DJI Action 4 Review: What's Actually Better? 

Hi folks! Some have asked how I have access to the camera early. Thus, I'll explain in-depth press embargoes in-depth here, sponsorships/etc... Press embargos allow companies (e.g. GoPro/DJI/Apple/Samsung/etc...) to send out units early to reviewers, as long as they don't disclose the product until a certain date/time. However, within that there are two camps: Normal press/media entities that have strict rules on ensuring content is unsponsored (which is what I do), and the second camp is paid coverage. This second camp is what you think of as sponsored content (they get paid usually, ranging from $1,000 for a small channel, to many tens of thousands for a larger channel). These videos have specific things that must be in the coverage, specific approval processes, and usually won't say anything meaningfully bad about the product. You'll see lots of that type of content for certain brands, less so for other brands. There's also another camp of people that just get free products as 'partners' or 'ambassadors', that functionally act the same way. Virtually every single piece of tech news today is sent under embargo to media outlets. Even the most useless announcements are sent that way. In fact, it's well beyond tech. Policy announcements, goverment announcements, etc are generally sent under embargo. It started in the 1920's with medical/scientific journals. The idea is to allow news outlets to put together thoughtful pieces on 'news', rather than copy/paste marketing junk. Embargo does not mean sponsored, it simply means agreeing to a specific date/time to release the content. In any case, for the press side (me), one could argue that access to a product early means you get a 'benefit'. And thus would be tempted to pay favor to that by giving better coverage. And some entities certainly do. But ultimately I think I've gotten to nearly half a million subscribers by demonstrating that's not how I work. Every company that sends me products early for review (Apple, DJI, GoPro, Garmin, Google, Samsung, and on and on), understands this. They know if I like a product, I'll say that. And if I don't, I'll say that too. Are they sometimes upset at what I say? Sure. Could they withhold next time? Sure. But history has shown them that doesn't really work for me. I just go out and buy it, and do a review then. Thus, it's in their interest to at least engage with me ahead of time and maybe fix issues before it gets to production (and, they do...very often). Note that in my case, *I do not keep these products*. They get picked up by DHL/UPS/etc after the review, and then I go out and re-purchase most of them at normal retail outlets. I spend many tens of thousands of dollars a year re-purchasing products to keep on-hand for future updates/etc. Obviously, there's much more detail I could get in to. But, if you appreciate content like this that's not sponsored, consider subscribing - or becoming a Member (hit the 'Join' button up above, sorta like Patreon). Or simply share the review (arguably the most useful thing). I appreciate it!

Just to be 100% fair here, the DJI cam has special low light mode which is only available until certain FPS, i think 4K/30, that makes a difference ! Also i think its important to know which ISO limit was set. Correction, you dont need the remote for G-Force data :) there are two things you can have without the remote which is tilt angle and G-Force, for all other stuff like GPS you need the remote though.

After owning 8 or 9 GoPros up to the 11, the game changer that DJI brought (when I bought the Action 3) was the elimination of overheating and glitching. You can have the BEST specd action camera on the planet, but if it just shuts down OR glitches and you lose the shot, it doesn’t matter. GoPro has become complacent and really isn’t bringing anything new but it’s typical issues. There’s an honest review for you.

I think your over selling the GoPro at the end; to my eye it’s only better at stabilisation, and that’s only if there’s lot’s of vibration. The image from the DJI look a little better, wider and accurate colours, plus hiding the selfie stick is very cool. Those shots look great.

I just bought an Action 4. I have no 'previous' with any other action cam brand so I did do a good bit of research beforehand. The main things that sold it to me were the recording length on a single battery charge, which appears to be around 100 minutes 'in real life' and the magnetic quick release mechanism. I've been out a few times recently with a friend who uses a Go Pro Hero 11 to blog his mountain walks and I'd seriously considered buying one myself. The footage he gets is pretty good and I'm not aware of him having lost any video due to glitches but while we're out it seems like he was always having to stop to switch batteries (at least once per hour). He did also complain a few times about not being able to use the Hero 11's touchscreen with wet hands, which happens a lot in Scotland... I got the Action 4 in preference to the Action 3, just because it was the newer model (and should receive firmware updates for longer, if this is a thing). YMMV...

