Review of the Akaso Brave 8 Action Camera: A Less Expensive But Excellent GoPro Alternative

Having an action camera is incredible. As you may be aware, GoPro is the best in the league, but you will have to pay a premium for it. Akaso Brave 8 takes the lead at this point. It is reasonably priced, comes with a plethora of amazing functions, and provides superb video quality.

We've had the new Akaso Brave 8 for a while now, and we've put it through some rigorous testing over the last several days. Here, we'll go through exactly what the Akaso Brave 8 is capable of and why you should jump on this bargain right now.

Akaso Brave 8: Overview

The Akaso Brave 8 is the newest member of the Akaso Action Cam family. With the Brave 7 LE, it's a full redesign of what you've seen before. With the new upgraded Brave 8, most areas, including as design and video quality, have undergone significant changes. It's one of the most affordable alternatives to the pricey Go Pro Hero 9, which is still the king of Action Cams. The Brave 8, despite being crammed with design gimmicks and Go Pro-like features, manages to attract some attention.

The camera department isn't particularly impressive, but it did its best to give you a GoPro-like experience. I must remark that the sensors and video modes are outstanding. The 4K 60fps is a relatively new feature for Akaso, and it's one that the company should focus on. However, the video modes, particularly the 4K Time Lapse and Slow Mo, left me speechless.

The fact that it provides an excellent user experience for a fraction of the price of a Go Pro is incredible. The device's overall brilliance is enhanced by the strong build. The 1550mAh battery, on the other hand, is something about which we have mixed feelings. It's also waterproof up to 33 feet, making it a great companion for any adventure adventures.

The Ambarella H22S85 chipset, 48MP IMX Image sensor, and other high-end features are included in the Akaso Brave 8. As time goes on, we'll explain more about the camera department and video performance. We'll also go over the overall specifications, design, and connection in further detail.

Akaso Brave 8: Specifications

Before moving on, it's necessary to thoroughly know the specs. With the latest Ambarella chipset, 48MP camera module, and 4K at 60fps recording, the Akaso Brave 8 is a fantastic value to keep an eye on.

Specifications Akaso Brave 8

Brand Akaso

Camera Sensor 48MP, 1/2” CMOS

Camera Lens Equiv. 16mm f / 2.5

Video Formats H.264 / H.265

Battery 1550 mAh

Photo Formats JPEG, JPEG+RAW

Waterproof Yes, Up to 33ft

Storage microSD up to 512GB

Design and construction of high quality

There have been several updates to the Brave 8. This is evident when compared to the Brave 7 LE. You'll notice certain design gimmicks when you take the item out of the package. The camera is sturdy and appears to be long-lasting. With only a few dimensional similarities to the Brave 7, the overall design seems solid and modern. Although the camera lens is slightly warped, it does not detract from the overall look. On the sides are the SD and charging connections, as well as buttons.

With the protective cover on, navigation between the buttons felt a little hazy, but this isn't a big concern. On the front, there is a selfie screen. It's a good pick if you plan to take images with the integrated 48MP camera.

On the rear of the device, there is a touch screen LCD panel. Touch-enabled panels make experimenting with camera settings and video modes a breeze. What I liked best about the brave 8 is that it comes with a complete set of all necessary accessories, unlike most other manufacturers. The accessory box includes a convenient metal lanyard as well as a set of mounts for extreme sports.

We believed the build quality was good overall. The camera housing is well-constructed, and the included accessories are sufficient. It's not high-end, but for the price, it's a fantastic bargain.

Performance of the Camera

The Brave 8 outperforms the Brave 7 LE, but it can't compete with GoPros or DJI action cameras. The Brave 8 can record 4K video at 60 frames per second. When compared to the Brave 7, this is the most significant spec change. Also, because to the IMX 586 sensor's improved light sensitivity, the photos and movies are better than I expected.

In ideal illumination, the 4K video quality is most noticeable. Although the dynamic range isn't great, scaling down to a lesser resolution improves the video quality. The nighttime recording is adequate, although there is some haziness that becomes apparent once the films are processed.

Image stabilisation is included into the Brave 8. But there's a catch: it won't work at 4K resolution. The Time Lapse Mode is when the 4k resolution really shines. With the right image settings, you'll discover that the Time Lapse option is actually better. Finally, Slow Mo is one of the nicest video settings I've ever worked with in post-production. The lack of shutter speed control and other such features was a minor issue in our opinion. I'm not sure why, but Akaso left some things out on purpose.

Aesthetic Appeal

The Akaso Brave 8 has two recording modes: standard stereo and human voice. The normal recording option is Stereo, which captures the real sound quality of everything in and around the frame.

