Insta360 invited me to a hands-on event for its upcoming Luna Pro and Luna Ultra vlogging cameras, during which time I had the opportunity to test the dual-lens Ultra version and speak with the 360 camera manufacturer's co-founder, Max Richter.

I quizzed Max on everything from branching out into a new market dominated by DJI, to what Insta360's competitive advantages are and how a surprising number of Insta360 fans are using their action cams for photography.

There's still a lot we don't know about the Luna cameras ahead of their full unveil, and I'm restricted with what I can share because of a staggered embargo. Nonetheless, my conversation with Max shed a little light on where the innovative camera manufacturer is heading.

Rivalling DJI

Insta360 and DJI are launching new action cameras and compact video cameras at breakneck speed, seemingly leaving the likes of GoPro behind when it comes to innovation, even if GoPro recently announced its trio of Mission 1 cameras.

The 360 camera space is very much dominated by Insta360, who commands almost 70% market share, despite DJI announcing its own Osmo 360, and GoPro, its Max 2.

And the same can be said for DJI and compact vlogging cameras — its Pocket series has sold by the bucketload for years, the latest model being the Pocket 4, with no obvious competition. That was, until the Luna.

I expect the vlogging camera market to be a tough nut to crack for Insta360, but I believe it has the necessary software to give it a go, and now, finally, the hardware with the new Luna Pro and Luna Ultra.

"Luna is a new space for us, because it's going to be the first time and we actually have a real vlogging tool on the market," Max tells me.

"It's going to be seriously considered by prosumers or professional creators. This market category is quite big already, right? But we think there's space that we bring some new things to it. A little bit of competition to it.

"At the same time, though, what we're not going to do is to compete on the price. It's definitely gonna compete more on the on the product itself. It's a higher-end solution. It's not price competition, we really want to compete on the product."

And how will Insta360 compete on product? For one, the Luna seemingly matches the latest DJI Pocket cameras, at least where headline features are concerned.

The single-lens Luna Pro rivals the Pocket 4, while the dual-lens Luna Ultra, which I am testing, squares up to the upcoming Pocket 4P.

Like DJI, both Luna cameras utilize a 1-inch sensor and 10-bit video recording, while the Ultra features a second 3x camera, as the Pocket 4P will. All these cameras are supported with 3-axis gimbal stabilization, too.

And while Insta360 is coming into this space years after DJI, it now has its five-star Mic Pro wireless mic to rival the DJI Mic 3. So far, the Shenzen-based pair looks evenly matched.

Purely matching DJI while not competing on price is clearly not going to cut it, though, especially for an unproven first-generation product. That's where the Luna's neat modular screen gives it the hardware edge.

I've tested the unique feature, and it is truly brilliant. The rotating touchscreen is part of a removable component which also includes the main camera controls; the zoom lever, gimbal joystick, and record button.

You can use the screen to view and control the camera remotely, complete with subject tracking, giving the impression of having a cameraperson. What's more, the unit is fitted with a microphone, meaning you can view, record, track subjects, and present to camera.

That's what 'competing on product' looks like, and this game-changing feature alone could be enough to tempt first-timers and DJI fans to switch.

Powering the hardware

Insta360 is coming into the space fresh, but behind the scenes, it has long made cutting-edge software the foundation of its camera tech, which is crucial, especially in the 360 camera space.

“The new generation of content creators want convenience, ease of use, simple sharing on TikTok, Instagram, and so on, and that’s where Insta360 excels due to the software excellence,” says Max.

"Software is the key reason why you choose our products. Not everybody has the time to go into the mobile app and edit their videos, reframe the moment — that’s an extra step in the workflow that a lot of people are not willing to spend time on. We think AI will ultimately be a solution to that.

“The software or AI can choose the best moment or the best shot, or even be trained to know what is your preference in terms of editing. It’s getting better and better. I recently used it [Insta360's app] for diving videos when I didn’t have time to do a lot of reframing, but it perfectly got me the right frame on the sharks and turtles and on myself, that I couldn’t have done better in this short amount of time.

"On the hardware side, you’re not able to iterate so fast, but on the software side, I think we can play out our advantage; we can move very fast.

"To be honest, I see camera technology going in this direction. In the future, it will be hard to differentiate yourself on the hardware side; you also need to invest in the software, because the software can also balance out a lot of the hardware deficiencies."

I've personally used Insta360's app for videos shot with its 360 cameras, such as the X5, and can testify how much it simplifies the editing process. The same software is being used for the Luna vlogging cameras and might just take out pain points for editing vlogging content.

Max talked up Insta360's software credentials, but in a way, he's also doing the Luna a disservice — my first impressions of the camera itself are very positive, and it's great to see some competition for the DJI Pocket series.

What is currently unknown is pricing — just how uncompetitive will the Luna be? We'll find out soon enough.

I spent the UK’s sweltering Spring bank holiday outside — getting sunburnt on every inch of my exposed skin and testing the brand-new GoPro Mission 1 Pro. Given GoPro’s history I was expecting an action camera, but was greeted by that and a rugged vlog camera that can handle (almost) any adventure you could throw at it provided you respect its limitations.

The Mission 1 Pro is one of a trio of new Mission 1 action cams and, like the best GoPros that came before it, is ready for action. The Sport POV mode is set up to perfectly capture your perspective as you tackle a mountain bike trail, for example, while subject tracking is ideal for following your partner as they race through woodland or down a slope (keeping them framed in the shot so you have one less detail to focus on).

Plus with the Dive mode and a design that’s waterproof to 66ft (20m) without a housing you can easily capture color-corrected underwater footage as you snorkel. Though for me it just provided some extra reassurance I wouldn’t ruin my camera as I snapped shots while my partner and I paddled around in the water just-off Brighton beach.

My weekend was a lot more relaxed than you might expect for a GoPro excursion, but the Mission 1 Pro still felt like a solid companion.

As I just mentioned its rugged design meant I was never worried about it getting damaged, and that same subject tracking is utilized effectively by its Vlog mode — which in conjunction with its cover screen makes it easy to capture selfie-style video as my partner and I wandered through the city’s tight lanes and gardens.

For pure quality, however, you can’t beat the 8K open gate capture which delivers generally high-quality 4:3 video that can be comfortably cropped to 16:9 or 9:16 based on your needs — or be used to clip 44MP photo stills so you don’t need to take yourself out of the moment to swap between capture modes.

The quiet champion of my days out wasn’t the camera itself, it was a new add-on: the point-and-shoot grip case. The three-part attachment makes it much easier to hold the Mission 1 Pro and use it like any point-and-shoot camera, and it can be picked up separately or as part of the Grip Edition Bundle — which costs $779.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,229.95 for non-GoPro Premium subscribers

Capturing quick shots here and there I felt no pressure to be choosy as I had plenty of battery life to eat through. GoPro promises the Mission 1 Pro’s 2,150mAh Enduro 2 battery can deliver over five hours of 1080p 30fps video (or over three of 4K 30fps) and this translated to me finishing my day with charge to spare — letting me refuel the GoPro overnight so it would be ready to go again in the morning.

Some of the less standard shooting modes, though, will be a bigger hit to your battery. I took a few slow motion clips which ate about 15% of my charge. The upshot, however, are ridiculously impressive frame rates — burst Slow-Mo captures offers up to 10 seconds of 1080p at 960fps capture, working out at 5m 20s playback time at 30fps), plus slightly slower frame rates are available at higher resolution.

These slow-mo shots also clearly exposed a couple of the Mission 1 Pro’s weaknesses: focus and zoom quality.

For some burst slow-mo I captured my partner Izzy moving back and forth on a swing but I didn’t realize I’d zoomed in on the shot — it was only to 1.6x but when watching footage back on my computer it was clear the digital crop didn’t pair well with the 1080p video quality.

My other, standard slow-mo footage of Izzy blowing a dandelion was instead ruined because I got too close to her. I wanted to get a better frame of the seeds drifting away but instead the plant was entirely out of focus — as I realised after the fact that tapping on the screen tunes to auto-exposure and not an auto-focus, and that there are no manual focus controls.

These issues appeared in plenty of my other shots too, especially my photos, as it became clear the point-and-shoot grip might have changed my perspective of the Mission 1 Pro but hadn’t actually changed how the hardware functions.

With the grip attached, I was treating the GoPro Mission 1 Pro like the Canon Powershot V1 I had recently been testing for an upcoming piece, when it isn’t the same kind of beast even if it felt the same in my hands.

That’s not to say the Mission 1 Pro is therefore bad — I think it’s pretty great — and the Grip Edition adds some excellent versatility to the snapper. You just need to respect the fact the Mission 1 Pro is still an action camera at its core: this leads to a rugged design that feels perfect for surviving most adventures, but there are some hardware nuances you’ll need to navigate as you vlog your experiences.

With my lessons learned I plan to keep testing the Mission 1 Pro as I try to crack this camera — be sure to look out for my upcoming in-depth review — but if you’re keen to pick one up today it’s currently up for preorder at various retailers for $699.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,099.95.

Action cams are primarily for video, but how do they fare for photography? It’s an area that leading manufacturers, such as Insta360 and DJI, have been exploring recently with a glut of quirky accessories.

Take the Photography Grip for the Insta360 X5. It transforms my favorite 360 degree action cam into a point-and-shoot — a use case that I wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise considered.

Or how about the optical viewfinder for the Insta360 Go 3S, which is now available in a Retro Bundle? This, again, changes its primary function as a tiny 4K camera into a waist-level stills shooter.

Third-parties are in on the act too — SmallRig makes a cage for the DJI Osmo Action 6, which significantly improves its handling for photography, and our reviewer Sam Kieldsen loved it.

I was curious about these accessories that turn some of the best action cams into point-and-shoots — are they simple novelties, or are they genuinely useful? How suited are action cams really for photography? I had to find out for myself...

Getting a grip

Photography with action cameras is certainly possible, but there’s no doubt that these types of cameras are primarily designed and equipped for video. However, the Insta360 X5 Photography Grip — which costs $49.99 / £47.99 / AU$87.99 and is available in black or white at Insta360's store — certainly improves the camera's handling for photography.

It fixes to the tripod mount on the camera's underside, and connects through the USB-C port — all you need to do is open the X5's USB-C door to 90-degrees and then pull the cover completely off (and find a safe place for it as you'll need it again for regular use!).

The X5's Photography Grip is comfy to hold and features a simple shutter release button. It aids shooting at awkward angles and framing elements such as leading lines, because it’s positioned away from the camera and gives an easy hold to frame shots in vertical and horizontal perspectives.

I especially enjoyed holding the camera vertically with the grip at the top. And given the X5 is fully waterproof (to 16ft / 5m), its lens can be submerged in water too — this very feature enables creative shot such as above and below water simultaneously with the lens half-submerged. (Given the USB-C door needs to be removed to attach the grip, however, you can’t fully submerge the camera with grip because that port is consequently exposed.)

Besides design, many action cameras actually have decent specs for photography; the Insta360 X5 is able to shoot 72MP stills that cover 360-degrees, or 36MP stills in a single lens mode, which was my primary concern with the grip.

Most action cameras have a wide-angle FOV, the X5 even more so. If you want telephoto shots, then action cams aren’t for you, period. However, for scenes that feature a point of interest close to the camera, they can offer truly dynamic perspectives. The X5 specifically has Ultra, Dewarp and Linear options — the latter corrects image distortions and was my top pick for everyday photography.

And the latest action cameras typically major on attractive color science, such as the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 with its Leica-inspired looks (for which there's an Xplorer Grip Pro kit like the one SmallRig makes for DJI, which costs $99 / £99 / AU$180). The X5's range of color profiles, however, are much more limited, but it can shoot in RAW format to make color grading easier after the event. I'd like to see more photography-first features added by a firmware update.

Action cameras are also small and discreet, making them somewhat suited to street photography. So, with its wide-angle perspective, waterproof design and small body, the X5 with grip can actually be a surprisingly powerful every day photography camera. That said, it needs to process photos faster too to be taken seriously as a stills camera.

A niche accessory worth trying?

The Insta360 X5 will still primarily be a video camera for me. The same can be said for the Insta360 Go 3S even with the cutesy optical viewfinder that comes in the new Retro Bundle (and which can be purchased separately if you already own the camera).

However, don’t write these cameras off for photography, especially action cams such as the Ace Pro 2 and DJI Osmo Action 6, which are better equipped for stills. If you want an altogether different use for your action camera, and enjoy shooting a wide perspective with the freedom of a small, lightweight and rugged build, you might just discover a new niche with the help of one of these accessories.

I’m not the only one trying action cameras specifically for photography, with these new accessories; photographer Geit Eero has demonstrated the Xplorer Grip Pro kit in action on Instagram (see above).

Peruse the links above for the best deals on the weird and wonderful world of action cam photography accessories — you might just find a new use for your action cam.

Would you use a GoPro, DJI or Insta360 action camera for photography? Do these accessories sway your thinking? Have your say in the poll and comments below.

• Insta360 reveals the Go 3S 'Retro Bundle' for its 4K thumb-sized action cam
• The bundle includes a new optical viewfinder and comes in two colorways
• It costs $300 / £279 / AU$470 (64GB) or $320 / £299 / AU$500 (128GB)

Insta360 has revealed one of the wackiest camera kits for 2026 — a ‘Retro Bundle’ edition of its thumb-sized 4K camera, the Go 3S.

We rate the original as the best ‘small’ 4K action camera — it's truly tiny and can slot into spaces no other camera can, or be rigged up to athletes and so on for a first-person POV of the action.

But unlike the original, which comes with a dock with flip up LCD display for composing images and remote control, the retro version feels more like a Polaroid.

You get the 4K camera, which also shoots 12MP stills, in one of two colorways, with a matching optical viewfinder dock instead.

The waist-level viewfinder mirrors the view in front for composing shots, is fully optical, and doubles up as a selfie mirror.

And if it wasn't obvious from the pictures, the camera itself has no screen, just a single button. That's right, this is a 4K digital video camera with no screen whatsoever, just the button — that's as retro as digital video cameras get.

A single press of the camera's button initiates video recording, a double tap takes a photo and so on, but if you need more control, that's where Insta360's app comes in.

The camera can still be paired with a smartphone through the Insta360 app, through which users can remotely control the camera.

And it's still the same Go 3S, with it's unique tiny body and video/photo skills, just wrapped in a different skin that's sure to appeal to analog lovers — call this the Polaroid-like video camera!

Insta360 sells a leather case for the retro bundle, which has a different aesthetic and feels like an odd match, but it looks good in its own right — you can see it in the gallery above.

The Go 3S Retro Bundle costs $300 / £279 / AU$470 for the 64GB version or $320 / £299 / AU$500 for the 128GB version. The latter feels like the obvious pick — you'll want as much internal storage as you can get because there's no card slot.

If you already own the Go 3S and like the sound of retro viewfinder, the viewfinder part can be purchased separately for $48 / £46 / AU$80, which is great to see.

What do you think, is this the kind of camera that appeals to you? Have your say in our poll above or in the comments below!

• SJCAM's new SJ30 budget action cam shoots 8K video, but just to 20fps
• There are plenty of upgrades over its mediocre predecessor
• It costs from $265 / £199

Interested in trying out an action cam? SJCAM has just announced the SJ30, an affordable adventure-centric camera with a unique dual-lens design.

Following on from 2024’s SJ20, the predictably named SJ30 features 8K video recording (but just for 20fps), 4K / 30fps, plus a host of other features that should appeal to beginner mixed-media content creators.

The IPX8-rated body of the SJ30 is waterproof to 17ft / 5m, which is increased to 98 ft / 30m with the camera fitted into an optional waterproof case. That’s right up there with some of the best action cameras on the market.

It also has a claimed battery life of seven hours – not a bad performance if it is able to live up to that number in the field. The caveat for this specification is that it's when pairing the SJ30 with the optional power handle, which can supply an additional 4,200mAh of juice. When used body-only, the maximum stated battery life drops to 150 minutes, shooting 4K clips in laboratory test conditions. This battery performance squares with the most obvious competitor, the budget-friendly Akaso Brave 8 Lite, which costs around the same.

The camera features a 2.51-inch touchscreen, which is able to flip through 180 degrees for shooting selfies and should come in handy for everyday vlogging needs. This is an upgrade from the SJ20’s 2.29-inch rear main touchscreen, which wasn’t articulated. Instead, on that previous model, users had to rely on a limited-capability 1.3-inch front screen. There’s no denying that the larger rear LCD offers an advantage in both size and resolution, but I wonder what impact the articulation might have on the rigidity of the body and its resistance to harder knocks while engaging in activities such as mountain biking.

That said, the press release points out the camera’s suitability for working 'in extreme conditions', across a temperature range from of -20°C to 60°C. So on paper at least, the SJ30 still seems built to take a beating, or at least some mild frostbite or sunstroke.

The headline feature, however, is the dual-lens design. The rationale behind this is that one lens sits in front of a 1 /2.0-inch sensor and the other, a marginally larger 1/1.8-inch chip that's fitted with a f/1.8 equivalent aperture. The latter is termed a ‘Starlight” sensor and the former, a “Daylight” sensor, allowing quality shots in all types of lighting.

Why it couldn’t simply have a single 1/1.8-inch sensor and the brighter lens, I’m not certain. If the larger aperture had been paired with the smaller sensor, I’d have understood that this was to allow more light gathering while keeping weight and costs down, but surely having two pairings is more expensive still?

Whatever, the night camera actually features a smaller aperture than the SJ20, which could be opened up to f/1.3. In that review, we weren’t that impressed by the low-light image quality, so it’ll be interesting to see if a new processor has allowed superior noise control.

Good value?

The SJ30 also makes use of a six-axis gyroscope and upgraded stabilization algorithms, as part of the upgraded SteadyMotion 2.0 system. I’m hoping this offers an improvement over the system used on the previous model, which didn’t do too much to help with camera shake in video footage. Another gyro-based function is the 45-degree horizon lock, which keeps footage level while riding over uneven terrain.

Although the SJ30 allows 8K video shooting, this is just to 20fps, an odd frame rate limitation that could cause issues if you hope to fit clips into the timeline of another video with conventional 24 fps or 30 fps frame rates.

No mention is given in the initial press material about photo resolution, although the SJ20 shot 20MP stills, so I’d be surprised in a camera of this level if this has decreased for the next generation. This falls below the DJI Osmo Action 4, which shoots 4K up to 120fps and 1080p up to 240fps and, being two generations old, is available for around the same price.

For improved sound quality, the newer camera includes a detachable wind guard and supports the SJCAM M4 wireless microphone, although we'll have to test this independently to see if its performance is up there with the best wireless mics. An interesting little feature is the magnetic quick-release mounting system for audio accessories, although how this performs riding along a bumpy trail, only time and a proper test will tell.

When you think of action cameras, SJCam might not be the first brand that comes to mind, but that hasn't stopped them from having lofty aspirations. The most attractive element of its action camera range is the price and the SJ30 stays on form, being available now for $264 / £195 (Australia pricing TBC). More information can be found at the SJCAM website.

• GoPro unveils its Mission 1 series of action cams, with three new models
• They all feature a new 1-inch 50MP sensor, GP3 processor and shoot 8K video
• An 'ILS' model features a Micro Four Thirds lens mount

GoPro's stock has been dwindling of late, especially with increased competition from DJI and Insta360, but the OG action cam maker is back with a bang with its new Mission 1 series of action cams.

This is the biggest GoPro shake-up since it went digital 20 years ago, with three 'professional' models to choose from; the Mission 1, Mission 1 Pro and the curious Mission 1 Pro ILS — the latter features a Micro Four Thirds lens mount and is directly compatible with hundreds upon hundreds of lenses.

Alongside the cameras, GoPro will launch new accessories, including its first wireless mic kit. And in case you missed it, GoPro recently revealed its own gimbal, so its range of accessories are ever growing.

I spoke with GoPro ahead of the announcement, and its spokesperson articulated how the brand has looked to address many of the perceived drawbacks to its current action cams, previously headed up by the Hero 13 Black.

Through a new GP3 processor, GoPro says the Mission 1 series of cameras will have industry-leading battery life and thermal performance – yes, they won't overheat even when static in a warm room – while a new 1-inch sensor is much larger than the one used in Hero Black models and will no doubt improve image quality, especially in low light.

Pre-orders for each model begin on May 21 and they will be fully available from May 28, with pricing TBC. There's plenty to unpack here, so let's take a look at the key features and what to expect.

Mission 1 / Mission 1 Pro

First up, the Mission 1 and Mission 1 Pro models. They are essentially the same, except that the Pro version (above, with lens hood) has a few extra capabilities, which I'll get onto.

Both cameras feature the new GP3 processor, a 1-inch 4:3 sensor and shoot 50MP stills and 8K 30fps / 4K 120fps open gate video (the 'Pro' version shoots 8K up to 60fps).

Previous GoPro action cams have offered great image quality in good light, but this new series looks to improve matters in low light with what GoPro says is 14 stops of dynamic range.

The bigger sensor and new processor also combine with higher 240Mbps bitrates, HLG-HDR and GP-Log 2 color profiles, plus 10-bit color depth for what should be the best quality images from a GoPro to date.

With a new Enduro 2 battery (which is backwards compatible with the Hero 13 Black), video record times are supposedly at least five hours at 1080p 30fps and three hours plus for 4K 30fps. They are also GoPro's toughest action cams yet, with waterproofing of 65ft / 20m and a bright 2.59-inch rear OLED screen.

It's slow-motion recording where the Pro version really stands out, thanks to its mind-boggling 960fps slo-mo video mode. This is available for 1080p recording, while the regular Mission 1 is limited to 240fps. At 4K resolution, the Mission 1 Pro can shoot down to 240fps, while the Mission 1 is capped to 120fps.

Audio recording looks impressive too; there a four internal mics and internal 32-bit float audio recording — these are very much pro features. And Bluetooth 5.3 lets you connect to compatible mics for clear audio, including GoPro's new wireless mic kit.

What you don't get with either model that the Hero 13 Black offers is the auto-detected lens mod setup — instead you just get the redesigned 159-degree field of view lens with hydrophobic coating so water droplets run off.

Mission 1 Pro ILS

Moving onto the ILS version — it packs the same photo and video skills as the Mission 1 Pro, the key difference being that it features a Micro Four Thirds lens mount, and as such it's only weatherproof and not fully waterproof like the fixed-lens Mission 1 Pro is.

This curious stroke of design means the ILS is more of a compact cinema camera than an action camera, though it does have a similar form factor to the other models.

Now I say 'curious' because there's a sensor size / lens mount format mismatch. The 1-inch sensor is smaller than the Micro Four Thirds sensor that the mount is designed for. A 1-inch sensor has a 2.7x crop factor, while Micro Four Thirds is 2x.

I don't think I've ever used a camera with a 1-inch sensor and Micro Four Thirds lens mount — I'm particularly intrigued by the ILS model and can't wait to give it a spin. That extra crop factor will limit lens choice for fans of a super wide-angle perspective, but on the flip-side the telephoto reach will be enhanced.

Perhaps making the ILS body a little larger and fitting it with a Micro Four Thirds sensor would have been the sensible thing to do, but there could be various upsides to this setup, and at the very least there are hundreds of lenses already available.

I asked GoPro if it plans to make its own lenses from the Mission 1 Pro ILS, but it predictably refused to comment.

There will be various Mission 1 series bundles on release, including a Grip Edition, Creator Edition and Ultimate Creator Edition, with more details to come in launch build up.

GoPro has just touched back down to earth following its NASA adventures on board the Artemis II — and now with its biggest product upgrades in decades, it very much feels like GoPro is back in the frame against DJI and Insta360. What do you make of GoPro's Mission 1 series? Make sure you vote in the poll below and let me know your thoughts!

• Solar eclipse image from Artemis II shot with 12-year-old action cam
• The 'greatest gift' moment recorded with a GoPro Hero4 Black
• The mission's gear choices continue to surprise camera fans

The Artemis II crew continue to send stunning images back to earth of key moments during its moon fly-by — not least of which include a solar eclipse from the far side of the moon.

Like other iconic images from the mission, the sight, never before seen by humans and described by crew member Victor Glover as 'the greatest gift' of the mission, was captured with the most surprising camera gear of all, at least to camera fans and so far as image quality goes.

Following the Lumix GH5 for take-off shots, the decade-old Nikon D5 DSLR for the incredible Earthset image and earth selfies with iPhone 17s, the solar eclipse was captured with an even older action camera, the GoPro Hero4 Black.

A full 12-years-old, the Hero4 Black was launched in 2014 and has long been discontinued, being replaced several times over, with the latest model being the Hero 13 Black.

It's one of a string of surprising gear choices, at least to camera fans who might have expected the multi-billion dollar mission to be equipped with the latest and greatest camera gear. So what do we know about the solar eclipse images and the gear used to record the epic sight?

