Have you heard of Xiaomi, the Chinese company that has been making waves by dethroning Samsung in Malaysia as the most popular Android phone brand? Surely you have. Xiaomi has been making outrageous moves in the smartphone market which is only matched by brands like Oppo and Huawei, among others.
But wait, the best have not come. Xiaomi just launched a GoPro Competitor at half the price and twice the specs! Priced at only USD 64 or 399 Yuan, the Yi Action Camera comes with far more capabilities than the cheapest GoPro, the GoPro Hero.
Will the Yi Action Camera be good enough? Read our take after the break
When compared to the GoPro, which only takes 5 megapixel still photos and 1080 footage at 30fps, the Yi Action Camera takes 16 megapixel still photos and 1080 footage at 60fps! Surprised? You bet we are. But wait, there’s more. Xiaomi’s Yi Action camera sensor isn’t home made, but a Sony Exmor R, which ensures you get quality images and dynamic range.
And the final nail to the head? The Xiaomi Yi comes with 64GB of built in RAM, considerably more than GoPro’s, plus it is capable of use all the way down to 40m, the same as its much more expensive rival.
Xiaomi Launches GoPro Competitor : The Camera Market Issue
With recent news from Germany that Action cameras are a growth market, while digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLRs) have shown visible declines over the last two and the half years worldwide, Xiaomi’s recent move seems to put the sword to many a camera manufacturer’s plan to focus on action cameras.
In our humble opinion, due to the sluggish and declining camera market, camera shops nationwide in Malaysia have focused on selling action cameras and its various accessories. Brands like GoPro, AEE, SJ4000, Drift HD, Contour, iON and Liquid Image comes to mind.
However, with news of the Yi Action Camera and the upcoming launch of Garmin’s action camera, swiftly followed by Xiaomi’s, is a blow to many camera shop owners. After all, with camera sales looking to dip even further this year, unless the Japanese camera makers do something, Malaysian camera shops will have to reinvent themselves or face the threat of extinction.
In the same way, with many camera accessories manufacturers facing the heat as the sudden downturn in fortunes struck the camera industry, some would have considered moving into accessories for action cameras. Now, perhaps it would be a wait and see game, as Xiaomi’s Yi Action Camera also comes with its set of accessories.
Xiaomi Launches GoPro Competitor : Conclusion
In all, we would say that the entrance of Xiaomi’s Yi Action camera as an exciting outcome for action photographers and videographers. However, for Malaysian camera shops, it would be a period of uncertainty as their growing source of income, the action camera, faces a mighty foe in Xiaomi.