The charming little DJI Pocket 2 video camera is now almost three years old, but some fresh leaks suggest that its long-awaited DJI Pocket 3 successor is nearing an official launch.
The source of several new Pocket 3 images, including close-ups of its camera module and larger screen, is @Quadro_News on X (formerly Twitter), an account that has reliably leaked almost every new DJI product this year.
Strangely, one of the leaked images shows the new Pocket mounted on a tripod. That's a slightly unusual setup considering the main appeal of the Pocket series is that they're gimbal-stabilized 4K cameras that are great for handheld shooting (which explains why the Pocket 2 is still among the best vlogging cameras around).
Still, the Pocket 2 is also an excellent camera for panoramas and timelapses, which might explain the image below – and two other interesting features in the Pocket 3 leak are what look like a larger, rotating screen and a slightly bigger camera module.
👉Wanted to take a break from the hustle and bustle, but no fate) A friend DJI Pocket 3 looks at the sunset and waits...#dji #djipocket3 pic.twitter.com/dsiPmjKjfjSeptember 26, 2023
One of our main criticisms of the Pocket 2 was that its small touchscreen was fiddly to use, and not great for previewing your shots. These new leaks suggest DJI has fixed that with a new larger display that also rotates for portrait shots, which should mean that users no longer need to rely on DJI's companion app.
A separate image of the Pocket 3's camera module unfortunately doesn't confirm that it's definitely getting an imaging upgrade on the Pocket 2's smartphone-style 1/1.7-inch sensor with a 20mm f/1.8 lens.
But the proportions of the camera and lens do look a little larger than the Pocket 2, so it seems likely that DJI's new version could get the same 1/1.3-inch sensor as the one seen in the DJI Osmo Action 4 and DJI Mini 4 Pro drone.
Analysis: the Pocket still has great potential
DJI might be best known for making most of the world's best drones, but the Pocket series has carved out a popular niche among video shooters, because it still does things that smartphones can't.
Video stabilization on smartphones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max has improved dramatically since the Pocket 2 launched, with Apple's new Action mode capable of some impressive results when combined with its new 5x telephoto lens (as shown recently by YouTuber Tyler Stalman).
But there are still unique advantages to having a gimbal-stabilized camera like the one on the Pocket 2 and upcoming Pocket 3. Because the camera can move independently of the camera body, it can use autofocus-tracking to follow solo videographers around a scene – or automatically shoot a smooth, clean timelapse.
The main drawback of the Pocket 2 has been its reliance on dated camera hardware. And while the Pocket 3 may not bring the 1-inch sensor that many fans have been calling for, a larger one like the 1/1.3-inch chip seen on DJI's most recent launches would certainly be a big improvement.
We don't yet have an exact Pocket 3 release date, but the increasingly frequency of these leaks suggest it isn't far off – and DJI could even decide to launch on the third anniversary of the Pocket 2's release, which would be October 20.
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