I need a Hero

NASA describes the image named 'Eclipsed: A View from Orion', dated April 6, 2026, as the moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, with the Orion visible in the foreground on the left. It also reveals the bright spot visible just below the moon’s bottom right edge to be Saturn, and the bright spot at the right edge of the image as Mars.

EXIF data on the NASA site reveals the camera gear and settings used to record the solar eclipse image. The Hero4 Black was set to manual white balance, auto exposure, ISO 800, and a 5-second exposure time.

The Hero4 Black was the first in the series of action cams with ProTune manual control, which has enabled a slow shutter speed, along with Bluetooth and WiFi support, though, of course, later models pack these features and more.

And it's not the only stunning image from the mission captured with the Hero4 Black. Unsurprisingly, GoPro has shared other key images on its Instagram (see above), pinpointing four moments.

We reached out to GoPro for comment about why the Artemis II mission opted for the 12-year-old action camera, and it said;

"Unfortunately, we are not in the position to go any deeper on these questions than what is publicly available — NASA has very strict guidelines on their brand, and we can’t speak on their behalf."

I'm sure the camera gear choices will be one of many questions posed to the crew upon its safe return to earth, and I, for one, will be keen to hear what they have to say.

For now, I'm marvelling at the incredible images shared so far, in the knowledge that there are plenty more images and moments yet to come.

• GoPro drops a teaser filled with cinematic clips, shot on its next camera
• There's a conspicuous absence of action footage, suggesting a new kind of camera
• The teaser follows the unveiling of a powerful new GP3 processor

Earlier this month, GoPro announced its first new processor in five years, promising that it will power its next generation of cameras, and not just upgrades of the action cameras that it's known for.

Now we've had a sneak peek at a new direction GoPro could be taking its product portfolio through a teaser on its YouTube and Instagram — and there's no way that a humble action cam could have recorded the cinematic footage being showcased.

A close-up of a human eye, slow-motion capture of flames, a telephoto shot of ferns touched by raindrops, plus a detailed image of the moon, are all overlaid with the caption 'Captured on the next generation of GoPro'.

The previous announcement unpacked the new GP3 processor, GoPro's first since the GP2, which debuted in the Hero 10 Black in 2021, saying it will 'usher in a new era of professional-level image quality, low-light performance, resolution and frame rates for small form-factor camera markets, including action cameras, 360 cameras, vlogging cameras, and ultra-premium, compact cinema-grade cameras.'

That same announcement also told us to expect this next generation in Q2 2026, so that should be any time in the next three months.

GoPro already makes some of the best action cameras and 360 cameras, such as the Hero 13 Black and Max 2, respectively, whereas vlogging and compact cinema-grade cameras would be new areas for the action cam giant. Based on the teaser, a cinema-grade camera could come first.

What is GoPro cooking?

Besides the teaser caption 'Find your focus', all the information we have to base speculation on is the clips shot on a next-generation GoPro.

It's not clear if the clips are taken with the same mystery camera or are a collection from a range of new cameras. I'd hazard a guess that it's a compact cinema camera with a more versatile lens than the wide-angle type used in GoPro action cams, possibly an interchangeable lens camera.

Of course, a closeup of the moon can only be captured with a telephoto lens, a detailed shot of a human eye with a macro lens, while the ferns and raindrops shot has pretty decent bokeh (the out of focus dappled light in the background), suggesting either a larger sensor than those in current GoPro cameras, or a wide aperture telephoto lens.

To me, that fern and raindrops shot looks like it is made using a camera with a sensor size likely similar to Micro Four Thirds (that's half the size of full-frame), while the range of shots suggests an interchangeable lens camera — so we could be looking at GoPro's first video-focused mirrorless camera.

Note that none of the sample videos are action-based, suggesting that no action camera is making the footage. However, if such a camera were also equipped with the rugged, waterproof design of GoPro's action cameras, it could be a unique offering.

Macro, telephoto, and shallow depth of field effects will all be new kinds of imaging for a GoPro product, and I'm really keen to see what kind of cinematic camera is creating these shots, or if indeed they are a showcase of what multiple GoPro cameras are capable of.

Reactions to the teaser on GoPro's YouTube range from "Here I was just contemplating swapping over to DJI, but this looks promising!" to "Come on GoPro! It’s time for a comeback," and "The people have been waiting!" What do you make of the teaser, and what kind of camera are you hoping that GoPro will unveil? Is GoPro 'cooking something special'? Let me know in the comments below!

• The Ulefone RugOne Xsnap 7 has a unique party trick
• It comes with an action camera you can take out and use separately
• The phone is scheduled to launch in the middle of 2026

There's a case to be made that the best phones are somewhat lacking in terms of innovation these days, but that's certainly not the case with the Ulefone RugOne Xsnap 7: one of its rear cameras can be popped out and used as a standalone action camera.

The handset was recently shown off at MWC 2026, and is scheduled to launch in the middle of the year. We also know that it'll feature a 6.67-inch AMOLED display, a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 5G chip, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage.

While this clearly isn't going to compete with the best action cameras in terms of size or video quality, there's a certain appeal in having a unit like this built right into your phone. When the camera is detached, you can use the handset as a remote control and viewfinder, before docking it again to recharge and transfer the footage.

Of course, this adds quite a bit of bulk to the phone itself, but Ulefone isn't trying to avoid that. The RugOne Xsnap 7 also features a hefty 9,000 mAh capacity battery as well, so this should last you plenty of time between charges.

'Designed for adventurers'

It's not clear what the actual specs of the action camera are, but the information provided by Ulefone does say that the other two rear cameras are a 50MP main sensor and a 64MP 'night vision' lens. There's also a 32MP selfie snapper around the front.

"This isn't just a smartphone; it is the world's first rugged device featuring a detachable magnetic action camera unit," promises Ulefone. "Designed for adventurers who live to capture the moment, the Xsnap 7 Pro merges high-performance mobile tech with professional-grade action camera DNA."

Having the choice of an action camera and a phone camera when shooting photos and videos sounds genuinely useful – not just a gimmick – and so we'll be interested to see the final form of this handset when it appears (and of course the pricing).

Honor has recently unveiled a phone with a gimbal camera inside it, which extends on a robotic arm, but we haven't seen the action camera idea before. Perhaps the idea of a modular phone might be about to make a comeback.

GoPro Lit Hero: two-minute review

GoPro is a name that's synonymous with the action cam market, with the brand having largely been responsible for the explosion in popularity of such cameras over the past two decades. The brand has come a long way since its first Hero camera, a 35mm film-compatible wearable model released in 2004.

Now the likes of the GoPro Hero 13 Black and GoPro MAX 2, are considered amongst the best action cameras available, and largely dominate the market. And despite rumors that the company intends to kill off the Hero Black range, GoPro has dismissed the speculation. In other words, the GoPro family seemingly has a bright future ahead. In fact, as I completed this review, GoPro announced the next generation GP3 processor which will power a new wave of GoPros for 2026 and beyond.

That being said, the direction of the range can sometimes take an odd turn, and one such example is 2025’s GoPro Lit Hero, a sort of replacement for the GoPro Hero (2024), which was itself a weird compromise of price over specification.

You certainly can’t criticize the camera’s portability — it’s one of the smallest and lightest action cameras you can find anywhere, and there’s no danger of it weighing you down whilst out on a cycle ride or when travelling. Before hopping on a plane, there was none of the usual "Should I, shouldn’t I?" dilemma I often experience when choosing what to take on a trip, and it was a simple case of "Why not?" and throwing it into my camera bag.

There haven’t been many compromises in terms of build quality, and the Lit Hero feels rugged despite its diminutive size.

However, the tiny screen makes changing settings a challenge, while there isn’t a lot of room for camera controls on the body, making the handling experience frustrating at times. The screen itself isn’t always easy to use for image previews and is quite fiddly. It’s not a camera you can use in a hurry, which is a problem given the type of content you’d probably shoot with it.

There's very little in the way of manual controls: if you just want a point-and-shoot camera, you'll be fine, but if you hope to take control over the image-making process, there isn’t much here to satisfy a creative appetite.

Image quality is passable, but not mind-blowing. The camera struggles in low light thanks to its tiny imaging sensor, and despite offering 4K shooting, footage is anything but pro-level. Stills and video are sharp enough, but quickly lose detail as the sensitivity is increased. Meanwhile, colors are quite natural.

Overall, the GoPro Lit Hero is an affordable entry to the action cam market, and is a good take-anywhere choice. It won’t draw too much unwanted attention, or take up room in a bag. The problem is that too much has been stripped away to facilitate the small size. If you were expecting a simplified Hero Black, with similar properties, just smaller, you would probably be disappointed.

I'm not sure who the Lit Hero was designed for, specifically. Yes, it's an entry-level camera, so beginners might benefit. However, the naming convention is confusing, and I'm uncertain as to why such a powerful LED was incorporated. It's also still not that cheap, which I fear is more because of the brand name than any real premium advantages it offers.

As a result, the camera doesn't really hit any target market well. It sounds mean, but it might be best suited for filmmakers who want a camera that they're happy to risk destroying in the pursuit of extreme shooting angles. Otherwise, I can't think of anyone in particular to whom I'd recommend the Lit Hero.

GoPro Lit Hero specs

GoPro Lit Hero: Price and availability

• Released October 21 2025 worldwide
• The GoPro Lit Hero retails for $269.99 / £239.99 / AU$419.95
• The Starter Bundle includes a Shorty mini tripod, bike mount and case for $344.99 / £304.99/ AU$539.95

The GoPro Lit Hero went on sale from October 21 2025 for a price of $269.99 / £239.99 / AU$419.95, but months later and with the next generation of GoPros set for 2026 it can be purchased for less. The camera is available in kits too, including the Starter Bundle, which includes a bike mount and camera case and retails for $344.99 / £304.99 / AU$539.95.

Other activity-specific bundles are available, such as the Water Activities Bundle ($332.99 / £296.99 / AU$519.95), Bike and Camp Bundle ($349.99 / £399.99 / AU$ 546.95) and a Kid’s Bundle for $359.99 / £322.99 / AU$ 572.95, which supplies a Shorty mini tripod, case and Flexible Grip Mount.

• Price score: 3.5/5

GoPro Lit Hero: Design

• Small 1.76-inch LCD touchscreen
• Waterproof to depths of 16ft / 5m
• Super-lightweight at 3.3oz / 93g

The Lit Hero certainly looks the part, and has many of the traditional design markers of a GoPro product. The rear of the camera is dominated by the 1.76-inch LCD screen, with no physical buttons or controls whatsoever. This isn’t unusual for an action camera, and the same is true of a higher-end model like the DJI Osmo Action 6. The difference there is the screen size, which at 2.5 inches is much easier to interact with and operate.

The monitor on the Lit Hero is so small that my fingertips dwarfed some of the icons, making the precise selection of settings tricky when on the move and when outside in winter, digits numb from the cold. The active area of the screen is much smaller than the back of the camera, too, so there really isn’t much control real estate to be working with. If, like me, your hands are on the large side, it’s something to be aware of if the Lit Hero is on your shopping list.

It’s also not the most detailed LCD I’ve ever used, and it’s not ideal for judging the sharpness of captured images and footage. A few times, I thought I’d got the subject in focus, only to find the camera had back-focused upon opening the images and footage on the large screen of my laptop.

The touch function is useful (well, actually essential as it happens), but it isn’t hugely responsive, and it can take a few taps to get the desired menu to open, or multiple swipes with wet or muddy fingers to scroll through previews. Overall, it’s definitely a good idea to download the dedicated GoPro Quik app onto your phone, via which you can more accurately quality-control your footage.

The rest of the body is incredibly simple, which is both a negative and a positive. On one hand, this means you have to rely on the tiny screen to operate most of the camera’s functions, frozen fingers or not, but it also gives the Lit Hero a reassuringly unintimidating layout for beginners. There aren’t so many buttons that you might be worried about accidentally changing a setting you subsequently can’t figure out how to reset.

The Polycarbonate and TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) construction material is easy to grip, with a good amount of texture to provide friction even when the camera is wet. At no point did I worry about it slipping from my hands while using it handheld.

The other inescapable side-effect of such a small body is that when handling it, even just to remove it from a bag, it’s easy to touch the lens and leave behind fingerprints. It’s easily wiped clean, but this can be irritating.

• Design score: 4.5/5

GoPro Lit Hero: Performance

• Quick startup for rapid shooting
• Lack of built-in digital or optical stabilization is frustrating
• Super-powerful LED lamp is too intense for most uses

The camera itself is quick to start up, which was something I was concerned about, given the expected shrinking of the processor assembly to allow for the Lit Hero’s tiny dimensions. There’s very little delay between pressing the power button on the top of the camera and it being capture-ready.

Focus is also quick, at least as far as I could tell from my ‘hit rate’, looking back through captured images – looking at the screen, it’s very difficult to see the focusing in action, especially given the wide focal length. This was impressively maintained in low light and I didn’t notice a significant increase in out-of-focus shots in poor ambient lighting.

A big downside for me is the lack of integrated image stabilization. Rather than using an optical or sensor-shift IBIS system, you must first transfer footage to your smartphone using the GoPro Quik app, then apply algorithmic stabilization there. I’m not a fan of digital stabilization anyway, but not having it applied in-camera means you can’t preview how the final footage will actually look at the point of shooting. It’s a laborious extra step that slows things down.

An added frustration is that the connection between my phone and the Lit Hero was fairly unstable. It kept dropping out, meaning that live previews of what the camera could see using my phone screen were so pixelated as to be largely useless. The transfer speeds were also predictably sluggish. Yes, it’s possible this is due to the age of my handset, or even a model-specific compatibility issue, but I’d experienced no such issue when pairing it to the Insta360 X4 Air and Insta360 X5 the day before.

The ‘Lit’ element of the camera’s name stems from the powerful LED torch on the front of the body. It’s really the only instantly noticeable change from the GoPro Hero (2024). I wasn’t sure a camera could ever be defined by its built in flash or continuous light, but oh wow, did this thing get my attention.

It’s inexplicably bright. For the size of the camera, the light output is impressive if not completely overkill. It’s so bright at the maximum setting that I found it impossible to perform a piece to the camera with it shining in my eyes. Of course, it might come in useful in dark conditions, but I found it just looked ugly in most cases. I found it helped when shooting underwater clips in a sediment-filled stream, but the exposure fall-off is very obvious and unsightly.

On a positive note, the battery life is decent, and I could easily get around an hour and a half of continuous use out of it, in chilly outdoor temperatures, before it ran out of juice. Since the battery is integrated and can't be swapped, this is good news.

I found the body warmed up pretty rapidly when shooting longer video clips; not problematic, but a little uncomfortable when using it handheld. I found the more powerful DJI Osmo Action 6 heated up less quickly after prolonged use.

• Performance score: 3.5/5

GoPro Lit Hero: Image quality

• 4K video looks good in brighter light, with natural color rendition
• Photo and video quality drop significantly at higher sensitivities
• No log mode for later color grading

With such a small (1/2.8-inch) imaging sensor at its heart, the Lit Hero is limited in its light-gathering capacity. As such, noise levels are quite high at every sensitivity. There are very few manual controls, with no true PASM modes that allow the user to manipulate exposure settings, meaning you’re at the mercy of the camera’s own decisions, often resulting in grainy footage.

While it’s easier to hide in fast-moving video, the mushiness of detail is clearly visible in stills. In daylight conditions, results are actually quite sharp, but this isn’t maintained for long as ambient light falls.

The autoexposure system is fairly dependable, and it was able to quickly assess each scene during my testing and correctly adjust the parameters to prevent obvious overexposure. Similarly, the auto white balance does a good job of keeping colors natural, even under mixed lighting. This is all good news since there’s little opportunity to amend these settings yourself.

I’d equate the experience and resulting images to those from a basic smartphone or compact camera – I wouldn’t recommend the Lit Hero for ‘serious’ still photography work, but it’s good enough for off-the-cuff content creation and vacation shots.

There isn’t much latitude for post-processing work either. Shadows can be blocked quickly, probably because the camera seems to be biased towards underexposure to keep the highlights in check, but it’s not a good idea to lift these too far. There is no Log mode so color grading must be applied to the pre-processed video, which can break down the tones if pushed too far.

• Image quality score: 3.5/5

GoPro Lit Hero: testing scorecard

Should I buy the GoPro Lit Hero?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the GoPro Lit Hero

• I used the GoPro Lit Hero over one week, both indoors and out
• I worked in a range of lighting conditions and weather to test the durability of the body and functionality
• The camera was submerged to analyze the waterproofing capability

While I always like to subject action cameras to some degree of punishing conditions, I like to use them as I might as part of an average shoot for which it was designed. As such, I don't make a habit of dropping them out of windows or running them over with a Jeep.

Instead, I took the GoPro Lit Hero with me on several outdoor shoots, in a range of weather, from rainy to full sun. I used the camera to capture behind-the-scenes content of my shoots and environmental imagery. This included submerging it in a stream and getting it down and dirty in muddy undergrowth.

I left the camera recording for extended durations to test battery life and heat management. I shot both still photos and video, then processed these in Adobe Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve to see how much detail I could recover from the extreme ends of the tonal range. Images shown here are the unprocessed out-of-camera Jpgs and video (cut together in the case of the latter).

• First reviewed February 2026

• Two new Insta360 cameras have been spotted
• These models have been teased by the Insta360 CEO
• There's plenty of speculation over what they could be

We have Insta360 to thank for some of the best action cameras in the business – as well as several other innovative gadgets – and it looks very much like we've got a couple more cameras from the company to look forward to in the near future.

Insta360 CEO Jingkang Liu has taken to Chinese social media site Weibo (via PetaPixel) to share a teaser image, alongside the caption "go to a new focal segment". That sounds like an upcoming camera to us.

As pointed out by The New Camera, there are actually two unknown cameras in this picture: the camera that we can see being used to frame a photo, and a second camera that's visible through the viewfinder of the first one.

We're well used to rumors and teases and hints for Insta360 products at this stage, but this is a sort of hybrid combination of an official unveiling and a product leak that we don't often see, and we're rather intrigued as to what it could be pointing to.

Camera spotting

The first camera in this image – the one that's being used to frame and take a photo – looks unlike anything Insta360 currently makes. PetaPixel speculates that it might be a compact, fixed-lens camera along the lines of a Canon PowerShot.

We can see some controls around the side of the viewfinder, which include buttons for toggling between video and photo modes, and a playback button for reviewing videos and photos captured by whatever camera this is.

As for the second camera that the first mystery camera is taking a picture of, The New Camera suggests this is a pocket vlogging camera along the lines of the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (with the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 waiting in the wings).

That latter camera is probably closer to being launched – perhaps as early as February or March – whereas the compact digital camera may still be in the prototype stage. It seems that it won't be too long before we have more Insta360 cameras to enjoy.

Dreame began life as a robot vacuum brand, before going on to add other air-focused appliances like manual vacuums and hair dryers to its roster. It's only been around since 2017/18, but in that time it has established itself as a major player in these markets – it features prominently in both my best cordless vacuum and best robot vacuum rankings.

So I was excited to see what Dreame would be showcasing at CES 2026. I was expecting a new robot vacuum, perhaps some innovative air purifiers. What I was not expecting was for Dreame to announce its entry into literally every corner of the home. I'm not exaggerating – if you can think of a home appliance, Dreame now has one in its lineup.

It has a TV, soundbars, a projector, a surround sound speaker setup. There's a Dreame action camera, smart rings, smart glasses and a smartwatch. It has smart lights in all shapes and sizes. It has security cameras, smart locks and motion sensors.

There are fridges, a dishwasher, a microwave and a selection of ovens. There are air fryers, coffee machines, and a stand mixer. It has a washing machine, tumble dryer, and steamer. There's a chainsaw and a hedge trimmer, electric toothbrushes, razors, IPL machines and an LED face mask.

It's still at prototype stage, but there was even a car sitting incongruously on the Dreame stand.

The vision, according to the press release, is to evolve from "a standalone smart device brand to a comprehensive provider of connected lifestyles with an ecosystem now covering the home, garden, outdoors, and on the move". The tagline it's going with is "All dreams in one Dreame", which makes no sense at all.

Too far, too soon?

I've tested a number of Dreame gadgets, and have almost always been impressed, but I'm wary of this latest expansion. It all just seems too fast and too wide-reaching for it to have been done with the required care and expertise. The difficulty I've had in getting any information about the individual products I was most interested in hasn't reassured me any further.

Previously, Dreame's category expansions have made sense. There's crossover between the mechanics of a vacuum cleaner and a hair dryer, for instance. I can see how a brand that knows its way around a robot vacuum could also make a great lawnbot.

But I'm struggling to see how those skills might translate into coffee machines or TVs – both categories that are highly specific, and which require specialist knowledge and skills to excel in. The same goes for things like smartwatches and action cameras.

Of course, I haven't tested any of the new gadgets yet – I've only seen them displayed and demoed, which isn't a reliable way to judge any product. The proof will be in the testing, and I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

• Leaptic teases a new action camera for CES 2026
• It could rival the DJI Osmo Nano
• The teaser indicates the 'AI' camera will shoot 8K video

DJI and Insta360 could have a new rival on their hands, after a new Chinese company called Leaptic teased a modular action camera that will be unveiled at CES this week.

The teaser on X (formerly Twitter) reveals the silhouette of the '8K AI tiny action camera', and it looks a lot like the profile of the modular DJI Osmo Nano.

Like the Insta360 Go 3S before it, the Osmo Nano is a truly tiny thumb-sized action cam which can fit in tight spaces for creative angles and worn as a body camera, but being modular it also attaches magnetically to a pod with a screen for a traditional action camera design.

Leaptic's offering appears to have a strikingly similar design to the Osmo Nano, but we know precious little else about it other than will shoot video at a higher 8K resolution.

Another post shared on Instagram in September 2025 seemingly reveals Leaptic's AI action camera, if indeed this is the same camera, calling it a 'next-gen AI action camera redefining sports filmmaking', armed with a 'disruptive end-to-end AI concept'.

It says the camera will weigh just 35g, is equipped with voice control, plus it features what sounds like 'AI' subject and action detection and auto editing to speed workflow.

This all sounds intriguing, and with CES kicking off tomorrow on January 6, we'll soon have more concrete detail about the tiny 8K action camera from the horse's mouth, and if indeed it has what it takes to break into this competitive space.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• The DJI Osmo Action 6 can now record in 8K
• This comes via a firmware upgrade with other goodies included
• You can update now via the DJI Mimo app

Have a read through our DJI Osmo Action 6 review, and you'll see we were very impressed with the action camera – it got four-and-a-half stars out of five – but the device is now even better, as its latest firmware upgrade ups the maximum video recording resolution to 8K.

News of the update was posted to Instagram by DJI (via PetaPixel), and you can see from the post that that 8K recording is now available at 30 frames per second, at a 16:9 aspect ratio. It's a pretty sweet free upgrade for owners of the camera.

There's more in the update too: it also adds the ability to upload footage direct from the camera to various cloud services, including OneDrive and Google Drive, or a personal NAS. This can be done automatically or manually as needed.

Owners of the action camera now have access to new film-style tone presets in Photo mode as well, plus additional customization options, and a few other minor tweaks (the grid overlay in Custom mode has been tweaked for the better, for example).

Better than ever

The DJI Osmo Action 6 was already one of the best action cameras on the market, and these new upgrades improve it even further. It offers excellent photo and video quality, in a wide range of lighting conditions, and an easy-to-use interface.

"With the Osmo Action 6, DJI cements its position as a real threat to GoPro's dominance in the action camera market," we wrote in our review. "The Osmo Action 6 is yet another step in the right direction for DJI."

If you own one of these cameras, you can get the new update through the DJI Mimo app – it should appear automatically as a prompt on screen inside the app, when it's ready (firmware 01.02.05.21 is the version you're looking out for).

It's another reminder that software updates don't just have to be about bug fixes: they can also bring with them genuinely useful improvements that add extra value for money when companies invest enough time and effort into them.

DJI Osmo Action 6: two-minute review

When you think of action cameras, GoPro will likely spring to mind before DJI. While it wasn’t a complete surprise that the latter company, best known for its drones, made the move into the action cam market, it's had to do a lot of work over the past few years to catch up, and offer something that stands out from the competition.

The GoPro Hero 13 Black is arguably the action camera all others will currently be judged against, so DJI’s latest model in the Osmo series, the Osmo Action 6, has a lot to prove. That said, the quality of its predecessors, most notably the Osmo Action 5 Pro, has been hard to ignore, and based on my experience with that camera I had great expectations going into this review.

Fresh from reviewing the entry-level GoPro Lit Hero and Insta360 X4 Air, I was immediately impressed by the Osmo Action 6’s user-friendliness; the menus are easy to navigate, and the screens are a breeze to work with. Images and video also look amazing on these high-quality monitors, so reviewing the fruits of my shooting sessions was a pleasure.

