What drama. DJI and Insta360 had dominated their respective markets for years, the former in consumer drones and the latter in 360-degree action video cameras. Each stayed in its own corner, on its own territory, and there was peace and harmony.
Was, as in past tense. Just a few days ago, Insta360 announced that it was launching a new sub-brand, Antigravity, to build consumer drones and take on DJI’s dominance in the consumer drone arena.
Now, DJI has released the Osmo 360 360-degree, 8K action camera. Obviously, it’s been cooking for a while and isn’t in response to Insta360’s Antigravity. But these two heavyweights are now in direct competition across their two major categories.
DJI is the first of the two to bring its competition killer to market, and the Osmo 360 looks pretty good at first glance.
DJI’s first 360 action cam
Even though much of the rest of the world can buy it today, on its July 31 launch date, the US’ shipping date is still up in the air. You can find the Osmo 360 on Amazon right now, though. Sort of.
Your choices are the Adventure Combo for $700 and the Standard Combo for $550. The former includes three batteries rather than the latter’s one, along with two battery cases, a 1.2-meter-long selfie stick, and a quick-release adapter.
At least as of July 31, the only storefront on Amazon selling the Osmo 360 is Fly Image Tech, which I have no prior experience with. With only 86 ratings and a 76% positive rating, that’s pretty poor.
Given that DJI mentions that it has an official DJI store on Amazon, it’s surprising that it’s not selling yet, but I’d wait to buy it through their storefront on Amazon. There’s also the official DJI store on eBay, although the Osmo 360 isn’t yet listed. You can also purchase the Osmo 360 through the DJI Store apps.
Since Insta360 just released the X5 8K action camera not long ago, I’m dying to get a hold of an Osmo 360 and give it a good side-by-side comparison to see if DJI’s first entry into the space can keep up with the industry standard bearer.
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