to your Facebook profile, page or YouTube channel. You will, however, need to download the YI Action Camera App to set it up. This is great if you like sharing your moments in real time with friends, family or fans.
By touching the small cog on the screen, you’ll be presented with a flurry of options under the video tab, including the ability to record in flat colour mode (useful for colour matching in professional projects), adjust metering, ISO sensitivity and shutter speed.
If you find operating the camera too fiddly with the tiny touchscreen, you can control various functions via the Android or iOS app. This works flawlessly and connects to the camera via dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi. There’s also Bluetooth 4, which allows you to remotely connect to a remote, such as the Yi selfie stick.
And if you prefer to go hands-free, there’s a remote voice control option, too. This lets you start/stop recordings, snap stills and switch off the camera, all of which could come in handy if you’re using the camera on a helmet mount or in a car. You do need to be in a quiet environment and speak clearly, though, for it to work though.
The touchscreen and menu system is so responsive and usable, though, that I didn’t find this to be a particularly big problem and that’s thanks mainly to its quad-core Cortex A53 64-bit CPU. Unlike the GoPro equivalent, the Yi 4K+’s onscreen animations are clean, smooth and responsive to the touch.
Unfortunately, there are some limitations with the Yi 4K+. Its biggest flaw is that there’s no in-built GPS and this is where the GoPro Hero5 (and forthcoming Hero6) Black pulls ahead, with its integrated GPS, altimeter, compass and g-force indicator.
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Yi 4K+ action camera review: Image and video quality
There are very few action cameras in the world that rival the image and video quality of a GoPro, but the Yi 4K+ achieves the feat effortlessly, even surpassing it.
The core of the camera’s imaging engine is its Sony IMX377 1/2.3” 12-megapixel CMOS image sensor with Exmor R and this is topped with an f/1.8, seven-element lens that provides up to a 155° field of view.
The combination of the image sensor and lens delivers stunning image quality. Pictures are rich in colour, with good contrast and oodles of detail. In comparison to the GoPro Hero5 Black, I found the Yi 4K+ produced slightly more colour-accurate images and videos. The same footage shot on the Hero5 Black looked slightly softer and warmer.
^ Yi 4K+ action camera (photograph, maximum resolutino)
^ GoPro Hero5 Black (photograph, maximum resolution)
The Yi 4K+’s still image quality is extremely impressive and low light performance isn’t bad either. Of course, there is image noise in the background, but that’s to be expected. Enabling ‘Auto Low Light’ mode reduces image noise a touch.
Video capture is what it’s all about with this camera, however, and that’s sensational. As with image quality, the Yi 4K+ records videos with superior colour accuracy and contrast to the GoPro Hero5 Black.
That’s not the only thing it does better, it records at a much higher bit rate, too, which results in crisper videos and better detail retention. I used the MediaInfo app to extract bit rate information for each of my test clips. At 4K/60fps, the Yi 4K+ reached a bit rate of 135Mbits/sec as detailed in the specifications. Dialed down to 4K/30fps it records at 105Mbits/sec, while the GoPro Hero5 Black is capped at 60Mbits/sec. The difference is noticeable between the two cameras:
^ Yi 4K+ action camera frame capture at 4K/60fps
^ GoPro Hero5 Black frame capture at 4K/30fps
In the above frame captures you’ll see more detail around the building, cleaner lines, less blurring around the traffic light to the right and the foliage on the left-hand side more crisply rendered on the Yi 4K+.
^ Yi 4K+ action camera frame capture at 4K/60fps
^ GoPro Hero5 Black frame capture at 4K/30fps
I also found the Yi 4K+ suffered considerably less from flare than the GoPro Hero5 Black, with shots captured into the sun packing much more punch than the flatter less contrasty GoPro footage. Again, in the above two images, there’s far greater detail, more accurate colour reproduction throughout the scene with the Yi 4K+.
Even if 4K isn’t your cup of tea, both cameras can be dialled down. I compared the two at a lower resolution and higher frame rate, too: 1080p at 120fps. Here, the GoPro stuck to its guns at 60Mbit/sec, while the Yi 4K+ outputs at 75Mbits/sec. Again, the video quality is better, more detail is shown and colours are better on the Yi 4K+.
The only downside of this superior quality is the sheer size of the resultant files. For a 56-second clip recorded at 4K/60fps on the Yi 4K+ you’re looking at 917MB, while a 49-second clip recorded on the GoPro at 4K/60fps is much smaller at 353MB. That’s a huge difference.
For movement, Yi Technology use Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) to provide a more stable image. Alas, it doesn’t work at 4K/60fps, but will smooth out footage at lower resolutions and frame rates.
The EIS is pretty effective but if you’re looking for the ultimate in smooth, stable video output or you want smooth 60fps 4K video, you can get yourself a handheld gimbal and, handily, Yi Technology sells its own for around £170. This is a lot cheaper than the £290 GoPro Karma grip, but by comparison the Yi gimbal is a heavier and. Still, if you’re looking for an excellent 3-axis gimbal for the car, or to attach to a selfie stick through its 1/4in thread, the Yi gimbal is an excellent accessory for the Yi 4K+ action camera.
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Yi 4K+ action camera review: Audio quality
While image quality is great, however, audio quality isn’t so good. Despite both recording in 48kHz at 128kbits/sec the GoPro Hero5 Black simply sounds a lot better. It’s wider and deeper than that captured by the Yi 4K+.
On the plus side, with the bundled USB-C to female 3.5mm adapter, you can plug in an external microphone. This will then provide far superior audio quality over the GoPro, potentially something to invest in, given the Yi 4K+ is £80 cheaper. I’d suggest investing in the Sony ECM-CS3 for a cheap, small and yet drastically better microphone than the built-in ones on the camera.
Something else worth noting is that sound quality on the Yi 4K+ gets worse when it’s used with the waterproof case, with audio becoming tinny and claustrophobic. The same can be said with the GoPro’s waterproof casing, but remember you don’t need to buy the accessory unless you plan to go further than 10m under water.
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Yi 4K+ action camera review: Yi 4K+ vs GoPro Hero5 Black
GoPro is king of the action camera market, particularly at the top end, but the Yi 4K+ proves that it is possible to get a camera that’s as good, if not better, for less. Not that £300 is cheap, but if you’re in the market for a high-quality action camera and only the best will do, then the Yi 4K+ is currently the best place to spend your money.
That’s even with the GoPro Hero6 Black having just been released because, even if the quality outstrips the Yi 4K+ by a mile, the GoPro’s ridiculous £500 price will put it out of reach for many enthusiasts. In short, if you want the best action camera at sensible money, buy the Yi 4K+. It’s a revelation.
