You knew it wouldn’t take long before more phone manufacturers wanted in on the handheld video camera game. Apart from the fact that the new HTC RE looks a bit like a can of pepper spray or a submarine periscope, this dead simple to use device might be the answer for those that don’t need all the pro features and matching price of the GoPro Hero4.
Designed to fit more naturally in your hand than most action cameras, the RE’s one button operation will never leave you asking, “Is this thing on?” The camera features a 16MP sensor that captures both photos and HD videos (1080p at 30fps and 720p, 4x slow motion video) from a 146° wide angle lens with f2.8 aperture for low light usability.
The RE pairs seamlessly with your iPhone or Android phone to instantly stream everything it captures, and automatically backs up your photos and videos to the cloud so you can access and share them anywhere. You can control your RE camera remotely with your phone—set up time lapse recordings or simply change the camera settings. The RE App is both a content browser and live viewfinder that mirrors what your RE is seeing.
Probably one of the most intuitive handheld video cameras out there, the RE uses a grip sensor to instantly turn on the device when you pick it up. There is no on/off switch. The camera uses a single button design so you can operate it with one hand—simply tap the button to take a photo, and press to take a video.
The lightweight and small nature of the RE means you can attach it just about anywhere—to your bike’s handlebars, strapped on your backpack, or mounted on a tripod for time-lapse video.
The RE is waterproof down to 1 meter. An 820mAh rechargeable battery supports up to 1hr 50mins of continuous FHD video recording. The handheld video camera comes with an 8GB microSD card preinstalled, but you can switch it out for any card up to 128GB.
You can pre-order the HTC RE for $199.99, shipping by the end of the month.