CHEOTIME White

A $78 toy camera with a 64MP sticker on it. It shoots 4K and has a flip screen, but the digital zoom is a scam and the build feels like a Happy Meal toy.

The 64MP sensor sits at the 77th percentile in our database, which sounds decent until you remember you're comparing it to other budget toy cameras, not real mirrorless bodies. The 18x digital zoom is a red flag. Digital zoom just crops the image, so you're not getting closer, you're just throwing away resolution. The 4K video at the 67th percentile is fine for casual clips, but without any real stabilization, handheld footage is going to be shaky. The 1150mAh battery is tiny, landing at the 46th percentile, so expect to charge this thing constantly.

The CHEOTIME's biggest problem is that for a little more money, you can get something dramatically better. The Panasonic LUMIX G100D is a real mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses and actual autofocus. The DJI Osmo Action is a better video tool with real stabilization. Even the SJCAM C400, another budget option, has better build quality. The CHEOTIME only wins if your budget is absolutely capped at $80 and you need a flip screen.

At $78, it's hard to be too angry. You're getting a functional camera with 4K video and a flip screen for less than most people spend on a phone case. But don't mistake cheap for good value. This is a disposable camera in digital form. If you just want something to mess around with or hand to a kid, fine. If you actually care about image quality, save your money.

The CHEOTIME is a $78 camera that really wants you to think it's a mirrorless powerhouse. It's not. What it is, is a cheap, plastic point-and-shoot with a big megapixel number slapped on the box. The 64MP sensor sounds impressive until you realize it's likely a tiny smartphone sensor doing some software upscaling. That said, for the price of a nice dinner, it does shoot 4K video and has a flip screen, which is more than you'd expect from a camera that costs less than a decent SD card.

If you're looking for a real camera to learn photography on, skip this entirely. Go grab a used Panasonic G7 or Sony a6000 instead. You'll spend more, but you'll actually learn how a camera works instead of fighting with a plastic box that pretends to be a mirrorless.

The CHEOTIME is a $78 camera that shoots like a $78 camera. The 64MP number is marketing, the digital zoom is a lie, and the build quality is what you'd expect from ABS plastic. But it does turn on, it does shoot 4K, and the flip screen works. If you're buying this for a kid or as a throwaway travel camera you won't cry over losing, go for it. If you want actual photos you'll be proud of, this isn't it.