RayNeo is going both minimalist and maximalist with its latest AR smart glasses
RayNeo's latest AR smart glasses are going for very different audiences: The very discrete, and the very nerdy.
Tag Archives: Reviews
Merach UltraRow R60N review: Built for harder home rowing
PROS:
- Makes short, everyday rowing sessions easy to fit into the day
- Smooth, adjustable resistance for harder bursts or longer rows
- Comfortable fit, solid build, and an adjustable phone/tablet holder
- Rowing-generated power helps extend the console's AA battery life
CONS:
- Pairing with the app replaces the console metrics with a BT indicator
- The console still uses four AA batteries
At 52, I don’t want every bit of movement to require workout clothes, a drive to the gym, or a scheduled block of time. During two weeks with the Merach UltraRow R60N, I used it every day in two-, 10-, and 15-minute bursts, often when my watch or smart ring told me to get up and move. That became the point of the machine: it was there when I had a few minutes, not waiting for me to commit to a formal workout.
The R60N is a large home rowing machine, measuring 93.9 inches long and weighing 86.6 pounds. It combines air resistance at levels 1 through 7 with added magnetic resistance at levels 8 through 10. At $799.99 when this review was prepared, it asks for real floor space, but it delivers a comfortable, full-body cardio option that I could use without a lot of setup or impact.
Click Here to Buy Now: $699.99 $1099.99 ($400 off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!
Aesthetics and Ergonomics
The UltraRow R60N looks like equipment rather than furniture. The smoked-black flywheel grille, matte surfaces, long single rail, exposed handle, and adjustable footrests all emphasize the mechanical path of a rowing stroke. It’s a purposeful, utilitarian design that doesn’t try to disappear into a living room.
Nothing about the R60N feels flimsy. The materials feel good in hand, the assembly feels solid, and the dark color gives it a restrained, masculine look that fits the straightforward mechanical design.
It doesn’t disappear physically, either. The assembled rower measures 2,385 x 500 x 876 mm, or approximately 93.9 x 19.7 x 34.5 inches. Its long, narrow stance demands a dedicated lane for the rowing motion, even though the machine itself isn’t especially wide. In person, it feels like a serious space commitment when it’s expanded and ready to row. At 39.3 kg, or about 86.6 pounds, moving the complete rower requires more than a casual lift or quick relocation.
Merach describes the R60N as foldable in some materials, but its storage system works differently from a conventional upright fold. The rower separates where the long rear rail and seat section meet the front assembly that houses the flywheel, resistance control, and display. There are no screws to remove. Instead, the two sections meet through a tension-held, tool-free connection that comes apart the same way in reverse.
Setup was relatively straightforward, and I was able to install it alone. The unexpected part was bringing those sections together for the first time, because it changes the R60N from two manageable components into one long, substantial machine. Once it’s connected, though, moving it around the room is easier than its overall 86.6-pound weight suggests. Lifting from the rear brings the front transport wheels into play, making it manageable for one person to reposition or fine-tune its location.
Merach lists the stored arrangement at 910 x 700 x 1,335 mm, or approximately 35.8 x 27.6 x 52.6 inches. That makes the machine much shorter in storage, but wider and taller than its assembled footprint. It still needs a committed storage location. The wheels make it easy enough to reposition the assembled rower within one room, but moving it between rooms means detaching the two sections and carrying them separately.
A 410 mm, or 16.1-inch, seat gives the R60N a notably elevated entry point. In use, its broad, shaped surface felt ergonomic and comfortable rather than restrictive. I didn’t experience pain or discomfort during my sessions. Once the foot straps were secured, the setup felt stable and straightforward enough to stop thinking about.
At 6’2″, I had plenty of room to row comfortably. The long rail is listed at 1,250 mm with a 1,200 mm inseam allowance, while the footrests offer seven adjustment positions. Merach publishes a user-height range of 3’11” to 6’10” and a 500-pound maximum weight capacity, so the company intends the R60N to accommodate a wide range of body types. A 510 mm handle and widely spaced pedals round out that accommodating layout.