Image quality is superb, benefiting from a larger 1/1.1-inch sensor, which produces excellent detail and color rendition in good lighting and stand-out noise performance as ambient light levels fall. I’d happily use the Osmo Action 6 as my main carry-everywhere camera, or as a backup to a mirrorless system for capturing unique perspectives from places those larger cameras simply can’t go.

I thoroughly enjoyed using the additional accessories, such as the Macro Lens, ND Filter Set, and FOV Boost Lens, which make the whole system feel pro-grade and versatile. If you're a fan of the GoPro mods, you’ll be happy to see DJI making efforts to expand the modular compatibility of its action cameras. Once you add in the streamlined compatibility with the wireless DJI microphones, I see the Osmo Action 6 as an indicator of great things to come.

DJI Osmo Action 6 specs

DJI Osmo Action 6: Price and availability

• Released November 18; not available in US at launch
• Osmo Action 6 Standard Combo costs $379 / £329 / AU$669
• Osmo Action 6 Adventure Combo costs for $479 / £415 / AU$839

DJI's Osmo Action 6 is available now, priced at £329 / AU$669 for the Standard Combo, while the prices rises to £415 / AU$839 for the Adventure Combo which adds two batteries, an extra quick-release mount and locking screw, battery case and 1.5m extension rod to the standard bundle.

Like recent DJI products, it's not available in the US at launch. A DJI spokesperson gave us the following statement:

"The DJI Osmo Action 6 will not be officially available in the US market through official websites following the global launch on 18th November. DJI remains committed to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."

That said, I'm already seeing the Osmo Action 6 available for preorder at B & H Photo for $379 (Standard Combo) or $479 (Adventure Combo).

• Price score: 4.5/5

DJI Osmo Action 6: Design

• Larger 2.5-inch rear LCD
• IP68-rated weather and waterproofing
• Waterproof to 20m

If you’ve used the Osmo Action 6’s predecessors, such as the DJI Osmo Action 3 DJI Osmo Action 4, or DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, there aren’t any drastic surprises in store for you design-wise. The body is a little bit larger, most notably in its width, measuring 72.8 x 47.2 x 33.1mm to the Osmo Action 5 Pro’s 70.5 x 44.2 x 32.8mm. It might be noticeable if you hold both cameras side-by-side, but in real-world terms it won’t make a huge difference to the handling experience.

The Osmo Action 6 remains super portable and lightweight, despite the inclusion of a larger sensor, which is impressive. As you’d expect from an action camera, it can be fitted into a coat pocket for easy transport or use on the move. However, fresh from testing the tiny GoPro Lit Hero, the Osmo Action 6 did feel quite chunky by comparison. This is a much higher-end product, however, featuring a larger CMOS unit, a lens aperture that's both adjustable and brighter, and a front LCD, all of which are missing from the entry-level GoPro.

I was immediately drawn to the 2.5-inch main LCD screen, which feels much bigger in use than the rival GoPro Hero 13 Black’s 2.27-inch monitor. Although this is still too small to get a truely precise idea of sharpness, it’s much nicer to look at than the screens on earlier models, and matches those on cameras like the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, which we ranked as the best premium action camera.

The screen itself was highly responsive in my tests, and I found it easy to access settings and navigate menus, even when the camera was wet or covered in a dusting of ground coffee (see the sample video below for context). I reckon I’d find it more practical to work with the Osmo Action 6 in cold weather than the native-portrait-orientation Insta360 X5 or Insta360 X4 Air.

Both the front and rear LCDs are crisp and easy to read in brighter light too. While smaller and lower-resolution, the front screen (1.46-inch, 342 x 342 pixels) is still useful, and doesn’t feel like an extra gimmicky feature that DJI threw in but which is ultimately pointless. I remember feeling that the front LCD on the GoPro Hero 9 Black was so laggy that there were times it was barely worth being there, for example.

The large shutter release is easy to locate without looking, speeding up operation. Also, I like DJI’s choice to place the microSD card slot in the battery bay, rather than alongside the USB-C port, something which proved fiddly and frustrating on the GoPro Lit Hero. I always appreciate integrated storage in a camera too, of which the Osmo Action 6 provides plenty at 50GB.

• Design score:4.5/5

DJI Osmo Action 6: Performance

• Impressive four-hour battery life
• Effective RockSteady 3 and 3+ stabilization with reduced cropping
• Excellent connectivity with external DJI mics

DJI claims a battery life of 240 minutes for the Osmo Action 6, similar to the Action 5 Pro. Shooting inside and out, I found that a single charge lasted about four hours using a mix of 1080p and 4K resolutions, across the various modes. This is impressive, although as the temperature dropped, so too did the battery life, so if you plan to work away from a power source for any length of time I’d still advise taking a few extra batteries.

The RockSteady image stabilization system also has an impact on battery longevity, although in my tests, this wasn’t anything major. The system itself is effective. While not a replacement for a gimbal, I found I could create commendable tracking shots free from micro vibrations. The same was true with POV walking shots.

The Osmo Action 6 continued to perform well after being submerged in water, with the screen remaining responsive. Once it was removed from the water the lens quickly repelled remaining droplets, as did the body, making the camera easy to dry off.

The camera features voice control, which is either ideal or an irritation depending on the environment. When it worked, being able to give the Osmo Action 6 a voice command such as “start recording” helped free up my hands, while reducing the amount of footage I had to trim as I positioned the camera for my shots. On several occasions, it didn’t respond, or I didn’t realise it hadn’t stopped recording after a command at the end of the shot. If the microphone is obscured in any way, it produces mixed results.

Speaking of sound, I was surprised by the quality of the internal microphone. While an external mic like the DJI Mic Mini gives you more versatility, as well as depth of audio, the built-in mic didn’t have the thin sound common to similar mics on other small cameras.

If you own the Mic Mini or DJI Mic 2, connecting them to the Osmo Action 6 couldn’t be easier. Simply pressing and holding the link button on the mics themselves until the indicator light flashes blue is all it takes to get audio recording off-camera, giving video that extra professional edge.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

DJI Osmo Action 6: Image quality

• Larger sensor enables better low-light performance than Osmo Action 5 Pro
• 10-bit and D-Log M modes enable pro-level grading
• Slightly aggressive default in-camera noise reduction/sharpening

Along with smartphones, I think that action cameras best demonstrate how far sensor and processor technology have come over the past decade or so. By mirrorless camera standards, the 1/1.1-type sensor housed in the Osmo Action 6 is small, at around 14mm on the diagonal, yet in my testing it produced better results than a high-end compact camera from circa 2014.

The Osmo Action 6 sees a big jump in sensor size from the 1/1.3-type CMOS of the Action 5 Pro, but uses a similar resolution of 38MP for still images.. This allows for greater pixel pitch (the distance from the center of one pixel to its neighbors), which benefits light-gathering capacity; the pixel size is 2.4 micrometers. An image measuring 7168 x 5376 is still quite a lot of pixels for this sensor format, but while I wasn’t amazed by the camera’s low-light performance, nor did I find it especially problematic.

Detail in stills becomes a little smudged from around ISO 800 and above, shooting in gloomy indoor lighting, but outdoors, or in direct artificial light, noise levels are kept at respectable levels for an action camera. Colors are also still quite punchy.

Video footage, meanwhile, is excellent in moderate low light. There is noise visible, but the grain size looks very fine, meaning it’s easier to ignore in areas of the image containing flat tones. I thought in-camera processing coped well, minimizing noise without obliterating texture.

I did notice that some quite excessive sharpening is applied in some circumstances, no doubt to counteract any noise-reduction related degradation. It isn’t a deal-breaker, but you might want to turn down the default sharpening (known as Texture in the Image Adjustment menu) for a more organic look.

The SuperNight mode is designed to produce a brighter image in low-light conditions by increasing the exposure digitally, then applying AI noise-reduction processes to minimize grain. This produces footage with significantly less texture, so I wouldn’t recommend it if your video is likely to be viewed on a larger screen, where this effect will be far more noticeable. In everyday shooting scenarios, or for social media, however, it captures brighter shadows, so it's useful for shooting around cities. There's a lot less distracting noise, too.

I enjoyed using the Slow Motion mode as a means of capturing share-ready footage in-camera; however, for professional uses, I’d recommend switching to a higher frame rate, shooting your footage, and manually applying the Slow Mo effect in editing.

I really appreciated the Color Recovery feature when shooting in D-Log M, which allows you to preview how the footage would look with a profile applied. This doesn’t bake in any edit settings, but merely gives you an idea of the final image after grading.

All of the shooting conditions mentioned above would be challenging for any camera, and once you take the DJI Osmo Action 6 out into bright daylight, the quality is superb. Combined with the flexibility of the Log mode, it’s possible to capture excellent levels of detail and natural colors.

GoPro Hero 13 Black users might bemoan the ‘limited’ 4K resolution here, in favor of the 5.3K available on that model, but 4K is fine in all but the most specific of situations. I still shoot in Full HD as standard when creating content for social platforms, unless I know that for some reason I’ll need to crop or recompose my frame in DaVinci Resolve. The workflow is faster, and viewers are unlikely to perceive a difference in Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, for instance.

• Image quality score: 4.5/5

DJI Osmo Action 6: testing scorecard

Should I buy the DJI Osmo Action 6?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the DJI Osmo Action 6

• I tested a full production model running release firmware over several days
• I mounted the camera on the bundled 1.5-meter extension Rod or Dual-Direction Battery Handle
• I recorded videos in varying lighting conditions, both indoors and outside

To ensure I was able to get a true sense of the Osmo Action 6's capabilities, I shot in a range of lighting conditions. My indoor tests involved a vlog-style shoot, testing the sensor's high-ISO performance and the camera's temperature and water resistance (I placed the camera in a freezer and poured cold water over it for a unique POV). I then took the camera out into the countryside, where I filmed close to and underwater. These shoots also gave me the opportunity to use the optional macro lens and FOV Boost lens. All audio was captured using the in-camera mic. Footage was edited in DaVinci Resolve 20.

• First reviewed November 2025

• Insta360 reveals new accessories for its flagship Ace Pro 2 action camera
• Among them are a photographer's grip and a clip-on instant printer
• New lenses and in-camera Leica color profiles are added too

Insta360 just gave its flagship Ace Pro 2 action camera a major boost with a range of new accessories, including a photographer's grip, three lenses for different looks, and the bizarre crossover we didn't know we needed (and probably don't) – a clip-on instant printer. You can see the full setup in the image above.

Some of the new accessories feel sensible, such as the new cinematic, ultra-wide, and close-up lenses. Taking a page out of GoPro's book with its Hero 13 Black Lens Mods – a feature that I labeled the 'future of action camera design', users will be able to get anamorphic-style clips with the cinematic lens, and focus closer with the close-up lens. I can already feel GoPro's ire.

And then there's the Xplorer Grip Pro – a case with an integrated battery and ergonomic grip (see below). It's the type of accessory that Chinese phone brands have been delivering in recent years to improve the handling of their phones for photography, such as the excellent Xiaomi 15 Ultra photography kit.

Clearly, Insta360 wants the Ace Pro 2 to be a photographer's tool as well as an 8K action cam, and for users wanting a comprehensive action camera, it kind of makes sense.

The peculiar addition, however, has to be the clip-on Pocket Printer, which Insta360 says is the 'first made for an action camera–delivers instant, memorable keepsakes from any moment'. It prints 3-inch auto-laminated photos (54 × 82mm, with a 54 × 72mm printable area) using dye-sublimation technology, which Insta360 says 'matches the vibrant footage from Ace Pro 2' and are waterproof, dustproof, and fade-resistant.

I don't typically associate action cams with photography at all, let alone making instant prints from them on the go. This accessory I'm filing under 'don't knock it till you try it'.

Overkill or genius?

Between GoPro, DJI, and Insta360's latest flagship action cameras, I believe the Hero Black 13's swappable lenses to be the most exciting path for action cams, more so than the Ace Pro 2's 8K video skills. However, now you can get both with the Insta360 model, thanks to the three new lenses – each one directly inspired by (or imitating) GoPro.

I wouldn't necessarily think of using the Ace Pro 2 for photography, because its strength is undeniably video. However, the handling of the camera for photography would indeed improve with the new grip, while new Leica color profiles will no doubt assist in getting a strong look straight out of the camera, ready for print.

The printer, on the other hand – well, the jury is out on that one. I like the Instax Mini Link printers for on-the-go printing, but I wouldn't bring those into outdoor adventure moments.

There are now a number of Ace Pro 2 bundles available with these new accessories; the XPlorer Pro Bundle adds the new grip and additional battery and costs $519.99. The Flash Print bundle further adds the Pocket Printer, a Flip Screen Hood, and Classic Leather Case for $579.99 / £545 / A$1,049. The Ultimate Videography Bundle also adds the three new lenses and costs $739.99 / £725 / A$1,359. There are other bundles just with one of the lenses if you don't want all three, and all bundles are available immediately at launch, from November 12.

What do you think? Is the Ace Pro 2 with all these new accessories the ultimate action camera setup? Let me know in the comments below.

• DJI has announced a launch event for November 18
• We'll almost certainly see the DJI Osmo Action 6 make its debut
• Potential pricing for the action camera has leaked as well

Things are moving fast when it comes to the DJI Osmo Action 6: DJI has posted a teaser with a launch date for the long-rumored successor to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, while global pricing for the action camera has leaked as well.

First, there's the official teaser, with the tag line "square up, nail the move". That's rather ambiguous, but we think it might refer to a square camera sensor – which, as per previous rumors, is likely to be a larger 1/1.1-inch size in this new model (potentially the same one as in the Osmo 360).

Less ambiguous is the launch date and time of Tuesday November 18, with events getting underway at 12pm GMT (that's 4am PT / 7am ET / 11pm AEDT). We will of course be ready and waiting to bring you the announcements as they're made.

The teaser image focuses on the main camera of the DJI Osmo Action 6, and judging by the animation it looks as though we're in line for a variable aperture this time around – the first time we'll have seen one on an action camera, and also something that's been previously rumored.

Global pricing leaks

Now to the unofficial updates, and Dealabs (via Notebookcheck) thinks that the starting price in the US will be $379. That compares to $349 for the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Standard Combo bundle, though of course the bundle details may differ.

The pricing will be £329 in the UK and €379 in Europe, according to the same tipster, with the more extensive Adventure Combo package coming in at $479 / £419 / €479 – that's a slight increase over the same bundle for the 2024 model camera.

This leak doesn't mention Australian pricing, but the DJI Osmo Action Pro 5 pricing was AU$599 for the Standard Combo and AU$769 for the Adventure Combo, so we can probably expect something along those lines or a little higher for the new model.

All the indications are that this is going to be quite a substantial upgrade, making the Osmo Action 6 very much a contender for our list of the best action cameras you can buy, and within a couple of weeks everything will be official – even as a potential US ban for DJI looms.

Insta360 X4 Air: two-minute review

It’s been just over six months since the release of the Insta360 X5, which showed up bang on cue to replace the highly praised X4 from 2024. The TechRadar team loved both of these models, placing them amongst the best 360-degree cameras, and you’ll see quite a few of them around the office. Now, in what may feel like Christmas come early for 360 video devotees, Insta360 has released the X4 Air, a smaller and even more portable package designed to fill a gap in the market.

Viewing the X4 Air side-by-side with the X5 – or the X4 for that matter – there are some fairly noticeable differences. Firstly, given the name, it’s no surprise to find that the X4 Air is smaller and more lightweight. If the X4 could fit easily into your coat pocket, the X4 Air can find a home in the pocket of your jeans, making it possible to travel through busy locations and be ready to capture video on the go without being noticed.

Despite the shrunken proportions, the body of the X4 Air retains the solid feel of the X4, and I was confident that the camera would fare better than I would in the city center rainstorm I was caught in during my testing.

The camera is quick and easy to set up and use, even if you have limited experience with videography or 360 capture. The screen is a little fiddly to use, given its small size, but this can be remedied by pairing the X4 Air with your smartphone and using the feature-packed Insta360 app to control the camera remotely. All of the menus are easy to navigate, and I had the camera customized to my requirements in no time.

The dual sensors in the X4 Air are smaller than those in the X5, but larger than the 1/2-inch units on the X4. I was greatly impressed by the dynamic range and noise performance of these chips in high-contrast and low-light settings. Colors were still punchy and shadows clean, despite the X4 Air not having the PureVideo Mode seen on the X5. The 8K footage looked fantastic straight out of the camera, and reframing using the app or Insta360 Studio desktop software was quick and easy.

There might not be enough reasons for X4 users to switch to the X4 Air, but assessed by itself, the camera is a great 360 shooting machine that made me fall back in love with the format. If you’re an avid explorer, or even a pro videographer looking to capture some more exciting angles, the X4 Air is a solid choice.

Insta360 X4 Air specs

Insta360 X4 Air: Price and availability

• Launched worldwide on October 28 2025
• Standard edition costs $399.99 / £359 / AU$639.99
• Starter Bundle available for $439 / £389 / AU$699.99

The Insta360 X4 Air was released on October 28 and is priced $399.99 / £359 / AU$639.99, which is quite a bit below the price of the X4 / X5 at launch ($499.99 / £499 and $549 / £519 respectively). Considering that the X4 Air is technically an update to the X4, this seems a fair price to pay for the larger sensor and access to the replacement lens system.

Beyond the standard bundle above, Insta360 is also offering the X4 Air in a Starter Bundle, which includes the camera, a 114cm Invisible Selfie Stick, Lens Cap, and an extra battery which, given the limited battery life, is definitely a useful backup. This option can be picked up for $439 / £389 / AU$699.99, which is good value to get you up and running.

• Price score: 4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: Design

• 45 x 112 x 35mm in size, 5.8oz / 165g in weight
• Waterproof to 49ft / 15m
• 2.5-inch screen, USB-C 3.0 input and microSD card slot

If you’ve used an Insta360 camera before, you’ll fall right into step with the X4 Air. It shares much of the design philosophy with its stablemates, just in a smaller package. Let’s not forget that the Insta360 X4 is by no means a large piece of equipment, so I was initially concerned that by minimizing the body further it would result in some impractical control layout compromises. However, the changes that have been made are sensible ones, and feel more like refinements of the X4’s layout than unappealing but necessary drawbacks.

The front of the X4 Air looks simple, and not unlike a compact smartphone, albeit with an oversized camera lens. The area is dominated by the 2.5-inch touchscreen, and below that a single round button that's assigned to shutter triggering by default. This replaces the dual-control design of the X4 and X5, giving the X4 Air a more streamlined feel.

I actually think I prefer having one large shutter button in the bottom-center of the camera body to the X4’s smaller shutter control at the bottom-left. During testing, I found it easier to find and press the large button without looking, a minor advantage to many prospective users, perhaps, but as a regular street and travel photographer, being able to get a camera up and running immediately as I pull it out of its case is something I’ve come to appreciate greatly.

As you’d hope for in an action camera, the build quality is robust, and capable of withstanding a few knocks and scrapes. Despite the reduced weight, the X4 Air doesn’t feel noticeably flimsier than the X4, another area I was concerned about, although I suppose Insta360 could only change the construction integrity so far before the camera stopped being fit for purpose.

I really like the textured grip pattern adorning the sides of recent Insta360 cameras. It gives the impression of solidity, and makes them feel like true tools made for outdoor use. On paper, I know action cams are often waterproof, but I often still have trust issues with submerging a valuable piece of technology; the X4 Air will go a long way to easing your nerves if you're like me.

Another major upgrade over the standard X4 is the replaceable lens system. New to the latest generation of Insta360 cameras, the ability to easily swap out a cracked or scratched lens for a new one yourself, without having to send the whole camera away for an off-site repair, saves both money and time. It’s a very neat concept that frees you to take a few more risks with your camera, placing it in some more extreme positions for exciting angles, for example, with less concern that you are about to write off your Insta360 completely. It’s a multi-step process that requires some practice to do confidently, but the additional $29.99 (£29.99) cost for a replacement kit is good value for the peace of mind it provides.

The X4 Air weighs exactly the same as an iPhone Air – surely no mistake on Insta360's part from a marketing point of view. At 165g, it’s not going to add a perceptible amount of extra load to your camera bag, and can even be transported in a coat pocket with ease when heading out for a day of exploring. Due to its size, I found myself taking the X4 Air with me everywhere, on the off chance a shooting opportunity presented itself.

• Design score:4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: Performance

• Quick focusing
• Intuitive reframing
• Disappointing 88-minute battery life

I was a little slow to embrace 360 video shooting, probably because I was put off by how fiddly I thought processing and editing footage would be (I’ve had some bad experiences creating virtual tours for assignments, which left me traumatized, obviously). Right from the off, working with the Insta360 X4 Air via the mobile app was a breeze, however. Once you go through the usual activation and connection processes, which require Bluetooth for two-way communication between your smartphone and the camera, you can use the phone screen to preview the scene in far more clarity than on the camera monitor.

It’s easy to pair your devices, and preview clips and images stored in the camera roll, while there's also the option to download files to your phone for editing. It is possible to work on files stored on your memory card mounted in the X4 Air, but this can slow down processing considerably. The app interface is fairly user-friendly, although some of the more advanced functions could feel a bit overwhelming to beginners.

In use, the X4 Air is highly responsive, being quick to start up and begin shooting. The audible ‘beep’ as the camera boots up is quite loud out of the box, potentially drawing some unwanted attention in quieter environments such as a museum or church; you can adjust the volume once the camera is on, although even after I'd muted it the tone still sounded on startup, which maybe have been an issue with my sample unit.

The touchscreen is nicely sensitive, and I experienced little to no lag when swiping to reframe 360-degree footage while recording. Admittedly, the preview image isn’t the highest quality you can find on a camera; it looks comparatively low-resolution if you’re accustomed to using a recent phone screen or interchangeable lens camera. Equally, the small size means tapping icons on-screen is a challenge if, like me, you have hands that are on the large side. This is why I’d recommend using your X4 Air paired to a phone instead, where practical.

The stated battery life of 88 minutes isn’t especially impressive, so carrying multiple replacements is a good idea if you’re away from home for any length of time. The charging time is fast though, meaning it’s easy to top up on power during a short coffee break at a cafe using the supplied USB-C cable. In my review sample, I found the USB connection quite loose, and some jiggling was required to ensure stable charging.

I did notice the X4 Air’s body heated up quite rapidly, even when not recording. I liked that the screen switches off automatically when not in use, to save battery, but keeping the camera on and at the ready for shooting means it still gets warm in the hand. It’s nothing extreme, but I do wonder how the camera would perform over extended shooting times in hot environments.

The camera is quick to focus, although again I’d recommend using a connected phone screen for assessing critical sharpness. The on-camera screen is too small for you to be completely confident that you have the subject in focus, although with such a deep depth of field at this focal length and given the smaller sensor, you don’t have to worry too much about obvious back-focusing.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: Image quality

• New dual 1/1.8-inch sensors
• Can record 8K 30fps or 6K 50fps video or 72MP photos (360-degree)
• No PureVideo mode for low-light

With a sensor more than 1.6x smaller than the Insta360 X5's, you would expect a tradeoff in absolute image quality. Smaller pixels are the necessary compromise that allows the X4 Air’s diminutive size, and if you buy one, you’re likely doing so because a manageable size and weight are your top priorities. Considering the compact proportions of the camera body, Insta360 has done well to optimize the internal engineering, and the sensor is actually larger than the chip used in the X4 by almost a millimeter.

I jumped in at the deep end when testing the X4 Air, taking it to the low-light conditions of a Christmas-themed market at a local garden center. Despite the limited ambient light, footage was clean and detailed. Straight out of the camera there was very little discernible noise in shadow areas, and the image seemed sharp, free from the excessive mushiness that is the tell-tale sign of harsh in-camera noise reduction. Colors were also vibrant without being unnatural.

I genuinely think the video was superior in this area to that from my older semi-professional APS-C format DSLR cameras, which either made colors flat and dull in high-ISO footage, or wildly overcompensated by making them glow like a Tim Burton movie. This clip was quickly edited in the Insta360 Studio desktop app, which comes supplied with royalty-free music for social media use.

The dynamic range was perfectly acceptable, and while highlights tended to clip quickly in high-contrast lighting, the X4 Air did a good job of capturing shadow detail. I loved that a Log mode is available on the X5: I-Log produces a much flatter profile, allowing for more advanced color grading during post-processing while retaining more shadow and highlight data. This worked well, and although Netflix is unlikely to certify the camera any time soon, it does open up a wealth of cinematic styling opportunities. While this is not available on the X4 Air, there is a flat profile in its place, which isn't quite the same, but serves a similar function. Edited footage still offered more scope for color control than clips with pre-applied contrast and color profiles.

Meanwhile, the Active HDR mode and Adaptive Tone setting are highly effective at preserving highlights. It’s worth mentioning that HDR shooting isn’t possible above 30fps. The frame rate is also limited to 50fps rather than the higher 60p available on the X4.

