The double eleven sales period is always a busy one for Xiaomi and in preparation of the promotional sales, the company usually announces a couple of new products to help drive sales. This year is no exception as Xiaomi has lined up a few new products that would go on sale as from October 31. One of the product is the Mi Laser Projector that was first unveiled in June this year. The tech giant will also be putting up for sale two new accessories for the MIJIA 4K Action camera – a gimbal and a waterproof protective casing.

The Xiaomi Laser Projector is undoubtedly the big one among the trio. Since making its debut, a lot of fans have been yearning to lay their hands on the product despite the hefty 9999 Yuan ($1,470) price tag. Well, when compared to other Laer Projectors in the market, Xiaomi’s is far cheaper. This isn’t the first sale, the product was first sold on July 4 via Xiaomi Mall and it took just one hour 53 minutes for the sales to hit 10 million Yuan ($1,470,609.86). Just 1000 units were made available and since then nothing has been heard until now. 

As a reminder, Xiaomi Mi Laser Projector uses an advanced laser fluorescence display technology (ALPD 3.0) with a shelve life of 25,0000 hours which translates to up to 34 years usage if the projector is used for 2 hours daily. A daily usage of up to 4hours can still guarantee up to 17 years of usage, meaning the laser is ultra-durable and long-lasting. The projector’s two core technologies are the light source technology manufactured by the Light Peak photoelectric company while the imaging technology chip in use was made by Texas Instruments and Guangfeng photoelectric custom R&D.

The new Laser projector is capable of displaying up to a maximum of 150 inches with 1920 x 1080p resolution. The projector provides a red light ratio of 16% to 18%, wide colour gamut, colour quasi, with contrast comparable to the laser studio 3000: 1 screen contrast. The light source brightness can reach up to 5000 lumens which are of theatre screen level. The projector also diffuses its direct light source, allowing for more eye protection. The sound quality is also of high quality, giving the Mi Laser 150″ projector the capability of providing theatre-level audio-visuals right in the comfort of the sitting room.

Xiaomi 3-Axis Stabilizer Camera Gimbal & Waterproof  Protective Case

Xiaomi had teased the Gimbal when the MIJIA 4K Compact Action camera was launched earlier this year and it courted some attention. The camera has since been on sale and now Xiami is introducing the Gimbal design for the camera. The 3-Axis stabilizer Gimbal can rotate 360 degrees unhindered and is designed with features that ensure stability even when shooting in an unstable terrain or manner. The hand-held gimbal comes with a large 5000mAh battery which ensures it can last for up to 8 hours. There are also various control buttons for shooting and adjustment. The product is priced at 699 Yuan (~$105) and will officially be up for grabs from October 31 on Xiaomi Mall and Xiaomi’s official flagship store on Days Cat. 

Related: Grab The Xiaomi Mijia Mini 4K Action Camera for $119.99 (Coupon Inside)

Also joining the fray is a new waterproof protective casing for the MIJIA 4K Compact Action Camera with an IP68 water and dustproof rating. That means the 4K camera can be used in the rain and in dusty environments without fear of damage. It can also withstand underwater usage up to a 40-meter depth.  It has a non-reflective film on the surface where the lens would sit and that aspect is also covered with nano-level hydrophobic anti-fog film. This guarantees optimum shooting performance regardless of the weather condition.The accessory will also go on sale on October 31 and is priced at just 99 yuan (~$15).

(source)

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Last year Yi Technology released their first iteration of affordable yet great action camera. This year, the company released a vastly upgraded model and it is one of the best action cameras I’ve tested. We have used this camera for 2 months already. The Yi Technology 4k action camera costs $250, which is half the price of the GoPro Hero 4 and here is our full review.

Thanks to Yi Technology official for sending YI 4k action camera for a review.

YI 4k Action Camera VIDEO REVIEW:

YI 4k Action Camera Review: UNBOXING

As usual, let’s start by unboxing and see what you get with the camera. The contents of the box include a camera itself, some instruction manuals and USB charging cable.

Yi Technology sent me a waterproof case too, which allows you to use the camera under water up 132 feet or around 40m. The case is very sturdy and well-made. It is also dust-proof, weather-proof, drop and press resistant. Also, it uses a glass with a very good light transmittance.

I’ve used the case for quite a while and so far it has been excellent, there is no water condensation inside of it and the opening latch has been working fine.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: DESIGN AND FEATURES

Firstly, the second generation YI camera changed a lot and it improved in each and every way.

