DJI is taking another swing at the “camera in your pocket” idea, and this time it looks a lot closer to a true all-in-one vlogging rig. The new Osmo Pocket 4 keeps the familiar candy-bar form factor and 3-axis gimbal, but under the hood, it is a much more serious tool for creators, especially if you care about slow motion, low-light performance, and not fiddling with memory cards and cables every time you shoot.​

At the heart of the Osmo Pocket 4 is a 1-inch CMOS sensor paired with an f/2.0 lens, which puts it well ahead of typical action cameras and smartphones when the light starts to drop. DJI says the camera now delivers up to 14 stops of dynamic range and 10-bit D-Log, which is the kind of spec you usually see on much larger mirrorless bodies rather than something that literally fits in your jeans pocket. In practical terms, that means smoother highlight roll-off in tricky scenes like sunset skies, more recoverable detail in shadows, and enough color information to grade your footage to a proper cinematic look without it falling apart.

Frame rate is another big headline change: the Osmo Pocket 4 can shoot ultra HD slow motion at up to 4K/240 fps, effectively doubling the slow-mo capability of the Pocket 3, which topped out at 4K/120. For creators who love turning quick movements – water splashes, skate tricks, city streets – into butter-smooth, slowed-down b-roll, that extra headroom gives you far more flexibility in editing. And if you are not chasing slow motion, the camera can run comfortably at more standard 4K frame rates while still taking advantage of that sensor and dynamic range, making it just as suited to talking-head vlogs and travel diaries as it is to stylized cinematic projects.

Low-light performance is clearly one of DJI’s focus areas this generation. The company highlights better skin tones, more natural portraits, and cleaner images in high-contrast scenes such as street lights at night or backlit subjects around dusk. Thanks to the combination of the 1-inch sensor, wide aperture, and that extended dynamic range, the Osmo Pocket 4 should need less aggressive noise reduction than its predecessor, which usually translates into more texture and detail in faces and backgrounds. For creators used to fighting muddy night footage from phones, having a stabilized pocket camera that can hold up in dim restaurants, bars, or night markets is a big quality-of-life upgrade.

Stabilization is still handled by a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, and that remains one of the Pocket line’s main advantages over traditional action cams that rely solely on electronic stabilization. With the Osmo Pocket 4, you can walk and talk, pan slowly across a skyline, or move through a crowd while the camera keeps the horizon level and motion fluid in a way that feels more like a mini cinema rig than a phone on a stick. DJI offers multiple gimbal modes for different shooting styles, from locked-off framing to more free-flowing follow modes that respond to your wrist movements, giving you a surprising amount of creative control considering the size of the device.

Intelligent tracking is another area where DJI has brought over its drone and gimbal smarts. The Osmo Pocket 4 introduces ActiveTrack 7.0, an updated subject tracking system that can even follow subjects at up to 4x zoom. There are modes like Spotlight Follow and Dynamic Framing, which essentially handle the job of a camera operator, keeping you or your subject in frame and in focus while you move around. For solo creators who are often both presenter and camera crew, being able to put the Pocket 4 on a small tripod, tap to select yourself on the flip screen, and let it follow you as you talk or demo a product is hugely appealing.

Autofocus has been upgraded as well, with DJI touting Intelligent AutoFocus plus a couple of very creator-friendly ideas: “Subject Lock Tracking” and “Registered Subject Priority.” Subject Lock lets the camera latch onto a specific person or object and stay with it even if other people walk through the frame, while Registered Subject Priority allows you to pre-register a subject that the camera will prioritize whenever it appears. This is the kind of small but thoughtful feature that matters when you are shooting in busy environments like events, conventions, or street festivals, where you do not want the camera constantly hunting between faces.

DJI is also leaning into hands-free operation via gesture controls. You can trigger ActiveTrack with a palm gesture, or start and stop recordings and stills with a simple “V” sign towards the camera. It sounds like a gimmick, but combined with a mini tripod and the new audio ecosystem, it turns the Osmo Pocket 4 into a genuinely practical self‑shooting tool – no more half-cut clips of you walking towards the camera to hit record, then walking back to your mark.

The hardware layout has seen a meaningful overhaul. Under the rotating screen are two new physical controls: a dedicated zoom button and a custom preset button. The zoom button lets you jump between 1x, 2x lossless, and up to 4x zoom with a tap, which is far more intuitive than digging into menus or pinching on a tiny display, especially while you are moving. The preset button is programmable, so you can map it to your most used settings – for example, toggling between a vlog profile and a cinematic slow-mo setup – cutting down the friction when switching shooting styles mid-day.

One of the most noticeable quality-of-life upgrades is the new 5D joystick. It gives you precise control over pan and tilt, plus quick shortcuts to recenter the gimbal or flip the camera between front-facing and rear-facing orientations. For anyone coming from the Osmo Pocket 3, this is where the Osmo Pocket 4 feels more “pro”, letting you feather in subtle moves instead of jerky, over‑sensitive adjustments on a touch screen.