Enjoyed your review, but I think you overlooked a couple of meaningful features with the Action 4. Battery life is significantly better than the GoPro and charge times can be twice as fast as well. Touchscreen capability on both the front and rear displays of the Action 4 allow for setting changes on both screens. The ability to setup custom shooting modes and easily toggle through them with the Quick Switch button ROCKS! The Action 4 magnetic mounting system enables quick changes among a multitude of mounting options. With many other features being similar between both cameras, the features mentioned above factored significantly in my purchasing decision of the Action 4.

I just ordered an Action 4 and if it doesn't come with any of GoPro's bugs, freezes or immediate overheating, it's worth the purchase to me. Also, the DJI huge win with their mounting system.

I am a novice and bought the GoPro 10 about a month back. The very first time I took the camera out on an 80 degree day to run around and capture soccer footage with my kids, it overheated in 15 minutes. I googled what overheating was because I didn’t know that was even an issue. After I learned more I boxed it up and sent it back. I took the plunge and bought the action 4 today because I don’t want to deal with overheating issues while capturing memories. Hopefully I made the right move. Regardless, your video was informative and I appreciate the work put in to deliver the video. Thanks!

I've ordered the Action 4 as I like the look of the easy magnetic fastening & the fact I'll be able to connect my DJI Mic's without having to buy a media mod & I'm also fed up with my GoPro shutting down & having to take the battery in & out. Time will tell if I've made the right move? Thanks for the video Ray 👍

I tested my OA4 in 33C heat (about 92F), stationary on my balcony, outdoors with no wind with 4k25p. It ran for 210min before my extended battery died. Never over heated. So I never saw any over heating. I also tested anothe OA4 in same conditions but time lapse 4k 1s, it ran for 11 hours before I stopped as it was dark. Never over heated.

Sold my gopro 11 because of the constant overheating issues. I mainly use it attached to my helmet while riding a motorcycle so the air flow is not in question yet gopro still manages to freeze from time to time. Plus the battery doesn’t last that long. I actually appreciate the honest review, it is clear gopro is ahead in terms of stabilization but I’m ready to make the switch.

Thanks for the great review. Really well put and balanced. I am currently still using the original Osmo action, which I still love, but think I’ll now upgrade. I’m not a GoPro hater by any means and either will be a big step up for me, but having had a bad experience with them I just can’t trust spending any more of my money with them. Keep up the great work.

Seriously one of the best Tech reviewer on RU-vid!!! Always clear and straight to the point with real world examples!!! Keep it up and Thanks!!!

Great review Ray! Love to see this type of honesty on RU-vid at the moment

Thanks so much for this balanced review. I got swept away with another RU-vid review that swooned over the Action 4 (Dutch based), and had placed an order for one. I then saw your review and quickly realized that I should wait for the GoPro 12 first. But more importantly I will not buy anything until I have seen your review first! Keep up the great work!

Your evaluations are always spot on. Thank you for all your hard work. Just saved me some money.

Thanks for your review. Actually I personally think that the action 4 seems to have more detail and is overall a bit sharper. Whereas the Gopro 11 seems to be more mushy. What you might want to do is to compare footage with lots of details and then zoom in 200% and 400%, for then one hopefully clearly sees the difference in resolution.

I own the Action, Action 2 and 3 so naturally I was ready to get the action 4. Now after your honest review, I’m going to wait and put my money into a newer drone (I have a Mavic 2 Pro). Your conclusions seemed spot on. Thank you for the honest review. Cheers!

Ray has done it again.... first detailed review 👌. I liked the exposure and colour of gopro better. Audio is better in dji I guess

Great review as always. Thank you for your hard work!

This isn't really an apples to apples comparison here; the GoPro footage @2:07 distorts your face whereas the DJI doesn't have that fisheye effect despite being wide. Also, the GoPro is auto-everyrhing on those settings and the DJI is in pro mode which I suspect is where you would adjust your exposure and white balance.

By far the best review, all the other reviews are clearly not offering an unbiased opinion on the Action 4. Also using the cameras in Real World scenarios really show what they can all offer. Always watch your reviews before deciding on which to buy, guess my Hero 11 Black is safe for a while longer!

Thank you for this video. Two factors that I think will tip the scales in DJI's favor is reliability and battery life. Completely agree with your analysis of picture quality and image stabilization - clear wins for GoPro, yet my GoPro 10 didn't last a year and the battery life was poor. My Insta360 camera has been bulletproof so far. I'm intrigued by by the DJI product but may wait until the next iteration, hoping for the improvements you have mentioned. Your site is still my go-to review channel. I truly appreciate your candid and thorough reviews.

