We have seen some incredible action cameras released this year. This is our first end of year roundup and we have some interesting stats and info to share with you. We've set this post up as Action Camera Finder is a new site and launched in 2020 and we thought it would be interesting to bring up some end of year facts each year and to compare to the previous year, we'll get a decent look at how the action camera tech moves forward and progresses through the years.

With nearly 100 action cameras on the site and in our directory, we have done some database queries and here is what we've found for 2020.

You can find the links to all of the areas of the site below this post and if you want to find more interesting stats and information about the action cameras available to buy, check out or entire directory of nearly 100 action cameras on our comparison table, every spec is either sortable or clicks through to more info.

Most Used Image Sensor

The Sony IMX 117 is the most used image sensor for action cameras released in 2020 with 4 cameras that have utilised this hardware by Sony in their camera. Sony seem to dominate the action camera sensor world and have 8 of the 15 sensors used are produced by them.

The camera's which use the IMX 117 image sensor are;

Foxeer Box 4K

Gitup G3 Duo

SJCam SJ7 Star

Hawkeye Firefly 8S

These are all 4K action cameras, but they differ in size, from the cube shape of the Foxeer Box 4K, to the duo set up of the Git G3.

Most Used Chipset Processor

The Ambarella A12 is the most used chipset used in action cameras released in 2020 with 5 action cameras that have used this processor in their 2020 cameras. Similar to the Sony sensor domination, Ambarella are in a similar boat and have 7 of the 20 chipsets and processors used in action cameras today.

The camera's which use the Ambarella A12 chipset are;

Most Used Video Resolution & Frame Rate Pairing

It's no surprise that 4K cameras really came in to their own this year, this was definitely the year for the 4K and 30fps pairing, with a couple offering 4K at 60fps, like the Yi 4K+ Plus and the GoPro Hero 6 Black. Just remember to keep an eye out for those that are interpolated, which means they aren't true 4K video resolution.

As well as focusing on 4K releases, camera manufacturers also released higher frame rates of 1080p and 720p.

Highest Recording Bitrate

Out of all the cameras we have added to our database, we have around 30 cameras released in 2020 and the highest recording bit rate is achieved by the Yi 4K+ Plus with a possible 135Mbps when recording in 4K at 60fps.

This is their 4th camera release after the Yi 1080, Yi Lite and Yi 4K and each and ever release has only gotten better.

Lightest Action Camera of 2020

Out of the 30+ action cameras released this year, the lightest is the SJCam M20 action camera weighing in at a featherlight 55grams/1.94ounce.

There are others out there, like the Runcam 2, Mobius and Firefly cameras that come in a bit lighter than this, but it seems this year is more for new shapes and a midi action camera size rather than a mini action camera.

Longest Battery Life

One of the most impressive technology improvements this year is that of battery life and length. Without a battery, you aren't going to be recording your next adventure.

This year saw the 3rd release of Cycliq's Fly 12 front action camera and bike light combo. This years new release, the Cycliq Fly 12 CE has an amazing inbuilt battery which is 4200mAh capacity and a formidable 480minutes of battery life. This means one thing, you can record every second of your days activities, whether you are bicycle touring, aiming for a half century or wish to only charge it every couple of days whilst commuting, it gives you options and that is great.

Biggest Memory Capacity

This year we saw the release of another GoPro, the Hero 6 Black and although it's getting rave reviews on Youtube and being touted as the best action camera release of the year, there are definitely better alternatives.

One thing it has done well in though is it's memory capacity, you can put in a wopping 256gb microSDHC card which means with the aid of an external power supply or power pack battery, you can probably record longer videos on this camera than any other out there.

If you are looking for something that can record a lot of footage, the Cycliq Fly 12 CE has an amazing battery life, but it's limited by it's memory capacity and is made solely for video looping and for cycling, where as with the GoPro Hero 6 Black, you can do time-lapse videos, record events and even full hikes with it's huge memory capacity.

Best Action Camera 2020

So what is the best camera? There are a lot of great features out there, some cameras doing one or two things incredibly well, but what is the best action camera of 2020?

According to Cam Score, which has rounded up all of the star ratings and reviews from around the web, the winner is the Xiaomi Mijia 4K, the companies first ever action camera release. They have worked with Yi before but this is their first release in their own name and their brand. They aren't new to electronics, they have a fantastic smart phone range so there are definitely more things to come from them in the future.

It's a 4K at 30fps release action camera in a stylish body. It's priced at under $100, so affordable. It only got released as a body, without a waterproof case and housing but they are slowly releasing extra accessories, spare batteries, chargers and more. It also has one of the most updated firmwares we have seen of any camera release on the market, so the support is second to none, which is very exciting and we can't wait for their 2nd release, hopefully in 2018 and we'll have another camera manufacturer giving the GoPro a run for their money.

What are your favourite releases or features in the action camera world for 2020? We'd love to hear.