Akaso has unveiled its latest innovation in outdoor imaging – the Sight-300, an ultra-light digital monocular that offers true-to-life color night vision, even in conditions as dark as starlight.

Tailored for wildlife watchers, night hikers, and outdoor explorers, this compact device delivers an advanced night viewing experience without the bulk or glare of traditional infrared systems. It’s a fresh take on how we see in the dark – lightweight, discreet, and remarkably effective.

Instead of relying on IR beams to illuminate the night, the Sight-300 taps into a powerful optical engine and a next-generation image processor to render full-colour scenes in as little as 0.001 lux of light – roughly the equivalent of a starlit night. This means users can observe and record the world around them without disturbing it, making it especially suited to moments where stealth matters. Whether you’re quietly observing wildlife or moving through remote terrain after sunset, this monocular keeps you in the shadows while showing everything in detail.

Central to its performance is a second-generation quad-core AI-ISP chip, designed to process each frame in real-time. It actively reduces noise, removes motion blur, and restores colour accuracy up to 99%, delivering a clean and vivid image, not the murky green hue you might expect from traditional night vision tech. The Sight-300 also features a large 1/1.79-inch CMOS sensor paired with a fast F/1.0 lens, which works together to capture more light and detail in near-complete darkness. It records in 4K at 30fps by day, and crisp 2K at 60fps by night, with an 8× digital zoom on hand when you need to get closer.

Weighing just 260 grams, the Sight-300 is built for all-night comfort. It’s modular and helmet-ready straight out of the box, with brackets and mounting rails included for hands-free use.

Whether mounted to a helmet, clamped to a tripod, or simply handheld, its lightweight and balanced feel make it easy to carry – no neck strain, no faff, just sharp visuals and freedom to move.

To suit different environments and activities, the Sight-300 offers two modes: an Observation Mode for static clarity, and an Action Mode for blur-free viewing on the go. A 60-degree eyepiece field of view gives excellent peripheral awareness, while the 120-degree capture field ensures you don’t miss a thing. The unit is also IP65-rated against dust and rain, runs on a hot-swappable 3,250mAh battery, and connects via Wi-Fi to your smartphone for remote viewing or recording.

Akaso plans to launch the Sight-300 through Kickstarter, with early backer shipments expected to begin in November 2025.

Pricing details are yet to be announced, but this looks set to be a game-changer for anyone looking to see the night in a new light.

Check out our guide to the best night vision goggles and binoculars

The 360-degree camera market isn’t the largest, but it has its share of enthusiasts. Until recently, it seemed like Insta360 had achieved significant dominance, occupying multiple spots on our best 360-degree cameras list. However, a new challenger has arisen in the form of the Akaso 360.

Akaso is perhaps best known as a maker of cheap action cameras, offering basic but affordable alternatives to the GoPros of the world. The Akaso 360 is the firm’s first 360-degree camera. With dual 1/2-inch 48MP sensors on front and back, it can shoot stabilised 5.7K 360-degree video, from which you can use the Akaso app or Studio software to pull clips in a more standard aspect ratio. You can also shoot using just one of the lenses in 4K or 2.7K, for a more standard, action-camera look. It captures stills at either 72MP or a more manageable 18MP – and again, you can select your preferred composition from the full 360-degree frame.

To declare my priors up front: I have tested Akaso action cameras for DCW before, and honestly wasn’t hugely impressed. I found them too cheap for their own good – so compromised in quality that they didn’t justify their asking price, meagre as it was. The Akaso 360 looked and felt a little more premium from the moment I took it out of the box, so while I remained cautious, my expectations started to rise.

Akaso 360: Specifications

Akaso 360: Pricing

The Akaso 360 currently retails for $199.99 / £199.99, and even though I’m writing this a scant few days after release, I’m already seeing offers knocking £30 or so off that price in the UK. For context, the Insta360 X5 costs $549.99 / £519.99 before adding any accessories, and the refreshed 2025 GoPro MAX starts at $349 / £349. Even the three-year-old Insta 360 X3, which is probably closer to the Akaso 360 in terms of an alternative people would be considering, still costs more at $249 / £259. That’s quite the undercut.

The Akaso 360 requires a microSD card, maximum capacity 512GB, minimum speed UHS-I V30 / UHS-I Class 3. This isn’t included in the package, but there are bundles available where you can tack one on for a fairly trivial amount. All in all, Insta360 and GoPro (and DJI, if they ever do enter this race) have good reason to be concerned.

Akaso 360: Build & Handling

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Insta360 should be blushing – the Akaso 360 looks pretty much exactly like the X cameras have since the X3, with an oblong body, front and rear-mounted lenses, and a 2.29-inch touchscreen for composition and control. On one side there’s a power button that doubles up as a quick toggle between video and photo modes. On the other side is a USB-C port, and directly beneath the screen is a large, rectangular shutter release button. It’s all very simple – not that that’s a bad thing.

Despite professing on the box to be a ‘360 action camera’, the Akaso 360 is not waterproof, and won’t stand up to the same kind of punishment as the GoPro Max. With that said, and despite the plastic build, it’s reassuringly weighty and doesn’t feel flimsy. My gut says it would survive a drop on a hard surface, though I wasn’t brave enough to test this. There’s also a standard screw thread for attaching the camera to a tripod or selfie stick.

Most control is conducted via the screen. I tested the Akaso 360 on a bright and sunny day, and in such conditions, the screen is a little hard to see, even at maximum brightness. More than a few of my compositions amounted to ‘point-and-hope’, and I was scurrying to find shade when I wanted to change settings. I also found the touch functionality quite temperamental, often having to stab at an icon several times before the input was accepted. Ruinous? No. Annoying? Yes.

Akaso 360: Performance

Photographically speaking, I can happily report that I found the Akaso 360 to be very charming. Once you’ve captured 360-degree images, you can import them into the Akaso 360 app for editing. Using the touchscreen, you navigate around the 360-degree image to select your desired frame, touch up the exposure or colors if needed, and then simply export the file for sharing in 4K or FHD.

Images don’t stand up particularly well to zoom or cropping – detail is muddy if you look close. They’re not winning awards for quality. But the colors are punchy and vivid, and the images are certainly good enough to share on Instagram or similar platforms. This is the case in good light, a least; night shots are about as unappealing as you’d expect from a camera with such tiny sensors. Noisy, blurry, and indistinct.

Still, it’s very easy, and dare I say addictive, to create 360-degree snapshots of your travels, and then reframe on the highlights. The composition process takes getting used to – the huge width of the lenses means you have to get much, much closer than you think – but this is true of all 360-degree cameras.

Video-wise, in terms of quality, the story is much the same – footage looks pretty decent in good light, with pleasing colours. High-contrast situations tend to present a problem; on a day of bright sunlight, I found moving between light and shade would often result in blown-out highlights or muddy shadows. The stabilization, however, works very well – I shot some 5.7K footage while walking, using Akaso’s own selfie stick/tripod, and was impressed by how smoothly it came out (I know my hands aren’t that steady).

Above: 5.7K stabilised 360-degree video, reframed and exported in 16:9 using Akaso Studio

The workflow for editing video in the app is fairly intuitive, allowing you to select keyframes to focus on the part of the 360-degree video you want to capture – though this ended up being a moot point, as I simply could not get the app (on Android) to export any video from 360-degree footage. No matter how long I waited, the progress bar never moved above 0%. I could export footage from the single-camera 2.8K mode without issue, so hopefully this is just a fixable bug. On the Akaso Studio desktop software, things were better, and I was able to pull a 16:9 clip from 360-degree footage very easily.

Battery life isn’t brilliant. The first time I took the Akaso 360 out, I spent an hour and change by the riverside shooting video clips and photos, and the fully charged battery was ticking into the red just as I got home. That spare battery included in the box isn’t just a nice gesture from Akaso – it’s pretty much a necessity if you want to spend a reasonable amount of time shooting.

Below: 2.8K single-lens video, exported using Akaso 360 app.

Akaso 360: Overall Verdict

I think Akaso has played a bit of a blinder here. Sure, quality-wise the Akaso 360 is left in the dust by its rivals – but it’s so much cheaper than any of them. It nails the basics of 360-degree imaging, making it easy to capture, edit, export, and share imagery from its dual cameras.

Many cheap cameras ultimately fail by cutting so many corners that they don’t nail the basics. Well, the Akaso 360 has nailed the basics. It produces exactly the kind of fun imaging experience that’s going to tempt people who may not have dabbled much in 360-degree imaging before, and were perhaps always put off by the price. The box proudly touts it as ‘Your first 360 action cam’ – for more than a few people, I reckon it will be.

Alternatives

Night vision binoculars have long been associated with the image of tactical gear or high-end wildlife observation tools - often bulky, expensive, and out of reach for casual users. But every so often, a product comes along that changes the landscape, offering solid performance without the premium price tag. The Akaso Seemoor-200 is exactly that.

Priced firmly in the budget category, it promises full-color daytime viewing and recording, coupled with reliable night vision with adjustable infrared, video, and photo capture. It also benefits from a rugged build that feels more serious than its price suggests.

I’ve spent time testing it across various light conditions and real-world use cases, and what I found was a surprisingly capable and thoughtfully designed device, especially for those new to the world of digital optics.

Akaso Seemoor 200: Specifications

Akaso Seemoor 200: Design & Handling

The Akaso Seemoor 200 is what I’d call a functional, fuss-free device, and in this price range, that’s exactly what you want. It’s made entirely from solid, heavy-duty plastic, and while it lacks the premium finishes of higher-end optics, it feels sturdy enough to handle the rough-and-tumble of field use.

There’s a satisfying weight to it - enough to inspire confidence, but not so much that it becomes a burden when you’re out on long walks or overnight camps.

The controls are intuitive, and while the interface isn’t flashy, it’s easy to get to grips with. The LCD display inside is large enough to give you a clear view, and the buttons have decent tactile feedback.

