What Happened: DJI just dropped its latest action camera, the Osmo Action 6, and it’s bringing some serious upgrades over the old model.
- The biggest change is the sensor. It’s ditched the standard shape for a new, almost square one (1/1.1-inch CMOS).
- Why? Because now you can shoot a video and decide later whether you want it to be wide (landscape) for YouTube or tall (portrait) for TikTok. GoPro started this trend, and now DJI is playing catch-up.
- The other huge feature is the lens. It’s added a variable aperture (you can adjust how much light gets in, from f/2.0 to f/4.0), which is a huge step up from the fixed lens on the older Action 5 Pro.
- This gives you way more control over lighting and focus, especially for close-up shots. Speaking of close-ups, the new Macro Lens now lets you focus on things as close as 11cm (that’s about 4 inches!).
- It’s also got better stabilisation, 10-bit color for serious editing, wider field of view, and 2x lossless zoom.
- The only thing missing? DJI conspicuously didn’t give us the U.S. price or release date. (It costs around $422 in China, but we know our prices will be different.)
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Why Is This Important: This move to the square sensor is a game-changer for anyone who posts videos online.
- You no longer have to stress about vertical vs. horizontal framing before you hit record.
- It makes the Action 6 way more useful for any social media workflow. Adding the variable aperture just gives it the kind of professional flexibility that you usually don’t find in a tiny, rugged camera like this.
- DJI is clearly positioning this camera to go head-to-head with GoPro, pushing its own hardware to be the absolute premium choice.
DJI
Why Should I Care: If you shoot literally anything for Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, the new square sensor and variable aperture give you way more creative freedom when you sit down to edit.
- The improved stabilisation (RockSteady 3.0) and the 10-bit color support mean your footage will be much easier to colour-grade and look far more professional.
- Creators who rely on those tight shots – like for food vlogs or product reviews – will absolutely love that 11cm minimum focusing distance.
What’s Next: DJI hasn’t given us the U.S. availability or official pricing yet, but since the camera is already on sale in China, we expect a global launch announcement soon. Once that price tag is confirmed, DJI will be setting the stage for the next major showdown against GoPro’s flagship, expected sometime in 2025.
