Catch the action: AKASO EK7000 Pro Review

Favoured by holidaymakers and extreme sports enthusiasts alike, action cameras provide the means of capturing special and memorable footage that you wouldn’t be able to with a smartphone or a standard video camera. GoPro has dominated this market throughout the past decade, but it’s not the only player on the field now.

AKASO has produced a noteworthy range of action cameras in recent times, one of which in particular is the EK7000 Pro. A step-up from the standard EK7000, the Pro has a lot on offer, and we’ve had the opportunity of testing one out for ourselves.

This smart looking action camera can snap footage at resolutions anywhere from 720p to 4K, with frame rates within the ranges of 30fps and 120fps. Take shots with the 20MP photo mode too, and playback footage through the two-inch LED display.

Capable and compact. AKASO promises that you can dive underwater up to 40m/131ft deep and still get optimal use out of the EK7000 Pro. It’s made 100 per cent waterproof thanks to the air/watertight case that’s included. From an initial look, the EK7000 Pro could be an ideal budget action camera, so long as it can live up to its glowing list of specs.

Verdict: The AKASO EK7000 Pro action camera is a terrific piece of kit, sitting at a very tempting price point. Shoot crystal clear footage through sunshine and rain, amongst a coral reef or atop the mountains. If you don’t quite have the budget for the latest GoPro, this AKASO action camera is the next best thing by a considerable margin.

What's in the box?

Opening the box to the AKASO EK7000 Pro was like opening up an action camera starter pack. I can’t stress enough – you have everything you could possibly need in here, and more. I expected to find a manual, a charging cable, batteries, the waterproof case a basic mount, and all these were included. What I wasn’t ready for was to be greeted by was such an ensemble of camera attachment and accessories.

In the box, I found a helmet mount, handlebar mount, a remote control, two clips, a protective camera backdoor, a zip-tie and a strap. AKASO sets you up with almost everything I can think of with the EK7000 Pro. I tinkered around with all of the provided accessories and I found all the clips and mounts to fit tight, and the all-round quality of material to be of a very high standard.

The EK7000 Pro in action

The EK7000 Pro’s price tag means it falls around the top end of budget action cameras, nevertheless, I was more than eager to see how it performed. After all, you should never judge a gadget by its price.

Due to their compact size, action cameras have to excel for an ease-of-use standpoint. The idea is that anyone can pick one up and hit record right away, it's what makes them such great beginner cameras. The EK7000 Pro nails this straight from the get-go. There’re four buttons featured across this action camera, one is your power, another is your capture button, and the other two allow you to scroll through the menus. All of these buttons are of a good size, and they’re super responsive and clicky, which is especially important when recording under extreme conditions.

I got a thorough underwater test of the EK7000 Pro while snorkelling, and I was beyond impressed. The camera itself isn’t waterproof, but you get an airtight, fully waterproof case included with the camera. The camera fits snug within the case, with accurate grooves for the buttons. Of course, you can’t use the touchscreen whilst it’s in the case, but everything you can access through the touchscreen, you can access with the button selectors.

A big positive I noticed when shooting the EK7000 Pro underwater was the audio cues when you start and finish shooting. I personally wear glasses, so seeing underwater is already quite tough, that’s before I try reading off of a two-inch display too. This action camera makes a high-pitched beep every time you hit record, pause, or stop recording, so my ability to clearly see the screen was never an issue.

The EK7000 Pro lens is incredibly versatile. I had the option of shooting footage at a range of different resolutions and frames rates: 720P/60fps, 720P/120fps, 1080P/30fps, 1080P/60fps, 2.7K/30fps and 4K/30fps. Of course, the higher the resolution and frame mean you’ll use more storage. So, having the ability to opt for less performance but more footage is a welcome feature. This is especially so, since you only get a 64GB micro-SD with the EK7000 Pro, unless you buy additional memory cards.

All the action means nothing if you can’t easily watch your footage back and access it at any time, any place. After all, who doesn’t want to show off their holiday footage to everyone the minute they get home? AKASO offers you a few routes when it comes to accessing, downloading, and sharing your captures. You can go the two traditional routes of connecting the camera to a computer via cable, or removing your micro-SD and inserting it in. Alternatively, I found the EK7000 Pro’s Wi-Fi connectivity to be a far more efficient way of doing this. By downloading the AKASO GO app and following a few simple steps on my smartphone with the action camera at hand, I was able to retrieve my footage in no more than ten minutes.

Where does it fall short?

This action camera ticks a lot of boxes, and as we’ve already established, you’re getting a heck of a lot for your money. Unfortunately, that doesn’t keep the EK7000 Pro from suffering in a significant performance area: battery life.

On a full charge, I’d shoot on the EK7000 Pro for around four hours until I’d receive a warning of low battery. This isn’t four hours of shooting time either, this is through a repeated cycle of shooting then powering the camera down, and back to shooting again. The camera does have an auto-off feature when it’s been used for a certain period of time, this will help the battery preservation somewhat.

AKASO does try to account for this short-ish battery life by providing you with an extra battery, so when one dies, you can pop in the spare. This solution relies on you carrying around the spare battery, which might not be convenient. A battery life of around four hours might be just fine for some users, but for those wanting to shoot for longer durations with no strings attached, this will prove to be a significant shortcoming of the AKASO EK7000 Pro.

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Who tested the EK7000 Pro?

The AKASO EK7000 Pro was trialled and tested by Jack Barrell, resident Digital Writer and Tech Reviewer on What’s the Best.

He ran the EK7000 Pro over a few weeks while away on holiday, using it in extreme heat, underwater, and so forth. He spent this time judging it based off of its technical specifications, what it promises, if it delivers on the manufacturer claims, and how it fairs against competitors.

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Jack Barrell is a Tech and Fitness Writer and Reviewer for What’s the Best. He is invested in the entertainment space and also keeps well in the loop with the latest sports and exercise trends too. On his off days, Jack can usually be found either in the gym – or watching his favourite Star Wars for the thousandth time.

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