DJI first hit the action camera market in May 2019 with the DJI Osmo Action, which has quickly become a serious alternative to GoPro and one of the best action cameras. If you’ve been a fan of this innovative, rugged camera, the rumor has potentially good news – a spiritual successor is now seemingly on the way.
Since the launch of the original Osmo Action, we have seen the appearance of DJI Action 2, which landed in November 2021. This camera ditched the Osmo name and gained a modular cuboid design, allowing you to design a configuration tailored to your needs.
However, it seems DJI is now reverting to the more typical action camera design for the Osmo Action 3 we saw now in its first leaked images. What improvements will the new DJI action camera bring and can it be a serious rival to the rumored GoPro Hero 11 Black?
We were fans of the original Osmo Action’s impressive electronic stabilization (even if it resulted in a cropped image), along with crisp, vivid 4K video and a user-friendly interface. It was also the first large action camera to provide a front screen for vloggers, a feature that GoPro later applied to the GoPro Hero 9 Black.
All of these things make it a great alternative to GoPro in 2019. But action camera technology has improved a lot over the past few years, so we can’t wait to see what the DJI Osmo Action 3 is rumored to bring. Here are all the latest rumors and our wish list with the features we’d like the Action Cam to deliver.
DJI Action 3 release date and price
According to quite reliable @DealsDrone (opens in a new tab)DJI Osmo Action 3 is expected to launch in “mid-September”.
If that’s true, it’ll likely be pretty close to the rumored GoPro Hero 11 Black’s appearance, with GoPro’s flagship models usually arriving at this time of year.
DJI Action 3 will be released in mid-September, and its appearance is almost the same as Osmo Action pic.twitter.com/piOJMcg4dFAugust 20, 2022
So far, there have been no leaks revealing the price of the DJI Osmo Action. However, we can make some conscious guesses based on the price of the predecessor.
In 2019, the original Osmo share had a suggested retail price of $ 379 / £ 329 / AU $ 499, though it was soon reduced to just $ 329 / £ 279. Our guess is that DJI will again try to undercut its closest rival GoPro, which could soon be the Hero 11 Black, if GoPro adheres to its usual launch schedule.
The current Hero 10 Black can be purchased for $ 399 / £ 379 / $ 599.95 with a GoPro subscription, so we expect the price of the Osmo Action 3 to drop somewhere between that number and the original price. Unless it provides a huge upgrade like a 1 inch sensor …
Rumors about DJI Action 3 and what we want to see
The first rumors we saw about the DJI Osmo Action 3 came in late August from regular DJI leaks @DealsDrone (above) i @OSItalv (below).
They suggested that the new action camera will have a similar design to the original DJI Osmo Action, rather than the modular configuration of the newer DJI Action 2. And newer leaks seem to confirm that it will.
On September 5, we saw what looks like the first leaked image of the DJI Osmo Action 3, with @DealsDrone (below).
While a little blurry, it shows an Action Camera that looks a lot like DJI’s first Osmo Action, albeit with a darker color scheme and a new badge on the front. This image doesn’t reveal much, other than the fact that the Osmo Action 3 will likely retain the front screen and a similar lens to its 2019 predecessor.
It is likely that subsequent leaks will reveal more about its specs, but in the meantime, we have compiled a small wish list for improvements that we would like to see for the DJI Osmo Action 3 in 2022.
DJI Osmo Action 3: what we would like to see
1. Sensor with higher resolution
4K resolution is not petty at all, even by today’s standards. In fact, most YouTube videos are still watched at 480p on mobile devices. So why do we want more resolution? Well, simply because the Osmo Action 3 can live up to its rivals in detail and versatility.
The GoPro Hero 10 Black can record 5.3K at 60 frames per second, while the Insta360 One RS “Twin Edition” can record 5.7K or 360 degree “flat” video. If DJI Action 3 could record at 5K or higher, it would place it on a level playing field with the competition.
We’d say it’s even possible that DJI could give its new action camera a 1-inch sensor with 5.4K video recording as it would fit the DJI Air 2S drone. But at the moment, it’s just wishful thinking, rather based on any leaks or rumors.
2. MicroSD card slot
For a rather strange reason, DJI failed to install an SD card slot built into the main camera of the latest DJI Action 2. Instead, it came with 32GB of internal storage that could only be expanded if you purchased a separate battery module to get an SD card slot.
We’d love to see the return of the Osmo Action 3’s built-in microSD card slot. Given that it is expected to have the same design as the original Osmo Action (which had a microSD slot), it seems quite likely.
Not that we are reluctant to internal memory on those occasions when we have lost, forgotten, or full of our microSD card. A combination of 32 GB of internal memory with a card slot would be ideal.
3. Larger battery
Battery life was not a strong point of the DJI action cameras. Action 2 can record up to an hour at medium quality camera settings, or halve if you want to record in the highest 4K resolution. And it has always been wise to pack a power bank or a backup battery when taking the original DJI Osmo Action on a day trip.
We would like DJI to pack a larger battery for the Osmo Action 3, even if that means a slightly larger size. While we like the modular design of the Action 2, the body of the original DJI Action Camera should provide enough space for a full day’s battery.
4. Built-in handle
One of the big drawbacks to the original Osmo Action was that you had to add a separate housing to mount it to just about anything. This was also the case with the GoPro Hero 7 Black, but the GoPro has since have mounting fingers built in – and we’d love to see the same on the Osmo Action 3.
The big question is whether DJI will continue the magnetic mounting system we’ve seen in the DJI Action 2. Assuming it’s strong enough to handle the larger Osmo Action 3, it seems likely considering it was such an important feature last action DJI camera.
This would be a good thing, as we found it refreshingly easy to attach and remove the Action 2 from its holders. But we’ll have to wait until it is fully booted to find out if Osmo Action 3 will actually go this way.