DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo Review: a solid GoPro alternative with great low-light and battery

I’ve been using the DJI Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo for a few weeks now for bike rides, short hikes, and some pool stuff with the kids. I’m not a pro filmmaker, just someone who wants good footage without spending evenings digging through settings. I came from a cheap no‑name action cam and have borrowed a GoPro a couple of times, so I had a decent point of comparison.

The first thing that hit me is that this feels like a proper tool, not a toy. It’s compact, dense in the hand, and doesn’t rattle or creak. Setup took maybe 10–15 minutes including a firmware update. Menus are simple enough that I didn’t need a manual for basic use. I basically charged it, stuck in a microSD card, and was recording in 4K within minutes.

I bought the Essential Combo specifically because I wanted the vertical frame and didn’t care about having three batteries like in the Adventure pack. Most of my stuff is for YouTube and a bit of Instagram, so switching between horizontal and vertical with the included frame was more important than an extra battery case. So far, that was the right call for me.

Overall, the Osmo Action 4 feels like a camera for people who actually plan to use it regularly, not just once on a holiday. It’s not perfect, there are a few annoyances I’ll get into, but in daily use it mostly gets out of the way and just records clean, stable video. For an “everyday user” camera, that’s basically what I care about.

Price-wise, the Osmo Action 4 Essential Combo sits in the same ballpark as a new GoPro, sometimes a bit less depending on promos. It’s not cheap, especially compared to the random budget action cams you see online, but you do feel where the money goes: better stabilisation, better low‑light, more solid build, and features like Pre‑Rec and the magnetic mount that actually make life easier.

What you don’t get for the price here is a full “all accessories included” setup. One battery, one basic mount, and the vertical frame are okay to start, but most people will end up buying at least: an extra battery, a head/helmet or chest mount, and a decent microSD card. If you already know you’ll shoot a lot, the Adventure Combo with three batteries and the charging case might actually be better value, even if it costs more upfront.

Compared to GoPro, I’d say the Action 4 is very competitive. Image quality is on par, stabilisation is right up there, and low‑light is one of its strong points. The DJI app situation on Android (no Google Play, manual download) is a bit annoying, but once installed, it works fine. If you want a camera that you can just mount, hit record, and not think too much, it does the job well. You don’t need to be a professional to get usable footage.

So in terms of value, for someone who actually uses an action cam regularly, I’d call it good but not dirt cheap. You pay a premium, but you get a reliable camera that doesn’t feel like a compromise. If you only want a camera for one holiday and then it’ll live in a drawer, it’s probably overkill. If you ride, travel, or film family stuff often, the price starts to make more sense.

Design-wise, the Osmo Action 4 is pretty straightforward: a small black rectangle, front and rear screens, lens on the left. Nothing flashy. It’s more about function than looks. The body feels dense and solid, with a rubbery texture that gives some grip when your hands are wet. Buttons are big enough to hit with gloves on, especially the bright red record button on top, which helps on a bike or ski helmet.

The best part of the design for me is the magnetic quick-release mount. Compared to the usual screw‑on GoPro style, this is just faster. You line it up, it snaps in, and then you lock it with a side latch. I was switching the camera between a chest mount, a handlebar mount, and a little tripod in seconds. I tugged on it pretty hard and never felt it was about to pop off, even on bumpy trails.

The included horizontal-vertical frame is also actually useful. You can mount the camera in normal landscape mode or flip it into vertical for social media without remounting everything. For quick Instagram Reels or TikToks, this saves time and avoids weird cropping later. It adds a bit of bulk but nothing crazy, and you can still access the battery and SD card without taking the whole rig apart.

The camera is rated waterproof to 18 m without a case, which is more than what I personally need. I used it in the pool and under a garden hose, no leaks, no fogging. The only thing to keep in mind: always check the battery door and USB‑C port are fully closed. The doors feel solid, but if you rush and don’t click them fully, that’s on you. Overall, the design is practical, more “tool” than “gadget”, which I liked.

The Essential Combo only gives you one 1770 mAh Extreme battery, so battery life matters. DJI advertises up to around 150–160 minutes in ideal conditions at lower resolutions. In the real world, shooting mostly 4K/60 with RockSteady on, screen brightness on auto, I was getting roughly 70–90 minutes of mixed use. That’s recording in short clips, not one giant take, and with some menu fiddling in between.

On a half‑day bike ride, I started at 100% and ended around 25–30%, which is decent. For a full day of skiing or a long hike, one battery is honestly not enough if you plan to record a lot. In that case, you either bring a power bank and charge in breaks, or you buy at least one spare battery. The good news: the Extreme battery handles cold pretty well. I used it around 0–2°C and didn’t see a huge drop in performance, nothing dramatic like some phones do.

Charging via USB‑C is straightforward. With a decent PD charger, I was going from almost empty to full in about an hour or a bit more. There’s no separate charger in this combo, so you either charge the battery inside the camera or buy an external charger later. Charging in‑camera works, but it means you can’t record while charging unless you’re fine with the cable dangling.

