ThiEye T5 Edge Review: New Action Camera with 4K EIS


Last year (is it already 2018!), ThiEye jumped onto the action camera scene with the excellent T5E camera. Fast forward to this new year, and they've released yet another budget 4K camera: The T5 Edge. It's not the same camera - it has a different image sensor, offers Voice Control, and, perhaps most excitingly, supports Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) at not only 1080p but also 4K, 30fps. 


Yeah, that's one of my new bass lures for 2018. Expect a review soon.



Specifications

Videos
Resolution 4K 30fps, 2.7K 30fps, 1080P 60 / 30fps, 720P 120 / 60 / 30fps
Distortion Correction Support
Gyro Stabilizer (EIS) Support 4K & 1080P
Auto Low Light Support 1080P 60fps, 720P 120 / 60fps
Loop Recording 2 / 3 / 5min, video auto cyclic covering
Time lapse Video 1 / 3 / 5 / 10 / 30 / 60 second interval
Slow Motion Select the slow motion mode and capture slow motion footage at 720P 120fps
Screen Off Off / 30s / 1min / 2min
Auto Shutdown Off / 1 / 2min
Format MP4
Codec H.264
Photos
Resolution 14M (4320*3240) / 10M (3648*2736) / 8M (3264*2448) / 5M (2592*1944)
Long Exposure Off / 1 / 2 / 5 / 8 / 30 / 60s
Photo Burst Off / 3 P/s / 7 P/2s / 15 P/4s / 30P/8s
Self-Timer Off / 3 / 5 / 10 / 20s
Photo format JPG
Hardware
Waterproof 197 feet(60m) underwater with waterproof case
LCD Display Built-in 2.0 inch Ultra-HD IPS screen
Lens 170° super-wide view, 7G lens
Storage Micro SD / SDHC / SDXC (Support up to 128G, UHS-1 U3 required, sold separately)
Audio Input Microphone
Audio Output Speaker
Connection WiFi (iOS & Android App), Micro USB, HDM
Image Sensor MN34112

Others
Dimension 60 * 42 * 23mm (L x W x D)
Battery 1100mAh, 3.7V
Color Black
WiFi Control Yes
Voice & Remote Control Support
Language English / Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese / German / Italian / Spanish / Portuguese / French / Japanese

 Performance


I've used the T5 Edge in a variety of settings and it's performed well. The EIS definitely makes the footage more stable. However, the EIS could use some significant refinement - it's not at the level of GitUp or SJCam for now. Hopefully future software updates will fix this, as there was occasional shaking artifact and jello, even with EIS. 
The included waterproof case is snug and fits the camera perfectly. The menu is easy to navigate, and playback on the app or the camera itself is a breeze. The included bluetooth remote works quite well, and offers remote control features. To use the Voice Command option, you need to speak into the bluetooth remote, after its synced to the camera. Commands include "Action Start Vieo", "Action Stop Shooting", "Action Photo", "Camera Turn Off." These are only for English-and I doubt the software will pickup heavy accents very well.
There is also several of the usual accessories included with the camera, various mounts and so on.
The image sensor is the same as one of the Eken models, but different from the T5E model.







Sample photos from ThiEye T5 Edge Action Camera (unedited)








Comparison to T5E Action Camera


I really liked the T5E when I reviewed it several months back. However, the T5E doesn't have EIS, and thus I didn't use the 4K as much as I would have liked. The difference in terms of stability between no EIS and EIS on the T5Edge is quite striking - see the video below. 
Photo quality and video quality are otherwise fairly similar at 4K, but at 1080p the T5E is definitely ahead in detail. I do prefer the somewhat more saturated colors found on the ThiEye T5 Edge photos and video on stock settings over the T5E at 4K. Battery life and compatibility with the ThiEye Action Camera app are similar, no major hiccups. The Image sensor is also different on the T5 Edge. 




Conclusion
ThiEye T5 Edge is an upgrade over the prior T5E, mostly in terms of its EIS feature, although the EIS is far from perfect-in fact, it's quite weak. The different image sensor on the T5 Edge seems to produce more natural, less washed out footage over the T5E, although the difference is slight in 4K. At 1080p, the T5 Edge actually lags behind the T5E. The Voice Control and Bluetooth Remote are also both nice, but not features I'll probably use that often. Overall, this is another interesting action camera from ThiEye, with room to improve on the EIS feature. It's definitely one of the more affordable options for 4K EIS at this time, but I think the ELE Explorer K REXSO actually beats it and is cheaper. Take a look at the review video below and let me know your thoughts:



Important links: 

Buy ThiEye T5 Edge online: http://bit.ly/2lZfSUu (4K EIS + remote control + voice control)

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2 comments

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January 19, 2018 at 2:21 AM delete

The video footage on t5 edge looks oversharped whereas t5e has a crisp video footage.

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July 1, 2018 at 2:00 AM delete

Hey, good review! But what's the chipset inside this camera? Thanks. ☺

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Be nice.