The Ultimate Akaso Brave 4 Review!

Interest in the cheaper, entry-level action cameras on the market has spiked over the last few years due to the dramatic increase in the image quality that the cheap GoPro alternatives are able to provide for their users and their popularity just keeps on increasing. Over the last few months, we have noticed more and more people reaching out and asking for a dedicated Akaso Brave 4 review due to it probably being the most popular entry-level action camera available on the market right now.

Due to this, we have decided to make the Akaso Brave 4 the subject of today’s article to help any of our readers who are considering purchasing it. Thankfully, Akaso has managed to build an maintain an excellent reputation for themselves over the last few years of producing some of the highest quality action cameras for the lowest possible prices and the Brave 4 is no different.

Since its release onto the market, the Akaso Brave 4 has gone from strength to strength with each passing month and it has managed to earn one of the  best reputations amongst the community when it comes to entry-level action cameras. We feel that this is due to its excellent performance, great build quality, solid price tag, and impressive feature list.

The Brave 4 has proven to be a popular camera for multiple niches although being used to capture action sports or for vlogging are its two primary uses where it has a large user base using it as their default action camera of choice. Even though the Akaso Brave 6 has now been released onto the market and quickly managed to earn itself an excellent reputation amongst the community, the Brave 4 is still proving to be a very popular option and is expanding its core customer base with each passing month.

Anyway, even though the Brave 6 is now on the market, we still feel like the Brave 4 can still make an excellent addition to your camera accessories if you are looking to add a great yet cheap action camera to your collection. If you are into your action sports, want a cheap and lightweight vlogging camera, or want something that you can give to your children then the Akaso Brave 4 is an excellent option.

Performance And Functionality

Now, considering that the Akaso Brave 4 is a sub-one hundred dollar action camera it actually offers some of the best performance and functionality that you are ever going to find amongst all of the competition at this price point. Back when it was initially released onto the market, the Akaso Brave 4 literally blew the majority of the compeating action cameras in its price bracket out of the water and was easily compeating with action cameras from other brands that are more than double its price tag.

When it comes to the camera sensor on the Brave 4, it can provide you with still photographs with a resolution of up to twenty megapixels! Keep in mind that until the Brave 4 was released onto the market, the vast majority of entry-level action cameras could only capture stills up to around twelve megapixels but Akaso really managed to raise the bar and send the competition running with its massive twenty-megapixel camera sensor.

In addition to this, the camera sensor on the Brave 4 also performs surprisingly well even in low light conditions that can be common in various action and adventure sports. This ensures that no matter where you are or the conditions that you are using the action camera in, you are getting the best possible still photographs to preserve your memories in the best image quality possible.

If you are wanting to share your photographs on social media then the detail that the Akaso Brave 4 offers really does pay off. As you may know, image quality is becoming more and more important when it comes to standing out against the competition on social media platforms and gaining a following and the Brave 4 helps with this without the need to break the bank.

Another area where the Akaso Brave 4 excels over its competition is the video resolutions and frame rates that it supports too. It can support full 4k video footage with frame rates of up to 24 frames per second but capturing your video footage in 4k on the Brave 4 depletes its battery life extremely quickly. If you are out and about and need to stretch your battery for as long as possible then you can also use its 2k video resolution at thirty frames per second or its 1080p resolution at sixty frames per second.

On top of this, you can also quickly and easily switch between the various video resolutions to meet your needs for a specific situation. For example, if you are capturing some B-roll for your vlogs then running at 4k is going to be a solid option. On the flip side of this though, if you are wanting to capture a fast-paced action sport like downhill mountain biking then you are probably going to be wanting the 1080p at sixty frames per second so your video footage is as smooth as possible.

Speaking of battery life, you can expect to get around ninety minutes out of the Brave 4 when recording in 4k and around two hours per charge in both 2k and 1080p. Considering that it is a very cheap action camera this is actually pretty impressive. On top of that, more and more people are starting to use high output power banks to recharge their action cameras mid-session while they are away from power outlets too. This lets you keep your action camera charged pretty much indefinitely without issue so you can capture all the footage you want without running out of power.

We love sharing sample video footage with our readers and all of the clips in the video above have been captured using the Akaso Brave 4 and shows off the potential of the camera in regular situations. As you can see, the image quality that the camera can provide you is absolutely outstanding for a sub-one hundred dollar action camera and it is clear to see why the Brave 4 is so popular within the community.