One thoughtful touch that I really appreciated: Akaso includes not one, but two rechargeable batteries in the box. It’s a little detail, but one that goes a long way, especially if you’re planning longer excursions. The only caveat is that there’s no onboard storage, so you’ll need to pick up a MicroSD card separately.

Akaso Seemoor 200: Performance

This is where the Seemoor 200 punches above its weight. In daylight or well-lit conditions, you get the benefit of full-colour viewing and capture. The colors are vivid, though I found that both stills and video could come out a little washed out, with a flat tonal range and not much contrast. That said, for the price point, the overall quality is more than acceptable – it’s just not going to rival a DSLR or a dedicated daytime optic.

Where this unit really shines is in night vision. The infrared system kicks in automatically as light drops, and with seven IR brightness settings, you can dial it in depending on how dark it is and what you’re trying to see. Whether it’s dusk, the dead of night, or just before dawn, you’ve got enough flexibility to make out fine details. Subjects are clearly defined, and while there’s some grain, as you’d expect, the sharpness and contrast are much better than I anticipated for a device at this price.

The 16x digital zoom is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s handy in theory, but image clarity does suffer at full zoom. I found that staying below 10x gave me the best balance between reach and resolution.

Sample images & videos

Above: Sample videos shot with Akaso Seemor 200

Akaso Seemoor 200 Final Verdict

The Akaso Seemoor 200 is, quite simply, one of the best-value digital night-vision binoculars you can buy right now. It’s not perfect - color footage can lack contrast, and you’ll need to bring your own MicroSD card - but those are small trade-offs for what you’re getting. For that $200 / £200, price range you get solid build quality, a proper dual-mode viewing experience, decent video recording, and impressive night vision capabilities.

Factor in the included USB-C charging and the thoughtful addition of two rechargeable batteries, and this feels like a product that’s been built with the user in mind.

If you’re just getting into night vision optics or you want an affordable pair of digital binoculars that genuinely deliver, the Akaso Seemoor 200 is a smart place to start.

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Check out our full guide to the best camera binoculars, and our rundown of the best night-vision goggles and binoculars

Akaso may not be the first name you think of when it comes to action cameras, with GoPro dominating the genre for years with its excellent Hero cameras, that is until DJI came along to knock it off its perch with its Osmo Actions. But Akaso has been steadily producing some of the best budget action cameras for anyone on a limited budget but still wants a camera that can survive a trip to the beach or flying down a mountainside.

The last generation of Akaso cameras, the Brave 7 LE was one of our favorite budget cameras. With the Brave 8, while initially a good deal, Akaso has since been trounced on price with GoPro and DJI rapidly dropping prices on older models until the Brave 8 became the more expensive option, but one that couldn't compete on quality. 

Luckily, with the Brave 8 Lite Akaso is taking a step back to the formula that made its cameras stand out from the crowd, with an impressive specs sheet but a low price that undercuts rivals. But with this competition at this end of the market so fierce, can the Akaso Brave 8 Lite do enough to win back the budget action cam crown?

Akaso Brave 8 Lite: Specifications

Akaso Brave 8 Lite: Price

Where the last release from Akaso, the Brave 8, came a little too close to the price of the GoPro 10 and DJI Osmo Action 3 just while not offering the same level of competence. The Brave 8 Lite manages to shave enough off its price to make you think twice before committing to either of those devices. At $199, this is the same as the new permanent price for the DJI Osmo Action 3, although it is $50 cheaper than the GoPro Hero 10. Although the Brave 8 Lite includes far more in the box than either of its big rivals.

While I am still not sure that the Brave 8 Lite does enough to beat those cameras in terms of image and stabilization, it does give them a closer run for their money. Akaso does like to regularly discount its products on Amazon especially, and a hefty financial saving could have been the coup de grâce that pushed the Brave 8 Lite to the top.

Akaso Brave 8 Lite: Design & Handling

One fantastic thing from the get-go is how many accessories come in the box with the Akaso Brave Lite, including straps, adhesive pads, and mounts for helmets and handlebars. This shows additional value gained over its more expensive rivals that charge, often quite a lot, for simple accessories. 

There are also two batteries included, which is a huge bonus for long days of shooting, and another cost benefit over other brands. The Brave 8 Lite batteries can be charged directly in the camera with a USB-C cable, and thankfully the camera can still be used while charging. There is also a USB-C powered double battery charger in the box, although this annoyingly wouldn’t work with USB-C cables of too high a wattage.

We have all seen a lot of action cameras now, and safe to say there is nothing unusual here in terms of design. If you have used a recent Akaso, GoPro, or DJI then you’ll be very familiar with the layout and control scheme. However, the fact that the Brave 8 lite adheres faithfully to this established blueprint is fine, as it is tried-and-tested, and probably doesn't need any innovation.

The camera itself boasts a sturdy rubberized exterior and is waterproof up to 10m (33ft) without additional housing. I am not a scuba diver, so I haven't tested its limits extensively, however submerging the camera to around one meter in a large rain bucket for around an hour had no adverse effects on its functionality. 

Overall the camera feels pretty good though, although the quality isn’t quite as good as rivals, but this camera is a fairly low price, so these slight compromises in fit and finish are more acceptable. However, the mounts and included camera cage feel a little cheap.

Akaso provided me with a metal cage for the Brave 8 Lite, which is a much more solid-feeling experience, however, this is an optional extra, with the cage included in the box being a regular plastic construction.

Navigating the controls on the rear touchscreen is relatively intuitive; swiping in from different edges triggers various functions, and the menu options are well-organized and user-friendly. My only complaint is the screen and menus are very sensitive, and I found that while carrying the camera I kept entering unwanted menu screens. You can lock the screen for this very reason, but it's annoying having to lock and unlock frequently. 

If you are wearing gloves or can’t really get to the touchscreen, then there are also physical buttons on the camera. These include a one-touch record button for quick video start and stop, a power button that can also switch the display on/off with a quick press, and a mode button on the side for cycling through all recording modes. 

However, one annoyance with this button is if you are in any mode beyond the regular video mode in the menu, you have to go through all other 6 other modes to get back to standard video, I wish there was a way to limit this to just quick-switch between video and photo, (or two chosen options) as I only want the other modes very occasionally.

The Brave 8 Lite also comes with a new remote, and I prefer this one to any of Akaso’s previous remotes. Instead of a detached little remote that is very easy to lose when in action, the Brave 8 Lite’s remote is attached to a wrist strap. The remote only has two buttons, but this offers an incredibly quick way to start and stop a video or take a photo. There is no screen on the remote but there is an LED that flashes when the button is pressed, although I wish during video recording this LED would remain lit or continue to flash so I knew the video was still recording. 

The remote also charges with USB-C (although again only low-wattage cables), but this makes a huge difference from the frustrating use of micro USB in the last Brave 8. Unfortunately the remote doesn’t detach from the strap though, which would have been the perfect final touch.

App and setup

The Akaso Go app is still the only way to upgrade firmware and download your SuperSmooth video (copying it from the microSD will only give you non-stabilized footage). The app itself is fine to use, it is pretty straightforward to find where everything is, but it won't be winning any design awards.

You can download the app from the Play Store or App Store on iPhone, although the app is confusingly not listed as made by Akaso, which threw me off the first time. The app will also try very hard to make you set up an Akaso account, which will grant you access to the various social features and the video editor built into the app. However, if you’d prefer to keep a hold of your data then you can skip all that and still get access to your Supersmooth video downloads.

Connecting the camera to the app is still a little frustrating on Android, although I was unable to test it on iOS. The camera has its own WiFi network, but the app was unable to switch my phone's WiFi network to the camera’s automatically and I had to manually go into my phone settings, connect to the camera network, and type in the password before it would connect. I don’t really understand why it behaves like this when other smart home devices seem to have no issue switching my phone networks around on demand. 

Also as a strange quirk, the Brave 8 Lite gets uncomfortably hot while transferring videos, after around a 20-minute transfer I gave a little start when I picked it up and the front screen and lens glass especially were very warm to the touch. Transferring and processing video does take a little while although not as long as the previous model. For around a 20-minute cycle, it took about 20 minutes to download and process the SuperSmooth video.

Akaso Brave 8 Lite: Performance

Let's start with the best thing about the Brave 8 Lite, which is its overall video quality. I found the 4K video to be sharp and clear, with consistent and accurate colors and white balance. I found that the camera struggled slightly on occasion when it came to more complex exposures, often overexposing light areas like my face or the sky in an effort to not underexpose the shadows. 

I was excited to see the HDR (high dynamic range) mode in action, but in my tests, it was less HDR, and more just cranking up the exposure and shadows until everything looked a little too bright, and honestly, I think the standard video mode had better HDR proficiency.

Low light performance is nothing special, but not bad, the sensor is still smaller than that on rivals, although I am assuming Akaso has made the pixels larger than on the Brave 8, with 20-megapixels on a 1/2.2” sensor on the 8 Lite vs 48-megapixels on a 1/2” sensor on the 8. Whether it is this megapixel size or just improved algorithms, it is better in poorly lit environments than the Brave 8 and in close competition with the GoPro Hero 10, although can’t quite match the low light specialist with the Osmo.

Akaso has its own Supersmooth algorithms that can be applied in the app when downloading videos. Firstly, I will say that SuperSmooth video is head and shoulders above any video without stabilization and unless you have specific reasoning I would download every video with it applied.

After using the Brave 8 recently, I think Aksaso has managed to make some quality improvements to its SuperSmooth video with the Brave 8 Lite. However, while Akaso’s Supersmooth is very good, I don’t think it is quite up to the very high standards set by other brands' cameras and their gimbal-like quality.

Certain movements fared much better than others. I was very impressed by the camera while walking and running, where my movements were much heavier, more exaggerated, and I think more trackable/predictable by the algorithm. However, when cycling on London’s not perfectly maintained roads on a hard road bike vibrations and bumps can still be seen in the final Supersmoothed footage.