The 5.3-inch adjustable LCD is small by connected-fitness standards, but that’s part of the R60N’s character. It treats the display as an instrument panel rather than an entertainment screen, with fields for time, distance, calories, strokes, pulse, stroke rate, 500-meter pace, watts, and averages. Merach also calls the display backlit and anti-glare.
Performance
The R60N is built around the transition from air resistance to a combination of air and magnetic resistance. Merach documents levels 1 through 7 as air-only settings and levels 8 through 10 as air-plus-magnetic settings. You change those levels with a large manual resistance control, which Merach describes as a lever adjustment. A 32-blade fan and 3.5 kg flywheel provide the moving mass behind that system.
In use, the resistance adjustment felt good and intuitive. I could move from an easier setting into heavier tension to find the right effort, then use that range differently depending on the session. For short, timed bursts, I turned the resistance up. For longer rows, I eased it back so I wouldn’t tire out too quickly.
At levels 8 through 10, the R60N adds magnetic resistance rather than relying only on a faster pull. Merach’s 900N peak-resistance figure is tied to 25 strokes per minute, so it is a manufacturer rating, not an independently measured result. In my use, the shift into heavier resistance felt smooth and useful for short, harder intervals.
Over two weeks, I used the R60N every day, but not through a conventional workout routine. I lost count of the sessions because they ranged from two minutes to 10 or 15 minutes whenever my watch or smart ring prompted me to get up and move. I could step away from my desk, get on the rower in whatever I was already wearing, and row while listening to a show, watching TV, or talking with someone in the room.
That convenience became the most persuasive part of the experience. I didn’t have to block out an hour, change clothes, or make a formal commitment to exercise. The R60N was simply there, ready for however long I had or until I was tired. It isn’t silent, but the airflow created while rowing is noticeable in a pleasant way, and the overall noise never felt intrusive. For me, it removes much of the friction that turns a workout into something easy to postpone.
The console is meant to complement that training style. The display itself is good in initial use, and it lists workout metrics including pace, watts, strokes, and heart-rate data. Merach’s current product page doesn’t list built-in programs, but it does list Bluetooth connectivity for the MERACH app.
Pairing the rower to the app worked fine in my use. The tradeoff is that, once connected, the onboard display shows only a BT indicator. In other words, the app becomes the active workout display, so you can’t follow the app and read the console’s usual metrics at the same time. That behavior makes sense, but it’s worth knowing before choosing where to place your phone or tablet.
Above the display, an adjustable holder accepts a phone or small tablet. It tilts up and down, so it can keep a workout app, a show, or other content within view while you row. That small detail supports the R60N’s best practical trait: it’s easy to use for a few minutes whenever there’s time, rather than only during a planned workout.
Connected features are a bonus
The R60N doesn’t need an app to work. Its own display handles the essential workout information, and its resistance remains a manual-lever adjustment. That’s the right hierarchy: the machine is the product, while the MERACH app can add structure or variety if it suits the way you train.
What the free MERACH app adds
The MERACH app is free to download. Its no-subscription starting point includes Free Training, timed training, and distance-based goals, along with a dashboard for duration, distance, calories, and workout history. MERACH also lists challenges such as GlobalGo, which uses completed activity to unlock regional badges.
That is enough to make a phone or tablet more useful than a passive screen beside the rower. It gives the R60N owner a place to save sessions, set a simple target, revisit progress, or choose a basic guided workout without turning a straightforward row into a recurring bill.
What a paid service adds
MERACH’s U.S. App Store listing currently shows subscriptions at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. The company says that advanced trainer-led on-demand classes may require a paid membership, but it doesn’t publish a clear online feature-by-feature paywall. The practical benefit of paying is likely to be more guided content and a deeper training library, not a change to how the R60N itself creates resistance.
For someone who likes to get on, row hard, and get off, the free MERACH tools and the onboard display may be all they need. A paid MERACH membership matters more for a buyer who wants a steady supply of guided sessions and community-style motivation.
