Are sports action cameras a waste of money?

Never owned one, but I just want it for drumming, some outdoors, the pool, strap it to the dog lol. Mount it in my SUV, chase some storms, etc. I'm leaning towards the Ion Air Pro since it's a little better than the GoPro's in a lot of aspects. I know the phone apps suck to watch things back or live stream. The only thing I'm worried about really

GoPro 3 Whtie-On Sale for 149$
Ion Air Pro-149$ regular price, with some accessories.

Any owner recommendations?

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