Yi Technology released a new action camera – YI Lite. After the major success with budget YI and higher-end YI 4K and YI 4K+, the company decided to offer a mid-range solution which will bridge the gap between lower-end and their more expensive models.

YI Lite Overview

YI Lite is basically an improved Xiaomi YI wrapped up in a YI 4K body with a touch screen and EIS (electronic image stabilization). The camera uses IMX206 image sensor which means it will capture 16 megapixels still photos.

Resolution of the photos will be better compared to YI4K or YI4K+, but Lite won’t be able to record in 4K resolution over 15fps. And as explained earlier in my Eken H9 review, anything lower than 24fps is just useless.

The processor in YI Lite is Hisilicon Hi3556.

So the most notable features of YI Lite are:

2″ touch-screen

Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)

4K resolution (only at 15 FPS)

16 megapixels still images

WiFi and Bluetooth connections

YI Lite Technical Specification



Chipset (Processor)

Image sensor

Lens

F-Number (maximum aperture)

Weight

Size

Screen

Max image resolution

Video resolution

Video compression format

Image format

Memory Card

Battery

WiFi

Connection

Timer

Photo time-lapse

Video time-lapse

Burst

Car camera

Remote controller support

External Mic

Voice command

Video Stabilization

HDMI Out

Recommended Retail Price YI Lite

Hisilicon Hi3556V100



Sony IMX206

16 Mexapixels 1/2.3" CMOS

150° wide-angle lens, 6G, f=2.68mm

F2.8

72g

(L*W*H) 65 x 42 x 30 mm



2", 640*360

touch screen/br>

16 MP megapixels (4920x3264)



4K: 3840 x 2160 - 15 FPS

1440p: 1920 x 1440 - 30/25 FPS

1080p: 1920 x 1080 - 60/50/30/25 FPS

720p: 1280 x 720 - 30/60/120 FPS

H.264

Image format : JPEG

up to 128GB

1200mAh



Broadcom BCM43455 Dual-band 5GHz /2.4GHz

Built-in (802.11 abgn)

Offers 50Mbps download speed

USB

3s / 5s / 10s /15s





3P/s,5P/s,10P/s,10P/2s,10P/3s,20P/2s,30P/3s,30P/6s













max 2.7K 30fps

135$*

YI Lite dimension and weight

Size：65mm x 30mm x 42mm

Weight：72 g (camera + battery)

Design and build quality

In terms of design, the manufacturer released 3 color options:

Black

Yellow/Green

Blue

Black version is quite identical to the YI 4K and 4K+, where as the greenish one is made to honor the YI, the predecessor who made the brand famous. The new addition is the blue colored camera. This is the first time that YI Technology released the camera in such color. Earlier they had white and rose. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw more color options in the upcoming weeks.

YI Lite body is made out of the plastic. On the bottom, there is a 1/4″ screw hole, so you can mount the camera to pretty much anything.

Touch-screen

If you remember my review of Xiaomi YI, I complained about the user interface and the lack of LCD screen. Even though a third-party manufacturer offered an external screen option for the YI’s oldest camera, it wasn’t nearly as user-friendly nor useful as first expected.

That is why the introduction of a 2″ touch-screen made out of Gorilla Glass is really a good feature. Compared to YI 4K and 4K+, the touch screen is slightly smaller (2.19″).

EIS Stabilization

Another notable feature is the Electronic Image Stabilization. The way the EIS works is that it crops the image slightly and uses software to stabilize the image. Opposed to the EIS, there is an optical stabilization, which so far is available only in Sony’s X3000.

The maximum resolution which supports the stabilization is 2K – 30fps.

Battery This action camera uses 1200mah, removable lithium-ion battery. Below, you can see battery tests performed by the manufacturer with the screen and the WiFi turned ON. 4K (3840×2160) 15 fps 130min

15 fps 130min 1440p (1920×1440) 30 fps 130min

30 fps 130min 1080p (1920×1080) 60 fps 130min The battery itself is slightly weaker compared to ones used in 4K and 4K+ models.

Accessories compatibility

As far as accessories are concerned, you will be able to use the same waterproof case for YI 4K or YI 4K+. Furthermore, the camera should be compatible with most GoPro like accessories. You can also read the article where we discussed best Xiaomi YI accessories, all of those can be used with Lite, except for the waterproof housing.

Retail Price

The price for the newly-released YI Lite should be around 130$. The official recommended retail price has not been released, but according to the listing on Amazon, it’s 135$.

Xiaomi YI vs YI Lite YI 4K vs YI 4K+ compared

The table below shows all 4 models of YI cameras compared.



Chipset (Processor)

Image sensor

Lens

F-Number (maximum aperture)

Weight

Size

Screen

Max image resolution

Video resolution

Video compression format

Image format

Memory Card

Battery

WiFi

Connection

Timer

Photo time-lapse

Video time-lapse

Burst

Car camera

Remote controller support

External Mic

Voice command

Video Stabilization

HDMI Out

Recommended Retail Price Xiaomi YI

Ambarella A7LS



Sony IMX206

16 Mexapixels 1/2.3" CMOS

155° wide-angle lens, 6G, f=2.68mm

F2.8

76.6g

(L*W*H) 60.4 x 21.2 x 42





No screen ( No screen ( External LCD available!