Now, if you are just planning to use the Brave 4 for vlogging or as a lightweight travel camera then this next point won’t really matter for you. On the flip side of that though, if you are using the Brave 4 for action sports then the built-in, next-generation image stabilization and gyroscope assist can really make the difference.

So many action sports have a bunch of vibration and movement while taking sport and this tech can really helps improve the overall image quality and smooth all of your video footage out without you having to purchase a gimbal. If you plan to mount your Akaso Brave 4 to a helmet or chest mount then you can really see the difference in your video footage between having the image stabilization tech turned on or off during use.

One of our favorite features of the Akaso Brave 4 is the fully adjustable viewing angle of the camera sensor as displayed in the image above. This can really change the effect that your image or footage has on the viewer and can help add that additional level of depth that competition entry-level action cameras are missing. You can alternate the viewing angle between 170°, 140°, 110°, and 70° to meet your need for your session.

If you are planning to vlog with the Brave 4 then the 70° and 110° are great as it lets you get up close and personal to the camera but if you are wanting to capture more of the landscape or get those epic wide angles then the 140° and 170° viewing angles are perfect. If you are up in the mountains snowboarding or skiing and want to capture the epic vistas you see then the 170° angle is perfect and really captures the views you see with a great image quality.

On top of this, the Brave 4 also offers up to five times digital zoom to ensure that you are able to zoom right in on various subjects you see while out and about to capture them in great detail. At the time of writing, many of the compeating entry-level action cameras will offer two or three times digital zoom but again, Akaso broke the mold with the Brave 4 and knocked that up to five for their viewers.

On top of all of this, as you would expect from any modern action camera on the market these days the Akaso Brave 4 also fully supports a number of different popular camera modes such as timelapse mode, burst photo mode, diving mode, and motion detection mode. This really helps to increase the versatility of the camera and ensure that you are able to capture exactly what you want during use.

Now, one of the main issues with the entry-level action cameras on the market right now is that almost all of them have issues with underwater performance. Due to this, we have decided to share the footage above to show off exactly what you can expect from the Akaso Brave 4 when used underwater in its waterproof case.

As you can see, the camera performs very well considering its price point in the market and as you can see, it handles the changing lighting conditions with ease while also capturing all of the colors with ease. The included waterproof case that comes with the Brave 4 as standard with your purchase will also protect the camera down to depths of one hundred feet too. This should be plenty for most of our readers looking to purchase an entry-level action camera and allow you to capture the majority if not all of the underwater video footage that you want.

When you factor all of this in, it really is easy to see why the Akaso Brave 4 has managed to be such a big hit within the community as well as why it has such a good reputation. Since its release, the camera has managed to earn itself tons of excellent reviews that we would highly recommend that you at least skim over as they offer some great insight into the performance of the camera.

User Interface And Control System

Thankfully, Akaso has actually planned out its user interface to ensure that it is very easy to follow and use without having to spend hours learning the system. So many compeating entry-level action cameras have poorly designed control systems that are difficult to learn and hard to follow if you are new to using action cameras but this is not an issue with the Brave 4.

If you are brand new to using an action camera then we are confident that you will be able to quickly and easily learn the system used on the Brave 4 and get out and about capturing photographs and video footage shortly after taking it out of the box. If you are able to use any modern smartphone then you should be able to use the control interface for the camera and quickly and easily adjust its performance to meet your needs for your recording and photography sessions too.

As we have mentioned earlier in the performance and functionality sections of the article, there are a few different situations where you may want slightly different camera settings depending on what you are doing with your Brave 4. Thankfully, the control system allows you to quickly and easily switch between the various options to ensure that you are getting the best image quality possible within seconds.

The actual touchscreen interface is great too and stands out from the other entry-level action camera touchscreen systems as it is sensitive and accurate to touch. One slight drawback is that if your fingers are wet then it can be a bit of a pain to detect what you are pressing but we doubt that this will be a major issue for most of our readers looking for an entry-level action camera anyway.

