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Xiaomi is facing off against the might of action camera monopoly with its own GoPro-rivalling action camera.
Dubbed the Yi, Xiaomi's fledgling action shooter looks to snag some of the sector's market share by way of a low price point.
The Yi Action Camera costs just 399CNY in fact, which translates to around £41.
By comparison, GoPro’s entry-level model prices in at £109, which would buy you two Yi’s and a cheapo skateboard from Argos to strap them to. Brill.
Such low pricing might signal an abominable spec sheet mind, but that’s not the case here – the Yi’s innards can purportedly handle 1080p footage recording at 60 frames per second.
It also has 64GB of built-in storage as standard (take note, smartphone manufacturers), and weighs a truly portable 72g.
Xiaomi says the Yi is waterproof up to a depth of 40 metres too, so it won’t miss out on the amateur aquatic filming niche.
Related: GoPro Hero3 Black Edition review
The great stinking caveat to all of this is that we won’t be seeing the Yi in the UK any time soon. Xiaomi says its action camera is a China release only, at least for now.
Assuming success however, Xiaomi could very well roll out the Yi – or perhaps a Yi 2 – globally.
But could Xiaomi take on GoPro? While the latter certainly has a strangehold on the action camera market, its high pricing still marks itself as a barrier to entry for many.
If Xiaomi can ensure its cameras don’t fall flat under scrutiny whilst maintaining a low price point, we’ll almost assuredly see GoPro missing out on some much beloved market share.