The Brave 8 Lite has picked up a new trick with wind noise reduction, which should reduce the noise of wind rushing through the microphones at high speeds – except it doesn't. When cycling around with wind noise reduction mode on, wind noise is still very audible and drowns out the other sounds of the road. The microphones in general are just not the best, and when walking around recording to-camera, my voice sounded small and compressed.

Photos from the Brave 8 Lite are fine, although are easily beaten by almost any modern camera phone. Like video, the Brave 8 Lite struggled again with exposure, with a lot of my images taken outside in the middle of the day in even light coming out very dark. There are several metering modes, although I used the standard average metering mode out of the box.

When exposure is nailed though, image quality is okay from the 20MP sensor, and actually low light performance isn't bad, with some photos of London's gloomy underground coming out as usable.

Akaso Brave 8 Lite: Verdict

Despite its name sounding like it is a watered-down version of the Akaso Brave 8, the Brave 8 Lite is actually the better proposition. Both offer very similar performance to one another, but the Brave 8 Lite does so at a much more acceptable price point.

Video from the Brave 8 Lite is good quality, 4K looks like 4K when shot in a well-lit environment, although the camera does struggle slightly more in varied or low-light conditions. Akaso's SuperSmooth video algorithms are decent enough at steadying shaky footage when movement is pronounced, although still aren't quite as strong as rivals. The photo mode was good, although with some odd exposure quirks, but hopefully, that can be fixed with a future update.

Overall, the Brave 8 Lite does just enough for a low enough price that it should remain a consideration alongside the similarly priced models from GoPro and DJI, even if it can't outright beat those last-generation cameras.

Alternatives

The budget action camera space is currently very hotly contested, with older but still incredibly competent tech from GoPro and DJI battling it out for ever-cheaper prices. Akaso has for the past several years been a company that has excelled in providing decent action cameras whilst significantly undercutting the big market players.

However, it is now Akaso’s prior release, the Brave 8, that has been undercut and left it playing catchup on its own USP. Akaso is now back with a brand new model – the Akaso Brave 8 Lite, which might offer enough value to performance to reclaim the budget throne.

Starting with video performance, the Akaso Brave 8 comes equipped with an Amba chip and 7G lens which the company claims should produce clearer imaging and truer colors with video up to 4K60 fps and 20MP photos. 

The sensor in the Brave 8 Lite is slightly smaller than the Brave 8, with the 8 having a Sony 1/2" sensor, and the Brave Lite a Sony 1/2.3" sensor, however, the pixel density in the Brave 8 Lite is much lower, so pixels should be bigger which might make for better low light performance, but we will have to put that to the test.

The Brave 8 Lite utilizes Akaso’s latest intelligent stabilization algorithm to generate more stable video, using the Akaso Go app, the camera can apply SuperSmooth algorithms to smooth out movement in recordings to make for a more gimbal-like final product. To connect to the app and transfer video, the Brave 8 Lite connects to the app via dual-frequency 2.4/5G WiFi which balances a stable connection and faster speeds depending on the environment.

Other key video features include a 4K HDR mode which should bring out more of the detail in highlights and shadows which should help when shooting in challenging conditions. Vertical Shooting allows the Brave 8 Lite to easily flip into vertical orientation using the in-built gyroscope to capture phone-ready content without any additional editing. Also new is HindSight, which when turned on can save up to 15 seconds of footage before you release the shutter, to capture any moments your finger was just a little too slow for.

Of course, being an action camera, the necessity to be able to take a dip in the water is a fairly key component. The Brave 8 Lite is IPX8 water-resistant, which means it should be able to survive up to 10 meters (33ft) below the surface. This water resistance is also built-in straight out of the box, so you can get better footage when snorkeling, scuba diving, or surfing without needing to buy any additional cages or accessories.

With a 1550mAh battery, Akaso calculates that you should achieve record times of up to 90 minutes while recording in 4K, and two batteries come in the box, so you can extend that to around three hours of shooting. The box will also come jam-packed with mounts, straps, and adhesive pads for mounting the camera onto helmets, handlebars, and more.

The Akaso Brave 8 Lite will cost $199/£189 at launch, this matches the current price of the older, but still very impressive DJI Osmo Action 3, but undercuts the GoPro Hero 10 by around $50. However, the Akaso has an edge in providing a lot more in the box. Akaso is also knocking an additional $20 off for 72 hours following the launch to celebrate the new arrival, which you can claim on Akaso’s site or from Amazon.

Check out our top picks for the best action camera or the best budget action camera to see how the Brave 8 Lite stacks up.

Since its inception, the action camera segment has been pretty much dominated by GoPro to the very few of the best GoPro alternatives gaining any traction until the team at DJI managed to cause some disruption through with the Osmo Action lineup. Action cams tend to be pricey purchases, and Akaso has been plugging the gaps at the bottom of the market with solid budget options like the Brave 7 LE which we rated highly for its cost-to-features balance.

The Akaso Brave 8 is the next step in the Brave series with a set of features that hopes to rival the GoPro Hero 9 / 10 or DJI Osmo Action 3, the newest cameras at the time of release, and still some of our top picks for the best action camera. However the Brave 8 doesn’t have such an edge anymore on price, so does it do enough to set itself apart from its more established rivals?

Akaso Brave 8: Specifications

Akaso Brave 8: Price

Where once the hallmark of Akaso cameras was their powerful price-to-performance ratio, the Brave 8 loses this edge somewhat as while the Brave 8 price has remained steady, other action cameras have dropped significantly. The Brave 8 at the time of writing now costs only slightly less than the GoPro Hero 10 or DJI Osmo Action 3, both of which do offer a better all-round experience than the Brave 8. 

The good news here is that Akaso cameras are so regularly discounted on Amazon and other stores that you might still be able to grab a bargain if you are patient, although GoPro has also seen some aggressive holiday discounts on older models in recent years as well. 

Akaso Brave 8: Design & Handling

Action cameras in the last few generations seem to have settled on a final form, a small oblong with a large touch screen on the back and smaller selfie screen on the front, and the Brave 8 does nothing to mess with this formula, and nor should it as it just works. However, the screen on the front is not a touch screen like rivals though, which means the included remote control will come in handy more.

Controls on the rear touch screen are relatively straightforward to learn, swiping in from each edge has a different function, and all the options are well-spaced out and easy enough to follow. The interface however can be a little sensitive and fiddly with menu options, especially swiping between modes with my swipes often being too heavy and some taps not registering on the screen, which slowed me down a lot as I was out on the road on my bike fiddling with the camera. 

The touch screen isn’t the only way to control the camera, there is also a physical record button for quickly starting and stopping video. The mode button cycles between all recording modes, although this can be a little annoying and I do wish there was an option to limit this, as I only use normal video and photo modes on a regular basis, so just limiting the button to these options would have been fantastic.

The Brave 8 comes with a good range of accessories in the box, including straps, adhesive pads, and mounts for helmets and handlebars. These mounts and the included camera cage however feel flimsy. I mounted the camera to the front of my bike and even with tightening the nuts with the included spanner, the vibrations of the road still meant the mounts kept drooping downwards until I had a video of the floor, and I can only imagine these screws will get looser with continued use.

The camera itself is well made, with a tough feeling rubberized outside, and I do think it looks good, if not quite as cool as its rivals. It is also waterproof to 10m (or 33ft) without any housing, although I haven’t tested the extreme limits of this, I submerged the camera to around 1m without any consequences to its continued operation. 

The Brave 8 does come with a remote too, it is incredibly simple and works well once paired, offering options to start/stop recording and flick through modes. Frustratingly, the remote is charged with Micro USB even though the camera and battery charger use USB-C. Although there is a dual battery charger and two batteries included (yay), the battery charger is also voltage dependent so can only charge with slower 5V connections, and didn’t work with any of my laptop or phone chargers. It's these little things that make long-term usage that little bit too irritating. 

Setup and app

The biggest stumbling block for the Akaso Brave 8 is its initial setup, which is just a convoluted and frustrating system of settings hopping. I am using the Brave 8 with a Pixel phone, so first I hit up the app store for the Akaso Go companion app, which has a company called Cnest listed as its publisher which is slightly confusing from the off, but this is the right app. You can sign up if you wish to use the app’s editing and sharing functions, or if you just want to download your videos to your phone, you can do this without handing over your email.

To actually connect to the camera is then a muddle of WiFi networks. The first time I set it up, I gave permission for the Akaso Go app to swap my WiFi networks at will between the Brave 8 local network and my internet connection – but it was unable to do this. In the end, I had to go into my phone settings and switch WiFi networks manually when required. Annoyingly this is still something I am still required to do each time I want to connect to the camera. Having set up numerous smart lights and other home devices with the same process, it doesn't have to be so hard!

The app is the only place to go for downloading videos with the Supersmooth video stabilization as it applies the smoothening in the app, you can’t just copy directly from the MicroSD card. I had real trouble playing the videos directly on the app, when trying to load any video I just got a spinning loading wheel with the video never actually appearing. Luckily I had a far better time actually downloading the clips, which was a fairly smooth process, although downloading all the clips from an hour-long cycle ride with Supersmooth processing took hours and I had to do it in batches.

Akaso Brave 8: Performance

The video quality from the Akaso Brave 8 is good, video is sharp and clear, although the video tops out at 4K60p, which isn’t as high as you can get for around this price, but the quality was good enough. The colors were mostly very good, however did dip into some strange hues and oversaturation in a few clips in the sky and just wasn’t necessarily true to the day. I shot in the standard picture mode, there is also a vivid mode which upped the saturation a bit too much for my tastes.

When it comes to stabilization, the Brave 8 isn’t quite ready to play in the big leagues. While the Supersmooth stabilization is an enormous benefit compared to the non-stabilized footage, it just can’t compete with the impressively smooth video you can achieve with a GoPro. Riding around town on my bike there was a lot of shake still on the processed footage, some of the vibrations I can forgive as that is hard to counter, but even turns were just a little wobbly instead of gimbal-like.

