Who wins in a GoPro Hero6 Black vs Yi 4K+ comparison? Well, the truth is anyone who has either of these wins over someone who doesn’t. But one of these action cameras offers a little more than the other…
We haven’t yet tested the GoPro Hero 6 Black, but since we’ve seen a few retailers now accidentally publish the specs – and the results all seem to tally – we thought we’d take a look at some of the stiff competition that the GoPro Hero 6 Black will face when it hits the shelves.
The GoPro Hero6 Black ramps up the resolution and frame rate, and whilst the specifications are a leap forward let’s not forget there’s already an action camera out there that features 4K at 60fps: the Yi 4K+.
The Yi 4K + is a surprisingly understated camera, as is the company behind it. The brand Yi hit action camera headlines a couple of years ago with the outstanding Yi action camera, a £50 (at the time) camera that rivaled the GoPro when it came to a direct video quality comparison.
Two generations of cameras later and the Yi 4K+ is again a formidable piece of kit. And although it’s relatively cheap at just over £200 – compared with £500 for the GoPro Hero6 Black price tag – it offers the same 4K resolution at 60fps.
The Yi 4K+ has been out for a few months, so it has had a big head start on the GoPro Hero 6 Black. But that also means that the Hero6 Black has time to boost a few of its own features via firmware updates.
Resolution
Taking resolution as the starting point of our GoPro Hero6 Black vs Yi 4K+ comparison, and the Yi 4K+ packs an early punch by matching the GoPro’s 4K at 60fps at less than half the cost of its rival. And we know the quality of the footage from the Yi is superb.
- As yet, we don’t know how the GoPro’s footage will look, so on this front I think it’s fair to say it’s a draw all-round.
Moving down through the resolutions and skipping past 2.7k we hit 1080p, or FullHD. Here the Yi 4K+ matches the GoPro Hero 5 Black with 120fps, and that is impressive. But it looks like the GoPro Hero6 Black’s new GP1 processor is really raising the stakes and taking the frame rate ofthe GoPro Hero6 Black to 240fps.
This means that for every one second of footage filmed you can create 8 seconds of ultra-smooth, slow-motion playback. That’s double what the Yi 4K+ can produce.
We could drop the resolution further to 720p HD, but it seems that GoPro has decided that it’s only going to offer 60/50fps at this resolution on the Hero6 Black. Maybe this signifies that the time for 720p has come to an end.
- When it comes to resolution frame rates, the GoPro has to take the win for that staggering 240fps at 1080p.
Everyone loves a touch screen
I love a touch screen, as it just makes navigating around all those settings so much easier. Both the GoPro and the Yi have decent-sized screens, with the Yi 4K+ offering just a slightly larger screen at 2.2in, compared with the GoPro Hero6 Black’s 2in screen.
Interface design for both is pretty nice, clear and easy to navigate; although I have to say that I do prefer the design aesthetics of GoPro over Yi.
When it comes to function, however, you do have to consider that once the Yi 4K+ is popped inside a waterproof housing you’ll no longer have access to the touch screen, whereas the GoPro’s touch screen still functions with the skeleton cage fitted.
Here we can look at usability through the touch screen in two ways: in or out of the water.
Out of water then it should be very close. Obviously we don’t yet have the GoPro Hero6 Black in our hands so a true comparison has yet to be drawn.
- In the water then there is no competition, as the Yi’s waterproof housing prevents you from using the touch screen.
Packing in advanced features
Moving swiftly on, the GoPro Hero6 Black now offers some interesting features that the Yi 4K+ doesn’t:
- GPS
- Automatic Cloud backup
However, the Yi 4K+ can answer back with it’s own high-end feature we thought we might see on the Hero 6 Black:
- Livestreaming
And both action cameras offer Voice activation.
GPS is something that will be hardware connected, so there’s nothing Yi can do on that front – or at least until it unveils its next model. When the Yi 4K+ was released it didn’t feature voice control, but Yi Technology added this feature with a recent firmware update.
How the GoPro Hero6 Black could integrate into the Smart Home
This shows just how future-proof these cameras can be. In the past we’ve seen huge leaps in quality and features from manufacturers just through firmware, and here the Yi proves that it can adapt at speed.
Automatic cloud backup is something I’ve wanted from an action camera for a while, as well as livestreaming and GPS.
When it comes down to it, all three are incredibly useful so it’s difficult to pick a clear winner when it comes to the advanced features. However…
- Mix in GoPro’s QuikStories and the ability to overlay that GPS and motion data, and this makes the GoPro Hero6 Black very appealing. But I do really like the streaming feature of the Yi 4K+.
And the winner of our GoPro Hero6 Black vs Yi 4K+ comparison is…
In this GoPro Hero6 Black vs Yi 4K+ comparison I have only just touched on the features of these two cameras.
To be honest, when I first started to look through the specs and what was possible with the two action cameras, the GoPro Hero6 Black looked like the instant winner. But now it’s very clear that these two cameras are aimed at two very different types of users.
It’s really the new advanced features that separate the two.
If you’re into your sports and adventuring, then the GoPro wins out with its GPS features.
If you’re a journalist, vlogger or family who wants to connect to the world, then that streaming feature contained in the Yi 4K + is an absolute must.
Put the Yi 4K+ up against the GoPro Hero5 Black, and the Yi 4K+ is the definite winner. Throw into the mix the increase in resolution framerates and the new ultra fast processor and the gap between the two cameras is close especially considering the price difference.
However in the end, with the features carefully weighed side-by-side, the GoPro Hero6 Black does just edge in front.
GoPro Hero6 Black vs Yi 4K+ specs comparison
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