Two years into our creator journey with DJI, and we’ve finally found a worthy replacement for our DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Meet the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P.
We started our DJI journey with the two years ago when we asked a friend to cop us a Pocket 3 Creator Combo in Tokyo. By that time, the Pocket 3 had been released for more than half a year, and had gained popularity among creators around the world. The Creator Combo, which was the best deal for us since we were just starting our DJI journey, was out of stock in the Philippines, and if there were gray units in the market, they were ridiculously overpriced.
Since then, we’ve added several DJI cameras and mics to our camera bag – the Osmo 360, Action 6, Osmo Nano – but still use the Pocket 3 as our main shooter. We’re happy to note that while it needs routine servicing soon, it’s never needed any repairs since we started using it.
Cut to July 2024. DJI has finally launched the latest addition to its popular Osmo Pocket line – the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P. The much-awaited model brings quality of life upgrades that improve the user experience for both casual and professional users, including the single biggest gripe we had, the lack of zoom. At 230g, it’s still considerably light-weight, albeit now top heavy, intuitively portable, and more powerful than ever.
Off the bat, you will immediately notice that the Pocket 4P sports dual cameras. This addresses one of the biggest gripes we have with the P3, and had DJI added just this, we would still have bought the upgrade. But of course, DJI didn’t stop there. This is the 5th iteration of the Pocket Series, after all. These dual cams allow for cinematic quality at both near and far distances.
The dual-lens layout—20mm wide-angle and 60mm medium-telephoto with 3x optical zoom—changes the way you shoot from a single device. You can frame sweeping garage wide shots and then seamlessly push in for door-handle detail or badge close-ups without swapping rigs or using “lakad zoom” which isn’t always possible. Its 12x digital zoom combined with ActiveTrack 8.0 lets you lock onto a car or driver and smoothly pull in from distance for reveal shots that would otherwise require a second operator or a larger gimbal with a long lens. The 3x zoom telephoto lens features a focal length equivalent to 60 mm and produces a creamy bokeh that enhances focus on subjects, may they be people, or objects.
ActiveTrack improvements plus a 3-axis mechanical gimbal mean long exterior drive-bys or static reviews with moving subjects stay steady. The focus and face/eye-priority tracking are noticeably quicker than Pocket 3’s, which matters when a subject moves abruptly or when you’re filming a driver stepping in and out of a vehicle. For motion work, the 4K/240fps ultra-HD slow motion is a standout for showstopping detail—splashing water off a tire, fluttering flags at a track, or a hood ornament reveal. Worthy to note, though, that 4K is only possible when shooting horizontal, as shooting vertical maxes out at 3K.
And then there’s the refreshed 1-Inch CMOS sensor and 17 stops of dynamic range. This produces greater detail in highlights and shadows—critical when you’re switching between harsh midday suns, reflective paint finishes, and dim garages. Footage taken in dark locations are significantly brighter and hardly grainy which is what you expect from taking videos in less-than-ideal Color grading is also easier and more forgiving with 10-bit D-Log 2. This is for advanced users who tweak their colors in post-production, which, to be honest, we rarely do, as we mostly produce short form videos. Carried over from the Pocket 4 is detachable fill light is included in both the standard and VLOG Combo. DJI’s detachable screen remote called the FrameTap, which was originally sold for the DJI Osmo Mobile 8P gimbal, has found its way into the VLOG Kit but can also be bought as an additional accessory. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out that if you use the DJI Mimo app on your phone, anyways, you don’t need the FrameTap. (Sorry, not sorry.)
Storage and transfer workflow have also dramatically improved. The Pocket 4P ships with 103 GB of built-in storage—perfect for long press days and time-sensitive shoots where swapping microSD cards is a hassle. This is also notable since the prices of storage have increased exponentially because of the AI boom, and you can literally use the camera straight out of the box. For those who need the extra storage, it supports up to 1 TB in microSD form. Wired transfer hits USB 3.1 speeds up to 800 MB/s and Wi‑Fi 6 up to 90 MB/s, saving crucial time when offloading rushes between shoots or sending clips to editors. They’ve also added a customizable button which you can configure to your liking. This is accessible with the screen flipped to landscape (horizontal) mode.
In practice, the camera’s ergonomics and DJI’s accessory ecosystem keep it practical on set. The Pocket 4P’s small mass and light weight make it ideal for one-person crews: you can mount it on a suction arm, clamp it on an A-pillar, or sling it handheld for walkaround coverage without the additional burden of extra weight. The availability of DJI-branded add-ons and a growing range of third‑party mounts, cages and smartphone adapters means you can quickly build a personalized kit that suits your shooting style and requirements to a tee.
The Pocket 4P isn’t limited to videos. It can also take 37MP stills and 4K Live Photos that are social media ready. Battery life has also been bumped up a bit to 1545mAh which lasts approximately 210 minutes. This can be extended using the Osmo Pocket 4 Controller which is compatible with the Pocket 4P (as well as the Pocket 3). Charging from zero to 80% is roughly 18 minutes, while a full charge takes a little over 30.
If there’s one thing we don’t understand with the Pocket 4P is its lack of a hard cover or shell to protect the gimbal when not in use. DJI replaced the hard case that protected both the gimbal and the screen of the Pocket 3 with a gimbal clamp for the Pocket 4. For the Pocket 4P, however, these are replaced by a soft zippered pouch that fits the main camera, sans the tripod and adaptor. It’s a good thing that third-party accessories are readily available online to protect your investment.
The pricing puts this squarely in practical prosumer territory: the Standard Pack retails at P37,790 while the Vlog Kit is P42,290, available in black and a new white colorway. For someone upgrading from the Pocket 3—like I was—the zoom, sensor and workflow improvements make it an no-brainer upgrade.
The Osmo Pocket 4P preserves the portability and ease of use that made the Pocket line indispensable for on-the-road coverage, while adding real creative tools—optical zoom, larger sensor, richer dynamic range and robust storage—that elevate it from a clever pocket camera to a practical main or B‑camera for automotive journalists and creators.
