Xiaomi Yi Ultra driving test
He sets the bar high
2019-10-04
Looking at the footage of the Xiaomi Yi Ultra, I thought that the use of Photoshop was a bit overdone, but I was wrong. It's like a digital camera in real life, I've never seen optics this big in this category. It foretold that I could expect extraordinary image quality from Yi's camera. It is not the cheapest product on the market, but you can get it VAT-free from a warehouse in Italy, and the price, including delivery, is around HUF 30. My favorite thing is that it finally came with a suction cup holder, you don't have to screw the windshield together, and you can easily transfer it to another car.
Gallery
The threaded attachment (1/4 inch) is a very good thing, I don't particularly like the plastic-plastic contact, I often feel with improperly designed devices that it was certainly not made for eternity, but I didn't have that feeling here. The quarter screw is standard and can be attached to most tripods, so the Yi Ultra can also be used for other tasks, although the operating time is quite short, it is worth plugging it into a charger, because it discharges in 15-20 minutes.
The charging port was created on the right side of the device housing, for which the micro USB standard was used. You can insert the cable here, which is fortunately long enough to be routed under the upholstery. A pleasant surprise is the double outlet cigarette lighter charger (12-24 V input according to Hungarian usage), but of course it also has a built-in 400 mAh battery, so if someone happens to take it to the car that is not in use, it can still be switched on. On this page, you can restore the factory settings using the reset button, and the slot for the micro SD card is also here, of which the two managed endpoints are 16 and 128 GB, it is worth putting as large as possible, with a rating of U1 or above.
At the bottom of the 2,7-inch, 960×240 pixel display, four physical buttons have been created. From left to right: instant recording, recording, album view and settings/power on/off. Now that we've got the device out of the way, let's get down to business.
Xiaomi Yi Ultra dashcam test
After I fixed the camera with a 140-degree viewing angle in the right place, the first test was ready. It is worth starting immediately in the menu, reviewing the basic settings, adjusting the sensitivity of the G sensor, turning on WiFi and installing the mobile application. This Yi Dash Cam you can find it under the name, although it is not very good news that it was last updated on May 28, despite this, fortunately, I did not encounter any errors. All recordings, settings and firmware can be updated through the app, but the device can also be used without it.
The Xiaomi Yi Ultra dashcam can easily be confused with a camera: its quality is amazingly good, thanks to the 2,7K resolution, excellent optics and a sufficiently powerful processor.
If it was possible to connect a rear camera, then I wouldn't think long about what to buy, because I have never come across such a high-quality recording. It's a matter of personal taste, I preferred the higher resolution, but it can also record in Full HD, the advantage being that instead of 30, 60 frames per second are recorded.
It records high-quality material both day and night, beyond dispute, as you can see in the videos. By the way, the camera is also capable of voice control, I found this function totally unnecessary, since it starts automatically together with the car. Fortunately, you can turn it off from the menu.
Everyone has probably noticed that there are two recording buttons on the Yi Ultra, the first button is used to automatically take locked shots if you get into an accident-prone situation, this is a kind of extra security, since important events can happen even after the G sensor it does not detect abnormalities, I think this is a well thought out cleverness.
I missed the ability to adjust the length of the recording, I prefer 3 or maybe 5 minute chunks, but there is no problem with 1 minute either. Especially with the application, from which everything is easily accessible, this is probably facilitated by the smaller files.
Summary
The Xiaomi Yi Ultra dash cam delivered what I expected from it: recordings that can be used both during the day and at night. I've had a few devices in my car before, but never this good. Lots of small details make it easier to use, such as the suction cup attachment, the double outlet cigarette lighter charger, and the application through which everything is available. In exchange for the high price, you don't have to wait long, for HUF 30 it can be used within a few days, because Geekbuying sends it from a warehouse in Germany.
Pro
- High quality recordings
- Two sets of fasteners, one of which is a suction cup
- Charger with double output
- Easy to use application
Kontra
- High price
- It does not handle a rear camera
- You cannot make recordings longer than 1 minute
- Pictures cannot be taken with it
How much exactly does a product cost?
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