Shooting outside in good light produced the best results. The automatic white balance system also copes well in direct sunlight, although taking full control over the color temperature is possible through the menu, giving you more consistency between clips. This gives 360 footage a truly immersive and life-like feel, perfect for capturing the essence of a location while traveling.

• Image quality score: 4.5/5

Insta360 X4 Air: testing scorecard

Should I buy the Insta360 X4 Air?

Buy it if...

You value portability above all else
There may not be much of a reason to switch from another recent Insta360 camera model, but if you regularly travel and want to be discreet in how you shoot, the X4 Air is a truly pocket-friendly video camera.

You need 8K video
Arguably, 8K is overkill for many users, but it does open up cropping and reframing possibilities. Getting 8K capability in such a portable package is great for high-end videography purposes on the go.

You're new to 360 video
The reduced price point compared to the X4 and X5 means the X4 Air represents an affordable entry point into the Insta360 system. You get many of the same great features, but with less investment, making it a good choice to test the water and see if this type of videography is your thing.

Don't buy it if...

You just bought an Insta360 X5
....unless you want both! While I wouldn't necessarily say the X4 Air is worth changing to if you already own an X5, which is the higher-end model, you might still consider owning both if you're a 360 fanatic and want a smaller backup body.

You want maximum image quality
While the image quality is impressive, the X5 has the larger sensor and benefits from PureVideo mode for low-light and night shooting. For professional use, you might value absolute image integrity over diminutive size.

Also consider

How I tested the Insta360 X5

• I tested a full production model running release firmware over several days
• I use the camera both mounted on an invisible selfie stick and handheld
• I recorded videos in varying lighting conditions, both indoors and outside

Having reviewed action cameras on and off for several years, I went into this test with high expectations. I spent roughly a week using the Insta360 X4 Air alongside an X5 for the purposes of a comparison. I shot footage on both cameras under the same conditions to evaluate how each camera handled noise and tonal range, then examined both out-of-camera footage and color-graded I-Log clips to evaluate image quality.

• First reviewed October 2025

• Another image of the DJI Osmo Action 6 has leaked
• The shot shows the camera on a motorcycle
• We might see an official launch in the next few weeks

It seems very likely that there'll be a new contender for our best action cameras list making its debut in the next few weeks, in the form of the DJI Osmo Action 6, and a new image of the device has now leaked out online.

As with many of the previous leaks of this camera, the image comes from well-known tipster Igor Bogdanov – but unlike the pictures we've seen before, this one shows the DJI Osmo Action 6 actually in a real world setting.

Previous shots of this action camera have looked like official renders used for retail listings online, whereas this one appears to be a marketing image showing the device fastened to the handlebars of a motorbike.

We can also see what looks very much like the DJI Osmo Action GPS Bluetooth Remote Controller, already available as an optional accessory for DJI cameras. The display shows 1 hour and 53 minutes of storage space left for 4K/30fps video.

Upgrades in store

Aside from this being an interesting shot of the DJI Osmo Action 6 actually in action, it doesn't really tell us anything new about the successor to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro – we've already seen the design, front and back, in earlier leaks.

By taking a close look at the renderings that have previously appeared online, we can see a variable aperture of f/2.0-f/4.0, and a camera sensor size of 1/1.1 inches (compared to the 1/1.3-inch sensor on the current model).

The camera is set to be quite a substantial upgrade then, but DJI hasn't yet said anything officially about the device, or when it might appear. There have been whisperings about Monday, November 10 as a launch date, so we'll have to wait and see.

Of course, treat these leaks and rumors with a pinch of salt, as usual – but these images are coming from a reliable source, and it would be a surprise if what we're seeing here isn't actually the final design of the DJI Osmo Action 6.

• More images of the DJI Osmo Action 6 have leaked
• They reveal some key camera sensor specs
• A launch date of November 10 has also been rumored

We're patiently waiting for the arrival of the successor to the excellent DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, and as well as freshly leaked images of the upcoming DJI Osmo Action 6, we also have murmurs around a potential launch date.

A couple of posts on social media from well-known tipster Igor Bogdanov give us what could be our best looking yet at the much-anticipated Go Pro rival. It looks as though we may have a larger camera sensor here: 1/1.1 inches rather than 1/1.3 inches.

We can also see a variable aperture inscribed on the DJI Osmo Mobile 6: f/2.0-f/4.0. This would be another upgrade from the fixed f/2.8 aperture of its predecessor, and should mean more depth of field versatility in capturing shots, as well as better quality images and video, especially in low light.

The field of view appears to be the same, at 155 degrees, and it looks as though the screens on the action camera might be slightly larger than before, front and back – though it's difficult to be sure from these images.

Start the countdown

As for when we might see the DJI Osmo Action 6 break cover, according to The New Camera the launch date for the camera could well be set for Monday, November 10. That's a little later in the year than the current model, which launched in September 2024.

The same leak includes information on some bundles that could potentially be coming with the DJI Osmo Action 6: a filter set, a metal cage, and a metal grip kit. As usual, these will add various functions and features to the camera.

It would seem DJI has decided to ditch the 'Pro' moniker that was suddenly introduced for the 5th-gen camera, after the earlier models – including the DJI Osmo Action 4 – had gone without it. There was no standard Osmo Action 5 alongside the Pro version.

All of this will become official very soon, if these predictions are correct – and it would be a big surprise if the DJI Osmo Action 6 wasn't unveiled in the next couple of weeks or so, with the holiday shopping season and the end of the year fast approaching. If previous Osmo Action 6 rumors are also true, it could be the action camera to beat.

• 2025 is the first year in a decade with no new Hero Black action cam
• GoPro launched the Max 2 360 camera and the entry-level Lit Hero instead
• GoPro says the Hero Black story is not over

New GoPros in September is one of tech's few certainties, but 2025 just dealt out a big surprise – it will be the first year in a decade without a new Hero Black flagship.

Ready for the Hero 14 Black unveil, we instead received news of the new GoPro Max 2 and GoPro Lit Hero. The former 360 camera is the long-awaited successor to 2019's Max, while the latter is an upgrade of the entry-level Hero 2024.

We asked GoPro for comment about its Hero Black series plans, and its SVP Global Marketing and Communications, Rick Loughery, told us,

"For 2025, GoPro will continue with Hero 13 Black as our lead flagship camera. The speed of our tech innovation has been incredible over the last few years, and we believe Hero 13 Black remains one of the most advanced and capable cameras on the market.

"We are focused on prioritizing the camera that our GoPro community is most eager to add to their content toolkit, and this year it’s Max 2. And if 360 isn’t what you’re after, Lit Hero also satisfies the need for a more traditional action camera in this year’s lineup."

GoPro assured us that the Hero Black story isn't over. However, there could be testing times ahead for the action camera king, with speculation that DJI will launch the Osmo Action 6 soon, featuring a GoPro-beating 1-inch sensor, 8K video, and advanced smartwatch integration.

Is the legendary line of action cams slowing down?

GoPro set the action cam standards for years, delivering industry firsts in its flagship series of Hero Black cameras. Since 2016's Hero 5 Black, there has been a fresh model each year around September, culminating in the Hero 13 Black last year.

There have been recent signs that the series is slowing down, with the last few models bringing iterative updates and using the same stabilized 4:3 sensor for smooth 5.3K video. At the same time, fresh players have entered the scene: DJI and Insta360.

Currently, there's a tasty three-way battle for the best action camera, between GoPro's Hero 13 Black, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2.

Each brand has its own take on the format, and I'm actually a big fan of the latest GoPro, not least of which for its swappable lenses – one of GoPro's best new features in years. The Hero 13 Black is otherwise similar to the Hero 12 Black, which was also a super modest successor of the excellent Hero 11 Black.

To be clear, I don't mind GoPro extending the cadence of its flagship action cam series launches. I feel the same about leading smartphones by Apple, Samsung, and Google – do we really need a new model every year?

I'd rather GoPro take its time to work on meaningful upgrades for a future model, presumably a Hero 14 Black. It just feels strange that there's no new model this year – a new Hero Black is something we've got used to seeing each fall.

What do you think about GoPro's 2025 product launches and the absence of a new Hero Black flagship? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

You might also like

• Forget 8K video, the GoPro Hero 13 Black’s swappable lenses are a masterstroke and the future of action camera design
• Best 360 camera 2025: our top rated choices for capturing every angle
• GoPro launches a cheap action cam with a unique new feature that could give your 4K action shots a lift

• New Lit Hero updates the Hero 2024 with built-in LED lights
• There's also 4K video upgrades and now magnetic mounting
• It's available now for $269.99 / £239.99 / AU$419.95

It's September, which means two certainties in consumer tech: the latest iPhones and GoPros hit the market. Sure enough, the iPhone 17 series is here, and now it's GoPro's turn with two new models that join the action camera king's range: the Max 2 and the Lit Hero.

We've already tested GoPro's long-awaited 360 camera ahead of its launch – check out our Max 2 review for more details. As for the Lit Hero, it's an intriguing upgrade from last year's Hero 2024, continuing GoPro's smallest and cheapest entry-level Hero series.

The Lit Hero is a reasonable update with a unique new feature – built-in LEDs. The quad LED unit has three brightness levels and can cast a little fill light on your subjects. It looks especially handy for selfies.

Built-in LEDs look much more convenient than fiddling with GoPro's light mod, especially in a tiny action cam like the Lit Hero, which weighs just 2.9oz / 83g. Honestly, it's one of those moments that leaves me asking why hasn't anyone does this before?

Despite the predictable timing of two new GoPro action cams, there's a bigger surprise – this is the first year in a decade without a new flagship Hero Black model. It looks like those anticipating the Hero 14 Black will have a longer wait. We've been speaking with GoPro about the future of its flagship Hero Black series – stay tuned for that article coming shortly.

As for the Lit Hero, it costs $269.99 / £239.99 / AU$419.95, which means it's a little pricier than the Hero 2024, but less than the Hero 13 Black. Let's take a look at the other upgrades that the latest entry-level model brings.

A compelling entry-level action cam?

We could appreciate what GoPro was attempting with the Hero 2024 – to create a tiny and simple-as-can-be action cam. However, we felt there was one cut back too many for us to fully recommend last year's model.

Through a series of upgrades in an equally small and lightweight package, the Lit Hero looks to boost the series.

In addition to the quad LED light unit, the Lit Hero doubles 4K video frame rates up to 60fps. Lower that frame rate to 30fps and it's possible to shoot in a new 'tall' 4:3 aspect ratio in addition to the standard 16:9, making for better quality social cuts.

The Lit Hero also inherits GoPro's 3-in-1 mount design from pricier models such as the Hero 13 Black, which means magnetic mounting features. Quick mounting is a welcome upgrade for what is a simple action cam by design.

Elsewhere, it's as you were. Like the Hero 2024, the Lit Hero is waterproof up to 5m, has a non-removable Enduro battery, and it shoots 12MP photos, albeit boosted in low light with those LEDs.

We'll be sure to share our GoPro Lit Hero verdict soon after for our usual in-depth testing.

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Gone are the days when GoPro fully ruled the roost on the action camera scene. In the last few years, we’ve seen new models launched for people who want to capture not only extreme sports, but their travels, friends, families, and everyday lives.

There are three main players locked into the contest these days. GoPro, Insta360, and DJI aren’t just competing on hardware, but also on their accompanying phone apps, software features, AI-powered editing, and innovative form factors.

Insta360 is a brand that's intent on empowering users to capture unique content that was previously impossible, making the process accessible to boot with its intuitive Insta360 app and quick-editing features.

DJI is the more serious toolmaker for creators demanding quality and a pro workflow. The Osmo Nano is designed to work seamlessly with its microphones, but the DJI Mimo app is also designed to remove the complexity from editing footage.

The Insta360 Go Ultra and DJI Osmo Nano were released on August 21 and September 23 respectively. They’re the two companies’ latest compact action cameras, and each gives you an impressive 4K/60fps video, and weighs just over 50g.

The big draw here is their versatile designs. Both products are made up of a smaller magnetic camera that attaches to a bigger dock with a touchscreen for remote control and playback. The cameras are near identical in weight, but where the Go Ultra looks squarer and thinner, the Osmo Nano is longer and fatter.

There’s so much more inside (and out) to differentiate these cameras, but you need to go beyond the specs sheet. I’ve fully reviewed both cameras in the real world (read my in-depth verdicts on both in my DJI Osmo Nano review and Insta360 Go Ultra review) by running, hiking, playing around at home and using a host of accessories to improve the camera’s experience.

In this article, I'll share what I’ve learned to help you decide between the two compact and fully wearable content creation machines.

1. DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra: Design and ruggedness

• Both cameras are waterproof to 10m
• Both cameras weigh around 52g
• Osmo Nano weighs 124g (with dock), G0 Ultra weighs 161g (with pod)

Each camera's design can be broken down into two components. The DJI Osmo Nano has a oblong camera unit on top that attaches to a 'Multifunctional Vision Dock' (catchy, and from now on I’ll just call it the dock) underneath with two clips and a magnet. The camera itself can be taken off and mounted magnetically on surfaces and accessories like hat clips and lanyards. The dock, with its OLED HD touchscreen, gives you remote control, scene display, charging, and file transfer.

The Insta360 Go Ultra also has a modular, two-part system: a standalone square camera and the 'Action Pod' (which I’ll call the pod), which join together with strong magnets. The pod has a larger flip-up touchscreen, and for this reason it's like a mirrorless camera interface or mini vlogging camera. In full form, it's not much smaller than a conventional action camera, so I think you need to be taking advantage of the standalone cam regularly to justify choosing it.

Both cameras are impressively portable and wearable, and there’s no noticeable difference between their solo weight (52g/53g); however, Osmo’s vision dock adds another 72g, and the GO Ultra’s action pod is an extra 108g, tripling the full heft of the combo, although I could still fit the Go Ultra in my jacket or jeans pocket.

What about ruggedness? Both cameras are operable down to 33ft / 10m), and both the Osmo Nano's dock and the Go Ultra's pod are IPX4 rated, meaning they're only protected from splashes. There's nothing in it from a specs point of view. I like that both models also have lens protectors, and if you crack or scratch these, you've only got the small cost of a replacement rather than having to buy a whole new camera.

What I love about comparing cameras and writing reviews is how the tech specs can fall away when you use a product in real life. For me, the Osmo Nano fell short of the Insta360 in its combo form – I found it was top-heavy enough to fall over on uneven surfaces. The Go Ultra, by contrast, is sturdy enough to stay upright on wonky walls, tree trunks and more for creative angles, and you can pull out the screen slightly to act as a clever tripod support.

Things are reversed when you use the cameras on their own. The Osmo Nano will stand upright or on its side, due to its thicker cuboid shape, while the Go Ultra has to be held, worn or mounted.

• Design winner: Draw

2. DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra: Performance and usability

• Osmo Nano has built-in storage; Go Ultra relies solely on a microSD card
• Osmo Nano has a 1.9-inch touchscreen; 360 Go Ultra screen is 2.5 inches
• The Nano camera lasts longer; the Go Ultra charges more quickly

The Osmo Nano is available with either 64GB or 128GB of built-in storage, which can be supplemented with a microSD card, while the Go Ultra relies solely on a microSD card. The Osmo Nano can take up to a 1TB card, where the Go Ultra supports cards all the way up to 2TB – perfect for creators who might be away from a computer for some time, or folks shooting a lot of content in one go. While this means you can shoot with the Osmo Nano straight out of the box, it's worth noting that the microSD card is in the dock rather than the camera itself.

The Osmo Nano has a 1.96-inch touchscreen, while the Go Ultra’s is 25% bigger at 2.5 inches. Personally, I love the extra real estate the latter gives you for framing shots and checking playback without having to revert to your phone screen, and I found the Nano's screen hard to read at times. Of course, this doesn't matter as much if you're mainly using the apps to see a live feed of what you're filming.

The Osmo Nano has a physical record button on both the dock and the camera, and you can enable gestures like taps and voice commands to start shooting hands-free. The Insta360 Go Ultra also uses gestures, such as a thumbs-up, and your voice to start recording, or you can control both from their respective apps. I my testing these features were reliable on both cameras, with the gestures being particularly useful in loud environments like a busy city center. The Nano's button itself was a little noisy to press down, even if it is more convenient when you're holding and carrying it around.

When it comes to battery performance, it's a nuanced picture. The Osmo Nano camera lasted considerably longer (I got 85 minutes at 1080p/24fps) than the Go Ultra (around an hour). But the Go Ultra charges significantly faster (12 minutes to 80%) than the Osmo Nano (20 minutes) – my test results here aligned closely with DJI's and Insta360's claims. Realistically, both of these are lightning quick to charge, but if you’ve run out of juice at a key moment, the Go Ultra will get you shooting again just that bit quicker; it just might not last as long in the first place.

Lastly, usability. The Insta360 Go Ultra is designed for all levels, but it's particularly user-friendly for beginners. As soon as you power up the camera, on-screen tips introduce you to buttons and explain how to perform tasks like starting a recording or taking a photo with QuickCapture. These walkthroughs got me up and running quickly, whereas the DJI Osmo – despite having fewer in-camera filters and modes – took longer and left me less confident.

• Performance and usability winner: Insta360 Go Ultra

3. DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra: Image quality

• Insta360 Go Ultra has bigger 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor, shoots 50MP photos
• DJI Osmo Nano has 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, shoots 35MP photos

Both the Insta360 Go Ultra and DJI Osmo nano cameras have strong AI-powered software and stabilization, but the Go Ultra's slightly larger sensor, higher photo resolution, and higher bitrate (180mbps over 120mbps) give it the advantage on paper when it comes to measuring photo and video quality. Of course, real-life performance isn't always an accurate reflection of the tech specs.

I tested both cameras in bright light and used their respective modes in low light to see how the contrast, dynamic range and sheer resolution compared. Comparing footage straight out of the camera, in Auto Mode, and on as similar settings as I could choose, the Osmo Nano captured slightly darker clips. I noticed the Go Ultra would automatically expose the same to be lighter, especially in the sky, but render faces accurately, where the Osmo might be duller. This may be down to the fact that Go Ultra footage is skewed towards people and less editing, whereas the Osmo Nano's footage is designed to be edited more carefully.

I found both cameras equally good at adapting to changing light conditions. When I was walking from a tunnel into daylight, my skin was well exposed compared to the darker background – happy news for vloggers. Using each night mode offered usable results, but I think the Osmo Nano slightly wins here on dynamic range (see my video clips below).

Across the board, I found colors were captured accurately, too, although both cameras allow you to change white balance manually. Walking and running shots were both equally stable handheld, and with the camera worn on a pendant.

The Osmo Nano offers advanced shooters and color graders the option of 8-bit and 10-bit color (with four times the information) as well as DJI's D-Log M Profile to max out the dynamic range and preserve detail in bright and dark areas. For editors who might want to match video from the Osmo Nano to footage from other cameras (on bigger projects), this is a big advantage. Overall, though, for social media users and amateurs like me who just want accurate, stable video straight out of the camera, there's not much between the two.

• Image-quality winner: Draw

4. DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra: Sound quality

• Osmo Nano has two built-in mics, Go Ultra offers Voice Enhancement
• Osmo Nano records in 48kHz, 32 bits, AAC, Go Ultra records in 48kHz, 16 bits, AAC
• Both cameras are compatible with first-party wireless mics

The Insta360 GO Ultra records audio at 48 kHz and 32-bit bit depth in AAC format. There are four audio modes, including Auto Wind Noise Reduction with two strength settings, Stereo recording and Voice Enhancement – the latter working well for at-home vlogs and clips to camera. The DJI Osmo Nano records audio at 48 kHz with a 16-bit bit depth in AAC format, and it has two built-in microphones for stereo recording.

In theory, the Go Ultra's higher bit depth should give more dynamic range and better audio quality. In practice, I found both cameras recorded pretty clear, crisp speech indoors (and outside, when there was no wind).

I tried all the wind-reduction modes in the video below. You'll hear that both cameras could reduce the wind noise, but this also muffled other background sounds in the environment on the highest setting. I think the DJI Osmo Nano just pips ahead for clarity.

If you're looking to record high-quality audio (rather than recording clips just to put music over them for social reels), I'd recommend pairing these cameras with an external mic. The Go Ultra pairs with Bluetooth headphones like AirPods Pro 2 and even the DJI Mic Mini and Mic 2 (as well as Insta360's own version).

The Osmo Nano can connect directly to up to two DJI Mic transmitters without a separate receiver, making it easier if you're a creator who already uses the DJI ecosystem.

• Sound-quality winner: DJI Osmo Nano

5. DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra: Apps

• Both cameras have mobile and desktop apps with rich editing tools
• Insta360 mobile app has slightly better AI-assisted editing results

These cameras are ideal for capturing unique first-person views and immersive angles. But taking the footage is only half the story; the other half is how they can turn clips into a compelling watch for your viewers. DJI and Insta360 both have free smartphone apps for viewing and recording live footage, reviewing your clips, and then editing them. How you do this on each camera is a slightly different.

Insta360 has built a reputation for easy AI-assisted content creation, and the colorful Insta360 app reflects this. There’s an Explore tab with fun tutorials for inspiration on using your camera, an album to view your clips, and the all-important Edit tab. Feed it a few clips, select Auto Edit, and it’ll generate a polished video of highlights complete with transitions, music, and highlights. I found a few effects a bit cheesy, but overall, the results are brilliant if you want a quick shareable video in minutes – Instagram Reels, for example. There are manual controls to create refined results if you have more time to play.

DJI’s Mimo app is pitched at the brand’s existing pro audience. Visually, the app has a lot more black and gray, but the layout is similar to Insta360 at the bottom of the screen. A One-Tap Edit option analyzes clips to deliver simple videos, which are very usable and take little time to export in different formats. The manual editing tools feel a touch more advanced, with options like Color Recovery to fine-tune your grading.

Both apps are intuitive, but the DJI Mimo has a slightly steeper learning curve for newbies. Its focus on a technical manual workflow is better for users who want post-production control, rather than an app that takes over the hard work for you. Insta360’s AI-driven editing has the edge for beginners and users who are time-poor.

• Companion apps winner: Draw

DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra: Early verdict

I’ve fully reviewed the DJI Osmo Nano and Insta360 Go Ultra in the past few months, so each camera's perks and pitfalls are fresh in my mind. It would be easy to say that both cameras are great at what they do and are bound to please most action amateurs. But that's not a very helpful conclusion if you're still totally torn. While there's not much between these devices on balance, for a true recommendation, I'd ask how you shoot, and what you want from a modular action cam.

The DJI Osmo Nano is a tough camera to beat on the image-quality front, but Insta360's mobile app is slightly better when it comes to AI-powered auto-editing (and it has a bigger pool of accessories to choose from). I can’t deny that the Osmo Nano's built-in storage is helpful, but I never found it difficult to link the Go Ultra to my phone to edit content remotely (or quickly pop the microSD in my computer).

Although the DJI Osmo Nano and Insta360 Go Ultra are both relatively easy to use out of the box, the Go Ultra leads the way with tutorials and on-screen pop-ups to guide you when accessing menus, modes and filters for the first time. I can see beginners learning a lot from these walkthroughs.

To me, the Osmo Nano is a more serious action camera that streamlines functionality and has a smaller footprint in your bag. DJI's renowned image stabilization impresses as ever, and kept all my footage shake-free and level on runs, cycles, drives and more.

In its modular format, the Go Ultra acts like more of a friendly 'point-and-shoot' device, and even if you’re not experienced at shooting or making videos, it gives you confidence that the AI tools will help to create polished content without a deep dive into technical settings. The Osmo Nano’s integrated dock is convenient, but I think it sacrifices small size for ease of use – especially when tapping the screen to select settings.

As always, choosing between these two action-oriented cameras comes down to the needs of the creator. The DJI Osmo Nano is better for serious hobbyists or pros who want better (but there’s not much in it) image quality and post-production flexibility. The 10-bit D-Log M color profile and streamlined audio integration make it better for creators who already have a well-established workflow, especially if they already have DJI microphones and the app.

I loved using the Insta360 Go Ultra during testing. It's pricier than the Osmo Nano, but it’s a fantastic camera for a wide range of users, including families, as well as hobbyist creators who want a more friendly user experience. Its AI-driven software makes it an incredibly versatile and forgiving camera for capturing and sharing moments almost instantly.

You'll also notice how much cheaper the Osmo Nano is compared to the Go Ultra. It's really aggressive pricing on DJI's part. If there's not enough between the two cameras in terms of their capabilities and ease of use, then the final say could come down to pricing, in which case the Osmo Nano clearly wins.

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DJI Osmo Nano: two-minute review

The DJI Osmo Nano is the latest in the brand's line of action cameras. Rather than building on a predecessor it's a whole new concept in its own right, although it shares the same-sized 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor as the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, which landed at the end of 2024.

The range of best action cameras is more diverse today than it was even just a few years ago. The one-block shops of design like the GoPro Hero 13 Black are still popular, for sensible reasons like ruggedness and extended battery times, but modular designs like the Osmo Nano and the new Insta360 Go Ultra are becoming more common.

