REVIEW: Yi Lite Action Camera with 4K support

Today we present the review of the sports camera Yi Lite Action Camera a very interesting model as it reaches up to 4K resolution, this camera in general offers us some very interesting specifications at a reasonable price. A product that competes directly against the sports camera of Xiaomi Mi Action Camera 4K, two models that have a similar hardware, this devices don’t stop their fight in this price sector. Let’s see how this new camera behaves in our review.

• Yi Lite Action Camera can be purchased at Amazon.com or Geekbuying.com only for $99.99 with shipping cost included

ESPECIFICACIONES

Comparativa modelos

In the following table you can see the Yi Lite Action Camera model compared to its direct competition

PACKAGE CONTENT

Unboxing

The sports camera Yi Lite Action Camera comes in a plastic box that lets you see the content, this model includes a submersible case up to 131 feet. In the package we have a small microUSB to USB cable, 1200 mAh battery and a couple of manuals with the first steps.

Product Details

The Yi Lite Action Camera has a simple, solid and functional design similar to other sports cameras on the market. A camera model that is slightly heavy since with the battery has a weight of about 2.53 oz. On the front we have the lens and a status LED that indicates the level of the battery.

In one of the sides we have a trapdoor that hides the microUSB connector to recharge the battery or connect to it to access the data of the SD internal memory that we install.

In the upper part we have the built-in speaker, two microphone holes, power button or trigger and an integrated status LED that indicates the current function of the camera.

In the lower part we have the thread for the tripod or selfie stick and a trapdoor that we can open by sliding the button to the side, it opens rotating on a hinge.

If we open the trapdoor we can see the housing for the 1200 mAh battery and in the lower part we can see the slot to insert the microSD card that has a self-extracting mechanism.

On the back screen we have a 2″ TFT touch screen that has a correct visibility although it is not spectacular since it has a resolution of 320 × 240 pixel, the screen has a pretty good response in the tactile section.

Accessories included

The camera Yi Lite Action Camera has multiple accessories available on the market, by default with our model we have a Waterproof Case capable of supporting dives of up to 131 feet. The camera fits perfectly in this box and the top button is fully accessible, this support is rotatable and has a tripod threaded.

MANAGEMENT OF THE DEVICE

Configuration from the app

To connect with the Yi Lite Action Camera we have an App available for Android and for iOS, we just have to install this app and follow the steps that are shown on the screen when we first turn on the camera.

With the camera on from the app we select the camera that we are going to connect, in this case from the Yi Lite we can see how we get a Wi-Fi network that mounts the camera to connect with our mobile.

Controls from the App

Once we are connected we can see and control all the modes of the Yi Lite Action Camera. At the top we have screen rotation icon, image format, screen network and settings. In the settings mode we control each aspect of the current mode, from a simple photo to the time intervals in timer mode.

• Time lapse
  Intervals: 3s,5s,10s,15s
• Brust
  Size: 16MP(4068×3456),10MP(3648×2736)
  Intervals: 3P/s,5P/s,10P/s,10P/2s,10P/3s,20P/2s,30P/3s,30P/6s
• Time-Lapse
  16MP(4068×3456),10MP(3648×2736)
  0.5s, 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, 30s, 60s, 2min, 5min, 10min, 30min, 60min

In the video mode we have the same level of control, we can also see in real time the streaming of video coming from the camera, something very useful to control the device remotely. In this section is very important the digital stabilizer section a point that we will have to activate if we are going to capture video in motion.

Controls on screen

On the touch screen of the Yi Lite Action Camera we have all modes of operation, we have different options with multiple possibilities within them, these modes can be controlled equally from the mobile app remotely.

• Photo and video modes, with timers or time intervals
• Burst, loop, slow motion and Video + photo mode

Within the selected mode we have different options, as we see in the video recording the limit is 4K at 20fps.

In camera mode we can also directly access the main options from the on-screen menus.

Within the selected mode we also have adjustment controls as we can see in the app from our mobile.

IMAGE TEST

To perform the tests we equipped the camera with a microSD card Samsung EVO 32GB Class 10 with which we have enough in terms of speed and space. This class is the minimum recommended by the manufacturer, if you have to buy a new recommendation that is Class 10 as a minimum, the price difference is negligible and the increase in benefits more than considerable. Before using it, we must format the microSD from the camera through its menus.

Video quality

The camera Yi Lite Action Camera is a product that does not reach the high range of sports cameras, at the user level as we will see has quite decent features, for the price we can be very useful for normal use. Although the camera can record video to 4K without a doubt the best results we will have with the 1080P 60fps resolution since in the 4K mode we have quite annoying effects on the movement.

The camera can generate files of about 3.4 GB maximum since the microSD card is formatted as FAT32. Here you have the details of one of these files generated by recording video at 4K 20fps and 1080p 60fps which as you can see has a quite acceptable bitrate.

Next you have videos recorded in the Yi Lite Action Camera with 1080p 60fps resolution with and without EIS digital stabilizer in addition one recorded at 4K 20fps. As we can clearly see the best results in motion are obtained at 1080p with EIS activated, the video in 4K only serves for very static situations since the movement destabilizes the image with only 20 fps. The camera in general has a good image quality, it offers correct contrasts and low saturated colors.

Photo quality

As we can see in the image samples the Yi Lite Action Camera with an opening degree of 150º gives us correct results, in the corners we can see some distortion due to the effect of the lens and the digital reconstruction. The colors on the other hand we can buy them with the camera of an LG G6, as we can see we have a much colder range of colors, perhaps the LG is saturated but the image shows a superior global quality, something normal. In short we have a correct quality for the type of camera that is and the aperture format that the lens has.

Audio

The recording quality of the two microphones in the  upper zone are correct, although the result is fairly flat in general, although compared to low-end models it is much higher. The integrated speaker at the top serves to listen to the video we have recorded but little else.

Battery

The battery complies with the announced correctly if we do not abuse having the screen on that drains the battery enough, we have managed to record about 125 minutes in 1080p 60fps resolution until it has been completely exhausted.

Connections

In the Yi Lite Action Camera we have only one microUSB port that serves to recharge the battery and access the data stored in the internal microSD card from for example a PC, we miss the video connector and audio jack.

CONCLUSIONS

Opinion

The camera Yi Lite Action Camera as we can see gives us quite acceptable results for the price, a competitor worthy without doubt with the Xiaomi Mi Action Camera 4K that seems only to surprass it in speed of images per second in some modes. A camera that has good support from the brand and offers control software quite worked for as we have been able to prove, nothing to envy the models of the competition is this aspect.

The digital stabilizer does an excellent job at 1080p and we have a good quality image with the minimum vibrations, on the other hand the 4K video recording is somewhat lackluster because with a lot of movement it is clearly seen that a few frames are missing, we can use it in static to that resolution without problems. In general a very interesting device for those looking for a sports camera at the user level for a reasonable price with good features.

WHERE TO BUY

• • • Yi Lite Action Camera can be purchased at Amazon.com or Geekbuying.com only for $99.99 with shipping cost included

Yi Lite Action Camera

7.8

DESIGN AND CONNECTIVITY

7.0/10

HARDWARE

8.0/10

SOFTWARE

8.5/10

SUPPORT

8.5/10

PRICE

7.0/10

Pros

• Good control app
• Brand support
• Strong construction
• Picture quality is good
• Excellent digital stabilizer

Cons

• 4K only useful in static
• Few connections