On the other hand, the Human Voice emphasises the user's voice. The mode reduces background noise and amplifies your voice, resulting in crystal clear speech output. As a result, it's a popular device among adventure vloggers.

Features of the Akaso Brave 8

The Akaso Brave is packed with useful features. It has good image stability and good video quality. There are several different video settings to choose from, which makes it ideal for adventure vloggers. The following are some of the positive qualities that I believe are worth mentioning:

Image Sensor

The image sensor on the new Akaso Brave 8 was developed to work with the Hero 9. The camera's 1/2" CMOS sensor produces high-quality photos and allows for enhanced video output. The 48MP stills captured by the Brave 8 were extremely impressive. The photos weren't overexposed in any way. There are three image modes to choose from: Super Wide-angle, Portrait, and Wide-angle.

The wide-angle photographs are crisp and pleasing to the eye. When you go to the narrow setting, though, there is a noticeable loss of clarity. The Wide-angle mode also eliminates the Super Wide Angle Mode's Fish Eye distortion.

Video Resolution

The Akaso BRAVE 8 has the maximum video output, with 4K at 60 frames per second. At optimal lighting, the output movies are crisp, but they lack stability. Also, the built-in EIS isn't compatible with the 4K resolution. However, when it comes to frame rates, there are a number of action cameras that deliver 4K at 120fps.

Dual Monitors

The Akaso Brave 8 is equipped with two LCD screens. The front 1.2" screen serves solely as a selfie display, allowing you to keep track of your selfies. The primary screen is a 2" touch-enabled screen on the back. The back camera provides access to the settings and toggles. Long-pressing the Mode button also toggles between front and back cameras.

Meter Modes

Unlike the Brave 7, the Brave 8 has many metered modes. You can get decent quality photographs and movies with AI Face Metering and spot metering. On a larger scale, however, the camera falls short of the likes of the GoPro Hero series and the DJI Action Cams.

Akaso Go App

The Akaso Go app falls short of expectations. Its antiquated and buggy user interface is a genuine nuisance. As of now, just the Android version is accessible, which is a major drawback for iOS users. A simple video transfer is also not possible due to the lack of a PC outfit. You must remove the SD card, insert it into your card reader, and then connect it to your PC for post-processing due to the lack of a PC tool. In current age of wireless file transfer, this is a significant disadvantage.

Battery Backup and Charging

Two 1550 mAh rechargeable batteries are included with the Akaso Brave 8. To be honest, the battery life is only average, while most top action cameras offer amazing battery life.

On the 4K recording, the batteries have a combined runtime of roughly 90 minutes. Scaling down the resolution to a lesser resolution helps the battery last longer and gives you roughly 110 minutes of battery life.

A USB C port is included in the Akaso Brave 8 for simple charging. However, having a battery capacity of only 1550 mAh puts you at a disadvantage if you plan to photograph throughout the day. The problem is that you'll either need to go to a power outlet every now and then, or you'll need to invest in an external battery pack.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Build quality is great.
Classy.
Voice control is a good thing.
Video modes are very good.
Some features, like the slow mo, are more stable than in the previous versions.
Everything an adventure traveller needs is in this bag.

Cons:

Unusually buggy software
Not really suitable for the pros
No Pro mode.
Lack of 24FPS.

occasional the device gets unresponsive due to the outdated software

What’s in the Box

The Akaso Brave 8 comes in a nice package that includes the Action Camera and all the other important things you need to use it. The package was in good shape and looked a little fancy. As part of the whole delivery, you'll get everything.

The Brave 8 Action Cam
Camera Frame
Remote Control
Remote Control Strap
Pole Mount
Additional Mounts x7
Helmet Mounts x2
Straps and Bandages
Double Sided Tapes
Tethers
Lens Cloth
Battery Pack, Battery Charger
USB Cable

Costs and Availability

The price of the Akaso Brave 8 isn't bad, as we said before. It has features that are worth the price. As of right now, it costs $279. At this price, it has set its own standards pretty high, which is why it costs so much.

But there are some things that could make you think twice about going on. Make sure the Akaso Brave 8 is right for you by going to Akaso's main site now.

Final Thoughts

The Akaso Brave 8 isn't too expensive, and it has a lot of features that are good for people who want to go on a lot of trips.

This is a case where the glitchy software and out-of-date app UI are the main suspects. The software is so bad that you're likely to have a screen freeze at some point. Compared to the old software that runs on the Brave 8, I think the Brave 7 LE was a better choice. It costs about $100 less and isn't glitchy at all.

But, on the other hand, the device does a good job with video and audio, though. Not exceptional, but a good value for money pack that a new person would love. It's up to you to decide whether or not to buy the Brave 8.