DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Lands With Major Camera Upgrades

DJI has officially taken the wraps off the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, and it looks like exactly the sort of product that could make a lot of creators quietly stop pretending their giant camera setup is practical. Because while there is always a place for enormous mirrorless bodies, fancy lenses, cages, grips, mics, batteries and enough accessories to fill the boot of a family SUV, most people do not actually want that much faff just to film a weekend away, a quick reel, or a bit of decent video on the move.

That is where the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 comes in.

This new pocket-sized gimbal camera builds on the success of the previous model with a stronger imaging package, smarter tracking, better low-light capability and a more refined set of controls. On paper, at least, it looks like DJI has had a proper think about what people actually want from a compact creator camera, and then stuffed as much of it as possible into something you can slip into a jacket pocket. It brings a 1-inch CMOS sensor, 4K/240fps video, 14 stops of dynamic range, 10-bit D-Log, upgraded intelligent tracking and built-in storage, all in a body that is still designed for quick, easy shooting.

A tiny camera with much bigger ambitions

The big problem with compact cameras has always been compromise. They are easy to carry, yes, but too often they fall apart when the light gets poor, the subject starts moving, or the user wants anything more demanding than a steady shot of a latte on a café table. You buy them because they are convenient, then quietly accept that the footage will sometimes look a bit ordinary.

That is what makes the imaging upgrades here so important. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 uses a 1-inch CMOS sensor and an f/2.0 aperture, and sensor size still matters more than a lot of marketing departments would like to admit. A larger sensor generally means better low-light performance, more retained detail, and more natural-looking results, especially when the lighting is messy or the contrast is trying to blow the whole scene apart. DJI says the camera delivers clearer low-light shots, healthier skin tones in portrait scenes and better performance in difficult lighting conditions, which are exactly the areas where compact cameras have traditionally started to struggle.

That matters because this is not the sort of camera people buy to leave sitting on a tripod in a studio. It is built for travel days, family events, quick social clips, walking tours, dinners, city streets at dusk, beach sunsets and all those in-between moments where a phone does not quite cut it, but dragging around a full camera setup feels like complete overkill.

4K at 240fps is wonderfully unnecessary

Of course, no modern camera launch is complete without one feature that makes you raise an eyebrow and go, well that is a bit mad. In the case of the DJI Osmo Pocket 4, that feature is 4K recording at up to 240 frames per second.

That is serious slow-motion capability in something this small. Totally over the top for some people, absolutely. But also incredibly useful if you are the sort of person who likes making ordinary things look more dramatic than they really are. Waves crashing, tyres spitting gravel, drinks being poured, hair flying in the wind, kids running through sprinklers, dogs leaping off docks into the sea, all of it becomes more cinematic when you can slow it right down without throwing image quality in the bin.

More importantly, it means the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is not just relying on portability as its main selling point. It is offering portability with a genuinely impressive feature set, which is a much stronger place to be.

Smarter tracking for people filming on their own

There are few things more annoying than trying to film yourself while walking and then finding out later that the camera spent the entire time treating your shoulder like the star of the show. Solo shooting always sounds simple in theory, but in reality it turns into a messy balancing act between movement, framing, focus and trying not to look ridiculous while doing all three at once.

That is why DJI has put so much emphasis on tracking and stabilisation with the DJI Osmo Pocket 4. It comes with three-axis stabilisation and ActiveTrack 7.0, along with features like Spotlight Follow, Dynamic Framing, Subject Lock Tracking and Registered Subject Priority. Strip away the jargon and the point is fairly straightforward, the camera is designed to keep subjects sharp, centred and properly framed as they move, even when the person filming is also the person in the shot. DJI also says tracking can work at up to 4x zoom, which adds even more flexibility for creators shooting on the go.

Gesture controls are part of the package as well. Showing your palm can trigger ActiveTrack, while flashing a peace sign can take a photo or start and stop recording. It may sound a little gimmicky at first, but for solo creators it is the sort of feature that can quickly become genuinely useful, especially when you do not want to keep tapping at a tiny screen every few seconds.

For vloggers, travel creators, parents, couples filming together, or anyone trying to capture smooth handheld footage without needing a second person behind the camera, this looks like one of the most practical and appealing parts of the whole setup.

Better controls, less mucking around

What often separates a good compact camera from an annoying one is not the spec sheet. It is whether the thing is actually pleasant to use when you are in a hurry.

