Garmin has released a few handheld action cameras over the past few years, but most agree they have somewhat missed the mark. Many people think of action cams as synonymous with GoPros, so it's not surprising that if a company's camera doesn't have features and specs that compete with the GoPro line...

There's a new top-end action camera from Garmin, and it has 4K video at 30 frames per second. What's more, the Garmin ViRB Ultra 30 has a touch screen, voice control ("Remember that!"), a faster GPS chip and live broadcasting.

Superb footage quality; intuitive menus; solid image stabilisation

The battery life is lower than claimed

Garmin's Virb Ultra 30 holds its own against Sony and GoPros' best action cams

Intuitive and simple controls; Comprehensive G-Metrix sensor data; Built-in touchscreen; YouTube live streaming via mobile app; 3-axis electronic image stabilization

4K mode lacks stabilization; other features; USB 2 interface is painfully slow; Touchscreen doesn't work well if case is scratched

This is a great camera. Very nice sound and video. Easy to use. Only one small complaint, I had this minor problem with other cameras, such as the GoPro. The battery gets very hot after using it for a long time.

Garmin has been an intriguing GoPro competitor in the past, with an impressive rugged design that heralded where GoPro would ultimately go with its later cameras. But,image quality didn't hold up to GoPro's excellent clarity. The Garmin Virb Ultra 30 flips all that.

Extra-sharp video; Voice control; Logical on-screen interface; Overlays data on video; Wide range of accessories; YouTube live streaming

Requires bulky case; Image stabilization not as effective as GoPro's; Voice control doesn't do well with noise; Outdated miniUSB interface

Had both GoPro Hero 5 Black and Garmin VirB 30, there is nothing I like GoPro is better. G-Metrix is ??superior if you want information about distance, speed etc. The transfer to the computer is fast and smooth despite GoPro has USB3 so it is much tougher.

Having had a chance now to fully use the Garmin for it's intended use (Paragliding), I can say that this is a top piece of Kit, a bit pricey but then I am future proofing with 4K.

Works well but it is a little difficult to get the apps and the accessories that are supposed to be available.

The camera is pretty straightforward and I find the menu much simpler to navigate than go pro. The screen grabs of video are 8.8 megapixel and actually pretty clear. The camera is not so good when changing from shade to bright sunlight or snow.

Pros: Works great with my other Garmin devices Ease of use Voice commands superior to GoPro Less audio noise in videos recorded on my bike than GoPro Cons: Needs case for waterproof as opposed to Hero 5 Garmin does not have a dedicated gimbal Other thoughts: I prefer it over the GoPro Hero 5 in...