The market is full of affordable 4K action cameras and it is really hard to compete here. MGCOOL is a Chinese brand keeping up in this market and released a range of affordable 4K action cameras. MGCOOL Explorer Pro is one of them and comes with a price tag of $38.99 on Gearbest sale. This 4K action camera got so many features and fittings. So let’s dig in and finds out if MGCOOL defines that price or not.
Unboxing and Design
MGCOOL Explorer Pro comes with so many fittings with it so you don’t have to buy them separately. It also comes with a waterproof clear case so it can be used for water sports too like surfing. The accessories box includes one camera bracket, one clip, one USB cable for charging, one bicycle stand, two helmet base, one connector plus screw and user manual.
The design is similar to what you see in basic 4K action cameras, there is a rubber finish all over and is very light weight. The power ad mode button is on the front with lens and a shutter/select key on top. Two navigate/zoom keys are on the right with a mic and a small speaker is at the bottom. The two inches display is good but not bright enough to use it outside.
The waterproof case fits perfectly on the camera and buttons, the buttons on the camera gives a tactile feedback but when the case is on, no feedback. There is no inbuilt memory on MGCOOL Explorer Pro, it needs an SD card Class 10 and above to even capture pictures.
Specifications
- 2 inches TFT display, 320X240 resolution
- 170-degree wide angle lens with 20mm diameter
- Video: 4K at 30fps, 2.7K at 30fps, 720p at 30/60/120fps and 1080 at 30/60fps.
- WiFi, only to cast screen
- 30m waterproof with waterproof case
- 1050 mAh battery
Features
If you think that this camera comes cheap then it does not much then you are wrong. According to its price, it does a lot of things like recording at various resolutions, slow motion recording, time lapse, capture pictures, cast display to MGCOOL app on phone. The only features which it misses are autofocus and video stabilisation.
Performance
Ok, so I tested each and every feature of MGCOOL Explorer Pro and I am a little bit disappointed in it. Starting with 4K videos, let’s just say that the quality is just par not in just 4K resolution, video in every resolution disappointed me. But whenever I look at the price, the videos just look better. The time-lapse and slow-mo features are good but it needs any kind of stabilisation.
Coming to pictures, I tried taking pictures at a 16MP setting but the quality of the pictures is telling a different story. It really needs a lot of light to capture some good pictures. Apart from this, everything worked great, the interface is easy and the battery lasts long more than 1.5 hours straight, there is no extra battery included. The user interface is very simple, it boots up quick and the display turns off after some time while recording to save battery which is a nice feature.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Comes with lots of fittings and accessories
Cons
- Quality of pictures is poor
- No stabilization
Conclusion
MGCOOL Explorer Pro is a great deal for your money, well if you compare its 4K video quality to some good 4K action cameras then you know it lacks behind. But if you compare the price, then you’ll know that this camera does more than what you are paying for. So, if you want a 4K camera for recording your casual videos (not professional) then MGCOOL won’t disappoint you in any way.
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