DJI seems to understand that. The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 adds a range of practical changes aimed at making the shooting experience quicker and less fiddly. Recording can begin simply by rotating the screen, which is a sensible little shortcut. There are now two buttons below the display, one for zoom and one for custom presets, so you do not have to dive through menus like you are trying to hack into a government server. DJI has also added a new 5D joystick that can move the camera backwards, recentre the gimbal and flip the camera.

None of this is flashy, but it is important. Cameras like this live or die by ease of use. If a device takes too much effort, people stop reaching for it. If it is quick, intuitive and easy to trust, it becomes something you actually bring everywhere.

That is also where the built-in 107GB of storage comes in. It means you are not entirely dependent on memory cards, which is lovely, because memory cards are one of those small but relentless annoyances of modern tech. They are either missing, full, too slow, in the wrong device, or sitting in a laptop at home. DJI says transfer speeds can hit up to 800MB/s, so moving footage should be quick as well.

Creative extras that actually sound useful

DJI has packed in a few extra tricks as well, and some of them sound genuinely worthwhile rather than pure marketing fluff.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 includes Slow Shutter Video, which allows users to adjust shutter speeds in video mode to create motion blur and movement trails. There are also Film Tone options for recreating classic looks, plus In-Camera Beautify tools for refining skin smoothness, brightness and tone in selfies or group shots. An attachable fill light is also available, with three brightness and temperature settings to help in low-light or backlit conditions.

Now, obviously, not everyone is going to use every one of these. Some people will ignore the beautify tools entirely. Others will live in them. Some will be obsessed with film tones. Others will just want a stable camera that shoots nice footage of their holiday. The point is that DJI is trying to make the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 flexible enough to suit all of them.

And frankly, that is smart. The content world is not neatly divided anymore. One person’s travel camera is another person’s food video camera, family memory machine, event vlogging rig or quick behind-the-scenes tool.

Battery life and audio matter more than brands like to admit

Compact cameras often promise the earth and then flatten themselves the second you actually leave the house. That does not seem to be the case here, at least based on DJI’s claims.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 can recharge from 0 to 80 per cent in 18 minutes, and a full charge is rated for up to 240 minutes of 1080p/24fps recording. That is a handy mix of fast charging and respectable endurance, especially for people using it across a day of travel or short bursts of content creation.

Audio support looks solid too. The camera uses a built-in microphone array to capture vocals while still picking up ambient sound, and it supports direct connection to DJI Mic transmitters including Mic 2, Mic 3 and Mic Mini. It also supports 4-channel audio recording, which gives creators a lot more flexibility than you might expect from something this size.

That could make a meaningful difference for interviews, walking pieces to camera, casual event coverage or quick creator setups where sound quality can often be the first thing to collapse.

Australian pricing and availability

In Australia, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is available for pre-order now, with official sale and shipping beginning on 22 April. DJI is offering three configurations locally. The Essential Combo starts at $749 AUD, the Standard Combo is priced at $769 AUD, and the Creator Combo comes in at $959 AUD.

The Standard Combo includes the Osmo Pocket 4, USB-C to USB-C PD cable, gimbal clamp, wrist strap, handle with 1/4-inch thread and a portable carrying pouch. Step up to the Creator Combo and you also get extras including a wide-angle lens, DJI Mic 3 transmitter, magnetic clip, windscreens, fill light, mini tripod and carrying bag. DJI Care Refresh will also be available for buyers who want extra protection against accidental damage.

That pricing puts the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 in an interesting position. It is not impulse-buy cheap, but it is also nowhere near the financial black hole that opens when you start piecing together a larger mirrorless setup.

Final thoughts

The clever thing about the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is that it does not seem to be trying to replace a full camera system. It is trying to be something much more useful than that, a genuinely capable camera you will actually carry.

That is a big difference.

On paper, DJI has combined strong imaging upgrades, much smarter tracking, useful stabilisation, fast charging, solid audio support and a bunch of thoughtful usability tweaks into a body that still looks ridiculously portable. If those promises translate well into real-world use, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 could be one of the most appealing compact creator cameras around.

And that, really, is what makes it interesting. Not because it is tiny, though it is. Not because it has a long list of features, though it absolutely does. But because it looks like the kind of device that could make people leave the heavy gear at home without feeling like they are sacrificing too much in return.

That is a very hard trick to pull off.

And DJI may well have nailed it.