While established powers in the action cam market have obsessed over squeezing better image quality from increasingly smaller form factors, TomTom’s Bandit Action Cam improves on two nagging pain points which have plagued the category from day one: battery life and footage editing.
The Bandit’s biggest achievement comes from leveraging integrated GPS and motion sensors to track a user’s max speed, g-force, rotation, altitude, acceleration and deceleration. Heart-rate data can be included as well if users wear an external Bluetooth monitor. Notable points for each of these metrics are tagged as highlights during a recording session, which makes them easily reviewable by connecting to the camera via the free mobile app. Shaking the phone while in the app combines clips automatically to create a dead-simple video recap. Users can also manually organize and select their own highlights after the fact. The innovation makes sharing adrenaline-fueled accomplishments with friends as easy as it should be in the social media age.
The integrated batt-stick is an equally smart solution to power concerns. The Bandit’s battery and microSD slot can be removed by twisting the back of the camera, allowing users to swap in additional battery units on the road. Each battery unit also includes a built-in USB 3.0 connector, so there’s no need for a separate wire to transfer footage or recharging.
Combined with other design enhancements like a built-in clip system for easy mounting and a case that can be made waterproof by just adding an included lens cap, the TomTom Bandit’s problem-solving approach makes it a formidable challenger to the established hierarchy and a breeze to use for the armchair.