Sustainability and repairability
One understated benefit is that the R60N doesn’t need to live beside an outlet. For day-to-day use, that makes placement simpler and avoids another powered device drawing from the wall. The R60N is otherwise non-motorized, with the workout itself driving the resistance system.
That benefit comes with a small qualification: Merach lists four AA batteries for the display. The company also says rowing motion helps power the console, while its FAQ says batteries remain necessary for the display. In practice, this is a lower-power, outlet-free setup, not a completely battery-free one.
Long-term ownership will come down to ordinary mechanical details. The R60N uses a nickel-plated steel pull rope, a single aluminum rail, PU seat rollers, adjustable footrests, and a manual resistance lever. These are the parts that matter most over repeated sessions, storage cycles, and routine cleaning.
Warranty language deserves equally close attention. Merach’s product page promotes a two-year warranty, while its U.S. warranty page describes one year of standard coverage plus an additional year after registration. Buyers should register the product and confirm the current warranty terms, maintenance guidance, and replacement-part availability before purchasing.
Value
At $799.99 when this review was prepared, the R60N is priced like a serious piece of home fitness equipment. The money goes toward the air-plus-magnetic resistance system, heavy single-rail chassis, elevated seat, long rail, detachable two-piece storage, and backlit performance console. What matters is how those pieces affect daily use, and that is where the R60N earns its place.
The R60N makes the strongest case for someone with enough dedicated space who wants a machine they can use in short, repeatable bursts at home or in an office. At 52, I valued being able to get up, move, and raise my heart rate without the impact or preparation I associate with running. The rowing motion engaged my legs, calves, ankles, core, and arms, making it feel like a full-body cardio option rather than a machine that limits movement to one area.
I wouldn’t buy it solely as a muscle-building tool. Its real value is that it makes regular movement unusually accessible: you can get on for a few minutes or 10 minutes without changing clothes, driving to a gym, or paying for a membership. People without a dedicated storage location, or anyone who needs to move the rower between rooms often, should look for something with a smaller footprint.
Verdict
The Merach UltraRow R60N is at its best when it has a permanent place in your home or office. Its resistance range, comfortable fit, compact display, and adjustable device holder made it easy for me to move more often without treating every session like a workout.
The caveat is space. The R60N is long when assembled, and its two-piece storage design is practical for a dedicated room but not for carrying from room to room. If you can give it a home and want convenient, whole-body cardio on your own schedule, it earns its $799.99 price.
Click Here to Buy Now: $699.99 $1099.99 ($400 off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!
The post Merach UltraRow R60N review: Built for harder home rowing first appeared on Yanko Design.
Nimble SharePower review: Two battery packs for the price of one
The Nimble SharePower is a versatile battery pack that gets even better when you're traveling with a friend.
Tecno Camon 50 Ultra 5G Review: A $420 AI Phone With Built-in Gemini, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Grok
PROS:
- EllaClaw is one of the most impressive phone AI experiences available right now
- Multi-model AI support, including Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI, and Ella
- Strong 2-day battery life from the 6500mAh cell
- Competitive value in the mid-range segment
CONS:
- Single speaker setup sounds tinny and lacks bass
- Curved waterfall display is prone to accidental palm touches
- No wireless charging or Qi2 (MagSafe)
Apple has Apple Intelligence. Google Pixel has Gemini. Samsung has Galaxy AI. Tecno has everything else. Packed into its EllaClaw agent is the ability to use Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok, and DeepSeek, because a walled garden never benefited anyone. Tecno’s Camon 50 Ultra 5G is a great phone, but what makes it worth doing a double take for is EllaClaw, an agentic AI built into the phone that offers a phone AI experience I have yet to see on any smartphone so far. EllaClaw is currently an invite-only closed Beta feature limited to just this phone, but seeing it in action gave me everything I needed to understand where other phones are going wrong with their on-board AI, and where they can learn from Tecno.