Why? We don't just want to hold our action cams or use a fiddly mount to attach them to our bike handlebars anymore. The content creation universe is continuing to grow, and so is the number and variety of places where we need our cameras to go.

In a nutshell, the Osmo Nano is a light, wearable action camera. You can wear it around your neck, on your head, on a hat or helmet, plonk it on your car, bike, or even attach it to your dog. It's remarkably small, and at 52g it's a gram lighter than its main competitor, the Insta360 Go Ultra, released a month before it.

The product is modular in design and built as a two-piece system, with a tiny, standalone camera unit that pairs with the Multifunctional Vision Dock underneath. The dock acts as a remote, screen, and charging station, with a small but bright 1.9-inch display to help you compose shots and adjust settings.

These two parts join together via two clips and a strong magnetic system, and it's this magnet that also allows the camera to snap onto DJI's various accessories, for a wide range of hands-free, wearable mounting options.

Although the camera is a fully IPX8-rated unit that's waterproof down to 10m, the dock is only IPX4-rated for splash resistance, which limits its use in heavy rain or near a body of water – a totally rugged design this is not.

Inside the camera is a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, which captures a dynamic range of up to 13.5 stops according to DJI. I haven't done any calculations with my test images on this, but I did find great levels of detail and color in bright sky highlights as well as darker, shadowy areas like tunnels. I was genuinely impressed by the level of detail and tone the camera could capture, particularly for a sensor this small (in full-frame terms).

• Check out our DJI Osmo Nano vs Insta360 Go Ultra write-up to see how the small action cams compare

For me, DJI has always been a brand for what I'd call 'serious' creators, and that's something I'm pleased to see the brand has leaned into with the Osmo Nano. There aren't any 'fun' filters or gimmicks in the menus. Instead, the settings are pared back to sensible and helpful options; voice controls and gestures to start recording all work very well to make hands-free shooting that much easier.

A big draw for professionals is the color performance. I was surprised to discover that the Osmo Nano can record in 10-bit color with D-Log M and HLG profiles – a pro-level feature that gives you more leeway for color grading in post-production, if you want to edit manually rather than relying on the automatic outputs from the DJI Mimo app. In 10-bit, I found videos were punchy but still well-balanced.

Performance-wise, the Osmo Nano delivers exceptionally well in some areas but underwhelms in others. The promise of rapid file transfer holds up, with the 128GB version clocking transfer speeds of up to 600MB/s over a USB 3.1 connection. This is a huge time-saver.

Battery life, however, is a clear limitation. While DJI claims up to 90 minutes from the camera and 200 minutes with the dock, I found that shooting at 4K/60fps got me closer to just 60 minutes of continuous recording. On the upside, the dock's ability to fast-charge the camera to 80% in about 20 minutes means you can be back to shooting in no time.

The RockSteady 3.0 and HorizonBalancing stabilization features work well for walking or light activity, and even when I tried recording star jumps and high-intensity workouts, the footage was stable in sports mode. Audio quality is good all-round too, and two built-in microphones capture immersive stereo sound, with decent but not brilliant wind reduction. Another plus for more advanced creators is the ability to pair the Nano with two mics separately, and you won't need receivers if they're from DJI.

While the image quality is good for a camera this small, it’s still bound by the limitations of its form factor. The fixed 143-degree ultra-wide field of view is great for first-person shots, but obviously lacks the versatility of a more zoomed-in lens. And while DJI's SuperNight mode for low-light shooting is better than ever, it's limited to 30fps and 8-bit color.

The Osmo Nano is pricing is really aggressive, coming in much cheaper than the Insta360 Go Ultra and the GoPro Hero 13 Black – and that's with built-in storage too, meaning you can start shooting straight out of the box.

It's not necessarily the most charming camera I've tested, but it's thoroughly dependable and sensible, and for that reason I found it growing on me, while the low price sweetens the deal. The DJI Mimo app is less intuitive than Insta360's, and AI edits are a little less exciting, but it's smart and stable, and puts a clear live feed with access to settings at your fingertips on your smartphone.

DJI isn't marketing the Osmo Nano for family users, and it lacks some of the fun features of the Insta360 lineup, plus Toddler Titan mode for capturing kids. While charging is fairly speedy it doesn't charge as quickly as its main competitor, the Insta360 Go Ultra, either, but the camera does last longer.

If you need a fully rugged and all-in-one device for more extreme sports or environments, the GoPro Hero 13 Black or the DJI Action 5 Pro might be a better choice. But this is a well-thought-out, truly wearable action camera for creators who want to experiment with unique perspectives, and need a B-camera for places their main camera can't go, for a B-cam price.

DJI Osmo Nano: specs

DJI Osmo Nano: Price and availability

• Launched worldwide on September 23 2025, except US
• Osmo Nano Standard Combo (64GB) costs £239 / AU$529
• Osmo Nano Standard Combo (128GB) costs £259 / AU$589

The DJI Osmo Nano was announced on August 23, 2025, and is now shipping from DJI’s online store and authorized retailers, including Amazon. It won't be available officially in the United States at launch. A DJI Spokesperson told TechRadar that "DJI remains dedicated to the US market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions."

There are two standard combos to choose between, broken down by the internal storage capacity: the Osmo Nano Standard Combo at 64GB (£239 / AU$529) or 128GB (£259 / AU$589).

Each combo comes with the same content, including the Osmo Nano Camera, Multifunctional Vision Dock, Magnetic Hat Clip, Magnetic Lanyard, a protective case, USB-C cable (USB 3.1), and a Dual-Direction Magnetic Ball-Joint Adapter Mount. The protective case is more just a plastic sheath rather than substantial padded protection.

That price puts it way below the Insta360 Go Ultra Standard Combo ($449.99 / £369 / AU$759), which is more impressive given that you get built-in storage too. It's also less than the GoPro Hero 13 Black (now available for around $359.99 / £315).

• Price score 5/5

DJI Osmo Nano: Design

• Standalone camera is waterproof, dock is splashproof
• Magnetic base connects easily to mounts
• The camera weighs 1.83oz / 52g

The DJI Osmo Nano camera is oblong-shaped, about half as wide as it is long. It sits comfortably between your thumb and forefinger in either portrait or landscape mode, but I didn't find it as pocketable as the Insta360 Go Ultra because of its extra depth.

Without the dock, the Osmo is a light, wearable action camera at just 52g. Adding the dock, by way of two secure mounting clips and a magnetic, adds another 72g and turns the camera into a more complete action companion. It's small, but I found the combo top-heavy on uneven surfaces, making low-level shots without a mount more difficult.

There's just one built-in OLED HD touchscreen on the dock, rather than a screen at the front and back, or a flippable design like the Insta360 Go Ultra. This means you have to detach and remount the camera every time you want to go from shooting your environment to talking to the camera (if you want to see yourself, that is). Unlike the Go Ultra, which simply plops back into place with strong magnets, flipping the Osmo Nano around is a bit fiddly.

The design is gray and plastic, which is familiar territory for both DJI and action cams in general. The body is subtly textured though, meaning it's easy to grab onto with cold, wet or sweaty hands. Ruggedness is key for an action camera, but only the wearable part of the Osmo Nano is waterproof. The camera is IPX8-rated for submersion up to 10 metres underwater.

The dock is only splash, rain and likely sweat resistant, and I wouldn't fancy its chances in a heavy rain shower. This is a shame, because it limits potential usage and introduces a little caution to creativity when shooting. It's also a far cry from DJI's Action 5 Pro, which is verified down to 20m / 65ft.

While the dock isn't waterproof, you can use the whole product in temperatures of -20C to 45C (-4F to 113F), so you're good for everything from winter sports to desert treks. A lens cover screws over the main lens, so if you damage or scratch it a replacement costs a fraction of buying a whole new unit.

The Osmo Nano has just two physical controls: there's a big red record button on the top of the camera and another on one side of the dock. These also act as power switches, and they require some force to push down so that you're not likely to press them accidentally. That's it, other than a small flap that opens up on the other side of the dock to reveal the USB 3.1 port for charging and transferring files, plus the microSD slot, which takes up to a 1TB card.

I didn't find the DJI Osmo Nano as enjoyable or easy to navigate as other action cameras I've tested. You swipe up to access video settings, down for the main menu, and left to change the shooting mode. To toggle Pro Mode on or off, you tap the slider icon on the right side of the screen.

It's not rocket science, but at 1.96 inches the small screen means you need to be extra precise with your touch gestures to bring up menus and dial in settings. My partner – who has bigger hands and fingers than I – sometimes had to tap the screen a few times to activate settings.

The menus are mainly black and white with yellow accents, and I found this less eye-catching than the GoPro or Insta360 ecosystems, although that may be more a matter of personal preference. Some settings are also overlaid on the live picture and can be difficult to read. The camera doesn't have the same detailed tutorials and guides that you get when you start using the Insta360 Go Ultra, although I'm sure DJI fans will have no trouble finding their way around.

• Design score: 4/5

DJI Osmo Nano: Performance and features

• Quick-edit videos on the DJI Osmo Mimo app
• Standalone camera charges 80% in about 20 mins
• In-built storage and takes microSD cards up to 2TB

The performance of the Osmo Nano is hard to pin down. In some areas I felt it delivered exceptionally well, but in others it was a bit underwhelming. The rapid file transfer ended up being surprisingly helpful, and in my tests with the 128GB version DJI's claim of up to 600 MB/s transfer speed over USB 3.1 holds up, and I found it a huge time-saver compared to sending lots of files wirelessly.

The camera's battery life is a limitation, though, particularly when shooting at higher resolutions like 4K/60fps. I got closer to 60 minutes of continuous recording here – rather than the 90 minutes that DJI claims at 1080p/24fps – which isn't bad for its size, but lags behind the multi-hour endurance of larger cameras like the Osmo Action 5 Pro. The dock can top up the battery on the go, and I was also impressed by its ability to charge to 80% in just 20 minutes, especially if you're as bad as I am at remembering to charge your gear before a shoot.

You then get up to 200 minutes of 1080p/24fps video from the dock, but in reality, I found this closer to two hours once the screen and Wi-Fi are on and you've powered the camera up and down a few times.

If you tend to record short clips throughout a longer day, it's nothing to worry about. If you're the type of shooter to record continuously, you may lament the fact that there aren't replaceable batteries to swap out when you run out of juice. I left the camera running for my battery tests during a particularly warm day, and although it felt hot to the touch during, it never overheated to the point of turning off.

The Osmo Nano is equipped with DJI's RockSteady 3.0 stabilization and HorizonBalancing. It handles a fair amount of shake, but it's not on the same level as a dedicated gimbal like the Osmo Pocket series. In footage of fast-paced, high-impact activities like running on trails you'll still see some micro-jitters, but for walking shots it's pretty impressive.

Using different mounts will dictate how stable your results are. Using the pendant seemed to cause me more wobbles than handholding the camera, for example, but the head mount gave me super-smooth footage when running. It's worth noting that there are different levels of stabilization, with daily, sport, or anti-motion blur options. You can also turn off image stabilization to save battery, or if you're using a secondary DJI product to keep things stable.

The DJI Osmo Nano performs really well in remote shooting scenarios without a phone. The voice commands, like 'start recording', work almost instantaneously in a quiet environment, but require you to shout when it's loud (not a great look in a city center). I found that gestures worked well too, and I liked being able to pat the camera when it was powered off to start recording, or nod my head when it was mounted on my head. Much more subtle.

The Osmo Nano has two built-in microphones for stereo sound, and I found the audio straight out of the camera surprisingly immersive. It picks up sound from a variety of directions when you're shooting in a public place, but still hones in on your voice when you're speaking to the camera clearly.

Like all action cameras, the audio quality sounds muffled underwater, but the clarity returns more quickly than others I've tested when you pull the camera back out into fresh air. There are lower and stronger wind reduction modes, and both did a decent job of reducing disturbance when I captured some clips on a blustery countryside walk, without removing the noise entirely (see the clips below). My voice was clear and free from distortion, but it's not the perfect solution for clean audio; for that, you'll need a separate mic.

A major draw is the ability to connect the Osmo Nano directly to DJI's wireless microphones without needing a separate receiver. I haven't been able to try this yet, but I can see it being convenient for creators who want to capture high-quality audio, especially those already with DJI mics.

• Performance score: 4/5

DJI Osmo Nano: Image quality

• 1/1.3-inch sensor
• Video up to 4K/120fps and 35MP photos
• 10-bit D-Log M and HLG color profile options

The Osmo Nano has a 1/1.3-inch sensor, the same size as you'll find in the Osmo Action 5 Pro and just a fraction smaller than the one in the Insta360 Go Ultra. Video headlines include 4K at 60fps in 16:9 format, and 4K 120fps slow-mo footage, which expands to 1080p 240fps.

The specs are one thing, but the proof is in the pudding; or in this case, in the videos and shots you get from the camera. Overall, I think the image quality is good for an action camera of this size. As ever, it won’t completely replace a full-sized or full-frame camera, but that's not the expectation here. The fixed 143-degree ultra-wide field of view is perfect for first-person POV shots, and I could fit a whole wedding group in the frame (I don't have permission to include the sample shot in the review, sadly), but it's not easy to zoom in on the scene should you want to get closer in.

I tested the Osmo Nano in all weather and lighting scenarios. DJI touts the wide dynamic range of the Osmo Nano, but in direct sunshine I noticed some banding where the highlights had been clipped. You can see this in the video above, which was a test of the one-tap editing feature in the DJI Mimo app.

4K resolution is sharp and punchy, and even in 8-bit color mode the camera seems to capture vibrant blue skies and leafy greens, and handles quick changes in light (coming out of a dark tunnel, from indoors to outdoors) well; however, while I like a bit of lens flare, this is one area that could be handled better. It tended to keep my face exposed when I was talking to the camera, but this wasn't set up anywhere in the camera. If I were to generalize, I'd say footage comes out darker than Insta360's Go Ultra, possibly for greater leeway when editing, where the Insta option is designed for near-automatic use.

DJI's SuperNight mode does a decent job of reducing noise in low light, but it only works at up to 30fps and with 8-bit color, which might limit its utility for serious cinematographers. It’s the best night image quality in a wearable camera I’ve seen, but it’s still bound by the laws of physics – a smaller lens and sensor will always have certain limitations compared to a larger, more dedicated camera. There's some AI-smoothing being applied to reduce noise in low-light footage, but this is less obvious to the untrained eye, and less muddy than some night modes I've seen on earlier action cameras.

DJI's automatic horizon leveling (which can be calibrated) is pretty flawless, and the RockSteady image stabilization is most impressive in sports mode. To really test it out, I wore the camera on DJI's headband mount and recorded the first five minutes of a high-intensity workout. Throughout a gruelling round of burpies, star jumps and squats, the footage was stable and smooth (almost unnaturally so). Trail runs, dog walks, and cycle clips were all just as usable, but the handheld results are slightly more jittery than using a dedicated mount.

Photos from the camera have a medium-range megapixel count (the maximum resolution is 35MP and you can shoot in a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio), and as to their quality, I said the same thing about Insta360 Go Ultra's photo results: they're good enough to insert into videos, but I probably wouldn't use them for standalone social posts or prints as a creator. Consider them as an additive rather than a standalone feature, and you won't be disappointed.

Impressively, the Osmo Nano gives you the option of recording footage with a flat color profile (DJI's D-Log M setting), designed to preserve the maximum color and brightness info in the video file, especially in lights and darks.

While the footage out of the camera is desaturated in this mode, I found you had far more wiggle room to adjust the colors, contrast, and saturation to achieve a specific, cinematic look without losing any of the detail captured in the original scene. This is also going to benefit creators shooting a project with the Osmo Nano alongside other cameras who want their edited work to look consistent.

• Image quality score: 4/5

DJI Osmo Nano: testing scorecard

Should I buy the DJI Osmo Nano?

Buy it if...

You want a camera that 'disappears'
The Osmo Nano is small enough to be worn on a pendant, hat, or headband, thanks to its small size and weight. The magnetic mount allows for quirky mounting solutions like lamp posts, cars, and even washing machines.

You already own DJI products
To boost the sound quality, you can connect the Nano directly to two DJI microphone transmitters without needing a receiver. If you've already got a DJI mic, gimbal or camera, sticking with the brand also means greater familiarity with the app.

Don't buy it if...

You like a roomy LCD screen
At less than two inches, I found the Osmo Nano's LCD touchscreen a little small for composing shots and reviewing footage. You can use your phone for a larger live view, but this isn't always convenient.

You want a fully waterproof solution
The Nano's Vision Dock is only splashproof, and this made me uncomfortable while shooting in the rain or near water. If you're a real action lover, I'd recommend a camera with a more rugged build.

Also consider

How I tested the DJI Osmo Nano

• I tested the camera for two weeks pre-embargo
• I wore it on walks and runs, and mounted it for drives
• I recorded videos at all settings and in all modes

DJI sent me a full-production Osmo Nano for review around two weeks before its release date, and I used it at least once a day – often much more – during this period. I always like a camera to become a natural part of my workflow, rather than carrying out one intense period of testing, so that I uncover the nuances for a more informed and helpful review.

I tried all the camera's modes, used it with and without the dock, and mounted it on the magnetic pendant and headband. I mainly used the DJI Mimo app to edit footage right from my iPhone 15 Pro.

• First reviewed September 2025

• DJI tipped to reveal the Osmo Action 6 in October
• The flagship action cam could feature a rival-beating 1-inch sensor and 8K video
• Advanced smartwatch integration could also be included

Leaks about DJI's next flagship action cam suggest it could put the squeeze on rivals Insta360 and GoPro.

Touted as the Osmo Action 6, it could be the first camera of its kind with a 1-inch sensor, which will support 8K video, plus what looks like advanced smartwatch integration.

If the exclusive leaks shared by The New Camera prove accurate, a would-be Action 6 looks like it'll be the action camera to beat, with a sensor that dwarfs the ones used in the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 and GoPro Hero Black 13.

We've seen a 1-inch sensor in other DJI products, including the Osmo Pocket 3 vlogging camera and the recent Mini 5 Pro drone. However, it would be a new kind of sensor for action cams and could deliver next-level low-light quality.

Other topline features to whet the appetite are 8K video and slow motion 4K 120fps and 1080p 240fps recording.

Video capture looks set to be supported by DJI's Advanced RockSteady 4.0 with AI-enhanced HorizonSteady for 360° leveling, while there could be 64GB of onboard storage, plus a micro SD slot.

DJI will likely have to increase the physical dimensions of the Action 6 to house that larger sensor, but it's unclear at this time how much larger it will be versus previous models, or if it will otherwise keep the same rugged Action 5 Pro design, which includes industry-leading waterproofing.

In addition to those promising features, the Action 6 could deliver unmatched smartwatch integration.

Getting smart

The New Camera supposedly received images from a tester showing the DJI Osmo Action 6 pairing with a (generic) smartwatch.

Pairing with a smartwatch isn't exactly new – the Osmo Action 5 Pro can overlay key data from your Garmin or Apple Watch on your videos, such as speed, heart rate, and distance, making it an excellent choice for athletes.

However, the Action 6 Pro could offer next-level integration, and it could work with other models besides those from Garmin and Apple, depending on the Bluetooth features available in the watch.

For example, a smartwatch could act as an Action 6 remote control, meaning you can start or stop the camera recording and switch to different modes without physically touching the camera, complete with data overlays.

We can also expect a wider range of data integrated into your videos in real time. For example, when used with a Garmin device, users might also be able to get power, cadence, pace, and dive data.

While the Osmo Action 5 Pro felt like an iterative upgrade over the Action 4, the Action 6 could be a weightier upgrade this time around. And with a rumored October launch, I anticipate the leaks to ramp up to give us a clearer picture of what to expect.

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• The DJI Osmo Nano has leaked again
• We've got specs and images of the camera
• The device could launch next Tuesday

DJI isn't slowing down with the product launches: having just unveiled the DJI Mini 5 Pro, it appears that the DJI Osmo Nano is the next device in the pipeline, and details of the compact action camera have leaked again.

These details come from DroneXL, and are taken from an Australian retail website that seems to have published information about the DJI Osmo Nano camera ahead of time. The listed specs include an "all-new" 1/1.3-inch sensor, capable of recording 4K video at up to 60 frames per second.

The camera apparently offers a 143-degree field of view, and battery life is said to be around the 200-minute mark. The listing also states the device is waterproof up to a depth of 10 meters, without any additional casing or protection.

According to DJI's marketing copy, the DJI Osmo Nano "can be set up in multiple positions, helping you capture inventive angles and enjoy greater creative freedom". Based on this listing, there's at least the option of 128GB of storage on board.

Shooting modes and pricing

There's also a mention of two stabilization modes: Horizon Balancing for correcting horizon tilts, and a Rock Steady 3.0 mode that "effectively reduces camera shake while preserving the intensity and impact of movement".

Add in the images that accompany these specs, and it's a comprehensive preview of what's coming – and a good look at how the DJI Osmo Nano might take on the other smaller action cameras on the market, such as the Insta360 GO 3S.

This isn't the first leak we've seen around this device. The camera has actually shown up on DJI's own social media channels, while we've seen several leaked images too. A starting price of €369 (around $435 / £320 / AU$655) has been mooted.

There's a DJI launch event scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, where we should see one or more new products – including, very probably, the DJI Osmo Nano. We will of course bring you all the device details as soon as it's made official.

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• Leaked materials reveal first proper look of the rumored DJI Osmo Nano
• The mini modular action cam looks like an Insta360 Go 3S rival
• There will be two versions: 64GB and 128GB, with similar pricing to Go 3S

It looks like DJI is set to go head to head with Insta360 once again, with rumors suggesting an Osmo Nano is on the way, hot on the heels of the excellent Insta360 Go Ultra.

As a mini modular action cam, the Osmo Nano is a successor of sorts to DJI's Action 2 which was released in 2021, but fresh leaks reveal the new model's design and it looks like it has much more in common with Insta360's Go 3S, in fact, and less so the Go Ultra.

DJI tipster Jasper Ellens has shared (and translated) on Drone XL what looks like a slide from a presentation deck for the Osmo Nano, which gives us the first clear look of the pill-shaped action cam, together with a few of its features and accessories.

Ellens goes on to share the price and release date too, and we might not have long to wait...

DJI's most fun action cam yet?

Insta360 has developed the 'Go' series of magnetic mini action cams which can be mounted and placed into tight spaces that even regular action cams like the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and GoPro Hero 13 Black can't. And it's for this application that the Osmo Nano steps in.

There's the pill-shaped camera unit, which will ship in 64GB and 128GB versions and feature magnetic mounting on its back and sides. Furthermore, the magnetic polarity can be reversed for different applications – neat.

In addition to built-in storage, there will be an SD card slot, presumably in the screen unit, which will likely be able to view, control and record clips, both when attached to the camera unit or remotely via a wireless connection.

It looks like there will be plenty of accessories too, including baseball cap mounts and pet collar mounts for first-person / pet views.

Another slide seemingly reveals the price in euros: €369 for the 64GB version and €399 for the 128GB version – right in line with the Go 3S, and which could be the equivalent USD price and which could convert to around £339 / £369.

So when can we expect the DJI Osmo Nano? Ellens says to mark the calendar for September 10, as well as to look out for DJI Mini 5 Pro teasers.

It's not clear yet if DJI's Osmo Nano will supplant the Go 3S as the top mini action cam, but we'll be sure to give it a full test if and when it's launched. If it's anything like the Go 3S, it could be DJI's most fun action cam yet.

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• Images of the DJI Osmo Nano have leaked
• The device is a compact action camera
• It could be launched in the coming weeks

It's not easy to keep up with all the DJI product launches and rumors of launches at the moment, and the latest device to leak online is the DJI Osmo Nano: a super-compact action camera that seems to be a successor of sorts to the DJI Action 2.

Well-known tipster Igor Bogdanov (via Notebookcheck) has posted pictures supposedly showing off the DJI Osmo Nano, and it certainly looks small. It also looks quite different to anything we've seen before in this category.

However, we don't get much beyond the images, so there's no word yet on specs, camera quality, price, or anything else. Based on the designs shown here, it seems the gadget may have a detachable display, like the DJI Action 2.

Based on previous leaks, it seems the DJI Osmo Nano is scheduled to launch around August or September time, so it could really turn up any time from now. It would join an action camera range headed up by the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.

DJI past, present, and future

The most recent camera we've had from DJI is of course the 360-degree DJI Osmo 360, going head to head against the Insta360 X5 (with the GoPro Max 2 apparently set to gets its official unveiling sooner rather than later).

We've also just had the launch of the first ever robot vacuum from DJI, in the form of the DJI Romo. It's already been a busy 2025 for DJI, and we're expecting a flurry of drone launches in the coming months as well.

Among those launches we're apparently going to see a 360-degree drone from DJI, which would be the first from the company. As you would expect, Insta360 is providing competition here too, with the already announced Antigravity drone.