Storage and connectivity are areas where the Pocket 4 quietly breaks from previous DJI handhelds. The camera now includes 107GB of built‑in storage and supports transfer speeds up to 800MB/s over USB 3.1, meaning you can shoot a decent amount of footage without even inserting a microSD card, then offload everything quickly at the end of the day. For creators who have, more than once, arrived on location only to realize they left their memory card in a card reader at home, that internal storage is an underrated safety net.​

Battery life is rated for up to 240 minutes of 1080p/24 fps recording on a full charge, with fast charging that takes the battery from 0 to 80 percent in around 18 minutes. In practice, that means you can top up during a coffee stop and comfortably get through several hours of mixed shooting without anxiety, especially if you are not constantly hammering 4K/240 fps. For travel vloggers or on‑site creators, not having to carry a stack of batteries or power banks for a handheld camera is a big plus.

On the creative side, DJI is adding more in-camera tools so you do not have to rely on post-production for every effect. There is a Slow Shutter Video mode that lets you drag the shutter to capture motion blur and light trails, which can make even simple scenes – car lights in the rain, people crossing a street – look dramatically more interesting. Film Tone presets offer curated looks inspired by classic film aesthetics, giving you a quick way to get appealing color straight out of the camera if you do not want to dive into manual grading. There is also a built-in Beautify option for skin smoothing and tone adjustments, clearly aimed at the selfie and social crowd, though you can dial it back if you prefer a more natural look.

For low-light or backlit situations, DJI has created an attachable fill light accessory with adjustable brightness and color temperature, included in certain creator bundles. It mounts directly to the Pocket 4, so you are not juggling separate light stands or small clip-on LEDs, which again fits this “compact mobile studio” theme DJI is pushing. Combined with that 1-inch sensor, you should be able to handle most indoor environments with a pleasing, soft look without lugging extra gear.

Audio is another area where the Osmo Pocket 4 moves beyond “good enough.” The built-in microphone array has been tuned to capture both clear voice and ambient sound, and more importantly, the camera now plugs directly into DJI’s OsmoAudio ecosystem. It supports direct connection to DJI Mic transmitters like Mic 2, Mic 3, and Mic Mini, and can record four-channel audio for more complex setups – for example, dual interviews or separating voice and ambient tracks. For creators who have already invested in DJI mics, this makes the Pocket 4 an even more attractive upgrade.

Of course, DJI is also pushing its Care Refresh plans alongside the hardware. Osmo Pocket 4 is covered by DJI Care Refresh, which offers up to two replacements in one year or four in two years, covering collisions, water damage, and general wear for a fee per replacement. For a device with a protruding, motorized gimbal that you may toss into bags or shoot with one-handed in crowded places, that kind of protection will be reassuring, especially if this becomes your primary content camera.

Pricing positions the Osmo Pocket 4 clearly as a premium creator tool rather than an impulse buy gadget. In Europe, the Standard Combo starts at around €499, with a Creator Combo jumping to roughly €619 and adding extra accessories like a DJI Mic transmitter, fill light, wide-angle lens, and tripod. Reports put the base price in the US market in the same ballpark – around €499 – which is higher than many action cams but competitive when you factor in the sensor size, gimbal, audio integration, and internal storage. Pre-orders have already opened via DJI’s online store, with shipping beginning in late April 2026 in many regions.

So where does that leave existing Pocket 3 users? Early hands-on impressions suggest the Osmo Pocket 4 feels more like a refined evolution than a completely new category. The sensor size is the same on paper, the lens remains a 20 mm equivalent f/2.0, and the overall silhouette is familiar. The real story is in the details: doubled slow-mo frame rates, better dynamic range and low-light performance, more physical controls, built-in storage, smarter tracking, and tighter audio integration. If you already own a Pocket 3 and are mostly shooting casual 4K/30 or 4K/60 vlogs, you may not “need” this upgrade – but if you push your camera hard in challenging light, rely on slow motion, or want fewer accessories and compromises in your kit, the Pocket 4 starts to look like a very compelling step up.

For newcomers, though, this is arguably the most complete version of DJI’s pocket gimbal idea yet. You are getting a stabilized, 1-inch-sensor 4K camera with serious dynamic range, high-frame-rate slow motion, a flexible audio and accessory ecosystem, large internal storage, and enough battery to keep rolling for hours, all in a device that weighs under 200 grams. In 2026, with short-form video, livestreaming, and travel content still exploding, the Osmo Pocket 4 feels like DJI’s pitch for an all-in-one, creator-first camera that finally justifies leaving your phone in your pocket – and that might be its strongest selling point.