Yongnuo YN455 – Android-based MFT Mirrorless Camera Announced

Camera News

by Jeff LochJuly 12^th, 2021

Yongnuo has recently showcased a new Micro Four Thirds camera during the Shanghai P&I Exhibition: the Yongnuo YN455. The camera features a 20MP sensor, a 5″ tilt-touch display, it can record footage at up to 4K30p, and it runs under Android 10. Let’s take a closer look at this interesting smartphone/camera hybrid concept!

Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo is mostly known for making affordable lenses like their 25mm F/1.7 prime lens for MFT cameras or the 35mm F/2 AF for Full Frame Sony E mirrorless cameras. However, in 2019, the company joined the camera market to launch the YN450 Android camera with MFT and Canon EF mounts.

Unfortunately, this little camera was sold only in the Chinese market for around $500. But, with the new Yongnuo YN455 announced a couple of days ago, this new iteration might be for everybody.

Yongnuo YN455 features

The Yongnuo YN455 is a pretty compact – 162 x 85 x 56mm – and lightweight camera (670g) that is clearly one of its kind. Here is a list of the key features of this device:

• It features a 20MP MFT sensor and will only be available with a MFT lens mount.
• There is a built-in 5.0″ tilt touchscreen display at the back of the unit, as well as a small LED light/flash in front of the camera.
• You’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, one 3.5mm mic input, and two USB Type-C ports (max. 1080P output) on the sides of the YN455.
• On the inside, the YN455 is Bluetooth 5.0 compatible, 2.4/5Ghz Wi-Fi compatible, and there is even a built-in GPS.
• It can shoot videos in 4K at up to 30 frames per second.
• The battery inside has a 4400mAh capacity, and you can charge it directly via a powerbank, for example. It accepts 18W PD/QC3 fast charging chargers. Of course, you can also remove the battery and charge it with a regular charger.
• Pictures and videos are stored either on the 64GB built-in memory or on a Micro SD card (256GB max).

While the video/photo specifications are pretty decent, the Yongnuo YN455 is a hybrid between smartphones and cameras. Indeed, the YN455 is powered by a Snapdragon SoC, similar to what can be found inside high-end smartphones. This Snapdragon chip has a 2.2Ghz 8-cores CPU, 6GB of built-in RAM, and it can take a 2/3/4G Nano-SIM for connectivity.

On top of that, the YN455 runs on Android 10, which can be found on many smartphones. It means that the camera will have live-streaming capabilities and the ability to edit pictures/videos directly inside the camera. Oh, and if you’re waiting during your shoot, you can always browse the web or Instagram.

Pricing and availability

The Yongnuo YN455 will retail for around 3.888 Chinese yuan, which is around $600. Bundles will be available with the Yongnuo 25mm F/1.7 for 4487 yuan and the 42.5mm F/1.7 for 4686 yuan. At the moment, we don’t know if the camera will ship internationally, nor when it’ll be available.

What do you think about this kind of camera/smartphone hybrid system? Do you think the Yongnuo YN455 would be a great option on the international market? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!