It's probable, but by no means certain, that the DJI Osmo Nano will be launched separately from any other products in the DJI pipeline – but we'll have to wait and see when it appears, and how it fits into the current DJI camera range.

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Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X review: two-minute review

DJI practically invented the idea of the gimbal camera, but other makers including FeiyuTech, Benro (for a while) and now Agfaphoto have joined in with their own designs. They're all based on a small camera unit mounted permanently on a compact 3-axis gimbal, with the screen, controls, battery and other electronics built into the handle.

Gimbal cameras provide both stabilization for handheld video and the kind of smoothed-out camera movements you see in movies. They work on the same principle as gimbal stabilizers for regular cameras, but are a fraction of the size and weight. I’ve used a DJI Pocket 2 for a long time, and I love the way you can create professional-looking camera movements without a lot of heavy and expensive gear.

The latest DJI Osmo Pocket 3 leads the field in the gimbal camera market, but it’s pretty expensive, coming in at around the same price as an entry-level mirrorless camera, and the Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X undercuts it considerably. It does sacrifice a few features compared to the more expensive Pocket 3, but not everyone will need DJI’s fancy features, and would rather spend a good deal less on a more basic option.

The main compromise with the Realimove MC3X is the sensor size. The 1/2.5-inch 8MP sensor is pretty small, and while its 4K video looks very good when you’re filming outdoors in good light, I did find it got noticeably softer in low light at higher ISO settings.

The MC3X also has a fairly limiting 0.3m-infinity focus range. That sounds like it should be fine, but it’s equipped with a wide-angle lens, so sometimes I had to move in really close to fill the frame with an object, and then found it went out of focus.

The Realimove MC3X can’t match the DJI Pocket 3’s frame rates, either. Its maximum frame rate for 4K video is 30p, which effectively means you can’t shoot slow-motion 4K and have to drop the resolution to 2.7K for 60p recording and full HD for 120p slow motion. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s an example of where costs have been cut. It did mean that if I planned to combine regular and slow-motion video in a project, I’d probably have to film the whole thing at a lower resolution to avoid upscaling compromises when splicing together different resolutions later in my video editor.

I also found the MC3X’s face-tracking a little unreliable, and while the digital zoom is easy to operate with a rocker lever on the side, zooming in looked a bit jerky, so I think I’d probably set the zoom before filming rather than while I was recording.

It’s good to get all the criticisms out of the way early, though, because the Realimove MC3X also has some really good features. The biggest is the rotating 3.5-inch display, which is way bigger than the thumbnail-sized screen on my Pocket 2, and bigger even than the screen on the Pocket 3.

What this means is that you can still see clearly what you’re filming, even with the camera at arm’s length, and also if you’re filming yourself with the camera reversed. It’s hard to overstate how useful this is.

You leave the screen in its vertical position for vertical video, or rotate it 90 degrees for horizontal video. It switches orientation automatically, and I found this really intuitive. Rotating the screen horizontally reveals physical buttons for adjusting the gimbal direction, and using these is much more effective than using the virtual on-screen controls, which I found a bit unresponsive.

The other thing I really like is that you can set all the important controls directly on the camera, so while there is a free companion app, I never felt the need to use it. You can swap between pan-follow, pan-tilt-follow and free-follow modes in the menus with just a few taps.

Here's a sample movie I shot with the Realimove MC3X to show its video quality, panning smoothness and audio.

I found the gimbal movement smooth and progressive – and you can change the speed in the menus if you need to. Occasionally the gimbal did get confused if I dropped my hand between bits of filming and the gimbal ran out of movement, but it only takes a moment to recenter when you’re ready to start filming again.

Perhaps the biggest issue for me was everyday practicality. The large screen is very welcome, but it does mean the body is quite wide and, while you can put the MC3X in a pocket, it does leave the gimbal head feeling quite exposed while the unit is powered off – I’d be happier if the gimbal axes were locked when the camera is off, but then it’s the same for my Pocket 2, so I can’t say much.

But the Pocket 2 and Pocket 3 do come with protective slimline hard cases which don’t add much to the size and do protect them in your pocket or bag. The Realimove MC3X doesn’t have this. It does come with a fitted hard case that also accommodates the cables, but it’s pretty big and there’s no way this is going to fit in a trouser pocket.

So I do think this Agfaphoto gimbal comes with compromises. It’s a lot cheaper than the DJI Pocket 3 but it’s not hard to see what you’ve had to sacrifice. I’d say it’s a great buy for anyone who would like to try out a gimbal camera without splashing too much cash – and the results can be very good. So good, in fact, that you might be glad you didn’t spend more.

But if you are a little more serious about filmmaking and need a wider choice of framerates, better video quality (especially in low light) and a little more design finesse and practicality, you might end up upgrading to the DJI Pocket 3 after all.

Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X review: price

The Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X is on sale in the UK for £299 but with US availability and pricing yet to be confirmed. It’s a decent enough camera, but while it’s a lot cheaper than the DJI Pocket 3, you might find the older DJI Pocket 2 even cheaper. The screen is smaller, but the Pocket 2 is a better camera. This puts the Realimove MC3X in awkward territory. Yes, it’s cheaper than its main rival but it’s also a good deal less sophisticated. It’s quite good for the money but it is quite basic.

Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X review: specs

Should I buy the Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if…

How I tested the Agfaphoto Realimove MC3X

I had the Realimove MC3X for several weeks and tested it in many different scenarios. I checked its ability to maintain a level pan-follow orientation with height changes and following a fast-moving pet dog through long grass (very fast-moving!), and also the smoothness of its panning movements, what I’d call a ‘sideways pan’ while walking, and its stability when filming and walking in typical vlogging style, and it did all these things pretty well.

I also wanted to find out what the video quality was like both in bright daylight and dimmer indoor conditions, which is where I would expect a smaller sensor to start to struggle – and sure enough, it did.

I didn’t set out to test the battery life, but I did come away impressed, as I spent a couple of hours at a time filming sequences to stitch together into a move, and the battery indicator hardly budged. I think I got it down to about half during my longest session.

• A new, official GoPro Max 2 teaser shows it's finally gearing up for launch
• The 360-degree action cam has been in the works for years
• It'll compete with the recently-leaked DJI Osmo 360 and Insta360 X5

The GoPro Max 2 has been in development for so long it's almost gained mythical status, but the 360 camera is finally ready to officially launch – as some new teaser images have just confirmed.

GoPro shared the two Max 2 images, which show two skydivers using the camera, across all of its social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter). They were accompanied by the one-word tagline "dropping", which suggests we could finally see the camera soon.

The images don't tell us a huge amount about the true successor to the original GoPro Max, which launched way back in 2019. Like the GoPro Hero 13 Black, the camera body has a finned heat sink on the front to help it avoid overheating. The Max 2's lens also appears to be more centralized than on its predecessor.

GoPro's long-awaited camera will be dropping into an increasingly crowded space. The battle for the title of best 360 camera has heated up recently, with the arrival of the Insta360 X5, recent leaks unmasking the DJI Osmo 360, and Akaso today revealing the cheapest 360 camera so far, the Akaso 360.

But despite the growing competition, GoPro remains the most recognizable name in action cameras – so we're looking forward to seeing what the incoming Max 2 brings.

Analysis: the competition can only be good for 360 camera fans

The GoPro Max 2's backstory isn't a promising one. GoPro originally told us its Insta360 rival was "in the works" way back in September 2023, almost two years ago. Then in May 2024 it was slated for a launch by the end of that year, only to then slip to 2025.

So why the long delay? GoPro hasn't yet gone into specifics, but it's no secret the company has been struggling recently. Earlier this year, CEO Nick Woodman voluntarily waived his salaryto help the company, but GoPro's stock and revenue have both tanked over the past year.

Still, it's good to see the Max 2 finally skydive in through some dark clouds. While it will likely struggle to eclipse Insta360's latest flagships (the Chinese company has launched four iterations of its flagship 360-degree camera since the original Max), the Max 2 will hopefully bring some new features like interchangeable lenses and improved software to make it a good fight.

The good news for GoPro is that the benefits of 360 cameras still can't really be replicated by smartphones. Shooting everything around you and then pointing the camera wherever you want afterwards is still a very helpful editing trick. And the 360 camera space will benefit from having a rejuvenated GoPro in the mix – even if its Chinese rivals have learned how to thrive in the post-action camera world.

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• Leaked image shows a rounded square design and a large lens
• Hints at a wireless charging dock but no modular design
• Suggests Insta360 is soon to release its next action camera

Insta360’s next action camera model might just have surfaced. And if the leaked image is accurate, the camera maker could be plotting a serious design shake-up.

Rumored to be the Go 4, the new camera doesn’t look like an obvious successor to the Go 3S, which we rate as the best modular action camera. In fact, it doesn’t look like any Insta360 camera I’ve used before.

Shared by @Quadro_News – a usually reliable source – the leaked photo shows a miniature camera with a rounded square design and a large lens dominating one corner.

Crucially, the product pictured in the leak is comprised of a single unit. Unlike the Go 3S, there’s no obvious separation between camera and screen block.

I’ve used both the Insta360 Go 3 and Go 3S. What impressed me about them was their modular design. Each is a tiny, thumb-sized camera which you can wear magnetically or slot into the Action Pod, for proper GoPro-style framing with the flip-up screen. They are an effective hybrid solution for creators who shoot first-person content: lightweight and discreet by default, with the option of deeper control when needed.

But with this new design, it looks like Insta360 is heading in a different direction. One without an Action Pod.

No more modular?

A closer inspection of the leak reveals details that raise further questions. There’s a visible indicator light, plus what looks like a front-facing audio grille. There’s also a smaller circle, which could be another light or possibly a sensor. A diagram posted along with the image hints at capacitive touch control on the front of the unit.

Interestingly, the camera in the image is held above what appears to be a dock. There’s speculation that this could be a wireless charging station, though whether it’s a consumer accessory or a development rig isn’t clear.

What we can’t see anywhere is the back of the camera. That begs a bigger question: is there a screen at all?

There’s a world in which Insta360 could be developing an all-in-one camera that strips things back even further than the Go 3S. That might sound like a step in the wrong direction, but there’s logic here. The Insta360 Go series is all about lightweight, wearable cameras for social creators. If this new model keeps things ultra-portable while improving audio, touch control and battery life, it could offer a more streamlined, potentially more affordable solution.

That could well appeal to POV creators who rarely use the screen block and are happy to rely on smartphone app connectivity for framing or editing after the fact. It’s also worth noting that the Action Pod supplied with previous versions wasn’t waterproof. By adopting an integrated design, Insta360 could be favoring durability and portability over total control.

Another factor at play here is the DJI Osmo Nano, itself a dinky, modular camera targeting the same audience. Rumored for a July launch, that device seems to pick up where the Osmo Action 2 left off, with a small camera unit that attaches magnetically to clothing and can pair with an optional screen module. The potential twist is that DJI appears to be embracing modularity just as Insta360 may be phasing it out.

Don’t count Insta360 out just yet, though. It’s possible this new design is part of an alternative line entirely – not the Go 4, but a different wearable camera aimed at filling a new niche. Or it might be a prototype of the Go 4 that simply doesn’t show the modular elements. Until we see the full picture, we won’t know whether the Action Pod is in or out.

Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if an official launch is imminent. The leak shows a device that looks pretty far along in the development process. And with the Go 3S launched back in June 2023, it’s about due an update given Insta360's recent prolificacy. If the DJI Osmo Nano does hit shelves in July, along with DJI's first-ever 360 camera, expect Insta360 to respond quickly.

Until then, all we can do is speculate. But one thing’s clear: both DJI and Insta360 are in the fight for the wearable camera crown. Watch this space.

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• Leaked images show a tiny, modular wearable camera
• Suggests the DJI Osmo Nano will rival the Insta360 Go 3S
• Release date rumored for next month, ahead of another new Insta360 model

They might be grainy, but leaked images of the DJI Osmo Nano have got me excited. If the stills are legit – and they look pretty convincing – DJI could be about to launch its smallest, most wearable action camera to date. That’s big news if you’re a creator who shoots first-person content for social. It also looks set to stir things up in the action cam market.

Judging by the images, which you can see in the embedded X post below, the rumored Osmo Nano is gunning for the Insta360 Go 3S. This magnet-mounted action camera sets the standard for hands-free filming. With a tiny design and flexible mounting options, it allows you to capture creative POV footage with ease. For that reason, it takes top modular honors in our list of the best action cameras.

Based on the leaked DJI Osmo Nano stills, it has a similarly sized camera unit which can magnetically attach to clothing. There also seems to be an optional modular screen block for those who want to frame shots or review footage on the fly. Of course, DJI hasn’t confirmed anything – but the leaks come from a reliable source. The product certainly looks the part.

DJI to go?

The leaked images – originally posted to Chinese social media before being picked up by DJI leaker @Quadro_News – show the camera clipped to the front of a t-shirt, likely held in place by a magnetic backing. Due to the low resolution of the stills, it’s hard to tell if there is a protective casing.

Of course, DJI has form when it comes to modular action cameras. The DJI Action 2 launched back in 2021 with an innovative modular design. It broke away from the established GoPro-style form factor, in favor of a small, square camera unit which could magnetically attach to different modules, including a battery and display block.

While the Action 2 had its fans, it wasn’t the most convincing proof of concept. It ran hot and struggled in low light. Waterproofing didn’t extend to the modules, either. In short, it didn’t nail the first-person use case. Ultimately, DJI returned to a traditional action cam design with the DJI Osmo Action 3.

That’s why the Osmo Nano leak is so exciting. It feels like DJI’s second swing at something which could genuinely disrupt the wearable camera space. It also represents a diversification for DJI: not content with going up against GoPro in the mud-and-glory market, it suggests DJI is also keen to cater to casual creators.

If you vlog, cook or just want to record content from a natural, human perspective, the Osmo Nano could be the most interesting DJI product in years. A featherweight, clip-and-forget action camera that leaves your hands completely free? That’s a different proposition to anything in its line-up.

The people in the leaked images also appear to be wearing microphones, which suggests that the DJI Osmo Nano will support audio recording via a wireless mic, such as the DJI Mic Mini. That was a feature missing from the Osmo Action 2 – and one already offered by the Osmo Action 5 Pro.

Of course, there are still a lot of unknowns. We don’t know the specs, video resolution, stabilization or battery life. We don’t even know if ‘Osmo Nano’ is the final name. After all, DJI has dropped and revived the Osmo branding before. But the form factor alone suggests a very different product to DJI’s contemporary cameras. If accurate, it could be the start of a new line aimed at creators who care more about portability than control.

I’ll be watching closely for more details. If it really is a first-person camera that blends DJI’s imaging chops with Insta360-style wearability, the Osmo Nano could become the wearable camera to beat. Part of that will come down to reliability and the user experience, factors that I’ll only be able to assess when it becomes available for review.

Based on other leaks, I won’t have to wait long to find out: as we reported recently, the model could break cover as early July 2025, alongside the DJI 360 – rumored to be DJI’s first 360-degree camera.

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• Two new DJI action cameras have leaked
• The DJI Osmo Action 6 should succeed the Action 5 Pro
• And the DJI Osmo 360 will be a 360-degree model

A successor to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and the first 360-degree action camera from DJI could both be launching very soon, according to new leaks – which means our guide to the best action cameras may need a significant refresh.

These leaks come from well-known tipster @Quadro_News, who has posted several images of the DJI Osmo Action 6 and the DJI Osmo 360 being tested. It's quite hard to make out the details, but you can see something of the camera designs.

The tipster hasn't attached any specs or other information alongside the shots, but our DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro review should give you some idea of what to expect from one of these devices – it's an action camera we've been very impressed by.

If the DJI Osmo Action 6 is able to add some notable improvements, then it's going to be another serious competitor for GoPro to worry about. GoPro itself launched a more affordable 360-degree camera just a few days ago.

The rumors continue

This isn't the first time we've heard about these two new cameras from DJI. The DJI Osmo Action 6 leaks started just three months after the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro was unveiled, though again there wasn't much to go on in the way of details.

The "Pro" addition to the name was new last year – we didn't get a standard DJI Osmo Action 5 – but it seems it's getting dropped for the next model. We'll have to wait and see if that makes any difference to how premium this device ends up being.

As for the DJI Osmo 360, rumors around this 360-degree camera have been rumbling along since last October. It would be the first camera of this type from DJI, going head to head with the likes of the Insta360 X4 and GoPro's models.

We've even seen mockup designs of the DJI Osmo 360, which could take advantage of the delays that we've seen with the long-awaited GoPro Max 2. Watch out for either or both of these DJI cameras launching in the near future.

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One-minute review

It looks like a GoPro with its mounting case and front-facing screen, but the Akaso Brave 8 comes at a more modest price, with image quality that will meet the demands of most users. With 2x batteries, a dual charger, a remote control, and a range of mounts, it has everything you need out of the box.

During my review, the small front-facing screen made it easy to vlog adventures, whilst the rear touchscreen was responsive enough to touch to make changing settings easy. However, there are also negatives; the image stabilization in-camera is good, without being great, but the so-called SuperSmooth option, which requires processing in the accompanying camera app, isn't a patch on what GoPro offers; and the improvement over the Brave 8's in-camera stabilization is modest. The app is useable but clunky in places, and the sound recording could also be improved.

Overall, the Akaso Brave 8 is a solid little action camera with all you need to get started; the video quality is good, and the stabilization ok if you aren't hammering the camera on a bike, be it pedal or motorized. The problem is that older generation GoPro Hero cameras can still be purchased new in some places for around the same price, and more recent ones will solve many of the faults of the Akaso Hero 8. So, whilst it is cheaper than the GoPro Hero 13 Black, those thinking about the Akaso Hero 8 may want to step back a GoPro generation or two instead. For ideas of other options check out our best action cameras guide.

That said, Akaso is an emerging brand, and its products regularly seem to be discounted or have extras, such as memory cards, also offered as part of the package. So if the stabilization and audio issues won't affect you significantly, it may be worth keeping your eyes open for an offer.

Akaso Brave 8: price and release date

The Akaso Brave 8 is available via Amazon and, at the time of writing, is priced at $289.99, but there is the option of a promotional $50 money-off voucher. In the UK, the kit also includes at 64GB Micro SD card and is £244.99, not including a £40 off voucher promotion.

Keep an eye out for deals and limited-time offers on Amazon, particularly during sales periods when additional memory cards or money-off vouchers may be applied.

Akaso Brave 8 specs

Akaso Brave 8: design

The Akaso Brave 8 action camera adopts a familiar design: let's be honest, it is a GoPro clone in a market that is already flooded with GoPro competitors. However, even at a glance, you can tell that it is far from a cheap knock-off, with a rear touchscreen, front facing screen, all packaged in a body that is waterproof up to a depth of 33ft / 10m.

Size-wise the Akaso Brave 8 measures 63x45x36.5mm which overall makes it slightly smaller than the GoPro Hero 13 Black, which measures 71.8 x 50.8 x 33.6mm

Behind the 16mm f/2.5 lens sits a 1/2 inch size sensor. As a comparison, the GoPro Hero 13 uses a 1/1.9inch sensor, which means the two sensor sizes are comparable. The sensor can capture images at up to a 48MP resolution, and video can be captured at up to 4K 60fps. If you want to shoot timelapse videos, then these can be captured at 8K resolution, whilst moving timelapses (hyperlapses) can be captured at 4K 30fps.

If slow motion is more your thing, then 2.7k footage can be captured at up to 120fps and Full HD can go to an impressive 200fps.

All of that footage is saved on to Micro SD cards, and the Brave 8 can accept cards with a capacity of up to 512GB. In terms of speed, my review sample of the Akaso Brave 8 was supplied with an Akaso-branded 64GB Micro SD XC UHS I card with U3 rating, meaning the card had a minimum write speed of 30MB/s - which is the same as a V30 card.

The layout of the camera is straightforward; there is a rear touch-sensitive screen, as well as a smaller square front screen that sits alongside the lens. There are just three buttons on the camera with the power/display button on top and a Recording start/stop button. On the side is the Mode button.

The Micro SD card socket and a USB-C socket are located on the side of the camera, behind a well-sealed waterproof door. The USB-C socket can be used to power the camera or charge the battery.

On the bottom of the camera is an equally well-sealed battery compartment. Akaso supply two batteries, each with a capacity of 1,550mAh, which is a little less than the 1,900mAh batteries of the GoPro Hero 13 Black. However, credit to Akaso for supplying two batteries so that you can always been filming and charging, which, as I found out, is needed with this camera.

The extra battery is just one of a whole host of supplied accessories, including a tiny USB-C dual battery charger, so you can charge both batteries at the same time. A remote control is also included, as well as a camera mounting frame/case, a GoPro style mount, a helmet mount, a handlebar mount, an adhesive pad, a zip tie, a strap, and a lens cloth. It is a very solid set of accessories.

Akaso Brave 8: performance

Overall, the Akaso Brave 8 performed very well, especially considering its price. However, it wasn't without its quirks, and we will discuss those shortly.

Of course, the main thing is the video quality. I did most of my shooting in the 4K / 30fps setting, which produced quite nice footage that is on par with what you would expect for an action with a sensor of this size.

Key to a lot of action cameras is, of course, stabilization performance, and there are three different modes to choose from. The first is no stabilization. Then, there is a Normal, an in-camera stabilization mode with a six-axis gyroscope that applies the EIS 4.0 algorithm to stabilize the footage electronically. Finally, there is a Super Smooth option. This mode records all of the gyroscopic information but doesn't apply any of it in the camera; instead, you upload your clip to the app, where the gyroscopic data is read, and then stabilization is applied.

I found that the difference between the Normal stabilization and the Super Smooth stabilization wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be. In most circumstances, I believe that users are probably better off just sticking to the Normal option, which softens rather than completely smoothing out any bumps or shakes. The extra step of uploading and applying Super Smooth in the app seems like a significant additional effort for a very little extra reward. Here, the camera falls way behind the stabilization that the latest GoPro cameras offer.

A decent amount of settings allow control of the video image. You can change the exposure metering to any one of several modes, and there is exposure compensation should you wish to make adjustments, which I did.

Generally, the camera produced images with a good exposure. I did tweak it a few times in extreme conditions. For example, filming in a forest could be pretty dark, with the bright light coming through the trees, causing the image to be dark, and then at other times, with no sky in the shot, it lightened the image quite a lot. I found myself making +/-0.3EV changes to the image to balance this out. What it was good at was getting the exposure correct when a face was in the scene, which is great for vlogging and filming your adventures. I advise experimenting with the different metering settings and seeing what suits your needs best.

In addition to exposure compensation, you can also change the ISO sensitivity, sharpness, plus there are two color settings - Normal or Vivid. It may not be the most comprehensive in terms of all the color settings or image styles. Still, it is good enough for the basics, particularly if your goal is capturing memories rather than producing cinematic experiences.

Some lasting memories I captured included filming my children running in and out of the sea on holiday. I put the Brave 8 on a selfie stick and shot low-angle shots of them running and jumping over the waves. The waves sometimes smashed over the camera, completely submerging it in salty Atlantic water. After a few months, the camera still works perfectly fine, with no adverse effects from the sand or saltwater.

The in-camera microphone recorded voices clearly enough, but it should be noted that wind noise was picked up quite significantly, even when it wasn't obviously windy. I wouldn't think of using the audio if I was on a motor or pedal bike. Additional microphones can be attached via USB-C, but sadly, the camera has no mounting points.

The touchscreen worked well and was responsive, with onscreen buttons and navigation presenting no problem. I found it was easy to change settings and navigate the menu.

As well as the included remote control, there is also the option to control the camera via voice commands. Again, I tried this - it is especially useful when you have the camera mounted to a helmet. The real trick is remembering the exact commands that you have to say to start and stop recording and to make sure that you say them clearly.

I didn't take many images with the camera as the video aspect is more appealing to people, but the photos look okay. There are problems with exposure, which is largely due to the sensor's small size. There didn't seem to be much HDR processing going on in terms of lightening shadow areas or pulling back highlights like you would get with a smartphone these days.

Given it is a wide-angle lens, you probably want to stick to the 48MP resolution just in case you do want to crop in a little bit more as images are very very wide on the camera.

As you would expect, there are further record modes, such as being able to shoot a time-lapse video or a time-lapse photo, that I'll be honest I didn't delve too much into, however, I did have a quick play around with them, and there seems to be quite a long interval between the images taken to create a time-lapse video, so I wouldn't use it for any activities such as mountain biking or running or skiing or anything like that. If you want to create a little clip of a ride, you're better off using the Hyperlapse setting for that, while the timelapse mode is better for things you would traditionally use a timelapse for, such as clouds passing over city scenes.

Overall, I am pretty impressed with the image quality and features that the Akaso Brave 8 offers. However, it lacks the finesse and quality you expect from a GoPro, DJI, or Insta360 action camera. Sadly, the image stabilization will be a letdown for those wanting super steady footage. Similarly, the microphone and audio processing need some tweaking to bring it up to scratch.