One of the key additions is the 4k video recording, which is thanks to a 12MP Sony IMX377 sensor and the newest Ambarella A9SE75 image processor. The camera has f/2.8 aperture and wide 160° lens.

Next to the camera we have the LED, which lights up in different colours to indicate the juice left in the battery. The camera is made of plastic and the device does not feel very expensive but it does not feel cheap either.

We have a power on/off button, which also acts as a record button, two microphones and the speaker grill on the top.

The camera can be charged via the micro USB charging port, which is covered by a flap.

On the bottom, we have a tripod mount screw. Also, we have a removable 1400mAh battery and the microSD card slot. Keep in mind that you would need to purchase a high-speed microSD card separately for a smooth 4k video recording.

Overall, the camera is tiny, compact, well-built and lightweight.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: DISPLAY AND USER INTERFACE

Another key addition is a 2.19” touchscreen display, which is covered with Gorilla Glass and it is the sharpest display on any action camera we’ve ever reviewed. Also, it is visible even under direct sunlight (if you set display brightness to maximum).

Naturally, the display acts as a viewfinder and this is a major improvement over the last generation camera. You can do quite a few things with the display. You can watch the videos you shot or the pictures you took right on the camera. If you swipe from the top, you will access quick settings toggles.

Also, you can select from quite a few shooting modes that include photo, video, time lapse, slow-motion and other modes.A really cool feature is that you can quickly switch from the photo and the last shooting mode by simply swiping from left to right.

As far as the video resolution goes, you can go all the way to the 4k at 30 fps or choose the lowest resolution of 480p at 240fps. There are quite a few resolution/fps combos but I have mostly used 4k at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and the 720p slow-motion video, where you can set the fps setting to 240.

In addition, there are some manual controls. You can adjust some image settings, turn on/off electronic image stabilization and so on.

One of the notable features is the dual-band Wifi, meaning that you can easily connect the camera to your phone using the YI Action app.

Within the app, you can use your phone as a viewfinder, which only has a little bit of lag, and some other things like switch from one shooting mode to another. Also, you can view photos and videos you shot and download them to your phone. Keep in mind that the camera creates a separate low-resolution video file, so you can easily share it. In addition, you can adjust some camera settings, upgrade the firmware of the device and so on.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: VIDEO QUALITY

See the video review for video/image quality. The camera samples will be uploaded soon (on April 24th)

I shot videos and took pictures that took over 100GB of storage on multiple microSD cards to tell you what I think about the image quality.

First of all, you have to keep in mind that action cameras are not as the good as the flagship smartphones but the Yi 4k camera can produce a very high-quality footage.

The 4k video is fantastic and it is one of the best we’ve seen on any action camera, to be honest. The footage is sharp is crisp, the color reproduction is very accurate and the infinite focus lens make the footage look in-focus and sharp all the time. The only shortcoming is that the 4k video lacks video stabilization.

The 4k time-lapse video is very detailed and sharp-looking too.

1080p video at 30 fps has less detail but does a better job with video stabilization. In addition, you can turn on the EIS in the settings menu to reduce the shakiness even more and it works pretty good.

1080p video at 60fps s great too. It may not look as sharp as the 4k but 60fps mode is the best suited for sports action.

Slow-motion video can be shot at 720p resolution either at 120fps or at 240fps.

When it comes to the low-light video, the quality decreases significantly. There is less detail and much more noise but still, the image quality is pretty good.

The still images look nice too. Again, the images do not look as sharp as the ones taken with the flagship smartphone but when it comes to the action cameras, they are one of the best in class.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: BATTERY LIFE

1400mAh battery performs great. I could get almost 2 hours of usage if I shot mainly 4K videos. If I shot 1080p videos and took pictures with the camera, I could easily get slightly over 2h of the battery life.

YI 4k Action Camera Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, the YI action 4k camera. This is a device that challenges the GoPro camera for half the price.In short, we love this camera and we don’t see any major shortcomings.

The device is lightweight, the display is sharp, the UI is fast and easy to use, the Wifi is fast and the camera works fine with the YI Action app. Also, the battery life is great.

The video and image quality are great too. Sure, the camera could be slightly better in low-light situations but this is probably the only shortcoming we can mention.

All in all, YI action 4k camera is a great product. The price point of $250 may sound steep for some but hey, this is the action cam that has a great image quality, good battery life and much more, and it can easily rival the GoPro camera…. for half the price.

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