Yi Technology 360 VR

£350 | $400 www.yitechnology.com More about core quality than novelty features.

When it comes to 360-degree cameras, 4K just isn’t enough – since 360-degree videos are stretched as far as the eye can see, more pixels mean much better images, which is why this ultra-compact camera comes with 5.7K resolution at 30 frames per second.

It also shoots 16MP stills, has a host of manual controls, and streams in 4K to YouTube. So can the Yi Technology 360 VR, which costs around £350 ($400) match the talents of the GoPro Fusion, Insta 360 One and Samsung Gear 360?

Features

Let’s not pretend that a 5.7K resolution is going to produce pin-sharp 360-degree images. It’s not, but the Yi Technology 360 VR is the only 360-degree camera that offers such a high resolution – even the pricier GoPro Fusion tops out at 5.2K. This fixed-focus camera’s Sony IMX377 image sensors capture 5,760x2,880 pixels (around 16MP), for both video and stills.

One of the main issues with 360-degree cameras is that it’s normally impossible for you, the photographer, to get out of shot. The Yi 360 VR gets over that by taking three separate still images, five seconds apart, of you standing in three clearly separate positions. The software then identifies you in all three pictures, and removes you from the finished composite image. It works really well.