As soon as I saw the new DJI Osmo Action 4 promotional video. I took out my Osmo action 3 to put it for sale. After watching your honest review , I've decided to keep it. Thank You . (Subscribed)

Thanks for the stellar reviews as always. I'm a big GoPro fan - and this video reinforces why - but I'm loving the wide Dewarp mode on the Action 4. GoPro needs to get on that stat.

This is a review and not a marketing Video well done! Hard to find honest reviewers nowadays thanks for sticking up for the little guys! Keep it up!

Awesome review ! And happy to see Dji is listening to the critics about sharpness and Nr algorithm control. Also the dlog m seems very interesting to me. Now i want to see some raw dlog footage at -2 -2 to compare to my GP11!

Excellent review as always. Before I buy anything has to do with action and drone, that channel is my first stop.

For sure the best review videos of these types on YT. Just exactly what is required. No hype. Just comparison. Can’t praise it enough

The colors on the GoPro are amazing. It's incredible how they get so much out of that much out of that tiny sensor (and tiny camera) :) Great video!

Thanks for doing the honest review of it, I think the remote that has GPS is a better way to go since GPS radio does use a lot of power instead of having the main unit process it, also it keeps the price down without the subscription of GoPro. But then again im still content with OA3 and wont gonna upgrade that soon until DJI ironed out some major issues that OA4 will have in up coming week or months, once most are fixed ill upgrade. But that low light refresh is a bit tempting since I do low light shot sometimes

Seriously look fwd to your reviews on new products. Ya dig into the nitty gritty, you don’t tip-toe around the problems, and always help me make purchasing decisions. SUCH a relief in todays click-baity/relevancy-lacking world of YT. Keep up the stellar work m8!

Nobody can touch your tech reviews! Everything I needed to know thanks.

Thanks man. Really appreciate the honest review. It really helps!

Thank you for this video. Its easy to get lost in the hype! Excited to see what the new GoPro 12 has to offer

Excellent no BS review that insightful and educational. I just ordered the DJI the other day. I’ll give it a try for a week. Keep you updated.

I have an Action 3 since 6 months. What really mattered to me was just the simple reliability. With GoPro I was never confident that it would work. I got tired of having to constantly check if it was running. It would hang, requiring the battery to be removed etc. etc. No sound, no video but sound. All on 7,8 & 9s. The Action 3 killed GoPro for me. Great Video thx!

So happy to see this video after checking out some DJI footage recently. Appreciate your hard work, bud!

💚 Appreciate your review! None of the other reviews sold me, since everything they review seems to be must buy gadgets that they never actually use. The Action 4 is really just what the Action 3 should have been. At a price increase it makes no sense. If it had a 1 inch sensor, larger aperture, and 422 10 bit instead of 420 I’d be more intrigued. Along with the 8:7 aspect ration Go Pro 11 has

2 things: the UW color mode already exist in my original Action… it would also be interesting to know if their version of the invisible stick works underwater as well :)

great review, but DJI Action 4 fits more my needs, I still think DJI performans better than gp11 in the most of scenes you shown, thank you

It might me a niche use case, but in skydiving I’ve noticed quite some problems with GoPro. Action cameras are used in tandem jumps to deliver footage of freefall to customers. The amount of errors a GoPro has compared to DJI is why I choose to use the Action 3 at the moment. It’s reliable which means that the customer gets the footage of a once in a lifetime experience everytime.

Thanks. How does Action 4 do with remote audio and mic support any improvement there? Is Hero 11 still as buggy with freezes, can it now hold a remote connection to a phone reliably?

Love this .. best review out there .. all other reviews on this camera are holding back probably because they are sponsored…. This is exactly what I was looking for - the full in-depth no holds bar review Will wait till action 5 comes out ..

I love your description. As a smaller channel I wondered how it worked. I am in the free product stage of the game. My experience is when the larger channel says "let me know what your think in the comments below" can sometimes mean I cant say how I really feel but you can. Nice Review! I am impressed that GoPro 11 won some events and it is a year old.

Man I watch your review every time just because of your honesty. Thanks!!

I really loved this review and agree with you as well. But I'm still going for the action 4. I still have my first and only action cam, which is the action 1 and I have the wireless DJI mic which plugs in so easily. I mostly capture videos while I'm on my motorcycle and sometimes inside the car as well. Other than that I make timelapses with action cameras. My reasoning is simple, I don't jump brands unless it doesn't work for me. And the action 4 seems good enough for what I do now. I did get a discount deal from where I get my camera related gear usually, so I got the adventure combo for the price of Hero 11 alone. If you're reading this I would like to know one more thing, is it better to leave the micro sd card inside permanently in an action cam? I got two corrupted cards when I was in the habit of taking out the card. After I stopped that, the current card has been working well for long. I used SanDisk cards, original ones same models. Thanks again for the great review.

finally someone with an honest review exist in youtube realm.. you've got new subsribers, thanks Ray

You are getting more and more professional. I like it!