The wild part is how approachable it all feels. EllaClaw does not sit around waiting for you to guess the perfect command like some moody genie. It actively shows you what it can do, which makes the whole experience feel far less intimidating than Gemini or Apple Intelligence currently do. Within minutes, I was jumping between message summaries, creative tools, settings help, and different AI models without feeling like I needed a tutorial or a prayer.
Aesthetics
The moment I unboxed the Camon 50 Ultra 5G, I was hit with a serious case of déjà vu. The green variant has a gorgeous satin finish that gives it a silky, metallic glow under the light, and it immediately sent me down a memory lane trip to my old OnePlus 8 Pro which I faithfully used from 2020 to 2024. The color, the texture, even the way the camera module is arranged, it all felt so familiar and, frankly, so premium. Tecno absolutely nailed the flagship-esque feel here. The back is smooth to the touch, resists fingerprints reasonably well, and has a subtle elegance that a lot of phones in this bracket just do not bother with.
The front is where the design language gets a little more complicated, at least for me. Tecno went with a waterfall display, which means the screen curves dramatically around the sides. It looks stunning when the phone is off or when you are watching a video, creating an immersive, almost bezel-free experience. But I have always had a love-hate relationship with these displays. They are beautiful, no doubt, but they can be a magnet for accidental palm touches. While the software does its best to ignore them, I still found myself occasionally tapping something I did not mean to. It is a classic case of striking aesthetics meeting the messy reality of how we hold our phones. I do have to say that Tecno’s Liquid Glass homage does look much better on a waterfall display than on a bezel-ridden iPhone.
Ergonomics
That waterfall display has a big effect on how the phone feels in your hand. The curved edges melt away into the frame, making the Camon 50 Ultra 5G incredibly comfortable to hold. There are no sharp, flat corners digging into your palm, which is great for long sessions of scrolling or gaming. The trade-off, of course, is that the phone can feel a little slippery if you are not paying attention. It has that smooth, polished-stone feel that is lovely to touch but always feels one careless gesture away from a gravity experiment. It is a phone that practically begs to be put in a case, even if it feels like a shame to cover up the design.
The button layout is personally feels a little little bit tricky. On the left, you have a dedicated AI key that summons EllaClaw, a shortcut I ended up using constantly. You can remap it, but having a one-press gateway to the AI is a smart touch. The right side, however, is where my muscle memory started to complain. There is a power button and a fairly short, single-piece volume rocker. Because the rocker is slightly compact, I often found myself fumbling, unsure if my thumb was on volume up, down, or about to lock the screen. It is a small pain, but a tiny indent in the middle of the volume button would have made all the difference. The buttons themselves are slightly sharp and textured, a necessary choice for a phone with curved edges, but it does not quite solve the problem of telling them apart by feel alone.
Performance
EllaClaw is where the Camon 50 Ultra 5G earns its stripes. The dashboard (which you access by swiping towards the left – where you’d see Google Discover on most Android phones) keeps surfacing prompts, shortcuts, and suggestions, making the AI feel alive and accessible rather than buried under three layers of settings. Most phone AI treats users like they should already know what they want. EllaClaw meets you halfway, and that changes everything about how you interact with the phone.
The deeper layer, EllaClaw Pro, is genuinely impressive. It reaches into the phone’s apps and system functions in a way that feels ahead of where the conversation currently is. I asked it to summarize my text messages without opening the messages app, and it did exactly that, handling the whole thing on its own. That kind of agentic behavior is the next logical step for phone assistants, and right now, Tecno seems to be ahead of the pack. Nothing reassured me that the AI wasn’t reading my messages to enhance its database though, so the privacy conscious might have a thing or two to worry about.
Tecno’s decision to build EllaClaw as a multi-model hub is one of the smartest software calls I have seen this year. My unit offered access to DeepSeek, Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok, and Meta AI alongside Ella’s own model, all in one dashboard. Claude is conspicuously missing, but everything else is here and free to use (at least during the Beta period). Daily limits are applied on AI use which reset every 24 hours, and you can buy extra credits in case you overshoot. In all my hours of testing, I never needed to purchase extra credits, which means image generation, video generation, and sketch-to-photo tools were all available at no additional cost.