However, Akaso will be a budget action camera brand to keep an eye on as they have a solid foundation on which to build, particularly as some of the issues can be updated via firmware or more power processing in a future camera.

Should I buy the Akaso Brave 8?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested the Akaso Brave 8

• I used the camera for a couple of months in a variety of situations
• I filmed a hike I did in British Columbia
• I tested the waterproof properties by filming on the beach and in the sea

I used the Akaso Brave 8 for several months as a compact camera to film family events and vacations. I even used it a few times to film my kids playing in the sea, which allowed me to test the camera's waterproof qualities.

On a trip to British Columbia, Canada, I turned the camera on myself, using a selfie stick to film myself while hiking and mounting it on a small tripod while swimming in a glacial lake.

Finally, I used one of the included mounts to attach the camera to my bike helmet. With my iPhone mounted to the bike, I could monitor what was being filmed using the Akaso app.

At various points during the camera's use, I connected it to my smartphone to check footage and add stabilization to specific videos. I also used the voice control options and the physical remote control.

First reviewed January 2025

• New FCC filings point to the surprise launch of a DJI Osmo Action 6
• The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro only launched in September
• A new model could be out early in 2025, it seems

DJI only just treated us to a new action camera – and it's undoubtedly one of the best action cameras around, as our DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro review will tell you – but it appears the gadget maker is soon going to be launching the DJI Osmo Action 6 as well.

As spotted by @Quadro_News and Notebookcheck, new regulatory filings at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US mention a "DJI Osmo Action 6" (without the "Pro") – a strong hint that a new model is on the way.

We don't get a whole lot of information about what this updated action cam is going to bring with it, but it's interesting that a new device is on the way so soon. The current model arrived in mid-September, and product launches usually follow FCC filings pretty swiftly.

Similar documents were apparently filed with the Swiss regulator SGS at the end of October, so DJI is clearly wasting no time in getting its next hardware refresh ready. We could be looking at a launch sometime early in 2025.

Connectivity and battery capacity

There are a few little tidbits included in the filings: the new action camera is listed as supporting Bluetooth 5.1, as well as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, which is all pretty standard for a device of this type and the basic information that regulators require.

We also get two battery capacities listed, 1,770mAh and 1,950mAh – so perhaps there will be a couple of different models here. The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro has a 1,950mAh battery, so maybe we'll get both a Pro and a standard DJI Osmo Action 6.

The new camera will certainly have a lot to live up to: we described the latest DJI action camera as "a tiny, versatile camera with some serious creative capabilities" that could claim to be a "worthy GoPro Hero 13 Black rival".

If we were being picky, higher video resolutions and better low light performance would be welcome, and of course we're always keen to see faster performance and better battery life – but for now we can only speculate on what DJI has been working on.

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GoPro deals are currently offering excellent savings across the full Hero range, with the release of the GoPro Max 2 and Hero 13 Black, as well as older models, dropping in price even further.

We've been watching these costs trickle down over the last few months, so anyone on the hunt for a budget-friendly GoPro right now is well catered for. Those GoPro sales aren't just reserved for those with the big bucks, though; we're also seeing older models taking steep savings these days. From the Max 2 to the latest entry-level action camera, GoPro deals are available at every budget level.

We've listed today's best GoPro deals below, along with our comparison model that's updated with the best prices from around the web every half hour. You'll also find that all the GoPro models listed below are featured in our best GoPro camera guide, allowing you to read our reviews and make an informed buying decision.

Browse more GoPro deals

US

• Amazon: record-low prices on a wide range of models
• Best Buy: regular discounts on new models
• GoPro: latest and greatest models available
• Walmart: deals from $199

UK

• Amazon: cameras & accessories from £79.99
• Argos: deals from £169.99
• Currys: GoPro cameras & accessories starting at £29.99

You might also want to check out the best cheap dash cam deals and sales.

• GoPro is sunsetting its Quik desktop video editing app
• The Mac version will be removed from the App Store on December 31
• GoPro says it'll no longer be launching a Windows version

GoPro has pulled a surprise U-turn and announced that it's sunsetting its Quik desktop editing app – less than a year on from bringing it back.

The Quik Desktop for Mac app will disappear from the App Store on December 31, according to a GoPro blog post. Meanwhile, the long-promised Windows version, which never arrived, will "not be released".

The app was a handy video editing option for GoPro subscribers, and its return was announced in late 2023 after GoPro discontinued a previous free version in 2017. But after finally launching the Mac version in February, GoPro says it's now "shifting gears to focus solely on mobile-focused editing solutions".

That means the GoPro Quik app for iOS and Android will soon be the only GoPro-made way to edit your videos and boost their stabilization. If you'd prefer to edit on desktop, GoPro says it'll be releasing updated versions of its plug-ins for some of the best video editing software like Adobe Premiere and After Effects.

GoPro does also have a web app for subscribers who've stored their videos and photos in the GoPro Cloud service, but that's strictly for watching and sharing footage rather than editing.

Why the U-turn?

GoPro is clearly going through some challenging times, with its main focus in 2024 being growing its subscriber base. But while the Quik desktop app was part of that plan (being only available to GoPro subscribers), it clearly wasn't moving the needle enough to justify the development costs.

As GoPro recently revealed in its latest earnings call, the GoPro Max 2 – its long-awaited challenger to the best 360 cameras like the Insta360 X4 – now definitely won't be launched until sometime in 2025.

That's a big delay considering it was confirmed to be "in the works" back in September 2023, so it's no surprise that the Max 2 is a bigger priority than shipping a Windows version of the Quik desktop app.

When the Max 2 does eventually arrive, it'll be interesting to see what editing options GoPro provides, because 360-degree clips are notoriously demanding and often better edited on a desktop machine.

Until then, current GoPro owners who prefer desktop editing will need to either continue with an out-of-date Quik Mac app or switch to the likes of Adobe Premiere, After Effects or (hopefully) DaVinci Resolve, if GoPro makes a plug-in for the latter.

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Insta360's Ace Pro was the first 8K action camera to market, and just under a year later it has a successor, the Ace Pro 2, which is a rounded upgrade ready to take on the GoPro Hero 13 Black and DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.

You can learn how each model compares in our Hero 13 Black vs Action 5 Pro vs Ace Pro 2 piece – it's a tasty battle to claim the best action camera title. Truth is, each one has its own take on the format and will appeal to different kinds of people, with Insta360 doubling down on high-resolution 8K video as its selling point, together with what it says is the first dual chip in an action camera, designed to improve performance.

Impressive as the original Ace Pro sounded, certain features were in reality a little light, whereas the Ace Pro 2 adds the necessary substance. Its 8K video still feels a little gimmicky given how many caveats it comes with, but active HDR and PureVideo (low light) modes are now available in 4K up to 60fps and feel polished, especially now Insta360 has introduced I-Log color profile for discerning editors in some 4K modes.

There's more to the Ace Pro 2 than its improved video recording chops too. It's tougher than the Ace Pro, with a better flip screen, lengthier battery life, improved waterproofing and a new design to hold a lens guard just like its rivals. It also has improved audio recording and a wind guard. The sum of those parts impresses and you can learn more about Insta360's latest action camera in our Ace Pro 2 review.

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 costs $399.99 / £389.99 / AU$689.99 for the standard bundle, or it's $419.99 / £409.99 / AU$719.99 for the dual battery bundle – that's pretty much in line with GoPro and a little pricier than DJI.

Has the Ace Pro series come of age?

Being the only camera of its kind to shoot 8K video was one thing, but the Ace Pro lacked many of the advanced features found in GoPro and DJI rivals. Insta360 has looked to rectify this with the Ace Pro 2, which feels much more polished than the first-gen model.

Chief among those improvements is its dual chips, about which Insta360 says: "the Ace Pro 2 is the first action camera with a dedicated Pro Imaging Chip that handles image processing and noise reduction, while a separate 5nm AI Chip handles further image processing and overall camera performance, providing a smooth, seamless user experience."

That's paired with a revised 1/1.3-inch sensor that delivers 8K video up to 30fps, a 4K 120fps slow-motion mode, a 2x 'Clarity Zoom', plus up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range. The dedicated low light 'PureVideo' mode has been upgraded to reduce noise even further, too, together with that improved 60fps frame rate.

Leica is in on the action, providing its expertise for exclusive color profiles, plus in creating a Summarit lens with 157-degree field of view, wider than its rivals.

Other refinements include the larger, brighter and higher-resolution 2.5-inch flip up screen – that's another calling card of the Ace Pro series although that does result in a bulkier camera – improved 39ft / 12m waterproofing plus neat gesture control, with the ability to pause and resume recording.

There are too many features to sensibly cover in this news piece. If you'd like to discover more do check out our Ace Pro 2 review, where you can also see how its dual chips have improved low light performance in our sample footage. Ultimately, its 8K video is still limited, but so many of its other modes are much improved, with better overall image quality thanks in part to its powerful dual chips. GoPro and DJI now have a serious rival on their hands.

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The Insta360 Ace Pro from November 2023 remains the most powerful action camera we've tested, but that looks likely to change soon – according to some leaked marketing materials that spill the beans on a new Ace Pro 2.

As always, the source of these leaks is the reliable @Quadro_News on X (formerly Twitter, below), who's posted some useful slides that give us an idea of what to expect from Insta360's flagship GoPro rival.

Previous leaks had already told us that the Ace Pro 2 is likely to have a 1/1.3-inch main sensor (this time with a 50MP resolution, rather than 48MP). But it seems that the new action cam will pair its 5nm AI chip with some new silicon called the 'Pro Imaging Chip'.

Exactly what the latter does isn't clear, but from the other slides it will seemingly boost software features like PureVideo, which primarily handles low-light performance. From a slide of leaked specs, it seems the Ace Pro 2 will now be able to shoot Active HDR footage at 4K/60p (rather than maxing out at 4K/30p), while PureVideo will now be available for 4:3 clips alongside the usual 16:9 aspect ratio.

Another slide shows Insta360's 'Memories Album', which will seemingly use AI to help organize and potentially edit your clips (a bit like GoPro's Quik app). The PR material separately adds that the action cam "delivers high image quality in conditions unavailable to other action cameras" (no prizes for guessing who Insta360 is referring to).

There's still no news on a release date sadly, but these leaks suggest it'll be worth waiting a week or two if you're about to pull the trigger on a GoPro Hero 13 Black or DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.

Room for improvement?

So far, it looks like the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 will be a relatively minor upgrade of the Ace Pro – and there's no news yet on if it'll support 10-bit color depth, which Insta360 previously confirmed isn't possible on the current model due to hardware limitations.

That would certainly be a benefit to pro shooters who want to edit their footage or shoot in a 'flat' log profile. But given our Insta360 Ace Pro review called that camera "an absolute monster" without 10-bit video, the feature may not prove to be a deal-breaker for many either way.

The Ace Pro currently sits third in our guide to the best action cameras, with its lofty $449.99 / £429 / AU$729 price tag being one of the few things holding it back from eclipsing GoPro and DJI.

If it could add features like 'log' recording and develop its AI-powered features beyond low-light noise reduction, then it may yet grab that top spot when it launches – hopefully very soon, if these leaks are any sign.

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We've seen both the GoPro Hero 13 Black and the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro launch in recent weeks, but there's always room for another action camera – and new leaks suggest the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Per well-known tipster @Quadro_News, the successor to the Insta360 Ace Pro will offer a 50MP 1/1.3-inch main sensor (up from a 48MP 1/1.3-inch one), and 10 meters or 33 feet of water resistance (which is the same as the current model).

In addition, it's apparently going to offer 1.5 meters or five feet of shock resistance, and will be able to operate between -4F and 113F (-20C and 45C). It's also set to be a little thicker than the current model, which we're hoping means improved battery life.

Indeed, better battery life was mentioned in an earlier leak that also talked about an 8K video resolution, matching the Insta360 Ace Pro, and enhanced AI processing thanks to an extra AI chip. Add all of that up and we're potentially looking at one of the best action cameras on the market.

And a price cut to boot?

So how much is this flagship 2024 action camera going to cost you? Well, @Quadro_News has details on that too, suggesting the device will launch for $399.99 in the US – that's actually less than the $449.99 the Insta360 Ace Pro originally cost.

International pricing isn't mentioned in this leak, but the 2023 model went on sale for £429.99 in the UK and AU$729 in Australia, so hopefully we'll be getting a price reduction across the other markets where the camera is sold as well.

We should point out that the Insta360 Ace Pro can now be picked up for significantly less than its original price if you shop around online, but it would still be a welcome change to see a new gadget with a cheaper launch price than the one it's replacing.

It's not clear when the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 might see the light of day – but considering that we're seeing a steady stream of rumors about the camera now, and the fact that the current camera launched in November 2023, we shouldn't have much longer to wait.

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• The best action cameras you can buy
• Our review of the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

It appears that the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 could soon be in our hands if leaked pictures of the product's packaging (see below), as well as an open box with the action camera inside, are anything to go by.

An upcoming Ace Pro 2 would come hot off the heels of the GoPro Hero 13 Black and DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and upgrade Insta360's 8K Ace Pro, which is still only a year old. And those leaked Ace Pro 2 pictures reveal more details about the would-be GoPro and DJI rival.

Chief among the details revealed is that the Ace Pro 2 will be an '8K AI-Powered Action Cam'. That video resolution is nothing new – the Ace Pro is already capable of shooting 8K 30fps video, specs that are also pictured on the packaging. However, what's new is the added emphasis on computational smarts this time around.

Battery life has also seemingly been revealed, with the screen on the camera showing up to 3 hours of record time. That would be a serious step up from the 100-minute record time of the Ace Pro and sits somewhere between the improved performance of the Hero 13 Black (2.5 hours) and the Osmo Action 5 Pro (4 hours), the current leading action cameras.

We can also see an obvious design tweak with a pronounced microphone underneath the camera's lens – meaning there could be improved in-camera audio quality.

A previous Ace Pro 2 leak seemingly showed the camera in the hand with slightly different markings, including 'dual AI chip'. This marking is not on the newer photos; though the second-gen model could still have dual AI chips. We don't know what purpose they would serve, but with that AI-Powered tagline it seems like a fair bet that the Ace Pro 2 will heavily rely on AI-smarts.

There also appears to be complete markings on the lens now, which suggests it'll be the same Leica Super Summarit-A lens with maximum f/2.6 aperture as before.

However, the same source that leaked the product packaging has shared a video on Youtube (see below) and in it suggests the Ace Pro 2 will have closer minimum focusing – a boon for vloggers – though of course we can't verify this. The leaker also shares the Ace Pro 2 will have a built-in wind muff and better low light image quality.

Three's company

The action camera market, once dominated by GoPro, now has two other serious players; DJI and Insta360, meaning competition has never been hotter.

What's even better for consumer choice is that each brand is forging its own unique path; GoPro with its interchangeable Lens Mods and enhanced 5.3K video, DJI with its leading low light performance and tougher build, and now Insta360 appears to be doubling down on its high resolution 8K video and AI-smarts.

The Ace Pro series is also the only one of the three leading models to feature a flip-up selfie screen, though that does also mean it is the biggest and heaviest of the three.

Insta360 already has an excellent track record in the action camera space, with its industry-leading 360-degree camera, the X4, plus its tiny and versatile Go 3S. There's no word on a potential Ace Pro 2 release date, but it looks set to complete Insta360's lineup nicely and has colored us excited.

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• Forget 8K video, the GoPro Hero 13 Black’s swappable lenses are a masterstroke and the future of action camera design

Just a few short years ago, GoPro seemed the only serious option for folks who needed a reliable, small action camera. That has changed. Rivals like Insta360 and DJI have shaken things up. And, as you’ll see in this comparison, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro takes some bold and transparently aggressive technical strides ahead of the current champ GoPro Hero 13 Black. 

It has a bigger sensor, better water resistance, larger and more contrasty displays, longer battery life and more. So is it KO for GoPro? Not quite. For some the new HB-Lens series will make the semi-modular GoPro Hero 13 Black a more versatile creative tool than the Osmo Action 5. Let’s dig in. 

1. GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: price and availability

• Hero 13 Black from $399.99 /£399.99 /AU$649.95
• Osmo Action 5 Pro from $349 /£329 /AU$599

Just a fistful of days separated the releases of these action camera heavyweights. The GoPro Hero 13 Black was out first, announced on September 4 before a retail release later that month. It costs $399.99 /£399.99 /AU$649.95. The DJI Osmo action 5 was announced two weeks later on September 19, and the Standard bundle costs $349 /£329 /AU$599. 

Both cameras are available in pricier bundles with accessories such as additional batteries and grips, such as the Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo ($449 /£409 /AU$769) and the Hero13 Black Accessories bundle ($449 /£449.99 / AU$729.95. As you can see, which one is better value depends on the bundle that you want and the region that you live in. However, overall the Osmo Action 5 is a tad cheaper. 

• Price winner: DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

2. GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: design and displays

• Hero 13 Black: twin LCD screens, main screen is touch sensitive
• Osmo Action 5 Pro: twin OLED screens, both touch sensitive

GoPro may have cemented the design template for the modern action camera, but DJI actually beat it in one respect. Dual screens are a new norm, as established in the original 2019 DJI Osmo Action. GoPro followed a year later with the Hero 9 Black. 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black and DJI Osmo Action 5 both have this vlog-friendly dual-screen arrangement. But, again, DJI pushes a little more aggressively in how they are used. 

Both front and rear display have touchscreens, where only the back one is a touch control in the GoPro Hero 13 Black. You are, as before, expected to use the shutter button up top to start and stop recording with a GoPro. 

The style of display used is arguably a bit more cutting-edge in the DJI Osmo Action 5 too. Both panels use OLED tech, where each pixel is a separate light source. GoPro, as usual, uses LCD panels in the Hero 13 Black. 

You’ll notice the difference when shooting at night in particular. Such conditions show off the raised black floor of LCD, and how the entire screen glows when displaying any content. 

OLED also allows for the Osmo Action 5’s always-on mode, which displays certain stats when the camera’s not in direct use. This is what the front GoPro screen used to be all about back in the GoPro Hero 8 Black days, funnily enough. 

What matters most in an action camera, though, is brightness. To compete with direct searing sunlight we need the brute force of a high nit count (a measure of brightness). Both cameras are fairly strong on this count. 

DJI notes the Action 5 also has great colour depth, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 standard. It’s nice, but we’ll worry more about colour in the edit than when trying to frame a shot, thanks. 

We do appreciate the larger size of the DJI’s rear screen, though, at 2.5in to the GoPro’s 2.27in.

• Design and displays winner: DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro

3. GoPro Hero 13 Black Vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: accessories

• Hero 13 Black: HB-series of lenses and filters
• Osmo Action 5 Pro: seamless DJI Mic connectivity

The design strength of the GoPro Hero 13 Black is found not in the basics, the specs, but in how GoPro has embraced accessories. 

You can change the lens of the camera, and a handful of them are available from GoPro. These HB-series lenses include a macro with focus ring, an ultra wide, anamorphic (due in 2025) and an ND filter. 

The Hero 13 Black front lens protector can be removed, so you’re not just plugging in another component on top of the standard front element — like the aftermarket lenses for an iPhone, for example. Your initial assumption might be this will open up a whole new world of third-party accessories, but there’s a complicating factor here. 

A GoPro Hero 13 Black can detect these first-party lenses, meaning Garmin retains control over the ecosystem. That’s what’s truly different this generation — the GoPro Hero 12 Black had a super-wide-angle MAX lens mod too, but there was no smart factor to it. 

The GoPro can become multiple cameras, in a manner reminiscent of Insta360’s modular One R series. There isn’t such a system for the Action 5, meaning any comparable solutions will have to be a third-party cludge. 

One accessory in DJI's favor that feels slicker is its effortless bluetooth connectivity with DJI Mics. GoPro also offers this function, but with third party mics and the process isn't as streamlined. 

• Accessories winner: GoPro Hero 13 Black

4. GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: sensor and lens

• Hero 13 Black: 27MP, 5.3K video
• Osmo Action 5 Pro: Up to 40MP, 4K video, larger 1/1.3-inch sensor

DJI can claim technical superiority in the specs of the Osmo Action 5’s sensor. This is a respectably large 40-megapixel 1/1.3-inch sensor, which DJI claims can provide up to 13.5 stops of dynamic range. That’s high enough to make us assume there’s some clever software jiggery-pokery involved. 

While the sensor is of the same size as the Action 4’s, it is a “next generation” design according to DJI, and larger than the GoPro’s sensor. 

The GoPro Hero 13 Black has a smaller 27-megapixel 1/1.9-inch sensor, just like the previous year’s model. 

DJI’s larger sensor will get you better low-light image quality and greater native dynamic range. However, DJI doesn’t offer the dedicated HDR modes you get in the Hero 13 Black.

GoPro’s camera has both standard HDR and HLG HDR modes that combine a pair of exposures to construct each frame — a handy way to eliminate those annoying blown highlights in bright clouds. 

The DJI Osmo Action 5 hits back once again with higher resolution, 40MP to the GoPro’s 27MP. While we’ve heard no official word on this, we expect DJI to use a Quad Bayer design, like those of just about every phone sensor with such a high resolution. That would also be consistent with the Action 5’s solid (for an action camera) low light performance. 

DJI’s last-gen Osmo Action 4 had a 10MP sensor. Quadrupling the resolution without using a pixel binning-ready Quad Bayer sensor? You’d be asking for trouble.

• Sensor and lens winner: Tie

5. GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: battery life

• Hero 13 Black: 1,900mAh battery with up to 2.5 hours record time
• Osmo Action 5 Pro: 1,950mAh battery with up to 4 hours record time

When the GoPro Hero 13 Black arrived, improved battery life was one of the changes we found most striking. Its 1900mAh battery is rated for up to 2.5 hours of 1080p recording, up to 1.5 hours at 5.3K. 

DJI has rather blown these numbers out of the water, despite using an only marginally higher-capacity 1950mAh cell. It says the Osmo Action 5 can last up to four hours of 1080p shooting. This is with stabilisation engaged, but Wi-Fi and the screens off. 

How? A lot of it is likely a simple case of smart and efficient engineering, but the Osmo Action 5 also has a much more up-to-date processor architecture than the GoPro. It has 4nm (nanometer) transistors, where the GoPro GP2 is a 12nm chip — assuming GoPro didn’t upgrade the architecture without telling anyone. Smaller transistors offer the potential for greater power efficiency. 

Just as important for many, the DJI Osmo Action 5 battery charges a bunch faster too.

• Battery life winner: Osmo Action 5 Pro

6. GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro: modes and features

• Hero 13 Black: 10m waterproof, 2.7K video at 240fps, 400fps slow-mo at 720p
• Osmo Action 5 Pro: 20m waterproof, 47GB of built-in storage

DJI went down a slightly unexpected avenue with one of the Osmo Action 5’s key upgrades. Its water resistance is rated at 20M depth, twice that of the GoPro Hero 13 Black (10M). And you don’t need a case to achieve that. 

It’s still not at the level of a proper waterproof case — GoPro’s own is rated for 60m-equivalent pressures — but does provide additional peace of mind if you want to get a little more ambitious while out snorkelling. 

There’s even a depth gauge built into the Osmo Action, and it’s compliant to the EN13319 standard, meaning you’ll be able to actually trust its readings. Do we need a depth gauge for snorkelling in the Maldives? Absolutely not, but it can also be used to make the DJI Osmo Action 5 start and stop shooting automatically when entering/leaving the water. 

There’s generosity in the DJI Osmo Action 5 storage too. Ever head out with your action camera only to find there’s no microSD inside? We have. DJI provides insurance, by offering 47GB built-in storage. We presume this is the leftovers of a 64GB chunk of solid state system storage, after the operating system has had its share. 

GoPro does claw back from credibility in its slo-mo capability and general shooting modes. 

As usual, it tops out at 5.3k resolution where the DJI Osmo Action taps out at 4K. The Hero 13 Black can shoot at up to 240fps in both 2.7K and Full HD resolutions, while the native 240fps shooting of the DJI Osmo Action is limited to Full HD. 

Burst slo-mo can head further too, up to 12x at 900p resolution or 13x speed at 720p, for up to 15 seconds. While DJI plans to add shooting modes up to 960fps to the Osmo Action 5, this will be based on interpolation, which is where additional frames are synthesised. 

It’s kinda slo-mo cheating, and points to the reality that GoPro’s camera sensor, while not technically superior in some core respects, does have more what feel like “made for purpose” drive modes. DJI has one last riposte, though, saying its new processor allows it to follow a subject, cropping in and effectively digital panning. It’s a form of auto editing of most interest to very casual shooters and those with little time to edit, but it’s a nice idea regardless. 