Thanks for the review. The only advantage I see with GOPRO is currently 5K resolution. Although the price of DJI is the same as GOPRO and it doesn't have 5k resolution, but supposedly DJI doesn't have so many problems with system stability, restarting, freezing... It's probably primarily about what a person prefers. The special sensor ratio and resolution of GOPRO vs the stability and features of DJI. Both are worth the money. Otherwise, I'm glad that DJI solved the dynamic range, sharpness and improved the low light.

Does the action 4 support charging while record external audio at the same time? Such as using something like the GoPro audio adapter

Thanks for this informative video, beyond the hype and with many real-life examples about the (non-)qualities of these action cameras.

the only man i trust on the internet when it comes to honest reviews ;) been waiting for this :)

. Look at hope much the gopro has to crop the picture to stabilize it at 16:04 . You are losing 15% of the footage just for the GoPro to stabilize it. This is such a biased review.

Great review! I was already decided to buy Dji Action 4 instead of Hero 12, but after seeing your stabilisation test I decided for Hero 12 as it would have much better stabilisation. This deal breaker as I ride motorcycle where stabilisation really matters!

Did you try connect a external mic straight to the Action 4? I'm asking because I film motovlog videos and I hate the GoPro Mic Adapter and the media mod and I was thinking of buying the Action 4 but the sound with a external mic is very important to me and I couldn't find this info yet...

I'm going to wait until the hero12 is out next month, then make my mind. Thanks for the excellent honest review.

Thanks for your great review, you’ve convinced me to buy the Action 3. The GoPro is too buggy for me.

Appreciate this video and your honest review!

Your final thoughts are fire,, and that's why i follow your channel, Thank you for the review,,

Great review Ray. Thanks. Are there any notable differences in the accompanying App that would help the DJI’s case? For their mini 3 and X3 the App is the killer feature as it just helps make your clips more useable more easily. Appreicate the requirements of a straight out action cam isn’t the same but was curious

always thanks to great reviews!

Thanks for the review. Be interesting to see what the gopro 12 has to iffer next month. Almost sold on the dji, i do love tge quick release syatem.

A breath of fresh air compared to all the paid so called honest reviews. This gentleman tells it like it is.

I just ordered a DJI Action 4 for myself, an upgrade from OA 1! I bought another DJI cos it never fails me! Just need to power it up and ready to shoot! Cheers!

Hi Sir. Wondering if there is anything like Hindsight on the DJI?

Where are you finding this remote for the action 4? And does it work with the action 3?

Great review! And honest one too☝️ Exactly as you said- Bigger sensor. OMG 😏 really. /1.3 vs 1.7”. It is an improvement, but does that mean when the 5 comes, we are gonna get an APSC sensor like in Mirrorless cameras, who knows. They are not made for night time shooting, so we’ll stick w the day time “action”. And for that the DJI 3 does an incredible job! Thank you for the awesome review!

Brilliant review as always!

Excellent review as always.

Fantastic honest review. Really appreciate your closing remarks.

I don’t understand why there are fanboys who’s trying to defend or trash certain brands, because trust me, your loyal brand will treat you like garbage if they don’t have a worthy competitor!

Interesting look at the camera! Nice job. Does the UVC webcam mode now support stabilization? They added UVC support through firmware to the previous model but never added an option to enable stabilization. While it's primarily meant to be used as a stationary camera in that mode, it could be very useful in an IRL streaming backpack setup if it had stabilization while outputting video through USB. Sadly GoPro has never tried to add UVC output support, though it is possible to output HDMI with the media mod and stabilization on the Hero 9 that I have does work doing that.

I had the gopro 9 and currently have the action 3. Well, the action is better for wider fov and sound recording (also external) and has a better battery life. The GoPro was better at low light. I'm happy with my action 3 and I'm not really thinking into upgrade

Yo, do you have to be full extension on that invisi-stick for it to work or will it work quarter or half shaft?

Finally a honest review! So tired of RU-vidr’s saying I’m not sponsored but GoPro/DJI sent me this 😡🔫

You are the KING of real world reviews! Thanks man, keep it up! Greetings from Greece!