Audio on the Brave 8 is pretty poor outdoors, when I picked up some speed on my bike the wind howling through the microphone was off-putting, and the stereo mics didn’t pick up much ambient noise around me for a more immersive video. Vlogging outdoors also picked up too much muffling noise. The Brave 8 does have a ‘Human Voice’ mode for vlogging or pieces to camera, which has some effect, but also the isolated voice sounds quite unnatural. However, there is also no mount or mod to attach an external mic directly to the Brave 8 included in the box. 

The Brave 8's photo mode, should have been its saving grace with its 48MP sensor, but weird colors, artifacts, and some dodgy exposure spoiled the fun. I would still use my phone in any situation where it was an option. 

The 48MP photos from the Brave 8 are passable in the right light, the perspective correction is very handy for the wide-angle lens although left some strange processing in the corners, and there are a good amount of settings for some manual photography. I also like that I could record in JPEG+RAW for editing later with more precision. Even though it does have 48MP, the digital zoom is still limited by the small sensor, so I wouldn’t really advise zooming much beyond the default focal length.

Akaso Brave 8: Verdict

The Akaso Brave 8 enters with aspirations of challenging the top contenders from DJI and GoPro, yet falls well short of achieving that lofty goal. Despite its commendable efforts, the Brave 8 struggles to match the performance of its competitors. While its video capabilities are impressive, its 4K video resolution does come up short in comparison to the higher resolution and superior stabilization offered by the similarly priced GoPro Hero 10. The Brave 8 also is considerably held back by the frustratingly poor overall user experience provided by its accompanying app.

Mostly, the Brave 8 struggles to justify its price point, especially when compared to its more established competitors. Where Akaso cameras should be the alternatives offering decent specs for amazing value, price drops for the GoPro Hero 10 and DJI Osmo Action 3 mean that the Brave 8 is not nearly as competitively priced as it once was.

Alternatives

The best budget action cameras allow you to capture GoPro-like footage without forking out a hefty chunk of cash. Or, at least take advantage of the comfort of knowing your camera will survive a bit of action.

Action cameras are popular, and there are now plenty of inexpensive models that undercut market leaders GoPro, DJI & Insta360 on price. With the cost of living on the rise, why not check them out?

The main answer, incidentally, is usually the quality of electronic image stabilization – something GoPro has also cut back on with their smaller & cheaper GoPro Hero – because it can be done in software. Perhaps your editing app can help out with these much cheaper cameras too?

We've included cameras in this list that can be bought for around $100, or quite a bit less. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, and it's a good idea to think about which features are most important to you in order to maximise your value for money — see our 'how to choose' section at the bottom of the page for more on this.

If you have a bit more to spend, check out our full list of the best action cameras or our best GoPro alternatives. Otherwise, without further ado, let’s cast our eye over the best budget action camera options that won’t break the bank…

The quick list

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The best budget action cameras you can buy right now

Best overall

The Akaso Brave 4 Pro may not be the most recent Akaso Brave camera, but it's still widely available, and the release of subsequent models means the price has come down. This is why it gets our pick for the best budget action camera you can buy right now – for a street price around the $100 mark, you get 4K 30p video, decent stabilization, an extra front-facing screen for vlogging, and a whole lot more.

In our full review of the Brave 4 Pro, we appreciated how feature-packed the camera is. With improved stabilization compared to cheaper Akaso cameras, you've got a solid platform for run-and-gun vlogging, and the footage looks good across the resolution spectrum. It's also handy to have a selection of photo features, including burst modes and shake reduction. The controls can be oblique sometimes, and there's a lot of menu-hunting, but this is somewhat part and parcel of cameras of this type.

Like most Akaso cameras, the Brave 4 Pro comes with a raft of accessories and mounts in the box, including an underwater housing, as well as helmet mounts, handlebar mounts, remote control, and more.

Read more: Akaso Brave 4 Pro review for more details

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Best ultra-cheap

This upgrade of the 2016 EK7000 model sticks a ‘Pro’ suffix on the name and shoehorns in 4K shooting. Still deliriously cheap, possibly one of the cheapest action cameras out there, it's a camera you could be forgiven for approaching with trepidation. Is it possible for a camera to be any good at this price point?

We investigated further in our full review, and the answer is: yes... just about. The Akaso EK7000 is a somewhat compromised experience; the app didn't work for us, and the stabilization caused some severe noise problems with the footage.

However, in terms of the fundamentals, capturing still images and video, it does what you need it to. You have 20MP of stills resolution to work with, and video-wide, the Full HD at 60p probably looks the best and is more than good enough for social media sharing.

As long as you manage your expectations and are realistic about what you're going to get out of a $70 action camera, the Akaso EK7000 Pro is a credible budget option.

Read more: Akaso EK7000 Pro review for more details

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Best 4K

This is a really-well specified action camera for the price - offering you a front screen for framing, as well as a touch-sensitive 2in rear LCD. The camera has an impressive 24 megapixel chip that can shoot 4K video at up to 60fps with six-axis stabilization, and at 120fps in 1080P - making it a capable slow-motion shooter.

The connectivity option is useful, as there is also a downloadable SJCAM app that allows photos and videos to be edited via smartphone and immediately shared via social media. As with others of its ilk, the device boasts waterproofing to depths of 100 feet (30 metres) if using the supplied housing. Power comes courtesy of a 1000 mAh battery, which offer improved performance over previous models.

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Best Full HD

It's undeniably a pretty basic option, but the SJCAM SJ4000 is also temptingly cheap, with a full suite of housings and mounts included at its sub-$100 price point. It doesn't shoot 4K, topping out at Full HD 30p video, so thats worth being aware of going in. Stills can be captured at a maximum resolution of 12MP, and you won't be getting high-end features like stabilization.

Covering the basics pretty well, the SJ4000 is a good option for anyone who wants an action camera that just works. The images and videos it produces are acceptable — a little flat, but perfectly clear — and its included suite of mounts and accessories mean it's ready to be used in all sorts of different shooting situations straight out of the box.

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Best for stabilization

You might think that 4K 30p video and good stabilization is a lot to ask for in a sub-$100 action camera, but Akaso has pulled it off! This is a slick little action camera, with an intuitive UI, and useful slow-motion video options at lower resolution settings.

The image stabilization is buttery-smooth, outperforming other cameras at this price point – okay it's not going to trouble the likes of GoPro's premium cameras, but it does a good job! The built-in mic is a little disappointing – though the option to attach an external mic does help – and the 4K video can be a little soft, this is still a really solid buy for anyone looking for a dependable little action camera for a budget price.

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Best for slow-mo

Wolfang makes a range of budget action cameras, and this one is in the middle of that range, coming in just under our $100 price mark. It impresses on paper with its wide range of resolutions and frame rates, allowing you to shoot 4K at either 60fps or the standard 30fps.

For slow-mo fans, the option of a 240 frame-per-second option at 720p is highly desirable. The camera is supplied with a whole box of mounts and accessories — with the 40m underwater housing being a particularly useful freebie.

See our full Wolfang GA300 full review for more details

• Best microSD card deals right now

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Best for cycling

Available in various body colors, this more conventional looking action camera from Vivitar ticks most of the boxes despite offering a fairly pedestrian level of specification that includes 5.1 megapixel images, video recording at a high definition 720P, plus waterproofing to a so-so depth of 10ft or three metres.

Keeping things simple, this unit comes with a lithium ion battery and charger, as well as a helmet and bike mount for capturing footage while on the move. While this camera may be fairly basic, it does manage to squeeze in a 1.8-inch LCD screen, while, like most in its class, images are written to microSD card.

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Best for kids

Get the kids into moviemaking young with this fun action cam that is designed for use by kids as young as five years old. The basic camera specification is not much to write home about - shooting 720p video which just about qualifies as HD. And stills are a disappointing one-megapixel.

But this camera is all about the fun... and it makes getting action footage easy by being supplied with a waterproof housing, a floating handle, and a clamp to attach the camera to a bike. The camera has 128MB internal memory - but benefits from an investment in a microSD card so that you have plenty of room for clips.

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Honorable mention

How to choose a budget action camera

When choosing the best budget action camera, it's important to temper your expectations and remember that there will be a compromise involved with budget action cameras. You're not going to get the latest and best GoPro camera for $100 or less; you just need to make sure you get something with decent stills and video resolution.

The important thing to do is figure out which features are important to you, and which you can do without. Do you want dual screens for vlogging? Or Wi-Fi for connection to a smartphone? Or slow-motion video, or stabilization? Do you feel you need 4K, or can you work with lower resolution? Are you going to be shooting stills as well as video?

As you can see by perusing this list, most budget action cameras will offer some of these features, but not all. Thus, figuring out which features are a priority for you can make the process of choosing much easier by narrowing down your options.

Whichever you choose, having a budget action camera is a great way to get peace of mind when you're out on your wild adventures, affixing it to the top of a bike helmet or taking it into the depths of the ocean. After all, it's a bit less stressful if you break a $100 camera than a $500 camera!

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How we test action cameras

We test action cameras in real-world shooting scenarios. We look at photo and video quality, and test out the features listed on the back of the box to get an idea of whether a camera is everything a manufacturer says it is. We look at the accessories bundled with a camera, as well as its additional features like app connectivity. We use our findings to inform our comments in reviews and buying guides.

Our Managing Editor, Adam Juniper, is a cycling enthusiast and a drone expert and not averse to trying action cameras – as well as the best 360-degree cameras, none of which are under $100 yet – mounted as many ways as he can manage, in good light and bad.

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Read more:

The best action cameras
The best GoPro accessories
The best waterproof cameras
The best helmet camera for motorcycles, cycling and adrenaline junkies

In our Akaso Brave 4 Pro review, we’re putting a popular budget action camera through its paces. With a dual-screen design that recalls the DJI Osmo Action and recent GoPro models like the Hero 10 Black, and an impressive spec that includes the ability to shoot 4K video at 30p and Full HD at up to 120p, the Akaso Brave 4 Pro packs in a lot of tech for a camera that costs around $110 / £90.