You also get a wireless remote control included with your purchase of the Akaso Brave 4 as standard to that is surprisingly useful, especially if you are using your camera for action sports. For example, say you are snowboarding and have your action camera mounted to a decent selfie stick while you carve your way down the mountain. Rather than having to press the buttons on the camera, you can put the remote control around your wrist and activate the various functions on the camera from it while keeping your camera on the selfie stick making your life much easier.

The screen is also very bright so if your action sport of choice is something like caving where you are going to be in low light most of the time this makes it very easy to tweak the camera settings as required in dark spaces without having any problems. All in all, we feel that Akaso has done a great job with the control system for the Brave 4 and really aren’t surprised that the camera is as popular as it is.

Smartphone App

Although the Akaso smartphone app has had its fair share of issues over the years, we are pleased to report that the recent update to the app on both iOS and Android have corrected these issues. The syncing issues and random disconnects seem to be gone for the most part making the app much easier to use. You are able to sync your Akaso Brave 4 with the app within seconds and get some easy access to your camera settings to allow you to make tweaks as quickly as possible.

Although you are able to make these changes manually via the control interface on the actual camera, we feel that the navigation menu on the smartphone app is much easier to follow allowing you to tweak the performance of your camera much quicker. If you are out and about vlogging a new location or taking part in your action sport of choice this can actually end up saving you a surprising amount of time.

As the Akaso smartphone app is free to download and very easy to use, we feel that it is well worth putting on your smartphone if you are expecting to be tweaking the settings on your Brave 4 on a regular basis. That said though, the action camera will work fine without the smartphone app and if you plan to use it for something like vlogging with the same settings then you can easily do without the app and not run into any issues.

Build Quality And Design

As you would expect from an action camera, the Akaso Brave 4 has a great build quality and not only is the camera robust, it is also pretty lightweight for a sub-one hundred dollar price bracket action camera. That said, you do have to keep in mind the price tag of the Brave 4 and realize that one of the ways that Akaso can keep it so cheap while offering such great quality is that they user cheaper, heavier materials in its construction.

Although the Brave 4 is lightweight in comparison to the other entry-level action cameras on the market right now, it is almost double the weight of the latest GoPro action camera. Now, this won’t be an issue for the vast majority of our readers looking to purchase an entry-level action camera as the Akaso Brave 4 still comes in at around 0.5 pounds of payload weight but we just wanted to point it out.

Now, back to the robust nature of the camera and as you would expect, it can take more than its fair share of knocks during use without breaking or taking any serious damage. In addition to this, depending on what you are using the camera for, you can also put it in the waterproof protective case that is included with your purchase of the Brave 4 for additional protection from any potential bumps coming it’s way too.

If you are taking part in an action sport such as skateboarding and are expecting to be bailing on a regular basis then we would highly recommend that you take this approach and keep the Brave 4 in the waterproof casing to help keep it protected from your falls. All in all, though, we are really pleased with the build quality that Akaso has been able to achieve with the Brave 4 and in our opinion, it definatley does manage to beat the majority of compeating entry-level action cameras on the market at the time of writing.

Accessories

The image above shows off the majority of the accessories that are included with your purchase of the Akaso Brave 4 and as you can see, you actually get a fair few bits of kit that some compeating brands would charge extra for. In addition to what is seen in the image above, you also get the waterproof casing, the waterproof case, and a remote control too.

All of these accessories pretty much ensures that you are prepared for any situation that you may find yourself in and the various mounts that are included ensure that you can attach your Akaso Brave 4 to pretty much anything you need to capture the video footage that you want without having to spend extra money on mounts.

Our Verdict

That brings our Akaso Brave 4 review to a close and as you can probably tell, we are massive fans of this great little budget-friendly action camera. We are confident in saying that our readers can add the Akaso Brave 4 to their collection of camera accessories and rest assured that they will be able to capture the best image quality possible for the price. You can check our these independent reviews of the Brave 4 from third-party owners of the camera too if you would like some external opinions on it too.

On top of this, if you have the additional budget available, you can take the newer Akaso Brave 6 over the Brave 4 if you wish as it is also a great little action camera that performs very well for its price tag. At the time of writing, it has only been available on the market for a few months but we definatley expect it to become as successful as the Brave 4 over the coming months and it has already managed to earn itself some excellent reviews from the community too. If you are on a strict budget then the Brave 4 is still a solid option but if you can stretch your budget to include the Brave 6 then we definatley feel that it is worth considering.