Full DJI Pocket 3 specs leak, and it’s a much bigger upgrade than we thought

It wouldn’t be a DJI launch without some massive leaks in the run-up to the official reveal, and that’s proving to the case again for the DJI Pocket 3, a new video camera that has some surprisingly big upgrades.

In the past few days we’ve seen a full specs sheet, an unboxing video, and early video review of DJI’s next compact, gimbal-stabilized camera appear online. Collectively, they hint at five main improvements over the current DJI Pocket 2, with the headline upgrade being a new 1-inch sensor.

According to a specs sheet and DJI marketing materials unearthed by the ever-reliable Quadro_News, the new sensor will also be capable of shooting 4K/120p video. If the leaked specs are correct, this means the DJI Pocket 3 should be both better in low light, and also for shooting slow-motion videos.

A slight caveat on that first claim is that the Pocket 3’s 20mm lens will be slightly slower than its predecessor’s (f/2.0 compared to f/1.8 on the Pocket 2). But overall, the significant jump from a 1/1.7-inch to a 1-inch sensor should more than compensate, while still offering a natural shallow depth of field when shooting wide open.

What isn’t yet clear is the resolution the Pocket 3 will offer. The leaked specs suggest it could be around 9.4MP, according to the listed 1:1 resolution of 3072 x 3072 pixels, which also hints at open-gate recording for vertical videos. But we don’t yet know if this also refers to photos, with the Pocket 2 offering 16MP or 64MP modes for stills.

Another potential compromise between the two video cameras (which we’ve compared below, based on the leaks) appears to be an increase in weight. The Pocket 3 will seemingly be 62g heavier than its predecessor at 179g, although that’s still pretty light compared to 1-inch compact cameras like the Sony ZV-1 II (which weighs 292g).

But overall, the Pocket 3 is shaping up to be a significant upgrade on the three-year-old Pocket 2, with faster charging times, a lower base ISO, and a much bigger screen all hinted at in the leaked specs. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to find out those last official specs and, crucially, the price.

When will the Pocket 3 launch?

(Image credit: DJI)

The official date for DJI’s next launch event, which is almost certainly for the Pocket 3, is October 25 at 6am PT / 9am ET / 2pm BST, which is 12am AEST on October 26 in Australia. 

It’s an exciting launch for video shooters because not many compact cameras, and zero smartphones, have their camera mounted on a three-axis gimbal. This gimbal is great for both video stabilization (an area that phones have caught up in, with features like the iPhone’s Action mode) and creative camera moves.

While phone gimbals like the DJI OM 6 can track you around a scene, they rely on your smartphone’s camera. If the DJI Pocket 3 does have a 1-inch sensor, then it could potentially offer better image quality than an OM 6 setup – while also letting you hold onto phone while you’re shooting.

With 10-bit video, fast-charging and that much-needed bigger screen all apparently coming with the Pocket 3, it could well fix most of its predecessor’s weaknesses without too many compromises.

We’ll bring you all of the official news as it happens on October 25. If the launch is indeed for the DJI Pocket 3, that would see the camera arrive almost exactly three years after the Pocket 2 (which was released on November 1, 2020).

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