Of course, one has to tread carefully in the world of budget cameras. Sometimes, promises of big functionality and little price tags are quite simply too good to be true. When we’re putting together lists like our guide to the best budget action cameras we have to be extra careful that everything we’re recommending is worth the price tag, no matter how slim that price tag is.

So, with that in mind, we got hold of an Akaso Brave 4 Pro to check out how it performs and put the little camera through its paces. Without further ado, let’s crack right on with our Akaso Brave 4 Pro review. 

Akaso Brave 4 Pro review: Specifications

• 4K video at 30p; 2.7K video at 30p; Full HD video at up to 120p; HD video at up to 120p
• 20MP max photo resolution
• Burst mode up to 10fps
• Electronic Image Stabilization 2.0
• Waterproof to 40m with housing
• Dual screens: 2-inch rear touchscreen LCD, 1.5-inch front LCD

Akaso Brave 4 Pro review: Key Features

The Akaso Brave 4 Pro doesn’t cost too much more than the ultra-budget options from the company like the Akaso EK7000 Pro, but it still packs in quite a bit more in terms of features. The most immediately obvious of these is probably the extra LCD screen on the front, which gives you a quick and easy way to film yourself. This immediately makes the Brave 4 Pro a lot more useful for vlogging.

The camera comes with an array of mounts and accessories, including a waterproof housing. It’s capable of shooting video at a variety of resolutions and frame rates, including 4K 30p and Full HD 120p. There are also slow-motion and time-lapse options. Stills-wise, it captures at a maximum resolution of 20MP, and can burst-shoot at up to 10fps. The default view is the ultra-wide fishbowl perspective familiar to anyone who has used an action camera, but you can also select the “Wide”, “Medium” and “Narrow” modes if you want to get a little closer, or use the 5x zoom option in the main shooting menu.

Akaso also says that the electronic image stabilisation is upgraded to version 2.0 on this camera, which should make it easier to capture smooth movies. It’s available as shake reduction when shooting stills as well.

Akaso Brave 4 Pro review: Build and handling

If you’re at all familiar with action cameras you’ll be right at home with the cuboid build of the Akaso Brave 4 Pro. What sets it apart though is a feature that’s commonly reserved for more expensive models – the second screen on the front, a little 1.5-inch LCD that isn’t touch sensitive, but provides a great way to quickly frame up with the camera pointing toward you. You switch between the screens by holding the upwards arrow button on the side of the camera – it’s best to familiarise yourself with this option in advance, as otherwise you’ll end up triggering it accidentally and then spending a considerable amount of time trying to switch it back. Or, at least, I did.

Once you’re in the menu, there’s a surprising surfeit of options and control modes for a camera at this price. It lets you delve into the menu and tinker with all sorts of settings, including ones you probably wouldn’t bother with (it’s hard to envision a scenario where you would want to manually set the ISO rather than just using exposure compensation, but if you want to, it’s there). You can also select different metering modes (average, centre-weighted and spot) as well as activating Diving Mode, which produces optimised colours for underwater shooting.

The Akaso Brave 4 Pro connects easily to Wi-Fi via the AkasoGo app, which allows you to use your phone as a remote trigger. It also comes with a boxful of accessories and mounts, as well as a little standalone remote trigger. Switching between the various modes can be quite fiddly and often require the use of the touchscreen – which you can’t do when the camera is in its underwater housing. Therefore, if you’re going to use the camera in sub-aquatic conditions, it’s best to use a little forethought about the shooting modes you want to use. 

Akaso Brave 4 Pro review: Performance

Images captured on the Akaso Brave 4 Pro punch a little above their weight for a camera at this price point. The dynamic range is about what you’d expect from a small sensor camera, but the colours are punchy, and there’s a good level of detail even up close. It’s noticeably quite an improvement over the EK7000 Pro, even though in terms of price there isn’t a huge difference between the two cameras.

Being able to zoom in 5x or choose different shooting “Angles” (which basically does the same thing) is handy too – it’s a digital zoom, but a decent enough one that the results are usable, so it’s definitely worth having in your back pocket. The burst mode is also nicely responsive.

Video-wise, results can vary, but it’s perfectly possible to get good-looking footage with the Akaso Brave 4 Pro. The Electronic Image Stabilisation 2.0 is noticeably better than the previous version on Akaso cameras – it’s silent in operation, and does make a real, tangible difference to the smoothness of your footage that’s shot while moving.

While I was reasonably impressed with the 4K 30p, at lower resolutions the quality does degrade quite rapidly – there was some distinct fringing in the Full HD 1080p shot on a sunny day, and the HD 720p was all but unusable. It is cool to have slow motion on an action camera at this price point though – for whatever reason, it defaults to a barely-noticeable 60p, but bump it up to 120p and the effect works quite well. It adds another string to the camera’s bow.

One thing I did notice, which is worth being aware of: sometimes when shooting at higher resolutions I would get somewhat juddery footage, with dropped frames. The memory card was high-spec enough for the resolution and frame rate, so it seemed like at points the processor was struggling to keep up. It looked to be happening most when abrupt changes of light were causing the camera to have to change exposure quickly – in more evenly lit scenes, it was fine. Therefore if you’re expecting a lot of rapid light changes, it’s probably worth punching down to a lower resolution.

Akaso Brave 4 Pro review: Video samples

4K video at 30fps with image stabilization

4K video at 30fps without image stabilization

Slow-motion video, 1080P at 120fp

Akaso Brave 4 Pro review: Verdict

While the Akaso Brave 4 Pro is not perfect, it offers an impressive level of flexibility and customizability for an action camera at this price. It’s really impressive how many different features and options have been packed in here, and with subsequent Brave cameras having come out since, the street price of the Brave 4 Pro has come down and made it even more of a bargain. 

Built quality and imaging performance are all perfectly acceptable for the price, and while its stabilization and image quality can’t hope to compete with the kind of quality and sophistication offered by GoPro and DJI, this is why cameras like this cost barely over $100. Does the Akaso Brave 4 Pro justify its price tag? Yes – we’d say it does. 

Read more
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Best GoPro camera
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In our Akaso EK7000 Pro review, we’re going to be looking at a camera from one of the most well-known names in budget action cameras. Akaso has carved out something of a reputation for decent GoPro-style shooters at prices that are far, far below that of a new, top-of-the-line GoPro Hero camera.

And we really do mean it – the Akaso EK7000 Pro can currently be picked up for $70-80. In comparison, a GoPro Hero 10 Black is currently going to set you back almost $500 if you buy one new from a reputable seller. That is quite a difference, to say the least. So we have to temper our expectations going in – the Akaso EK7000 Pro is not going to offer anywhere near the same quality as a high-end action camera. It’s going after a different market.

The question is – does it do enough? After all, even a cheap camera has to be good enough to justify its price, however low that may be. Is the Akaso EK7000 Pro one of the best budget action cameras you can buy, or has it cut too many corners for its own good? Let’s take a closer look in our Akaso EK7000 Pro review. 

Akaso EK7000 Pro review: Specifications

• 4K video at 30p; 2.7K video at 30p; Full HD video at up to 60p; HD video at up to 120p 
• 20MP max photo resolution
• Electronic Image Stabilisation
• Waterproof to 40m with housing
• 2-inch touchscreen

Akaso EK7000 Pro review: Key features

Even though it’s a budget action camera, the Akaso EK7000 Pro finds a lot of features to boast about on the box. In terms of stills, you’ve got 20MP of resolution to play with, and can use the burst mode which manages about 3fps. Video-wise, resolution tops out at 4K 30 fps, and other resolution options include 2.7K at 30fps, Full HD at up to 60fps, and HD 720p at up to 120fps. 

Other shooting modes include time lapse and “loop recording” – this mode will continually record clips of 1 minute, 3 minutes or 5 minutes. If the card fills up, it simply starts overwriting old ones and keeps right on going. The Akaso EK7000 also offers electronic image stabilisation for video – however, as we'll see, this does come with a pretty substantial drawback.

Akaso EK7000 Pro review: Build and handling

When I opened up the Akaso EK7000, a spectator on the reviewing process described it as “cute”. And you know what? They were right. 

It’s a cute little camera, with a pleasing red-and-black trim that recalls the Insta360 One R Twin Edition. Size-wise, it’s small and light enough to slip into a pocket or wear mounted to a helmet without issue – which is exactly what you want from an action camera. 

You can navigate the menus using either the touchscreen or the four on-body buttons. The touchscreen is quite fiddly to use – if you want to change your video settings, say, you’ll want to touch the bottom of the screen to bring up the menu. About fifty per cent of the time you try, you’ll manage it – the other fifty per cent, you’ll just get rid of the screen furniture. 

The buttons are generally more comfortable, but also can be somewhat oblique (no one’s exactly going to intuit that you turn on Wi-Fi by holding the down-arrow button). You can theoretically control the camera via Wi-Fi using a smartphone, but I tried it on multiple Android phones and never got it to work.

A better control solution than either is the handy remote that comes with the camera. It’s a simple little device, powered by CR2 batteries, with just two buttons – one for taking a photo, one for starting and stopping video. It’s not waterproof, so you have to be a little more careful, but for off-camera triggering it’s a lot quicker and less stressful than trying to get the app working.

As well as the remote, the Akaso EK7000 Pro comes with a suite of accessories and mounts. While they’re wrapped in an absolutely nightmarish tangle of single-use plastic (please try and recycle it responsibly if you can), once you get it all out, there’s quite a bit there. You’ve got the waterproof housing and multiple mounts – including a handlebar mount and a helmet mount – as well as some ties and tethers, a battery charger with two batteries, a lens cloth and more. 