Overall, I’d say the battery life is pretty solid for an action cam, but the combo would be much more practical with a second battery included. For casual users filming a bit here and there, one cell is okay. For heavier use (trips, sports days), I would budget for at least one extra battery or consider the Adventure Combo right away. The camera itself is efficient; it’s just that 4K eats power, no miracle there.

In terms of durability, I didn’t baby this thing. It’s been on my handlebars over potholes, in a backpack with keys, and in the pool with the kids throwing it around. After a few weeks, there are some tiny scuffs on the frame but nothing worrying. The lens has a separate lens cover that you can replace if you ever scratch it badly, which is reassuring. I used the included lens hood when I remembered, mostly to avoid fingerprints and stray light.

The waterproof rating of 18 m without a case is higher than I personally need, but it gives some peace of mind. I used it underwater at around 1–2 m for several minutes at a time, and there were no leaks, no condensation behind the lens, and all buttons still worked smoothly afterwards. I also rinsed it under tap water after being at the pool to get rid of chlorine, and the doors stayed tight.

The camera is also rated to handle down to −20°C, which I haven’t fully tested. I did use it in light freezing conditions and had no issues with the screens or buttons. The body never felt fragile. It’s not indestructible, obviously, but compared to the cheap action cams I owned before, this one feels like it can handle years of normal abuse without falling apart.

The only real care points: make sure the battery and USB‑C doors are fully locked before any water, don’t over‑tighten the mounting screw, and avoid dropping it lens‑first on rocks. Basic common sense. Overall, I’d rate durability as one of its stronger points. It feels like a device you can trust on trips without constantly worrying it’ll die from a random splash or bump.

On performance, this is where the Osmo Action 4 feels like a step up from the cheap cameras I used before. In 4K/60, footage is sharp, the colours are decent, and the stabilisation is the main difference. RockSteady basically removes most of the shake when walking or cycling. I used it on a neck mount and on a handlebar mount, and the final clips looked much smoother than what I usually get, even when the road was rough.

I tested 4K/120 a bit for slow motion. It looks good, but the files get big quickly and you don’t always need it. For normal daily stuff, I mostly stuck to 4K/30 or 4K/60. The camera handles bright daylight well, and I didn’t notice weird flickering or random exposure jumps. Where it really surprised me was in low light. Indoors in the evening or outside around sunset, the image stays relatively clean, especially compared to cheaper cams that turn everything into noisy mush.

The stabilisation modes are handy but a bit confusing at first. RockSteady is the default and works for most things. HorizonBalancing keeps the horizon fairly level if you tilt the camera a bit, which is great for biking. HorizonSteady locks it completely but crops more. In practice, once I found a preset I liked, I saved it and didn’t touch it much. There’s also Pre‑Rec, which buffers 5–60 seconds before you hit record. I used the 15‑second option for fishing and for trying to catch my kid doing random jumps into the pool. It works, and it saves you from recording boring minutes of nothing.

The weak point for me is that to really get the best image, you need to learn a bit about settings. Out of the box it’s fine, but if you’re picky you’ll be tempted to tweak sharpness, colour profile, etc. Also, 10‑bit and D‑Log M are there, but if you don’t edit in proper software, they’re kind of pointless. For normal users, leave it in normal colour and auto exposure, and it just gets the job done with minimal fuss.

The Essential Combo is kind of the middle ground in DJI’s lineup. In the box, you get the camera, one 1770 mAh “Extreme” battery, the horizontal-vertical protective frame, a quick-release adapter mount, a lens hood, a locking screw, a USB‑C to USB‑C PD cable, and a little anti-slip pad. No fancy battery case like the Adventure Combo, but also not as barebones as the Standard pack.

In practice, this combo is enough to start shooting properly, but you’ll probably add a few accessories pretty quickly. I had to grab a microSD card (it needs something fast, V30 or better, ideally V60/V90 if you want to be safe) and a simple helmet mount. If you plan to dive deeper than 18 m or want better protection, you’ll want a waterproof housing later, but for normal swimming and snorkelling, the body alone is fine.

The camera shoots up to 4K at 120 fps with a 155° wide angle, has digital stabilisation (RockSteady / HorizonBalancing / HorizonSteady), and can record in 10‑bit and D‑Log M if you’re into colour grading. Personally, I tried D‑Log M for a day, realised I’m not editing Netflix, and went back to normal colour profile. For regular users, the standard profile looks good enough out of the box.

On the software side, DJI pushes you towards the DJI Mimo app. On Android you can’t get it from Google Play, you have to download it from DJI’s site, which is a bit annoying but manageable. Once installed, pairing the camera and phone was straightforward. Transfers are fine for short clips; for big 4K files I still prefer using a card reader. Overall, the Essential Combo is a decent starter kit: not overloaded with stuff you’ll never use, but not so bare that you feel scammed.