2016 was the year of the monkey, but it seems that 2017 might just have already been claimed by the Chinese tech innovators, YI Technology. In May, 2016 the YI 4K action camera was released, and did very well. It became one of the cheapest 4K video cameras, and the only action camera to be able to shoot in 4K for up to 120 minutes.
Claiming the title of ‘best action camera ever’ wasn’t enough for YI, they were hungry for more. They wanted a world’s first. They wanted to make history. And at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, that’s exactly what they did, when they announced the YI 4K+ Action Camera; the world’s first 4K action camera to shoot in 60 frames per second. All digital camera reviews started buzzing about the new release of YI. So how do they do it?
Claiming the title of ‘best action camera ever’ wasn’t enough for YI, they were hungry for more. They wanted a world’s first. They wanted to make history. And at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, that’s exactly what they did, when they announced the YI 4K+ Action Camera; the world’s first 4K action camera to shoot in 60 frames per second. All digital camera reviews started buzzing about the new release of YI. So how do they do it?
Well, YI Technology aren’t a tech giant, they claim they’re not trying to compete with the likes of SONY, Nikon and inevitably GoPro (but they kind of are). YI Technology has a team of young, innovative, and passionate engineers that dedicate their time to making imaging technology ‘easy and accessible to everyone.’ Because they’re still a relatively small company when compared to GoPro; they don’t have 40 engineers working on one camera, YI have more like 4, and they work closely together to produce innovative imaging technology, at cheaper prices.
The YI 4K+ Action Camera wasn't the only breakthrough made at CES 2017, YI also announced their first drone, the YI Erida. It’s the fastest flying drone with a camera, supposedly able toreach speeds up to 120kmph, with a flight time of up to 40 minutes. Yes, really, forty minutes! Giving it more flight time than any other consumer drone.
It’s also the first fully carbon fiber tri-copter meaning it’s as strong as steel but as light as a feather, okay not quite that light, but it does weigh only 1.3kg. Two of the propellers can fold back making it much more portable, and YI offers an optional carbon backpack for your convenience.
As well as the popular action camera and the upcoming release of the drone, YI also have a range of best-selling home cameras, a dash camera and a mirrorless camera (YI M1). I imagine a number of new products will be announced over the next year, so let’s watch this space very closely.
In less than a year YI has gone from being the new kid on the block, to the realest OG running the block. With a company growing so fast, and making such a name for itself in the tech world, it’s not hard to imagine (or maybe it is) where they will be by 2018. So, although the zodiac says 2017 will be year of the Chicken, YI certainly won’t be chicken-ing away from any challenges.
About The AuthorGeorge Finlayson is an educator and professional writer with a BA in Creative Writing. He was born in London, England but currently resides in Shanghai, China. He has recently developed a great interest in photography and has begun a new venture into writing about photography and videography for beginners, and related topics. With so many technical details in digital photography, George likes to keep things simple so that everyone can understand and feel a part of the ever-growing global photography community.
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I think they don't sell it yet. Looks proising! https://www.yitechnology.com/yi-4k-plus-action-camera
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