I ditched my phone camera for a week. The Osmo Pocket 3 is the one I kept using.

Key takeaways

Is the Pocket 3 worth it if you’re a casual vlogger? Quick answer. Personal opinion. Yes.

I ditched my phone camera for a week. Phone battery stayed fine — this thing captured the moments. Best portable on the market for low light (1-inch sensor).

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Back in the shell — not tossed in a bag.

DJI Osmo Pocket 3

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DJI Osmo Pocket 3 — the tiny camera companion I kept using after ditching my phone camera for a week.

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Not sponsored by DJI.

Last week I pretty much ditched my smartphone camera and used the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 as my tiny camera companion.

Why I ditched the phone

It took me 16 hours just to get from point A to my destination. 2 and a half hours of battery by itself. Non-stop shooting in 4K. I got the extended battery pack. That comes in the Costco option. There’s a vlogger option on Amazon too. Then you’ve got about four hours of shooting time, non-stop, in perfect conditions. Some people say five. I had no issue with those 16 hours.

Best part. My phone battery was fine. I was browsing. I wasn’t using the phone to take pictures and videos. This thing captured the moments.

If you want the price, I left links. I did not say a dollar amount on camera.

What I kept using

How does it do in low light? This is the best portable camera you can have on the market, even compared to a phone, for low light. 1-inch sensor. Sunset. Sitting in a restaurant with family. Night event. Party. More detail. Less grain. Better final product.

I put it to its limits. Low light mode. Time lapse. Motion lapse.

Time lapse and motion lapse: nothing easier on the market right now. Click it. Set it. Forget it. On the fly it takes about a minute to set up and you’re shooting. Phenomenal.

The only cameras I can think of that are easier to turn on and set up are the Action 5 Pro or some sort of GoPro. Pocket 3 and Action 5 Pro were the fastest on the market when I filmed this. End of February, beginning of March, 2025. This is not an Action 5 review. I already compared those here: GoPro Mission 1 Pro vs Action 5 Pro.

Battery life is fantastic. One of the best cameras you can put in your pocket that lasts all day. 2 and a half hours by itself. About four with the extended pack.

Durability. I was nervous. I still go ginger with this thing. I don’t toss it. I don’t throw it in my bag. I put it right back in its little shell. Lock it. Then it goes in my pocket. It’s magnetically attached and locks into place. Compact. I was happy putting it in my pocket.

Audio by itself, no DJI Mic 2, no Mini, no external. We hit the beach. Packed. Turtles on the sand. Sunset. That’s the built-in mic. You don’t need a fancy external mic to capture great audio. The only reason to add one is the condenser. Built-in still focuses on your voice. It also picks up other voices. It doesn’t cut the background off as much. More natural. In the moment.

Beginner friendly. There’s literally no other camera as beginner friendly as this. Tutorials. How-tos. DJI Mimo app. YouTube. Golden ratio and rule of thirds are built in. Game changing if you’re starting vlogging.

Pros

Casual-vlogger yes — ditched the phone camera for a week and kept using this
Low light — 1-inch sensor; sunset / restaurant / night event; more detail, less grain
Battery — ~2.5 hours solo non-stop 4K; ~4 with extended pack across a 16-hour travel day
Built-in mic — beach turtles/sunset without Mic 2 / Mini / external
Beginner friendly — Mimo / tutorials / golden ratio + rule of thirds built in
Shell lock — magnetic shell, pocketable when you go ginger

Cons

If you’re new, look up the tutorials. Bump down a lot of the predetermined settings or your final upload looks over-digitalized.

Some people have complained the screen gets stuck and stops working. I have not experienced that. I’ve only had this thing about 2 weeks.

It has moving parts. You could damage it. You could break it. It could become useless. Go ginger — shell it, don’t toss it in a bag.

Beyond that. Good device. Love it.

This is the test I filmed on Keli’i Discovers: DJI Osmo Pocket 3.

FAQ

Is the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 worth it if you’re a casual vlogger?
Yes. Personal opinion. I ditched my phone camera for a week and this is the one I kept using.

Low light?
Best portable camera you can have on the market for low light — even compared to a phone. 1-inch sensor. Sunset. Restaurant with family. Night event. More detail. Less grain.

Battery?
About 2.5 hours by itself, non-stop 4K. Extended pack (Costco option / Amazon vlogger option) — about four hours in perfect conditions. Some people say five. I had no issue across a 16-hour travel day.

Audio without an external mic?
Beach with turtles and sunset — built-in mic. You don’t need a fancy external mic for great audio. Built-in focuses on your voice and still picks up other voices. More natural.

Cons you actually said?
Bump down a lot of the predetermined settings or your final upload looks over-digitalized. Moving parts — go ginger; shell it, don’t toss it in a bag. Some people say the screen gets stuck; I have not seen that in about two weeks with mine.