EllaClaw is still being refined, though. The dashboard lagged occasionally, and the AI sometimes took longer to load than felt comfortable. Restarting the app always sorted it out, but it is a reminder that this experience has not fully grown into its ambition yet. Users in certain regions may also need a VPN to get the full experience running, which is worth knowing upfront.
The camera system is built around a 50MP Sony LYT-700C main sensor with OIS, paired with a 50MP telephoto lens offering 3x optical zoom (70mm equivalent) and an 8MP ultrawide. That telephoto is a proper standout for a phone at this price point, and the software leans into it with confidence. You get 60x hybrid zoom, which is mostly digital exaggeration past the 3x mark, but the results between 3x and 10x are still usable in decent light. The main camera performs well across a range of scenarios, especially in good light, and night mode is aggressive without getting too soupy. The front camera is a 50MP sensor with autofocus, which makes a noticeable difference in selfie sharpness compared to the fixed-focus cameras on cheaper phones.
Tecno stuffs the camera app with modes including dual-cam, underwater mode, document scanning, super night mode, and super macro. FlashSnap is the standout, though. It watches your scene and captures the most dramatic moment automatically, so if someone is mid-jump or mid-throw, the phone clicks at exactly the right time without you having to think about it. It made me look like a considerably better photographer than I actually am. Video recording tops out at 4K at 30fps, which is fine but not particularly exciting.
Battery life is one of the phone’s most quietly satisfying qualities. The 6500mAh cell pushed comfortably through two full days of use without needing a charge, which is more than my current flagship iPhone manages. At some point I just stopped thinking about charging altogether, which is the best thing a battery can do. The phone supports 45W wired charging, which is fast enough to feel civilized without being record-breaking.
The display is a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a 1.5K resolution (1208 x 2644 pixels, 429 ppi) and a 144Hz refresh rate with LTPO support for adaptive refresh. It is vibrant, sharp, and performs well in low light. The 144Hz refresh makes scrolling and gaming feel smooth, and the high PWM dimming (2160Hz) helps reduce flicker for those sensitive to it. The curved waterfall edges are a design choice I have already aired my reservations about, and this section will not relitigate that argument. It looks great. It catches accidental touches. Moving on.
Speakers are a weak spot, and a noticeable one. There is a single grille at the bottom right, so stereo is off the table, and the audio leans tinny with very little bass to speak of. For a phone this polished everywhere else, it feels like a department that got the budget cut.
Gaming held up well for everything I tried. Tecno’s dedicated gaming software manages frame rates and battery draw sensibly, and the Dimensity 7400 handled casual to moderate sessions without complaint. The 144Hz display helps make fast-paced games feel responsive, and the phone stayed well within comfortable temperature ranges throughout. Nothing I played caused any real issues, thermal throttling never became a concern, and the large battery meant I could game for extended sessions without nervously watching the percentage drop.
Sustainability
Tecno is promising 3 years of Android OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches for the Camon 50 Ultra 5G, which puts it roughly in line with brands like Motorola and slightly ahead of OnePlus, though still behind Nothing’s 6-year security support.That is a meaningful commitment for a phone at this price, especially if you are someone who plans to use the device well beyond the usual two-year upgrade cycle.
Tecno also claims the battery is built for durability, marketing it as a “5-Year Durability Battery” with TÜV certification and a 72-month lag-free guarantee. Whether that holds true in practice is something only time will tell, but the fact that the company is willing to stake that claim suggests they are at least thinking about longevity beyond the usual marketing fluff. The 6500mAh capacity itself helps, because the less frequently you need to charge, the slower the battery degrades. If you are getting two full days of use out of a charge right now, that headroom means the phone should still feel usable years down the line when the cell inevitably loses some of its capacity.
Value
The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra 5G is priced at $420 for the 8GB + 256GB variant (that’s based on its ₹40,000 Indian price, since the phone hasn’t officially launched in the US). For a phone with a 50MP telephoto, a 144Hz AMOLED display, and a 6500mAh battery, that positioning feels competitive in the under-40K segment, especially when you factor in the AI ambitions.
