HTC RE Camera Announced: 16 MP Shooter, IP57 Resistance, and a Price of $199

We heard a lot of reports talking about an HTC-made action camera meant to rival GoPro-like devices. Now the HTC RE camera is officially official, after the Taiwan-based phone maker introduced to the public at their Double Exposure event yesterday.

Just like previous reports have suggested the HTC RE looks like a periscope, having a size of 96.7 x 26.5 mm and a weigh of 65.5 grams. The device arrives with a grip sensor that turns the camera on when picked up. You will be able to shoot photos and videos using the dedicated button. To capture a photo you will have to perform a single press, while a long press will start recording videos. Furthermore, you will be able to activate the photo or video recording remotely using your smartphone.

What’s even cooler is that as soon as you capture a photo of video, it will be synced automatically to your phone via the RE app. The HTC Re camera is also compatible with HTC’s Zoe app.

Hardware-wise the HTC RE integrates a 16 MP camera with 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor and 146-degree ultra wide-angle lense. You will be able to use the device to record 1080p videos at 30fps, 720p 4x motion videos, time-lapse videos.

The new action camera is also equipped with a G-sensor, Grip sensor, 8 GB of native storage, and support for microSD cards up to 128 GB. The connectivity features include Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, and microUSB. You will also get an HD microphone and IP57 dust and water resistance. The camera is kept alive by a 820 mAh battery which, according to HTC, will allow you to capture 1,200 16 MP photos or to record 100 minutes of 1080p videos.

The Taiwanese company announced that their new RE camera is compatible with any device running Android 4.3 or higher. It’s also compatible with iOS 7 or later. HTC RE will be released on the US market later this month at a price of $199.