GoPro, struggling to find profitability in the midst of competition, found its best seller in the form of the Hero 7 series. In February 2019, the company finally turned a profit since the third quarter of 2017. It is the second time for the company to turn a profit since 2015 when it tried to enter the drone market with a product which they unfortunately called “Karma” which failed due to battery issues and it was against offerings of DJI, the king of civilian drones.

With DJI winning over GoPro  in the drone market, the Chinese company goes on offensive by offering a product that is said to be a GoPro killer --- the OSMO Action camera.

This is not the first offering from DJI of a compact video camera that can go almost anywhere. It released the OSMO Pocket, which is a pocketable gimbal camera and it took the enthusiast video camera market for being the most compact gimbal camera. Taking the lessons and some of the tech from OSMO Pocket, DJI finally goes head to head against GoPro with the OSMO Action.

The OSMO Action is almost identical to the flagship GoPro action camera, the Hero 7 Black, and offers some more. Whilst it has an LCD screen in the back, it also has an LCD screen in front so that the owner can see camera framing for a selfie take. The front screen reminds us of the OSMO Pocket which for all its smallness, it still got an LCD touch screen.

Other similarities to the Hero 7 Black is stabilization which GoPro calls it “HyperSmooth” whilst DJI calls the OSMO Action stabilization as “RockSteady” which I have to admit is a better term. Both have 1/2.3in CMOS 12-megapixel sensors, can shoot 4K videos at 4K, 1080p Full HD videos at 240fps, and 12mp stills. In video taking, the DJI offering can take video HDR which is a definite advantage. Both are waterproof with the OSMO Action going to a maximum of 11 metres whilst the Hero 7 Black is 10 metres.

For users of the GoPro action camera, they will feel right at home with the OSMO Action as they do not need to invest in another set of mounts just to use the OSMO Action. Since it’s almost a GoPro clone, it can use the GoPro mounts.

The disappointing deficiency with the OSMO Action is the lack of livestream which the GoPro Hero 7 Black does. Both have their own mobile Apps for quick editing and sharing on social media platforms as well as Voice Control.

Famous camera vlogger Kai Wong, formerly of RedWolf Airsoft TV, compares the OSMO Action to the Hero 7 Black and the Sony X3000:

Overall, it looks like DJI has a strong package to go against the GoPro Hero 7 Black save for the lack of livestreaming capability which many action camera owners are demanding nowadays so they can livestream on social media. Pricing wise, the OSMO Action is also £50 cheaper at £329 when it gets released next week, as compared to the £379 GoPro Hero7 Black. It is the same price as the popular OSMO Pocket.

We’ll find out in the following months if DJI will eat into the GoPro’s market with the OSMO Action. Will GoPro offer something better later this year with a GoPro Hero 6 Black perhaps? Let the showdown begin.