What feels less competitive is the setup experience. When I powered on the phone and began the initial configuration, India was not listed in the countries menu. Hilariously enough, Palestine was available as an option. The world’s most populated country, nowhere on the list. I eventually had to select a different region just to proceed, which immediately felt awkward for a phone launching in India. Later, I also needed a VPN to access EllaClaw, which could have been a software issue tied to my initial region selection, or it could point to broader availability constraints. Obviously this won’t be the case for everyone since mine was a review unit with the EllaClaw beta program probably tied to a certain region. Either way, it is a frustrating first impression for a feature that is supposed to be the phone’s main selling point.
As for EllaClaw Pro and its credits system, Tecno does offer a credit-based structure for premium AI features like image generation and video creation. In my testing, I never hit a paywall or needed to purchase add-on credits, which suggests the included allocation is generous enough for typical use, at least initially. How sustainable that remains over time, or whether Tecno tightens the limits later, is harder to predict. For now, though, the experience feels surprisingly open, which is a rare thing in the AI phone space.
Verdict
The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra 5G delivers a lot of value for $420. The camera is genuinely impressive, with super night mode shots and 60x zoom that feel bonkers for this price range, and the battery life makes it easy to forget about charging anxiety for days at a time. But I am not recommending this phone for its camera, or its battery, or even its design, as much as I enjoyed all of those things. I am recommending it for EllaClaw, because it is the closest I have come to using a phone AI that feels like it was built for actual humans.
EllaClaw is everything Gemini and Apple Intelligence hope to achieve, and a bit more. I did not think I would see a phone that lets me choose the LLM for its AI assistant, swapping between models depending on what I need. I definitely did not expect an AI assistant dashboard to genuinely give me so much insight and value into how I can use the AI, rather than just sitting through a keynote, nodding along to feature lists, and then forgetting half of them the moment I leave the room. Tecno has cracked something here that bigger brands are still struggling with, which is making AI feel approachable, integrated, and genuinely useful instead of intimidating or buried.
The phone has a few tiny flaws that feel manageable if you’re more driven by the AI chops. The speakers are tinny, the curved display catches palm touches, EllaClaw occasionally lags, and the setup process was a bit of a hassle given I needed a VPN to get EllaClaw to work (but that’s just my China-bound review unit). But if you are looking for a phone that shows you what AI on mobile should feel like when it grows up, the Camon 50 Ultra 5G is worth your attention. It is not perfect, but it is ambitious in all the right ways. Google, Apple, and Samsung could surely take notes.
The post Tecno Camon 50 Ultra 5G Review: A $420 AI Phone With Built-in Gemini, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Grok first appeared on Yanko Design.
Engadget review recap: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Dell XPS 13 and more
A roundup of recent reviews from Engadget.
DJI Mic Mini 2S review: The best tiny mic now offers a pro experience
DJI's Mic Mini 2S offers high-quality audio and ease of use, and it's now better for pros due to the new internal 32-bit float recording.
2026 Lexus ES 500e first drive: A classy sedan with a slow charge
Lexus' latest luxury sedan is priced right and drives great, but feels like it's built around outdated EV tech.
Engadget review recap: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Meta Glasses and more
A roundup of recent reviews published by Engadget.
Slate Truck first drive: A minimalist’s delight
Slate's anti-truck EV is poised to deliver on all of its promises.
DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: Finally a Pocket Camera That Flatters Faces
PROS:
- Dual cameras can handle any kind of occasion or scene
- 10-bit D-Log 2 color profile better supports professional needs
- Easy-to-use ergonomic controls
- Coherent design language across Vlog Combo accessories
CONS:
- Slightly heftier and top-heavy than previous Osmo Pocket models
- 10-bit D-Log 2 isn't available on the 60mm med-tele camera
Compact cameras have gotten remarkably capable over the past few years. Smartphones shoot impressive footage, action cameras have become tiny powerhouses, and entry-level mirrorless setups deliver results that would have seemed professional a decade ago. But most of these smaller options share a common visual limitation: they default to wide-angle perspectives that capture environments and movement well, without always doing the most flattering things to faces and portraits.
