DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Review: The Camera I Kept Using Instead of My Phone

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

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

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

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.

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.

Back in the shell — not tossed in a bag.

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.

Not sponsored by DJI.

Cons I actually said. 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.

Last one. It has moving parts. You could damage it. You could break it. It could become useless.

Beyond that. Good device. Love it.