Review on 📹 TomTom Bandit 4k Action Camera by Marfel Fekete

Size & Weight: 8Video: 10Audio: 7Battery: 10Ease of use: 9Video editing: 9Durability: 9Overall: 8.9 out of 10This is a great GoPro alternative. It's made with a very solid construction that I'm not afraid of dropping. Video quality is excellent, but you'll need an external microphone if you want great sound. The built-in microphone works, but is nothing special. I never forget to charge it because as soon as I get home, I connect a handy battery to my computer to record videos. When I want to put it back the next day, it's charged and ready to use. I haven't run out of battery on the trails yet. Video editing is very easy when you are on the go. There is definitely room for improvement in terms of size and weight, but the bullet design and longer battery life make up for it in most cases. Overall, this is a great action camera and shouldn't be overlooked. If TomTom was able to do this the first time, I look forward to what they will release next. This will force GoPro to be more competitive, adding new features and lowering prices to keep up with rivals they haven't had to contend with in the action camera market before. Size/Shape/Weight = 8: Size and shape are partially superior to the GoPro. Mounted on a helmet, the camera stays closer to you and is more aerodynamic. You can mount it on the side or top of the helmet. In some cases, however, the GoPro's shape is better. For example, you don't want to mount your TomTom with a head strap (a GoPro would be better for that). It really depends on where you want to install it. The TomTom is also slightly heavier than the GoPro. Video = 10: The video quality is excellent. Very similar to GoPro Hero4. There are some side-by-side comparisons on YouTube if you want to see for yourself. The only thing that could be better is true 4K. TomTom records in 4K at 15 frames per second, making it more suitable for time-lapse than action. I didn't bother taking points for 4K as I honestly don't think you need 4K video for action. 1080p at 60 fps is perfectly fine. Drop down to 720p at 120fps for amazing slow motion. Audio = 7: The built-in audio is poor, but you can connect an external microphone if you need to capture high-quality audio. Since the microphone is not included in the scope of delivery, I had to give it a 7 here. Battery = 10: The battery life is amazing compared to the GoPro. Record up to three times longer without having to stop to charge. Imagine missing a great shot because your GoPro gave up after just over an hour of use. Sometimes an hour goes by. Who wants to keep taking their GoPro off their helmet to check the battery? Ease of use = 9: Very easy to use. One button to start recording, the other to stop. The remote works great when mounted on your helmet. The only complaint I have is that when connecting to a remote viewer you have to connect using TomTom's built-in WiFi. This means that you have to turn off your Internet WiFi in order to use it. I would prefer the remote viewer to use bluetooth so it's always connected when it's on. No big deal. I just don't like messing with it during install. Video Editing = 9: The video editor is very easy to use and has some great features for editing and sharing on the go. Some people complain that there is no desktop application, but every serious editor already has something for it (and if not, there are many programs). TomTom has closed the great gap of on-the-fly editing and sharing with the TomTom Bandit. It uses sensors to capture and mark moments of high speed, high g-force, braking, heart rate (requires optional module), etc. After a run, you can view all highlights, quickly adjust the duration of each highlight, and then post to YouTube without changing the trail/slope/boat/etc. to leave Durability = 9: I tried to put the TomTom on the GoPro headband with the GoPro adapter. Because the TomTom is shaped like a sphere, I couldn't place the strap properly on my head and had to pull it over my helmet so that the TomTom was facing the right way. It turned out that this is not very safe. As soon as I landed hard, the strap came loose and the TomTom flew through the air. It fell off my helmet while standing on the bike so probably about 7-8ft and because the strap was stretchy it also flew about 10ft in front of me and landed on the dirt. Trail, bouncing on tree roots and rocks, and finally stopping in the grass at the edge of the trail. TomTom didn't miss it. There are some bits of grass stuck to the edge of the lens. I selected them, wiped off the dirt and mounted the TomTom to the handlebar mount for the rest of the ride. Later that day I bought a new helmet with less ventilation so I could use the 3M 360 mount on it. I won't be using a GoPro head strap again for sure, that's for sure.