• Modes and features winner: Tie

Early verdict

DJI plays hardball with the Osmo Action 5 Pro, focusing on overtly new features and upgrades in a way GoPro has not in at least its last couple of generations. 

It isn’t quite enough to get over the sense action cameras have hit a sort of plateau, one that means all high-profile models can do a great job during the day. And, sure, not so good a job at night. 

Which you should pick may well rest on how much you are intrigued by GoPro’s new HB-Lens system, which lets a GoPro Hero 13 Black behave like a modular camera system — minus the DJI approach’s need to actually use a completely different sensor each time. 

The model that's best for you depends on what matters to you the most in an action camera, after all there is a clear winner in most of the aspects of each camera above. The GoPro offers higher resolution video and a developed system of accessories including those new lenses, while the Osmo Action 5 Pro has better outright 4K image quality and overall user experience.

The overall winner, however, is less clear. One thing we can say is that if there's one brand that's making more headway with its action cameras, it's DJI. 

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DJI has announced its first action camera with the 'Pro' monicker and it comes with a raft of impressive new features that will, aptly, impress content creators and other pro users. These include four-hour battery life – that's double that of the GoPro Hero 13 Black, thanks to an industry-first 4nm chip; 20m waterproofing with pressure gauge (which is again double that of its rivals), and larger and punchier twin OLED screens.

We've already reviewed the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and we've been majorly impressed during our extended time with what is now one of the best action cameras. There are many other areas in which it outguns GoPro's finest action cam, the Hero 13 Black, including its effortless Bluetooth connection with mics including the DJI Mic 2 for better audio (think of the perfect marriage you get with an iPhone and AirPods), but this is still no one-sided battle.

DJI has doubled down on improving its 4K video footage rather than upping the resolution to match rivals – the Hero 13 Black shoots 5.3K video while the Insta360 Ace Pro shoots 8K video – and rumors suggest we'll see an Insta360 Ace Pro 2 soon. What we get instead, according to DJI, is 13.5 stops of dynamic range – that's the kind of performance that you'd expect from a professional mirrorless camera.

However, the sensor remains a 1/1.3-inch type as found in the Action 4, where many action cam fans were not-unreasonably hoping DJI would introduce a larger-still 1-inch sensor – after all, such a sensor features in DJI's own Osmo Pocket 3, which is our favorite vlogging camera.

DJI has, however, added internal storage to the tune of 47GB in addition to micro SD, plus matched GoPro with Wi-Fi 6 to speed up image uploads to your phone. With all of these upgrades considered, the Action 5 Pro provides an all-round improved user experience, but at a 10% steeper price point than the Action 4.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro costs $349 / £329 / AU$599 for the Standard Combo – that's a little cheaper than the Hero 13 Black in the US and UK – or $449 / £409 / AU$769 for the Adventure Combo, which also includes the Quick-Release Adapter Mount, Multifunctional Battery Case, and 1.5m Extension Rod.

Has DJI dethroned GoPro as the king of action cams?

We've pitted the GoPro Hero 13 Black vs DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro in an article to help you further understand the differences between two of the leading action cameras.

There's no doubt who's improving faster, and that's DJI. Where the hardware in GoPro's flagship series of Hero Black cameras has remained largely the same for years, DJI has been chipping away with meaningful upgrades to each generation of its Osmo Action series.

The Action 4 saw a larger sensor than the Osmo Action 3, with class-leading low-light performance. However, that camera only shoots 4K video and 10MP stills, which means it lags behind rivals for outright detail in good light. DJI has upped the photo resolution to 40MP this time around, while also modifying the hardware for what is undoubtedly a better user experience.

That said, GoPro has shown us an altogether new path for action cameras in the Hero 13 Black: interchangeable lenses, which opens up its action cameras to a raft of new users, including vloggers who will appreciate the Macro Lens Mod and serious filmmakers curious about the new Anamorphic Lens Mod.

With the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 rumored to be on the horizon with improved 8K video and AI features, we could soon have three very different takes on the action camera from three of the leading brands, and it's us users who are benefitting from the fierce competition.

The Osmo Action 5 Pro looks like the best option of the lot for those who want the absolute best-quality action camera together with effortless mic connectivity, and who are happy with being limited to (better-quality) 4K video.

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DJI has posted a teaser on X (formerly Twitter) that showcases some epic action videos and finishes with 'A Pro Rises', alongside a date of the new product's announcement, which is scheduled for September 19, 9AM EST (that's 6AM PT / 2PM BST).

Most DJI rumors are pointing to the new product being the Osmo Action 5 Pro, which according to leaked specs looks like a promising GoPro Hero 13 Black rival for the title of best action camera. With the pro-focused angle of the teaser, those leaks look increasingly credible.

Previous rumors point to a price hike from the Osmo Action 4 for good reasons, such as built-in memory and potentially more that we don't know about yet, which are likely to do with that 'Pro' moniker.

Naming one of its action cameras, 'Pro,' would be a first for DJI, and has left many DJI fans excited for what's in store for the next model in the line of the Osmo Action cams.

DJI's official teaser was quickly followed up by a leaked Osmo Action 5 picture from the ever-active DJI-leaker @Quadro_News on X, plus some of the action cam's specs, which appear to confirm it will shoot 40MP stills – a huge leap in resolution from the Osmo Action 4's 10MP stills.

The leak also suggests improved battery life, twin OLED screens, and better stabilization, among other things, although these are just rumors.

The action is heating up

After GoPro launched the Hero 13 Black earlier this month, the confirmed launch date of DJI's rumored action camera, plus the successor to the Insta360 Ace Pro, the Ace Pro 2, supposedly being in the pipeline, the action really is heating up, and I'm not referring to cameras overheating.

GoPro surprised us with its HB-series of lenses and filters announced alongside the Hero 13 Black, which takes action cameras on an exciting new path. The rumored Osmo Action 5 Pro looks like it could double down on DJI's class-leading low-light performance and pro-level features, while Insta360 is supposedly taking the AI and high-resolution 8K video route.

That's potentially three flagship action cams vying for top spot, each with its own take on the format. These cameras give decent options for all serious action fans.

We'll be tuning in to September 19's announcement when all is revealed by DJI, and will share more then, so stay tuned.

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• DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak suggests it'll get a price hike, but for a very good reason

Fresh DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leaks seemingly reveal the euro pricing of the action cam's Adventure Combo bundle, together with our first look at some of the features it could include.

According to prominent DJI leaker @JasperEllens on X (formerly Twitter), the Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo, which includes two additional batteries, a charging case and a 1.5m selfie stick, will cost €479.

The list price in euros for the same Osmo Action 4 bundle on the DJI Store is €429, although it's currently on sale for €379, presumably in the lead-up to the rumored launch of the Osmo Action 5 Pro, tipped for later this month.

That's a price hike of around 10% for the next-gen model, and by that logic we estimate US and UK pricing for the Adventure Combo to be around $449 / £419, though of course the Action 5 Pro will likely be available in the cheaper Standard Combo bundle too.

The same leak also suggests the topline features of the Go Pro Hero 13 Black rival, which include a 40MP camera, night mode, super slow-mo and 64GB of internal storage.

@JasperEllens has previously shared images of the Action 5 Pro's packaging on X, which would suggest the action cam's lens and sensor is identical to its predecessor, the Action 4, being a f/2.8 aperture lens with 155-degree field of view and a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor. However, new leaks indicate the Action 5 Pro will shoot 40MP stills.

If the camera resolution is correct, that's quite the leap from the Osmo Action 4 which can shoot just 10MP stills, but which has the best low light performance of any of the best action cameras we've tested. We hope that DJI is able to maintain impressive low-light image quality despite an apparent increase in pixels.

Previous leaks on Notebookcheck suggest the super slow-mo mode will support frame rates up to 960fps, plus there's a new night mode, although details of that are sketchy. There's also an additional new feature that has come to light: built-in memory.

What does the 'Pro' monikor suggest?

According to the leak, the Action 5 Pro will pack 64GB of internal memory. That's a feature not offered by rival action cameras, and one that could prove especially handy you're out and about – either as a backup to your micro SD memory card should it corrupt, or if you simply forget to pack one.

Built-in memory could also be a reason that DJI has edged the price up, although there is the 'Pro' moniker too, which we haven't seen before in DJI's action cam lineup.

DJI's use of 'Pro' seems curious because the leaks don't suggest anything in the way of a significant upgrade. Could there be further high-end features also on the way? Well, besides what appears to be a higher capacity 1,950mAh battery (the Action 4 has a middling 1,770mAh battery), we just don't know yet. But if suggested launch dates of later this month are true, we won't have to wait long to find out.

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GoPro didn't deliver a new sensor or up video resolution to 8K in its latest flagship Hero 13 Black – improvements many fans were hoping for and without which seemingly gives rivals DJI and Insta360 the upper hand. In fact, you could say very little has changed from GoPro's previous flagship, the Hero 12 Black, at all – here are 5 headline Hero 13 Black vs Hero 12 Black differences, in case you're interested. 

However, I think GoPro has blazed a most compelling trail for action cameras, more so than pixels and better low light performance, and that's swappable lenses. 

With one seemingly insignificant hardware tweak, and introducing a new 'HB-series' of lenses and ND filters, GoPro has shown us what the future of the best action cameras could be, and it's a rosy outlook. 

Alongside the Hero 13 Black, GoPro announced new Macro, Ultra Wide and Anamorphic lenses – what the action-camera king calls Lens Mods – plus a 4-set of ND filters. Even better, the camera can auto-detect which Lens Mod is attached and auto-adjust its settings accordingly. This could and should be just the beginning.

• GoPro Hero 13 Black hands-on review

These first HB-series auto-detected lenses open up the Hero 13 Black to a raft of new users, from serious filmmakers to vloggers, bolstering what the humble action camera can do. (The Hero 12 Black debuted the Max Lens Mod, which is essentially the same as the new Ultra Wide Lens Mod but isn't auto-detected.)

Lens Mods are an optional extra – Macro Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$249.95), Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($99.99 / £99.99 / AU$169.95), ND Filter 4-pack ($69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95), Anamorphic Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$219.95 but isn't available until 2025) – meaning the cost stacks up, especially if you're interested in the lot. Even so, GoPro's flagship is fairly priced, and considering what you're building with the camera and lens, I think it's a price worth paying. Here's why.

New lenses means new looks and new possibilities

I've already used the Ultra Wide and Macro Lens Mods, utilizing the Ultra Wide lens when go-karting and mountain biking to fit more in the frame, and the Macro Lens to capture details. 

Macro Lens Mod in particular is a revelation. It reduces the Hero 13 Black's close-focusing distance to 4.3 inches / 11cm – that’s 4x closer than the built-in lens. When testing the Hero 13 Black and rivals like DJI Osmo Action 4, I've found close focusing limitations an issue – you can't easily hold the camera as close as you'd like for selfies. With this one accessory, GoPro has opened the Hero 13 Black to a huge slice of potential new users, especially vloggers.

I had a quick hands-on with the Anamorphic Lens Mod, though it was a pre-production version as the lens isn't due to be launched until 2025. GoPro has shared some clips taken with the lens that look great.

DJI's Osmo Action 4 has a bigger sensor and better low light performance than the Hero 13 Black, while Insta360's Ace Pro boasts higher resolution 8K video to the Hero 13 Black's 5.3K video. And successors to both of those cameras are rumored to be on the way very soon; the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and the Insta360 Ace Pro 2. 

However, I don't think we need 8K video in an action camera. GoPro's flagship already has enough detail in its 5.3K video and 27MP photos and, with its latest model's new accessories, it now offers the best user experience – you can read my hands-on review for more info about the camera.

You don't need a big imagination to think up where GoPro could go with its new line of accessories – it's the most exciting development in action cameras for some time. GoPro's tiny and waterproof flagship Hero products could become the go-to gear for shooting cinematic footage that's otherwise impossible or too costly with full-size gear. 

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It’s September, which means two virtual certainties in tech: we’re getting new iPhones and the latest GoPros. True to form, the action camera king has launched its latest flagship, the Hero 13 Black, plus an-all new beginner-friendly model, simply called the Hero.

The all-new model, the Hero, is GoPro's smallest-ever 4K action camera with a screen, and is designed to be as simple and affordable as they come. The entry-level model is is due to hit the shelves on September 22 and is also GoPro's cheapest-ever action camera, with a $199 / £199.99 / AU$349.95 list price. 

Coming in at twice the price of the Hero is the flagship Hero 13 Black, which starts at $399 / £399.99 / AU$649.95, while the Creator Edition costs $599 / £599.99 / AU$979.95. It'll be available sooner than the Hero, with a September 10 on-sale date. You can read our first impressions of the new flagship model in our hands-on GoPro Hero 13 Black review.  

GoPro has also unveiled a host of new accessories for the Hero 13 Black, notably new HB-Series lenses that include a Macro Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$249.95), which overcomes the close-focusing limitations that action cameras suffer from, and a compelling Anamorphic Lens Mod ($129.99 / £129.99 / AU$219.95) for de-squeezed letterboxed cinematic footage. 

These latest Lens Mods join the Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($99.99 / £99.99 / AU$169.95), as well as a new ND Filter 4-pack ($69.99 / £69.99 / AU$119.95), and when attached these are all automatically detected by the Hero 13 Black for ease of use – that’s a first. 

GoPro Hero 13 Black: the most refined action camera system yet

The top-line features of the Hero 13 Black are much the same as before: an 8:7 aspect ratio sensor with video resolution up to 5.3K, industry-leading HyperSmooth stabilization and waterproofing up to 33ft / 10m.  

So how exactly is GoPro hoping it can fend off fierce competition from DJI and its Osmo Action 4 (which it's rumored will be replaced by the Osmo Action 5 Pro soon) and the excellent Insta360 Ace Pro (which also has a rumored Ace Pro 2 successor in the pipeline)? By elevating its mature system of accessories, it seems, as well as by taking a leaf out of the competition's books. 

In a first for GoPro, the Hero 13 Black features convenient magnetic mounting, a feature that's also utilized by the new ’Contacto’ on-the-go charging accessory ($79.99 / £79.99 / AU$139.95). The redesigned built-in battery is also a higher-capacity 1,900mAh unit, capable of shooting 5.3K video for up to 1.5 hours and Full HD 1080p videos for around 2.5 hours. 

We also get the new series of Lens Mods, all of which are auto-detected by the Hero 13 Black thanks to a new mount design. For example, the anamorphic lens produces an ultra-wide letterboxed perspective that is de-squeezed by the camera, with signature lens flares, which are a popular effect with filmmakers.

The previous Max Mod lens from the Hero 12 Black can be used with the Hero 13 Black, albeit without auto-detection. However, the new HB-series lenses are not backwards compatible.

And while we’re not getting a new sensor or higher-resolution video, which will disappoint those with their heart set on a 8K GoPro that's also better in low light, video footage can be more cinematic. That’s because 5.3K video can be shot at up to 120fps for 4x slow-motion recording, as well as in superior 10-bit color depth, with an option for Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) HDR video to minimize lost detail in highlights and shadows. 

GoPro has also responded to the calls for the return of GPS – which was a disappointing omission from the Hero 12 Black. Not only can the Hero 13 Black tag your location, but through the Quik app Performance Stickers can be added to embed info such as speed, altitude and G-force into video clips. This is an open-source feature and compatible with third-party media management apps.

Despite there not being a lot that's new, the Hero 13 Black feels like a much more compelling package for serious creators than the Hero 12 Black.

GoPro Hero: the new beginner action camera to beat?

While the Hero 13 Black is steadily becoming a sophisticated cinematic tool for serious filmmakers, there’s a larger portion of users, especially beginners, who simply want to power up their action camera and shoot without all the fuss. It’s these people who could be interested in the Hero instead. 

The Hero is GoPro’s smallest and lightest 4K action camera with a screen yet, weighing just 3oz / 86g. It measures 56.6mm x 47.7mm x 29.4mm (WxHxD), meaning that overall it’s around 40% smaller than the Hero 13 Black.  

Being half the price of the GoPro Hero 13 Black, the Hero is naturally a simpler device. It has a smaller sensor than the Hero 13 Black, delivering 4K video up to 30fps with a run time of up to 100 minutes, plus 2.7K video at 60fps and 12MP photos. 

However, it has a slightly wider field of view, with 165-degree coverage compared to the Hero 13 Black's 156-degree FOV, so you won't really need a lens adaptor like the Ultra-Wide Lens Mod to fit more into your shots.

Beyond the specs, it’s the simplicity of the Hero, which is waterproof up to 16ft / 5m, that appeals. You can choose from three shooting options – Video (up to 4K), Slo-Mo (2.7K 60fps) and Photo – and the camera does the rest.

Being a simple, low-cost model, the Hero lacks a key feature: GoPro's HyperSmooth stabilization. That means your action videos will look pretty shaky when played back in-camera, but you can apply stabilization afterwards using the GoPro Quik app (as you can to footage from the Insta360 Go 3S using the Insta360 Studio app). From personal experience, the Quik app goes a long way to eliminating the shakes. 

The Insta360 Go 3S is another tiny action camera, but a different prospect to the Hero. GoPro's camera is much cheaper and has a built-in screen, but much simpler shooting modes. The Go 3S on the other hand is a modular camera, smaller in its screen-less form, then it loses its waterproofing when inserted to the Action Pod which has a screen, and which is very similar in size to the Hero. 

If you just want to get up and running quickly without fiddling around with camera settings, and want a more compact option than the Hero 13 Black, then the Hero looks like a solid choice, though we haven't had the chance to try out the new model yet. 

We'll be sharing more GoPro content soon, including more opinions and in-depth reviews. 

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Buying a new action camera this year is going to be a tricky decision, judging by the latest leaks. Not only have we just seen the launch of two new GoPro cameras, a DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro is also en route – and a new leak has suggested that Insta360 could even overshadow them both.

Thanks to PhotoRumors, we now have our first image of what appears to be the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, a successor to the already very powerful Insta360 Ace Pro. Considering we described the latter as an "absolute monster" and one of the best action cameras so far, it could be worth the wait.

The leak doesn't reveal a huge amount about the new Ace Pro 2's specs. Like before, it'll seemingly shoot 8K video (possibly at a higher 30fps frame-rate than the previous 24fps maximum), but this time will get a "dual AI chip" rather than the current model's single one.

The Ace Pro 2 will also apparently continue Insta360 and Leica's partnership with a Super Summarit-A lens, although there are no markings on the casing in the leaked image – so we can't tell if this still has an f/2.6 aperture, or is a brighter lens for better low-light performance.

We'll have to wait for the official launch for more details, but we can expect the Ace Pro 2 to again be weighty (both physically and in price). The original model was 17% heavier than the Hero 12 Black and cost $449.99 / £429 / AU$729 at launch. 

We should find out how the new GoPro Hero 13 Black and base Hero models compare to Insta360's incoming rival during GoPro's launch today at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST. 

Refined power?

Our Insta360 Ace Pro review was pretty complementary about the action cam – so much so that it currently sits third in our list of the best action cameras.

While that unique 8K resolution is more of a party trick than truly useful for most people, we still rate the Ace Pro as the best premium action camera around. It has tons of magnetic mounting options, and its handy 2.4-inch flip screen is great for vlogging and reviewing footage.

It isn't perfect, though, with no option to shoot in log format (for color grading afterward), while the 'AI' chip was mainly used for noise reduction, rather than clever computational tricks.

Still, if Insta360 manages to fine-tune the original version, it could again be a tempting option if you don't mind its size and price – and might put a downer on GoPro and DJI's imminent launch parties.

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Update September 4: GoPro has now officially launched the GoPro Hero 13 Black and GoPro Hero. For our early impressions, check out our hands-on GoPro Hero 13 Black review. For the original story and analysis about the GoPro Max 2, read on.

GoPro, we've been expecting you. The action cam giant traditionally launches its new action cameras every September, and right on cue it's just announced an event for two new Hero models. One of those will almost certainly be the GoPro Hero 13 Black, and the other a new base model called the GoPro Hero.

As GoPro's official X (formerly Twitter) account and homepage confirm, the date for your diary is September 4 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST. GoPro is promising "two new cameras" for you to "choose your adventure".

The teaser image of those two cameras matches the leaks we've seen recently, including a huge one on August 29 that revealed most of Hero 13 Black's specs. If the latter leak is accurate, we can expect a Hero 12 Black with a bigger battery, a slightly taller design, magnetic accessories, and new Lens Mod accessories with auto-detection.

Those Lens Mod accessories will seemingly include new Macro and Anamorphic options, with the latter likely designed to help you choose more cinematic videos with super-wide aspect ratios. On the downside, it looks unlikely that the Hero 13 Black will get a bigger sensor or the ability to shoot 8K video.

A new video leak of the Hero 13 Black, from the ever-reliable @Quadro_News (below), gives us a close look at its design. It looks much like the Hero 12 Black, with a front-facing display for vlogging – with the only notable design tweak being a grill on the front.

Less is known about the new GoPro Hero base model, which the teaser shows to be significantly smaller than the Hero 13 Black. Some previous leaked images on August 16 suggested it'll like be a replacement for the Hero 11 Black Mini, which landed back in 2022 as a cheaper, more compact action option for cyclists and mortorbikers. 

Its leaked product description described it as "our smallest 4K camera" with a "rugged, super-light design" that's "a fraction of the size and weight of other GoPro cameras". So it's shaping up to be a more affordable alternative to the Hero 13 Black, only without the vlogging-friendly front screen and lengthy battery life.

Where's the GoPro Max 2?

While GoPro is still the most recognizable name in action cams, it has stiffer competition these days from the world's best action cams – and we're also expecting a successor to the DJI Osmo Action 4 soon.

A recent DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak suggested that it'll be likely be launching this month, albeit with only relatively minor upgrades. Like the GoPro Hero 13 Black, it isn't expected to jump to a 1-inch sensor, sticking with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS chip with an f/2.8 aperture – although the sensor is still apparently "all-new".

For those who want a simple action camera to capture holiday b-roll or act as a helmet-based dash cam, the base GoPro Hero could be the more interesting of GoPro's two new models.

The high-end action cam space now contains the Insta360 One R 1-inch edition and 8K-capable Insta360 Ace Pro, not to mention the best 360 cameras for those who want to 're-frame' their footage afterwards. 

What this invite does appear to confirm is that GoPro's next 360 camera, the GoPro Max 2, won't be launching until later this year – although it's hopefully still on track for its "late Q4" estimate, which GoPro set back in May.

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It's now officially action camera season – just a day after a huge GoPro Hero 13 Black leak revealed most of its specs, a new DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro leak has spilled the beans on its most likely rival.

The new packaging images shared by @JasperEllens on X (formerly Twitter) below appear to confirm the earlier rumors we saw in July that DJI's GoPro rival will, like the DJI Osmo Action 4, stick with a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with an f/2.8 aperture and 155-degree field of view – although this time the sensor is apparently "all-new".

Otherwise, it's not yet clear why DJI has given this model a 'Pro' moniker. One promising spec on the packaging is the four hours "extended battery life" – our DJI Osmo Action 4 review described its predecessor's stamina as "middling", so that would be a good quality-of-life upgrade.

Another bonus could be the "professional audio recording" with a DJI Mic connection, although it isn't clear how that differs from the Action 4. You could already plug the receiver for the original DJI Mic into the camera's USB-C port, so it isn't yet clear if this is an upgrade or a refinement of that feature.

One area that does appear to have been polished is autofocus. The leaked box says you can track subjects with "enhanced precision". We don't yet know if DJI has improved another of our gripes about the Action 4 – its minimum focus distance being a fairly lengthy 0.4m – but that would be good news for action scenes at least.

There's no word on pricing or a release date for the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro yet, but given there upgrades appear to be minor we'd expect it to land in the region of $399 / £379 / AU$629 (like the Action 4). Does that new 'Pro' branding suggest DJI is planning to release a cheaper non-Pro model? Possibly, and given the leaks we may find out for sure very soon – once the DJI Neo launch on September 5 is out of the way.

Have we hit peak action cam?

The most striking thing about this DJI Action 5 Pro leak and the recent one we saw for the GoPro Hero 13 Black is that both cameras appear to be conservative upgrades – although that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Many DJI and GoPro fans had hoped for a 1-inch sensor, but the fact that both of their 2024 flagships appear to be sticking with smaller sensors suggests that wasn't practical – perhaps due to the impact on software features and the extra processing it would involve.

The Insta360 One R 1-inch edition remains an option if you want that sensor for lower light, while we also rate the 8K-capable Insta360 Ace Pro as one of the best action cameras you can buy (even though it costs a hefty $449 / £429 / AU$729). But the Action 5 Pro and Hero 13 Black should still prove to be reliable options at a slightly lower price.

These days, the real innovators in the action cam space are arguably the best 360 cameras like the Insta360 X4. We're looking forward to hearing more about the long-awaited GoPro Max 2 – hopefully during the Hero 13 Black launch – and perhaps even DJI might be tempted into the space, if it isn't distracted by its rumored mirrorless camera.

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