That’s the gap the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P is designed to close. Building on the stabilized pocket-gimbal formula that made earlier Pocket cameras popular, this fourth-generation model adds a dedicated 60mm medium-telephoto lens alongside the wide camera, with an f/1.8 aperture purpose-built for more flattering, more cinematic portrait shots. It’s a design decision that shapes not only how the camera performs, but also how it makes you think about framing. But is that enough to make a significant difference, or does the Osmo Pocket 4P have other surprises in store? Read on to find out.
Designer: DJI
Aesthetics
At a glance, the Osmo Pocket 4P still belongs to the same family as its predecessors, with a compact upright body, a small rotating touchscreen, and a stabilized gimbal head on top. Look a little closer, though, and the dual-lens arrangement immediately sets it apart. There’s something more camera-like about it now, in the best possible sense, rather than a gadget that happens to record video.
DJI offers the Pocket 4P in two finishes, classic black, which was our review unit, and pearl white, both of which carry a premium, polished feel without going into flashy territory. The materials have that familiar blend of structured plastic and matte-finish surfaces that DJI tends to do well, feeling solid without being unnecessarily heavy. Neither colorway draws attention to itself in an obvious way, which actually works in the camera’s favor as a daily-carry tool.
What makes the design feel complete is how the accessories extend the camera’s visual language rather than disrupting it. The fill light clips on cleanly, the handle and tripod give it a more grounded foundation, and the FrameTap remote adds a secondary screen without making the whole setup look like a patchwork rig. Fully assembled for a shoot, the Pocket 4P has the coherent look of a purpose-built creator system, not a Frankenstein of parts.
The presence of two lenses changes what the camera communicates even before it’s switched on. Earlier Pocket models read as action-friendly video tools. The Osmo Pocket 4P reads as something closer to an intentional image-making device, and that shift comes almost entirely from the addition of the portrait lens. Rather than simply adding more specs, DJI gave this camera a more considered point of view, and that reads clearly in the design.
Ergonomics
One of the best things about the Osmo Pocket line has always been how easy it is to grab and go, and the Osmo Pocket 4P keeps that up. It slips into a jacket pocket or small bag without fuss, and it’s ready to record almost immediately. Twisting the touchscreen to power it on takes barely a second, which matters more than it sounds when something worth filming is happening right now.
Handling the Pocket 4P day to day is comfortable, especially once the threaded handle is attached. It gives the camera a stable grip and a flexible mounting solution for tripods and other accessories. The touchscreen is compact and works well for quick adjustments, though it favors speed and simplicity over deep menu navigation. That’s a natural consequence of the body’s slim profile and carry-first design philosophy.
The dual-lens head makes the camera noticeably heavier and more top-heavy than earlier Pocket models, and you’ll feel that difference during longer sessions. But that added mass is a physical consequence of housing a second optical system in such a compact body, which makes it a worthwhile trade. The included handle and mini tripod become genuinely useful for that reason, giving the whole setup a more balanced, natural feel.
Performance
At the heart of the 4P’s imaging system is a 1-inch CMOS sensor paired with a 20mm wide lens, and alongside it, a 1/1.28-inch sensor powering a 60mm medium-telephoto lens with an f/1.8 aperture. Together, they give the camera two genuinely different visual identities: the wide camera for movement, environments, and establishing shots, and the telephoto for faces, details, and compositions where subject isolation matters most.
20mm, f/2.0
60mm, f/1.8, 3x zoom
The 1-inch sensor on the wide camera carries 17 stops of dynamic range, which means tricky lighting situations, such as backlit faces, strong sunsets, or mixed indoor light, tend to resolve more naturally than you’d expect from something this small. Colors look accurate and grounded rather than oversaturated, and skin tones in particular come through with a warmth and believability that most compact cameras don’t typically manage.