Akaso EK7000 Pro review: Performance

Stills on the Akaso EK7000 max out at 20MP, and the quality is, I would say, just about acceptable for Instagram or some other social use where no one’s going to be looking too closely. No one is going to be blown away by the sharpness, to say the least, but the colours are punchy enough, and that unmistakable action-camera fishbowl look is present and correct. 

You have three options in terms of perspective – super-wide, wide and medium. However, this isn’t a multi-lens situation – they appear to just be digital crops, as you can tell by the fact that the watermark timestamp gets larger in each one.

You also get exposure compensation modes, though you have to quite dramatically alter the exposure before you’ll really register a difference. Also, free tip: images tend to look a lot more blown out on the 2-inch LCD than they are in reality, so don’t sweat it too much.

The EK7000 is on the whole better for video. Quality is fairly decent – though resolutions go up to 4K, you’re probably better off sticking at Full HD for the smoother 60p frame rate. I wouldn’t go below that – the 720p looks pretty ropey. Electronic Image Stabilisation is touted as a key feature; however I ran into a pretty debilitating issue with my version, as the EIS caused a loud buzzing noise in video playback! This happened at multiple resolutions, and only happened when the EIS was turned on, so it seems safe to say that the EIS was the problem.

The EIS did seem to help a little with my Full HD 60p footage, which was a little less juddery when walking around compare to the unstabilised version. However, I can't emphasise enough that the buzzing sound was debilitating to the audio quality, so it would only be useful for videos where you don't need any sound at all (i.e. you're planning on laying over your own music).

Akaso EK7000 Pro video sample - 4k at 30fps without EIS

Akaso EK7000 Pro video sample - 4k at 30fps with EIS

Akaso EK7000 Pro review: Verdict

Let’s be clear – for the price, the Akaso EK7000 is a fine action camera. It may seem like we’ve been quite negative on it in this review, but for a street price of around $70, it does everything it needs to. In the box you’ve got all the parts you need to mount it in whatever configuration you like, and it’s easy enough for anyone to set up and use. You’re not going to get faultless 4K footage from it, but anyone who thinks they’re getting faultless 4K footage for $70 is simply dreaming. 

Not everyone has GoPro money. Not everyone has the capacity to save up GoPro money. If you need an action camera that works decently enough for a two-figure price tag, the Akaso EK7000 Pro will do the job.

Read more
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The AKASO Brave 8 is the latest offering from action camera brand AKASO, featuring incredible photo and video quality that will capture every special detail of your next outdoor adventure. 

These brand new action cameras are now set to be available for order on the official website for $279.99 with an accessory bundle. And the first group of users can get an extra sports gift package. 

AKASO Brave 8

The AKASO Brave 8 has been designed to deliver next level image quality, featuring a 1/2" CMOS image sensor, Quad Pixel technology for pin-sharp shots and the ability to capture 48MP photos. The Brave 8's lens features five spherical glass elements and four aspherical glass elements, enabling the powerful action cam to capture better detail in your photos and videos. 

If you're a keen action vlogger, you'll love the powerful video effects that the AKASO Brave 8 houses under the hood. Featuring 4K60p video, the Brave 8 can capture ultra-smooth moments in stunning detail. Meanwhile, the 8K time lapse feature gives users the ability to capture an epic hike or incredible bike ride in all of their entirety. Alternatively, if you love shooting fast-paced action, why not slow it down with the AKASO Brave 8's 16x Slow-mo. 

With a rugged and waterproof body, dual color screens, smart face detection and a boosted battery that can capture 90 minutes for a 4K 30p recording and 70 minutes for 4K 60p, the AKASO Brave 8 is the perfect action camera for users who crave the highest quality photos and video. 

With a plethora of fantastic features designed to suit professional videographers, action vloggers, and casual users alike, the AKASO Brave 8 makes the perfect travel companion. You can order the camera at akasobrave8.com now. 

For more information about AKASO, visit the official AKASO website. 

What does the savvy action camera-maker do when the market is dominated by GoPro? Flood that market with a mess of hugely more affordable action cameras that ape the market leader’s core features, that’s what. Akaso has been making impressive action cameras for a few years, including the Akaso Brave 7 LE, the Akaso V50 Elite and the Akaso Keychain 4K camera, though its present Akaso V50 Pro series includes a variety of models that are worth exploring. 

As well as the global Akaso V50 Pro there’s the Akaso V50 Pro The Endless Summer (Special Edition) for the US market and a significantly upgraded Akaso V50 Pro SE sold globally. The latter is also sold as the Akaso V50 Pro Leave No Trace (Special Edition). What these tweaked versions all have in common is huge affordability and some impressive core features, though they lack niceties such as digital zoom. 

The Akaso V50 Pro ($119.99/£119.99) and re-branded Akaso V50 Pro The Endless Summer (Special Edition) ($139.99) are identical 4K/30fps action cameras with a 170° wide-angle lens that offer 720p/120fps for slow-motion video, 16-megapixel still photos, electronic image stabilization (EIS) and a two-inch touch screen on the rear. 

Meanwhile, the Akaso V50 Pro SE ($154.99/£159.99), rebranded as Akaso V50 Pro Leave No Trace (for which a portion of the sales goes to Leave NoTrace and AccessFun charities) ups the resolution to 20-megapixels and 4K/60fps. However, that increased resolution doesn’t support image stabilization.

They may sell for a fraction the price of a GoPro, but are they any good? 

Akaso V50 Pro: build and handling

It may weigh a mere 63g and measure just 2.4 x 1.6 x 1.2 inches (60x41x32mm), but the Akaso V50 Pro Endless Summer Edition – which we have a review sample of –ships in a reasonably large box. That’s because inside is almost every accessory you could ever think of for an action camera. There’s a mounting frame for the camera and sticky fixes, Velcro strips, tethers, a cleaning cloth, plentiful mounting screws and mounts galore for helmets and handlebars. However, the highlights are pretty obvious – there’s a remote control for your wrist, a waterproof casing for the camera (which allows you to take it down to 100ft/30m), two batteries and an external charger.

That’s either a very nice haul or an awful waste of plastic, depending on your intentions. 

However, our excitement about accessories doesn’t last too long because the camera itself has something that just strikes us as odd – a mini USB slot for recharging its battery in-camera. Yup, mini USB, not micro USB. The external charger houses mini USB, too. It’s a legacy connectors that used to be used by cameras and MP3 players. We haven’t seen one for years. The requisite cables are in the box, but you’re unlikely to find one about the house. 

The camera itself is small and well equipped, with its battery compartment on an undercarriage that also hosts a 1/4-inch tripod thread. That’s a huge relief since almost no other action cameras have such a thing anymore. One side houses a speaker while the other sports a MicroSD card slot (for cards up to 64GB), a mini HDMI output for transferring footage directly to a TV, and that strange mini USB slot. 

Akaso V50 Pro: performance

It’s a straightforward camera to set-up, and we had no trouble linking our smartphone to its WiFi network to control everything via the Akaso DV app. That’s just as well because the camera’s rear touchscreen isn’t as responsive as it should be. So although it can be used to change resolutions and swap between modes, once the menus are on the screen it’s best to use the two large buttons on the top of the camera (though ostensibly for turning the camera on and for taking photos/starting video) to toggle through menus and make selections. 

While controlling the Akaso V50 Pro via its app proved successful (it’s also possible to change a lot of the settings), we did experience some problems when downloading photos and videos to a smartphone. Each file has to be downloaded separately, and after each one, the app crashed and had to be restarted. 

However, if you just want to shoot video and photos, then attach it to a PC or Mac to extract the raw files, the Akaso V50 Pro works just fine. Photos are sharp when shot at 16-megapixels, and colourful enough, while 4K/30fps MOV video is strong. Clear, sharp and with little grain or blurring at the edges, pans that are reasonably smooth and the microphone supplied concise audio. In our tests, the battery lasted about an hour-and-a-half. 

The Akaso V50 Pro/Endless Summer captures in four resolutions: 4K/30fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080p/60fps and 720p/120fps. The Akaso V50 Pro SE/Leave No Trace adds 4K/60fps, but also 1080p/120fps, 180/30fps, 720/240fps, 720p60fps and 720p/30fps. 

Akaso V50 Pro: sample images

Sample 4K video shot with Akaso V50 Pro Endless Summer at 30fps

Sample 4K panning shot with Akaso V50 Pro Endless Summer at 30fps

Akaso V50 Pro: verdict

The Akaso V50 Pro is a good value action camera for anyone with reasonably low expectations. Its touchscreen isn’t responsive enough, the app has a tendency to crash, and the use of a mini USB slot is annoying. It comes with none of the convenient AI-powered video editing features that you get with other action cameras, but it will suit anyone after an affordable 4K camera to capture bike rides, skiing or any other outdoor activity. As such, its bundle of accessories – including that waterproof case – help make the Akaso V50 Pro worth considering if you’re after a basic good value action camera. 

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The AKASO Brave 7 gives total control to adventurers, vloggers and on-location videographers. With its dual color screens, IPX8 water resistance and electronic image stabilization, it can go anywhere and shoot anything!

Whether you're shooting stills or video, the AKASO Brave 7 has you covered. An upgrade of the Brave 7 LE, it can capture crisp 20MP photographs and record stunning 4K 30fps, 2K 30fps and 1080p 90fps footage. 

The built-in Electronic Image Stabilization 2.0 employs a 6-axis gyroscope to deliver smooth, steady videos. It doesn’t matter if you’re completely static or in the thick of the action, the Brave 7 produces incredibly smooth footage.

Ready to go – anywhere! 

An all-weather action camera, the AKASO Brave 7 action camera is weatherproof even without a case. Its IPX8 water-resistant design can protect it from rain, snow and water splashing, enabling you to unlock the full impact of your filming scenarios for a fuller vlogging experience. 

The Brave 7 is waterproof down to 8 meters without a case for up to 30 minutes, enabling you to record in any weather.

