How To Life: Xiaomi Yi Cam (International Version)

Ever since I was introduced to an action or sports camera, I have dreamed of having one. Of course like any dreamer, I wanted one that was currently popular on the market which was a GoPro.

But after finding out that a GoPro is not affordable for the likes of me, I looked for a cheaper version that has fantastic reviews and has great quality.

While browsing one of Philippines' popular online shopping website, Lazada Philippines, I stumbled upon this action camera that is making its way to the top of the best performing, cheap action cameras; SJCAM. I was already planning on purchasing one when, yet again, I found another online shop I-Click Digishop which also has physical stores around the country.

They were promoting this bundle for a certain Xiaomi Yi Cam and because of how cheap it is, considering all its inclusions, I researched about the item itself.

Xiaomi is a privately owned Chinese electronics company. They become a hit in the Philippines when they first released their smartphone which was a Mi 3, which was then exclusively sold by Lazada PH. It was then immediately followed by the release of the cheaper RedMi.

When we thought that Xiaomi, being a Chinese owned electronics company, will just be another one hit wonder, they upped their game when they announced that they will be selling high capacity powerbanks that ranges from PHP500 to PHP1000 only. And that the catch was there will only be a certain amount of units to be sold during its sale.

After a few more months, they joined the bandwagon and released a relatively cheap sports camera that has superior features. The Xiaomi Yi Cam.

Yi Cam - Local and International Versions

When you purchase a Yi Cam, it only comes with the camera itself, a battery, and a USB cord that can be used both for charging and transferring files. All other accessories (such as the waterproof case, memory card, pole, etc.) are sold separately.

It's key features are:

Image Processor: Ambarella A7LS high-performance processor
Image Sensor: 16MP Sony EXMOR R CMOS BSI image sensor
Lens: 155ᵒ ultra wide angle glass lens / F2.8 Aperture
G Sensor: ST high performance g-sensor

Also, many techies has already compared it with GoPro Hero and here's one of them (taken from here):

XIAOMI YI GOPRO HERO

Video 1080p/60 fps 1080p/30 fps

Photo 16 megapixels 5 megapixels

Time lapse 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 0.5

Burst 3/5/7 per second/7 in 2 seconds 10 photos in 2 seconds

WiFi Yes No

App Yes N/A

Waterproof No (case required) 40 meters

Battery 1,010mAh replaceable 1,180mAh non-replaceable

So that's that, since I've already discussed its technicalities, here are some of my sample shots. I have not applied any edits on these photos so you can judge by yourselves how the captured photos/videos will be produced should you decide to buy a Yi Cam.