Engadget Guide Ranks Insta360 Luna Pro, DJI Pocket 3 as Alternatives to Unavailable Osmo Pocket 4

The Osmo Pocket 4, according to Engadget, offers sharp and color-accurate video, strong stabilization and generous onboard storage. But buyers in the U.S. cannot purchase it through official channels. The guide says DJI's main rival, Insta360, offers the Luna Pro, which has similar features and video quality, while the original Osmo Pocket 3 remains on sale and is still a strong camera. It also mentions other choices from Agfa, Ordro and SJCam, though it says it will show which to buy and which to avoid.

Engadget says DJI essentially created the gimbal cam category with its Osmo Pocket series, particularly the Pocket 3 released in 2023. In its review at the time, Engadget said the Pocket 3 introduced capabilities that small cameras had not offered before, including motorized subject tracking, gimbal stabilization, and automatic horizontal or vertical video orientation through a screen flip. It started at $520.

Later gimbal cameras have followed that template, the guide says. They are stick-shaped, with a camera supported by a three-axis gimbal. Their handles usually include a touch screen that can be flipped to change video orientation, a joystick for the gimbal, and buttons for recording, power and other controls. DJI dominated the market for nearly the life of the Pocket 3 and has reportedly sold millions of units, according to Engadget. Rivals appeared only recently, most notably Insta360's Luna Pro and dual-camera Luna Ultra.

DJI also introduced the Pocket 4 and a dual-camera Pocket 4P, but neither is available in the U.S., the guide says. Some companies tried to import DJI's Pocket cameras under different names, but those products have now been banned as well, so Engadget does not discuss them. The guide adds that further competition may be coming: Chinese smartphone company Oppo recently revealed it is exploring a gimbal camera, and another phone maker, Vivo, may be doing the same.

For the best affordable alternative, Engadget points to the Insta360 Luna Pro. It says the Luna Pro is nearly on par with the Pocket 4. To compete with the Pocket 4's 1-inch sensor and 20mm Hasselblad f/2.0 optics, the Luna Pro offers a similar 1-inch sensor with a 20mm f/1.8 Leica Summicron lens. The Luna Pro cannot shoot 4K at 240 fps like the Pocket 4, but it offers 8K at 30 fps, which its rival lacks.

Both cameras support 10-bit log capture, with I-Log on the Insta360 and DLog on DJI's Pocket 4. Engadget says the Pocket 4 has a more impressive 14 stops of dynamic range. Recent tests cited by the guide showed that while the Luna Pro offers excellent image quality in regular picture mode, its I-Log setting may have deficiencies that impair dynamic range compared with the Pocket 4.

In other areas, the Luna Pro is a like-for-like competitor, according to Engadget. Both cameras offer automatic subject tracking, allowing users to set the camera up and have it follow them as they walk. Stabilization in Engadget's testing was excellent and smooth, on par with the Pocket 4. Both can switch from horizontal to vertical mode by rotating the screen. Battery life is rated at up to four hours for both. The Luna Pro also offers internal storage, but at 47GB it is less than half the Pocket 4's 107GB.

Engadget says the Luna Pro beats the Pocket 4 in a couple of ways. It can shoot vertical video at up to 4K 30 fps, compared with just 3K for DJI's camera, because the higher 8K resolution crops down to 4K. The Luna's display is also detachable, letting users walk away from the camera and still line up shots. The Luna Pro costs $600, the same as the Pocket 4 but more expensive than other options in the guide. It is still cheaper than trying to import a Pocket 4 in the U.S., Engadget says. If that price is affordable, the guide recommends it unreservedly as the best alternative.

The runner-up is DJI's Pocket 3. Engadget notes that because it was previously approved, the Pocket 3 is officially available in the U.S., complete with support, for around $439. Though a little old and more expensive than other models in the roundup, it is still better than anything else in that price range, according to the guide. The Pocket 3 has a 1-inch sensor like the Pocket 4, along with the same 20mm f/2.0 lens. It can shoot 4K at 120 fps, but not 240 fps.