It also boasts a variety of shooting modes to enhance your photography and video, including 8x Slow Motion, One-click starry-sky delay, Loop recording, Timed photo, and Interval shooting. It can even be set up for use as a dash cam! 

Effortless shooting and selfies

Thanks to the innovative design with dual color screens, you can change framing and monitoring views between the front and rear displays. The vivid front screen is perfect for selfies and self-shooting, while the 2-inch back screen supports touch control, making it easy and effortless to use.

The Brave 7 features a built-in LCD screen, which acts like your camera's status screen to quickly confirm modes, functions, and indicate when it is recording video. 

In addition to its quality internal microphone, the camera also supports external AKASO microphones to capture crystal-clear sound from all directions. Now you can record audio with just as much impact as your video! 

Shoot remotely, shoot smart

Control your AKASO Brave 7 with the 2.4GHz wireless wrist remote, with a built-in LCD screen that gives you quick confirmation of your shooting status. It enables you to operate the camera while skiing, cycling, surfing or doing any other activity.

You can also exert voice control over your action camera, using hands-free commands like "AKASO Video Start" and "AKASO Take Photo" to make capturing photos and videos even easier.

With the upgraded AKASO GO App, you can use your smartphone to shoot and edit your videos, then upload and share them instantly on your social media channels. Transfer your footage quickly and easily – no computer needed!

At a retail price of just $149.99, the AKASO Brave 7 boasts all the features that vloggers and video professionals need – and at less than half the price of competing products. An ideal holiday gift, you can buy the Brave 7 on www.akasotech.com now and it will be available on Amazon in mid-December.

Short-form mobile videos are everywhere, but until now they’ve relied only on smartphones. Cue the Akaso Keychain, a seriously tiny clip-on camera that’s seemingly designed for TikTok, but has some core extra features that might just widen its appeal. 

Described as a ‘mini vlog’ camera by its creators – which recently launched the impressive Akaso Brave 7 LE action camera – the splash-proof Keychain is claimed to be the lightest 4K camera around. It’s hard to argue with that; it measures 63x33x18 mm and weighs just 36g, with a microSD card slot and a USB-C slot hidden away behind a flap on its undercarriage. 

There’s something very familiar about the Keychain. Stylistically it’s the spitting image of the Google Clips and the Insta360 GO from a few years ago – albeit a bit bigger – though Akaso’s effort boasts more resolution and a narrower 124º field of view. For most short videos, both are useful. As well as being 4K, the Keychain has a larger suite of features that make it less about ‘life-logging’ and more about TikTok. Its lens has an array of six LED ‘fill lights’ around the lens. 

Its TikToc-centric design becomes apparent immediately; when used in its upright position it shoots portrait-shaped 9:16 video, just like a smartphone. It’s no problem to change its orientation to 16:9 by turning it through 90º, of course, though you can’t do that with its ‘carry-on case’ – a silicon rubber cover with a hook that allows it to be worn around the neck – which keeps Keychain upright for portrait videos. Not so a magnetic ‘easy clip’, which is best used to attach to backpack straps and head-torch harnesses – but which can turn the Keychain into a body cam. 

There’s a magnetic ball-and-socket pivot stand, which can be physically stuck to a surface (or used as a desktop stand). Better still, the bottom screws-off to reveal a 1/4 inch thread for attaching to any tripod or selfie stick. Another useful accessory is a magnet base that slips behind a shirt or t-shirt to attach Keychain anywhere on the body, and in any orientation. 

Handling

Keychain shoots video in resolutions up to 4K 30 frames per second (fps) – including slow-motion 720p 120fps – and has an impressive electronic image stabilization system. It takes still photos in 20 megapixels. 

Attaching it to a phone via WiFi is a little tricky, with a series of subtle presses required to get it into pairing mode. We’re not sure why it doesn’t go into pairing mode automatically when switched-on, though Keychain can also be put to work without using a phone. Once paired, you get a live preview on a phone of what Keychain is seeing through the Akaso Go app that, thanks to that narrow field of view, can be easily held out of sight of the lens. Sadly the Keychain suffered from a couple of freeze-ups during the test, which is a worry, though this was a very early review sample. 

It’s a cinch to use Keychain in its basic modes. You just press record on either the device itself or via the app. Ditto taking photos. You then download content to your phone for editing in the app. 

The app is great, and all about TikTok. There are all kinds of editing options, though everything begins with an option to trim a video. Once that’s done you enter the ‘advanced edit’ suite, which contains hundreds of options. You can add subtitles, stickers, doodles, put another video or photo in the frame picture-in-picture style, change the orientation, add music or increase the speed. You can even reverse the entire video so it plays backwards. A plethora of effects range from a basic black-and-white to various mirror effects, fade-ins blurs, a ‘glitch’ and an old TV broadcast effect. Slightly less zany are options to add filters – of course – as well as adjusting brightness, saturation, white balance, contrast, sharpness and vignetting. 

Performance

Akaso Keychain 4K sample video at 30fps - Image Stabilization on

Akaso Keychain 4K sample video - Image Stabilization off

Akaso Keychain 2.7K sample video at 60fps - Image Stabilization on

Given its narrow field of view, the EIS on this camera is all-important. Thankfully, it’s impressive, with fluid-looking video that’s as useful when walking as it is when cycling or skiing. However, it only works on 4K and 1080p modes with frame rates of 60 fps and below. The detail on show in its videos only just appears 4K in terms of detail, though there’s some decent colour. Photos – for which there are burst (3 shots up to 30 shots) and interval modes – also look reasonably good, with plenty of colour and contrast, but the Keychain’s highlight is its time-lapse mode. Although it necessitates putting Keychain into a special mode before using it, it’s a genuinely useful hands-free way of creating a fuss-free hyper-lapse – a sped-up version of a run, or a walk through a city centre – without having to clutch a phone to your chest. 

Keychain has another trick up its sleeve in the shape of one, three and five-minute loop recording so you don’t miss anything, and can easily create a video around an unexpected ‘moment’. That’s perfect for the TikTok generation.

Akaso Keychain: Verdict

If you’re after a versatile camera for TikTok or YouTube, or hands-free hyper-lapses, the low-cost Keychain is worth investigating, but it does come with that caveat of unknown reliability. Overall we were happy with the quality of the video and photos, and loved the plethora of manual settings and endless editing options in the app, but we’re not convinced the Keychain does enough above and beyond what a smartphone can already do. 

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AKASO, the world's most popular alternative to GoPro, has ushered in a brave new world for action cameras by introducing two groundbreaking new products: the AKASO Brave 6 Plus and the AKASO Brave 7 LE. 

Whether you're a photography newcomer or an expert shooter, these cameras are ideally suited for those who love to travel and take part in sports. And they both pack the advanced features and quality performance you'd expect in a GoPro, but without the same high price tag. 

The AKASO Brave 6 Plus expands on the much-loved Brave 6, adding some exciting new upgrades to its predecessor. The touchscreen gives you fingertip control over the camera, while the 6-axis Electronic Image Stabilization gives your video a gimbal-like look. Now you can get super smooth footage from even the rockiest ride! 

The Brave 6 Plus record crisp 4K video at 30fps, 1080p video at 90fps, as well as 120fps super slow-mo at 720p resolution. For still images it can capture 20MP photographs, and with an 8x zoom you can always get close to the action. You can even connect an external microphone to for top sound quality. 

Best of all, since the camera is waterproof to 130 feet, you can shoot in all weather extremes and even underwater! In addition to the touchscreen, The AKASO Brave 6 Plus can also be operated by voice control – and when you want to take selfies, the built-in WiFi enables you to take remote control via the new AKASO GO app, where you can also transfer images and video directly to your phone for easy sharing.

At just $119.99, the AKASO Brave 6 Plus offers premium performance at a pocket-friendly price. And unlike many budget action cams, it includes a full set of camera mounts (including a bicycle stand and helmet mount) so you can start using it any time, any where. 

For content creators looking for the ultimate vlogging camera, the AKASO Brave 7 LE delivers powerful professional results in a simple-to-use package – along with an incredibly low price point. 

Like the Brave 6 Plus it captures stunning 4K 30fps video and 20MP stills with 6-axis stabilization, but it features a front-facing 'selfie screen' as well as a rear 2-inch touchscreen. Thanks to the dual screens, you can record to camera (as well as take great selfies) while getting the perfect composition and most beautiful background.

Of course, heavy vlogging and video use can be a drain on your battery – but the Brave 7 LE comes complete with two 1350mAh batteries so you won't have to worry about running out of juice. 

The camera is waterproof to 3 feet (meeting the IPX7 standard), and it also comes with a rugged waterproof housing that makes it waterproof all the way down to 131 feet, so you can take your followers on an all-weather vlogging adventure. 

The built-in WiFi can connect to your phone via the AKASO GO app for wireless transfer of your files, while the integrated HDMI enables you to connect directly to a TV to share your images and videos. And for selfies, the WiFi connects to a handy wristwatch-style remote control – get that perfect YouTube thumbnail!

The AKASO Brave 7 LE offers the same features and double the number of accessories and extras as the GoPro Hero 8 – but at just $139.99, it's only one-third the price!

And with our discount code, you can save 15% on these cameras to make the price even more unbeatable. Use the code cameraVIP for a 15% saving on the AKASO Brave 6 Plus and AKASO Brave 7 LE (valid until 31 December 2020). 

Be sure to sign up for AKASOGO Club, too, for premier membership benefits including 12-month warranty extension, priority and personalized customer service, exclusive coupons and a free trial of Wondershare Filmora. 

Vloggers and content creators wanting to put themselves in the picture have so far been short-changed by expensive mainstream action cameras. Look at our best camera for vlogging and you’ll see it’s dominated by mirrorless cameras and smartphones equipped with front ‘selfie screens’. In fact, the only action cameras with front-facing screen options are the GoPro Hero9 Black, DJI Osmo Action and Sony RX0 Mark II. 

