Summary

• Aicoco onAir is a live-streaming camera with decent specs.
• Overheating issues limit its use for 4K video recording.
• The camera is heavy and not the cheapest option on the market, but offers a good alternative for those into live-streaming.

Aicoco is a relatively unknown brand in the action camera realm, with the company’s product lineup mostly comprising AI-powered webcams. However, the Shenzhen-based firm’s latest product, the Aicoco onAir, is meant for the live-streaming crowd rather than the PC community (even though it functions really well as a webcam).

On paper, the camera has pretty decent specifications. Capable of shooting videos at 4K, the onAir packs a 180° rotating lens alongside support for multiple live-streaming platforms and a minimum battery life of two hours. Unfortunately, it’s prone to overheating if you attempt to capture anything besides 1080p video (and even then, the camera can turn into a furnace after thirty minutes), making it a difficult recommendation for those who prefer recording and live-streaming 4K videos.

About this review: Aicoco sent me a Creator’s Kit version of the onAir webcam, but the company had no input in the article.

Aicoco onAir: Specs, pricing, and availability

Aicoco launched the onAir earlier this year, with the base model of the camera costing $399 on the company's website. Meanwhile, the Creator’s Kit is priced at around $459 and comes with a 64GB microSD card, an SD card-to-USB adapter, a stand, an extra battery, and a charging dock. It’s not exactly the cheapest option on the market and, unless you’re planning to use its live-streaming capabilities, there are plenty of action and 360 cameras that offer more features than the onAir.

Design

Rather heavy for a live-streaming camera

On the appearance front, the onAir bears a lot of resemblance to the Insta360 X4 action camera. It includes a 2.4-inch touchscreen and two buttons for easy navigation. Apart from that, the lens supports 180° rotation, allowing you to seamlessly switch between portrait and first-person shooting modes mid-recording.

The left side of the camera includes a USB Type-C port that you can use to pair the Aicoco onAir with your PC to transfer files or turn the onAir into a USB camera. If you’ve purchased the Standard Kit, you won’t get a dedicated charging dock, meaning the Type-C port will be your only way to charge the camera.

Speaking of, the onAir is powered by a hot-swappable 3,400mAh battery. Upon unlocking the latches, you can pop the battery out of the camera and access the microSD card slot. On the right side, you’ll find a 3.5mm aux port where you can connect an external microphone. Finally, the onAir includes two ¼-inch screw mounts – one on the right side and one at the bottom. As such, you can attach the camera to a tripod in portrait or landscape modes.

Sadly, it’s a bit on the bulkier side. If you’re used to thin and light cameras, you might have some trouble holding the 10.58-ounce camera steady for extended periods.

Performance and image quality

Solid specs, but...

The onAir is powered by a 1/1.8” Sony Starvis CMOS 2 sensor, which imparts superior video quality to the device. It supports HDR video capture and its f/2.8 aperture is decent for outdoor and indoor shoots. Resolution-wise, Aicoco claims you can record at 4K30FPS, but for some weird reason, you can only shoot at 4K25FPS/1080p50FPS if the camera is set to the PAL region.

While I conducted all my tests at 4K25FPS, I can confirm that switching the region format to NTSC will allow the camera to shoot at 4K30FPS/1080p60FPS.

The onAir is powered by a 1/1.8” Sony Starvis CMOS 2 sensor, which imparts superior video quality to the device.

Since it’s a live-streaming camera, I conducted most of my tests outside, and the onAir produced high-quality footage each time.

Its dual microphone setup is nothing to be scoffed at either. In all my recordings, I never needed an external mic, as the front and rear microphones built into the onAir are amazing at capturing audio.

The battery life on the camera is pretty good, too. Aicoco claims the onAir will last for a minimum of two hours, though you’re bound to have a hard time holding the camera for that long. And that brings us to its biggest drawback.

In all my recordings, I never needed an external mic, as the front and rear microphones built into the onAir are amazing at capturing audio.

.. It gets overheated too quickly

Back when I was into overclocking Android phones, I recall some of them running so hot that it was difficult to touch them. Shooting 4K videos with the onAir brought those memories back to me. In my initial round of testing, I chose to leave the fan settings on the camera at their default values and tried recording at 4K25FPS at a high bitrate. The Aicoco onAir started running warm within a few minutes, and by the five-minute mark, I had to take out my tripod as it was so heated up that I had a hard time holding it.

For subsequent tests, I switched the fans to run at maximum speeds using the companion mobile app. While it did alleviate the overheating issues, it was still a bit too toasty for my liking. In the end, I had to drop the resolution down a notch to prevent the camera from turning into a furnace.

Software and other features

Impressive on its own; even better with the companion app

Since the onAir is meant to be used as a fully standalone device, you can perform most of the important actions, be it changing the brightness, setting the zoom values, modifying the resolution, or switching the orientation, using the 480x640 touchscreen built into the camera.

But if you wish to calibrate the advanced options, then you’ll have to download the mobile app. Once you’ve connected the onAir to the companion application, you’re free to experiment with even more settings, including the options to change the ISO, shutter speed, aspect ratio, HDR, and video encoding format, among others.

Another thing I love about the Aicoco onAir is that you can easily use it as a USB webcam without going through the hassle of installing a third-party application on your PC. All you have to do is plug the device into your system, enable the USB camera via the touchscreen interface, and voilà. You’re free to use it as a webcam for your meetings or a capture device on OBS Studio. Speaking of OBS Studio, you can tweak certain settings in OBS Studio to use the camera at 4K30FPS/1080p60FPS.

Another thing I love about the Aicoco onAir is that you can easily use it as a USB webcam without going through the hassle of installing a third-party application on your PC.

Amazing live-streaming integrations

The selling point of the Aicoco onAir is that it can let you stream your recordings on your favorite video-sharing platforms. But in order to avail of the live-streaming support, you’ll need to connect the onAir to a Wi-Fi network using the companion app. Once that’s done, you’re free to live-stream your videos on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, alongside some other apps. In fact, you can even stream your content on multiple platforms at the same time (though Facebook doesn't support this functionality yet).

Should you buy the Aicoco onAir?

You should buy the Aicoco onAir if:

You want a camera that can capture videos and simultaneously upload them to your favorite platforms.

• You’re primarily into live-streaming and aren’t all that concerned with shooting 360° content.
• You don’t mind investing in a decent tripod when recording long videos.
• You’re willing to spend nearly $400 on a standalone camera that also doubles as a solid webcam.

You shouldn’t buy the Aicoco onAir if:

• You want a lightweight action camera that you can easily hold for the entirety of your shoots.
• You want an affordable camera that can record high FPS videos even at 4K.

All-in-all, the Aicoco onAir is a decent option if you’re planning to live-stream or create vlogs at 1080p resolution. I’ve spent around two weeks with the camera, and despite its excessive overheating issues, the camera never once shut down mid-recording. I also paired it with my PC to answer some Discord calls, and both the audio and video were on par with what you'd expect from a camera bearing a $399 price tag. That said, I still wouldn’t recommend it for 4K video capturing, even if you use the official stand included in the Creator’s Kit or a third-party tripod.