You mentioned that the image sometimes tilts for no apparent reason. I have also had this happen and it seems to be when I'm not moving. Do you know why that happens and how to stop it? Thanks.

So can it do an external mic and external power like a gopro can?

Do we have option of plugging in an external mic to the action4 ? Any adapter indirect plugin possible ?

Thanks Ray. For me, these features aren’t good enough now a days. I’d like heart rate, cadence, power recording etc all baked into these units. Otherwise I’ll stick to tired and trusted older gen action cams. Good to see GoPro has competition now. GoPro need to get back to doing proper accessories too, the cheap stuff they make doesn’t cut it.

Wow...the sense of reason and even real-world examples! Where seemingly every reviewer I've come across thus far on God's Green Earth raves about how fantastic the Action 4 is, most do not include any "ACTION" at all, no quick movement shots (LOTS of talking head "film as I walk around or slowly cycle" vids), and other than a wider FOV natively, the dynamic range and image quality still isn't there for me, ESPECIALLY as an Image Quality Snob! Exceptional as ALWAYS! Massive Thumbs up!

Thank you for such a comprehensive review. It compelled me to CANCEL my pre-order of the Osmo Action 4...I'm going to wait and see what the GoPro Hero 12 performs like, (Even though I have virtually sworn off GoPro after over a decade of using their product.)

To pouwer up the camera remotely, in the current firmware, you need first the link the remote control and when the camera is powering off at the selected timeout setting, you can wakeup the cam with the link (binding) button.

And there goes my dream of buying the action 4 😂😂😂😂Lucky I saw your video now waiting for the GoPro Hero 12 ❤❤

Thanks Ray, i've been waiting on your review on this camera. I'm shocked to hear that the Action 4 has no inbuilt GPS so i would assume the same for the Action 3. Would you say the Action 3 would be a better buy than the 4 considering the minimal upgrades and higher pricing I think i'll wait for the Hero 12 to release before deciding which one to go with.

You didn't discuss it but it seems like there are some major USB-C audio improvements in the OA4 based on other reviews. That's one thing that could affect the buying decision....do you want the simplicity of USB-C audio mics or the requirement to purchase a media mod and all of the hassle that goes along with that extension. Let's see what GoPro Hero 12 brings in terms of that. I believe GoPro's USB-C implementation is proprietary and thus the need for things like the media mod/mic adapter. Also, timecode jam-sync functionality requires a media mod for each GoPro device you want to sync, vs native USB-C plug acceptance of timecode generators. And finally, what is the deal with the GoPro Labs firmware? Will that functionality finally make it into the regular firmware? The ability to set the clock and other settings via QR Code is useful and should be in the native firmware. It just doesn't seem like any of those features ever make it into the core code.

Thanks for your honest opinion on these 2 products. I'll wait for the GoPro12 and hope they fixed the overheating and random stops the camera makes. Also, would be nice to see what I'm filming on my phone.

I love your channel. I got the 4 but have not figured out how to turn off the front screen. I never need it and I don't want it on. Is this possible?

Hi, can you pause recording on the DJI action 4 then resume? So to be able to record different scenes as a one file without having to mess around with editing.

wow, great review, thank you for your opinion on this.

Great video.❤do you know if the osmo 2 remote is compatible with the osmo 4.?

Interesting comments at the end of the video. DJI appears to be competing against both GoPro and Insta360 and is probably feeling pressure to compete with the Go3. Quality wise, they do match up and exceed the specs of the Go3 much better than the Hero 11 and a presumed Hero 12.

I've been watching your videos for years. During those times i've aged quite a bit. But it seems that you never age. Stay young!

The one true unbiased sports tech journalist out there!!!

Nice as usual factual and informative. I Like!

First review I've watched about the OA4 cause I knew I'd get an honest, no BS review. I have an OA3 and it's a good camera, but I've been fighting to get good audio input for motovlogging. DJI answer is "use our DJI wireless mics" but after spending over €300 on the camera, being asked to spend another €300+ to solve audio input really really rubbed me the wrong way. Would be interested to hear what the 3rd party (ideally wired) audio input options are for the OA4.

Thanks, well worth hearing a frank and open expert opinion than the "second camp" PR spin!

Very good comparison, thank you !

Have you done any photography comparisons between the cameras? on paper the gp11 is 27mp and the Action4 is only 10mp. I use my action cameras for both video and photography so any thoughts would be appreciated - thanks