Cue this new offering from Akaso, which tries to bridge the gap with a dual-screen design that allows users to see themselves on a second ‘selfie screen’ that’s placed beside the lens. Add some image stabilization and 4K resolution and the Akaso Brave 7 LE could just be both the best camera for vlogging and the best budget action camera. So, is it? 

Design & handling

Right out of the blocks know that there is one thing that the Akaso Brave 7 LE lacks. Its 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps) is going to please most users – and surely almost all vloggers – though the action camera market has moved on to bigger and better things; the GoPro HERO8 Black, GoPro HERO7 Black and DJI Osmo Action all feature 4K video at 60 frames per second. 

However, the Akaso Brave 7 LE is unique among action cameras in two other areas; it boasts 6-axis stabilization across all resolutions and captures still images using a 20MP sensor. 

In the nicely compartmentalized box is plenty of accessories and mounts. The most pleasing is the provision of two 1,350mAh batteries (good for at least an hour) and a charger, but there’s plenty more to play with; everything from mounts for handlebars and helmets to a wrist-watch remote, sticky pads and even cable ties for one-time attachments. 

Also in the box is an underwater housing; the IPX7-rated Akaso Brave 7 LE is natively waterproof only down to 3 feet/1 meter, so you’ll need the bulky plastic housing if you want to take it diving (it maxes-out at 131 feet / 30 meters). 

Performance

Used as an outdoor stills camera, the Akaso Brave 7 LE impresses. Not only is it toughly made and completely weatherproof, but there’s a standard tripod thread on its undercarriage, with an HDMI output under a flap on the side. The fixed focus means you need to keep subjects at least 20 inches / 50 cm away, and the fish-eyes lens ensures that straight lines look more curved the closer they are to the edge of the frame. However, with superwide, wide, medium and narrow modes, you can easily lessen the effect. Though the geometry might change, all images have plenty of color, contrast and detail (unless the digital zoom-in onscreen controls are used). There’s also a self-timer mode and a continuous shooting that stretches to 30 photos. Meanwhile, white balance and exposure compensation settings can be tweaked for both photos and videos. 

The onscreen menus are easy to use and the touchscreen sensitivity is fine. There are plenty of gestures and swipes to bring-up menus and one-touch tweaks. Most settings can also be tweaked using the Akaso GO app, which sets up a WiFi connection between camera and phones for real-time views. 

However, what the Akaso Brave 7 LE is really all about is video and that front-facing selfie screen. A long press of the ‘M’ button activates the front-facing screen. While the rear screen measures 2-inches in diameter, the front’s manages just 1.5 inches, so this is pretty basic stuff. It’s also square-shaped, so you get a slightly untrue preview, and unlike the rear-screen, it’s not touch-sensitive. However, it’s enough to frame piece to camera; you just keep yourself in the centre of the frame. 

Second screens aside, this action camera captures reasonably detailed 4K video if you stick to high quality capture and 30fps, but we don’t recommend dipping below into the vast array of other resolutions on offer here; 4K/30fps, 2.7K/60fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080p/120fps (no image stabilization), 1080p/60fps , 1080p/30fps, 720p/240fps (no image stabilization), 720p/120fps (no image stabilization) and 720p/60fps. A simple swipe-up gives one-touch tweaks to resolutions, shooting quality and a toggle for image stabilization. 

Sample footage and stills

Akaso Brave 7 LE video sample shot at 4k 30fps 

Akaso Brave 7 LE video sample shot at 4k 30fps with 6-axis Image Stabilization

Conclusion

In use the Akaso Brave 7 LE’s 6-axis stabilization introduces a nice, smooth video without going too crazy. It’s not as powerful a system as you’ll find on a GoPro, but nor does it produce a woozy-looking dream sequence. Instead, it knocks the wobbly edges off a video and makes it watchable, which is what image stabilization should do. There’s really no reason not to use it off a tripod. 

Overall, this a great value action camera for all-round use, but especially for vloggers trying to put themselves in the picture. 

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Akaso, one of the most popular alternatives to GoPro in the action cam field, has just launched the dual-screen Akaso Brave 7 LE – and it looks set to shake up two specialist sectors of the camera market. 

In addition to its front selfie screen, the Akaso Brave 7 LE's other headline features are 4K video at 30 frames per second and 6-axis Enhanced Image Stabilization. That's a killer trifecta that potentially make this the best action camera AND the best vlogging camera. 

Obviously action cameras with dual screens are in short supply, with the DJI Osmo Action being the best option currently out there. While it offers 4K at up to 60fps, it doesn't offer stabilization in 4K; the Brave 7 LE promises "gimbal-like" 6-axis stabilization across the board, and can shoot 60fps for 1080p / FullHD video. 

The new Akaso camera also bests both the Osmo Action and the GoPro Hero8 Black (which only has a single, rear screen) in terms of stills, offering 20MP photographs compared to the 12MP images taken by its rivals. 

The IPX7-rated camera is waterproof to 3 feet / 1 meter as standard, and also comes with an underwater housing that enables you to use the camera all the way down to 131 feet / 30 meters. So whether you want to record fully submerged videos beneath the sea, or you simply want to record videos in vlogs in the rain, sleet and snow, the Brave 7 LE is up to the task.

In addition to the housing, the camera also comes with spare two 1350mAh batteries – which will come in very handy, since churning out 4K video with two screens will no doubt guzzle the power. 

It can also connect to your Apple or Android device via built-in WiFi, to transfer files via the new Akaso Go app, as well as a wristwatch-style remote control so that you can snap full-body selfies. The integrated HDMI connection also enables you to share your images directly to a TV screen or monitor. 

The Akaso Brave 7 LE is priced at $139.99 / £139.99, which Akaso helpfully points out is around one-third the price of the $399 GoPro Hero8 Black. 

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Is a GoPro too rich for you? In the months following the launch of a new GoPro there is always a slew of copy-cat products, but this year the bar has been raised. Featuring 4K at 60 frames per second (fps) and voice control, the Akaso V50 Elite is an attempt to match its big-name rival on core specs. However, with that achieved it piles on the extras in an attempt to woo you to invest in its all-in-one accessory assault. 

The best GoPro cameras cost plenty, and there's a lot of competition from cheaper brands like Akaso. The question is whether it's good enough to make it into our list of the best action cams you can get right now.

Build and handling

Weighing a 76g when naked (that’s 16g lighter than a GoPro Hero7), the 60 x 32 x 41mm Akaso V50 Elite has something we always love to see on any photographic product; a 1/4-inch tripod thread. That means the Akaso V50 Elite can be considered just as much as an occasional camera just as much as an action camera. 

Its chassis is soft-touch, but it's interrupted by rather too many ins and outs. There an on-off switch on the front ranged just above a pointlessly huge panel that reads “4K 60fps” next to a large brand name and product code. It’s unacceptably huge and ugly and instantly cheapens the look. 

On one side is a microSD card slot alongside a micro USB slot for recharging and a micro HDMI port for outputting footage directly to a TV. The latter is overkill, and the lack of a cover is a worry. The other side contains up and down buttons for controlling an interesting 8x zoom digital function. 

The two-inch LCD screen is an unusual 4:3 shape and rather small. It’s not nearly responsive enough for our liking; menus take a bit of stabbing at to get going. Overall, it's not a particularly pleasant product to use. 

Ease of use is boosted somewhat by the provision of mount after mount for bicycles, helmets, you name it. Seriously, there cannot be many places an Akaso V50 Elite can’t be mounted. There’s also a bulky plastic case that has to be strapped to the Akaso V50 Elite to take it 131 ft/40m underwater (something the GoPro can do without a case). We guess this is Akaso’s way of widening the appeal of the V50 Elite, but most users are going to end up throwing a lot of this junk away. Or, worse, keeping it for years for no reason. However, we cannot think of a reason to complain about the provision of two 1,050mAh batteries and a dual USB charger. That’s something so few action camera-makers think of, and most users need.

Performance

So far we’ve been a little negative about the Akaso V50 Elite, but at its core, this action camera captures good 4K video. It deals in a number of resolutions; 4K/60fps, 4K/30fps, 2.7K/60fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080p/120fps and 720p/240fps video. It captures 20MP still images, both in JPEG and RAW, and the results are excellent in good light with bags of detail, colour, and contrast. The distortion-free option is nice to remove the around the  170-degree wide-angle lens look, though for both photos and videos using the digital zoom removes a lot of detail. It’s best avoided. 

Despite it not having image stabilisation, the flagship 4k 60fps mode impresses. That’s partly because image stabilisation, which is not possible when filming in 4K 60fps or 1080p/120fps modes, isn’t hugely impressive lower down the food chain. We found that a shaky hand didn’t necessarily mean an unwatchable video in any resolution. Slo-mo as an idea doesn't work on a wide-angle camera like this since you likely have to zoom-in on the subject, which is thus rendered very low resolution. 

This is a sample clip shot with the Akaso V50 Elite at 4K 60fps handheld.

And this is 4K at 30fps with stabilization.

This is a sample 1080 time lapse movie captured with the Akaso V50 Elite.

The Akaso V50 Elite has an app for iOS and for Android, which allows a real-time live view via WiFi, and competently transfers files from the camera to phone, though editing options are few. We found the app to be prone to stalling. It’s not a huge issue, but almost everything we did brought-up a message reading ‘loading settings’ for about a second. We also had a few failures when trying to connect a smartphone to the camera via WiFi to use the app, which can be used to remotely control the Akaso V50 Elite. However, in the box is also a small remote control that can be attached to a wrist. It’s a nice idea. 

There is, of course, something risky about aping the features of a rival product, and that’s replicating a meaningless feature. Sure, some will find voice control useful. Shouting the rather long-winded "Action Start Video" and "Action Photo" is OK if you’re on your own and distracted by handlebars or a ski jump, but most of us are not going to talk to our action camera. 

Verdict

A decent budget attempt at besting GoPro, the Akaso V50 Elite lacks wow factor; it’s got some great core features but lacks a little when it comes to design and usability. 

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