16 MP megapixels (4920x3264)



2k: 2304 X 1296 - 25/30 FPS

1080p: 1920 x 1080 - 60/50/48/30/25/24 FPS

960p: 1280 x 960 - 120/100/60/50/48/FPS

720p: 1280 x 720 - 240/200/50/48/100 FPS

480p: 848 x 480 - 240/200 FPS

H.264

Image format : JPEG

up to 64GB

1010mAh



Broadcom 2.4GHz

Built-in (802.11 abgn)

USB

3s / 5s / 10s /15s





3p/s, 5p/s, 7p/s, 7p/2s













89-99$ YI Lite

Hisilicon Hi3556V100



Sony IMX206

16 Mexapixels 1/2.3" CMOS

150° wide-angle lens, 6G, f=2.68mm

F2.8

72g

(L*W*H) 65 x 42 x 30 mm



2", 640*360

touch screen/br>

16 MP megapixels (4920x3264)



4K: 3840 x 2160 - 15 FPS

1440p: 1920 x 1440 - 30/25 FPS

1080p: 1920 x 1080 - 60/50/30/25 FPS

720p: 1280 x 720 - 30/60/120 FPS

H.264

Image format : JPEG

up to 128GB

1200mAh



Broadcom BCM43455 Dual-band 5GHz /2.4GHz

Built-in (802.11 abgn)

Offers 50Mbps download speed

USB

3s / 5s / 10s /15s





3P/s,5P/s,10P/s,10P/2s,10P/3s,20P/2s,30P/3s,30P/6s













max 2.7K 30fps

135$* YI 4K

Ambarella A9SE



Sony IMX377

12 Mexapixels 1/2.3" CMOS

155° wide-angle lens, 7G, f=2.68mm

F2.8

96g

(L*W*H) 65 x 42 x 30 mm



2.19", 640*360

touch screen, 330PPI

250cd/m2 brightness

30FPS, 160° FOV, 16:9

12 MP megapixels (4000x3000)



4K: 3840 x 2160 - 60/50/30/24/25 FPS

2.5K: 2560 x 1920 - 30//25 FPS

1440p: 1920 x 1440 - 60/50/30/25 FPS

1080p: 1920 x 1080 - 120/100/60/50/30/25 FPS

960p: 1280 x 960 - 120/100/60/50

720p: 1280 x 720 - 240/200 FPS

480p: 848 x 480 - 240/200 FPS

H.264

Image format : JPEG

up to 128GB

1400mAh



Broadcom BCM43340 Dual-band 5GHz /2.4GHz

Built-in (802.11 abgn)

Offers 30Mbps download speed

USB

2s / 5s / 10s





1s/3s/10s/













249$ YI 4K+

Ambarella H2



Sony IMX377

12 Mexapixels 1/2.3" CMOS

155° wide-angle lens, 7G, f=2.68mm

F2.8

96g

(L*W*H) 65 x 42 x 30 mm



2.19", 640*360

touch screen, 330PPI

250cd/m2 brightness

30FPS, 160° FOV, 16:9

12 MP megapixels (4000x3000)



4K: 3840 x 2160 - 30/25 FPS

2.5K: 2560 x 1920 - 30//25 FPS

1440p: 1920 x 1440 - 60/50/30/25 FPS

1080p: 1920 x 1080 - 120/100/60/50/30/25 FPS

960p: 1280 x 960 - 120/100/60/50

720p: 1280 x 720 - 240/200 FPS

480p: 848 x 480 -240/200 FPS

H.264

Image format : JPEG

up to 128GB

1400mAh



Broadcom BCM43340 Dual-band 5GHz /2.4GHz

Built-in (802.11 abgn)

Offers 30Mbps download speed

USB Type-C

2s / 5s / 10s





1s/3s/10s/













339$

Which YI camera to buy?

If you read enough reviews or our action camera buying guide and you decided that YI Technology is your next action camera brand, here is my two cents on which model is the best.

Absolute newbies with a budget <100$ who do not mind the lack of screen and EIS, Xiaomi YI is the best option.

Those who consider electronic image stabilization and good user navigation a priority, but still don’t want to break the bank, newest YI Lite appears to be the perfect match.

Little more advanced users who have a mid-range budget should consider the YI 4K.

True action camera professionals, who want the best option should buy, the most advanced YI 4K+, which is at the time of writing this article, the only action camera which supports EIS in 4K. It also has a voice command and an external microphone, which the other models do not have.

Do you think that YI Lite is worth upgrading over basic YI? Do you own any of the YI cameras? If you do, let me know what is your experience with them. I hope that soon we’ll be able to review YI Lite and provide you with an honest and unbiased review.