20mm, f/2.0
60mm, f/1.8
The 60mm telephoto lens is where the Pocket 4P starts telling a more complete story. At f/1.8, it creates a natural compression and background separation that a wide lens simply can’t replicate, which makes portrait shots, talking-head videos, and product close-ups look considerably more flattering and cinematic. Wide-angle lenses can make subjects look slightly distorted, particularly around the edges of the frame. The telephoto doesn’t, and that difference is immediately noticeable.
20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)
Video recording shows how seriously the Osmo Pocket 4P takes its professional aspirations. It supports 10-bit D-Log 2, a color profile with enough tonal latitude to recover highlights and lift shadows in post-production without the footage falling apart, making grading feel genuinely flexible. The standard color profile also deserves credit for looking natural and grounded straight out of camera, giving creators who don’t want to grade a polished result with minimal effort.
20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)
Stabilization comes from a 3-axis mechanical gimbal rather than electronic cropping, keeping footage smooth in a way that feels physically grounded. ActiveTrack 8.0 handles subject tracking reliably enough that solo creators can set the camera up, step in front of it, and let it do the work. Slow-motion recording is equally impressive, with the wide lens supporting exceptionally high frame rates that transform ordinary moments into something far more dramatic.
20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8 (Bottom)
The telephoto camera is best treated as a specialized portrait and close-up lens rather than a full duplicate of the main sensor. It doesn’t support D-Log 2, only 10-bit D-Log, so that color workflow difference is worth planning around before a shoot. The 103GB of built-in storage, fast transfer speeds, and a quick-charging battery that holds up through hours of shooting on a single charge make the overall experience feel refreshingly low-friction.
20mm, f/2.0 (Top) | 60mm, f/1.8, 3x zoom (Bottom)
Sustainability
There’s a practical case for the 4P being a more sustainable choice than it might first appear. A compact camera that handles wide landscapes, tight portraits, slow-motion action, and stabilized everyday shots is genuinely harder to outgrow. That kind of versatility tends to extend a product’s useful life, making it less likely that a single creative limitation will push someone toward a hardware upgrade they don’t actually need.
DJI’s ongoing firmware support has already added meaningful features since launch, including 10-bit HDR recording and auto media transfer to compatible iOS devices. The 103GB of built-in storage also means one less memory card to buy, lose, or eventually replace, and the broad accessory ecosystem lets the camera adapt to new shooting scenarios without requiring a full hardware upgrade. That’s a quieter form of sustainability, but a genuine one.
Value
Although available solo, the Osmo Pocket 4P also comes in a Vlog Combo that packs significantly more than just the camera itself. The box includes a threaded handle, FrameTap remote with its own screen, fill light, DJI Mic Mini 2 wireless microphone, mini tripod, and carrying accessories. Pricing it as an assembled creator kit rather than a standalone camera body makes the overall cost feel far more proportionate to what’s actually being offered.
Compared to a smartphone, the Pocket 4P offers better stabilization and a more cinematic image. Compared to an action camera, it brings a portrait lens and a significantly more refined look. And compared to a mirrorless kit with a separate gimbal and microphone, it’s dramatically smaller and faster to deploy. It won’t replace a dedicated mirrorless setup in every scenario, but for most creators, it comes close enough to matter.
Verdict
What makes the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P worth noticing goes beyond better hardware or higher specs. DJI made a considered design decision to add a second lens that genuinely changes how the camera approaches perspective. That 60mm portrait focal length lets it tell more complete visual stories, handling the wide context shots and the tighter, more flattering moments that a single wide lens simply can’t manage as naturally.
For travel creators, vloggers, portrait-focused photographers, and anyone who’s wanted something that shoots more like a serious camera without the bulk, the Osmo Pocket 4P makes a genuinely strong case for itself. There are trade-offs, but they’re manageable, and the overall package in the Vlog Combo configuration is one of the more thoughtfully considered compact creator kits available right now. It’s a camera worth carrying, and more importantly, worth reaching for.
The post DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Review: Finally a Pocket Camera That Flatters Faces first appeared on Yanko Design.