Xiaomi has run up the smartphone charts by selling phones with top
specs at rock-bottom prices. It has taken the same tack with a growing
array of other products. The most recent: cameras.
The Chinese company said on Monday it would sell the Yi Action Cam, a
waterproof portable camera to rival GoPro. A GoPro Hero, the
entry-level device from the U.S. company, sells for around $130.
Xiaomi’s Yi Action Cam, which has many similar features, costs $64.
The Yi Action Camera has a 16 megapixel camera and can record high-definition video at 60 frames per second, Xiaomi said. Based on numbers alone, that’s better than the GoPro Hero’s 5 megapixel camera and video recording of 30 frames per second. Xiaomi says its camera is waterproof for up to 40 meters underwater, just like GoPro’s. (Of course, a camera’s performance depends on a number of factors, and it isn’t clear how the Yi would stand up against the GoPro.)
Like many of Xiaomi’s other products, the camera is available only in China, at least for now. It will be sold in typical Xiaomi fashion, through small batches of flash sales on its website.
Xiaomi is working on building an ecosystem of products connected to its smartphones, and to that end it has launched TVs, headphones, and even an air purifier. Many of these peripheral products are made by Xiaomi’s partner companies rather than Xiaomi itself. That’s the case with the Yi Action Camera, which is made by partner Xiaoyi.
Unlike most of its competitors, Xiaomi aims to sell more services after building up a user base, so it can sell many of its hardware products for slim margins. Closely held Xiaomi is also flush with cash, after raising $1.1 billion to become the world’s most valuable startup, with a valuation of more than $46 billion.
Xiaomi is far from the only smartphone maker with its eye on action cameras. HTC launched its contender, the $199 Re camera, in October. Apple has filed for patents related to action cameras, although there is no guarantee it will launch such a device.
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The Yi Action Camera has a 16 megapixel camera and can record high-definition video at 60 frames per second, Xiaomi said. Based on numbers alone, that’s better than the GoPro Hero’s 5 megapixel camera and video recording of 30 frames per second. Xiaomi says its camera is waterproof for up to 40 meters underwater, just like GoPro’s. (Of course, a camera’s performance depends on a number of factors, and it isn’t clear how the Yi would stand up against the GoPro.)
Like many of Xiaomi’s other products, the camera is available only in China, at least for now. It will be sold in typical Xiaomi fashion, through small batches of flash sales on its website.
Xiaomi is working on building an ecosystem of products connected to its smartphones, and to that end it has launched TVs, headphones, and even an air purifier. Many of these peripheral products are made by Xiaomi’s partner companies rather than Xiaomi itself. That’s the case with the Yi Action Camera, which is made by partner Xiaoyi.
Unlike most of its competitors, Xiaomi aims to sell more services after building up a user base, so it can sell many of its hardware products for slim margins. Closely held Xiaomi is also flush with cash, after raising $1.1 billion to become the world’s most valuable startup, with a valuation of more than $46 billion.
Xiaomi is far from the only smartphone maker with its eye on action cameras. HTC launched its contender, the $199 Re camera, in October. Apple has filed for patents related to action cameras, although there is no guarantee it will launch such a device.
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