If you're in the market for a small video camera with phone-beating shooting skills, DJI has some good news – it released a new teaser and launch date for what will almost certainly be the long-awaited DJI Pocket 3.
The new teaser, titled "For Moving Moments", has appeared on DJI's site and social media channels, showing a gimbal-stabilized lens that looks very much like the one on the current DJI Pocket 2.
The date for your diary is October 25 at 9am ET / 2pm BST, which works out as 12am AEST on October 26 for those in Australia. If the launch is indeed for the DJI Pocket 3, that would see the camera arrive almost exactly three years after the Pocket 2 (which was released on November 1, 2020).
👉The show begin. DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Part 1#dji #djipocket3 #osmopocket3 pic.twitter.com/eC0hZcAV19October 18, 2023
As if to confirm that we'll be seeing the Pocket 3 – which could become one of the best vlogging cameras around – some fresh leaks have given us a closer look at the camera. The new images, shared by the reliable Quadro_News on X, reveal the Pocket 3's new larger screen, which can flip into landscape orientation, plus some of its accessories.
From the screen's user interface, it looks like the Pocket 3 will have portrait and landscape modes (like the DJI Mini 4 Pro), alongside the usual face-tracking powers and other modes like Follow (where the camera remains horizontal) and FPV mode (where it has a full range of movement).
The Pocket series' unique selling point is its three-axis gimbal, which is great for stabilization but also lets you pull off creative camera moves. That's naturally on board again, according to the leaked images, though we still don't know the camera's specs. Our money is on a similar lens to the Pocket 2 (20mm f/1.8) but with a larger sensor like the one on the DJI Osmo Action 4 (1/1.3-inch CMOS).
Below the Pocket 3's screen is a joystick and record button, plus what could potentially be a small speaker for audio previews. The leaked images also shed light on some of the many Pocket 3 accessories, including a battery handle, ND filters, and a wide-angle lens (which is marked as 15mm 0.75x). That appears to confirm that the camera will have a native 20mm focal length, which worked well on its predecessor.
Analysis: Fixing the Pocket 2's main weaknesses
Despite its age, we still rate the DJI Pocket 2 highly for its pretty unique video talents – and it looks like the Pocket 3 could fix a few of its main flaws.
Our main gripes with the current Pocket are its small screen, poor low-light performance, weakness in high-contrast scenes, and tendency to get hot when shooting 4K. The Pocket 3 is likely to bring a larger sensor to help it cope in lower light, while its seemingly larger body should also deliver a bigger battery and improved heat management.
Alongside those unknown camera specs, the big question is how much all of these improvements are likely to cost. The Pocket 2 arrived for $349 / £339 / AU$599 back in 2020, but its successor will likely cost more than that.
The recent Osmo Action 4, for example, has a $399 / £379 / AU$629 price tag, which was a 25% price increase from the Action 3. Still, if the Pocket 3 matches that mark and does bring all of its rumored improvements, that would still make it a relatively affordable video camera with some unique skills.
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