GoPro’s answer to DJI’s best camera yet could be coming soon, and it might be a huge win for the US brand

GoPro may have just lost the action camera crown in Japan (for now, anyway), but a new patent suggests the brand isn’t going down quietly.

Instead, it’s gearing up to fight back, and not with a new HERO camera, but with something entirely different.

According to a patent published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, action camera giant GoPro is working on a modular, handheld camera system strikingly similar to DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3.

It features a rotating camera head, a detachable grip, hybrid stabilisation and the kind of flexibility that would make it just as at home in the hands of a YouTuber as it would mounted on a drone.

It might be the first glimpse of a GoPro resurgence, one that CEO Nicholas Woodman has been hinting at for months.

And with DJI raising US prices due to trade tariffs and growing anti-China sentiment fuelling demand for American-made tech, GoPro’s pivot couldn’t be better timed.

GoPro goes full Osmo

The GoPro patent outlines a two-part modular camera: an “image capture module” that contains both the imager and a mechanical stabilisation mechanism, and a “handheld module” that houses the battery, display, controls and ergonomic grip.

The modules are designed to detach and reconnect within seconds, allowing for flexible use across grips, mounts and possibly even drones.

It’s a radical departure from the GoPro Hero 13 Black (bar the modularity), the latest iteration of the HERO Series, and in many ways, it’s a spiritual successor to the Karma Grip concept, but vastly more refined.

The patent even hints at voice control, quick-swap batteries, software-assisted framing and deep integration with GoPro’s cloud editing platform.

From a hardware perspective, it looks like GoPro is taking on DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 directly, the same compact vlogging camera that helped the Chinese brand overtake GoPro as the top action camera seller in Japan earlier this year.

Strategic timing (and a US-made advantage)

The timing of this patent is no accident. In his appearance at the Oppenheimer Tech Conference earlier this month, Nick Woodman confirmed GoPro will enter the “high-end low-light prosumer” category in 2026, and teased that some of the company’s upcoming products haven’t been publicly revealed yet.

That’s a strong indication that this modular camera could arrive sooner than expected, possibly even as GoPro’s big Q4 launch for 2025.

It would be a smart move. DJI's Osmo Pocket 3 is still widely regarded as one of the best compact cameras for vloggers and content creators, but it’s facing headwinds in the US.

Since the latest round of tariffs came into effect, DJI has quietly raised prices across its lineup.

The Pocket 3 now costs significantly more than when it launched, a shift that’s made many creators reconsider alternatives.

(That said, it's flying off the shelves in the US, even with $280/ 54% price hike.)

Combine that with mounting political pressure on Chinese tech brands in the US, and GoPro has a unique opportunity to launch a US-made, modular, creator-friendly camera that undercuts DJI on price, avoids trade friction, and delivers tight software integration via its subscription platform.

It’s a compelling pitch.

From “action cam” to “capture anything”

Zoom out, and this patent also reflects a broader shift in GoPro’s strategy.

Woodman repeatedly emphasised during the Oppenheimer session that GoPro is no longer just building cameras for sport and adventure.

In other words, the company is building tools, not toys: cameras with real utility, adaptable across industries, creators, and professionals.

A modular system like this makes sense in that context.

A lightweight gimbal-cam for vloggers. A drone-ready head for FPV pilots. A construction-ready imaging unit for site inspections.

All tied back into GoPro’s cloud platform and growing software subscription model.

For a brand that once revolutionised action cameras but then struggled to break out of its own category, this could be the start of a new chapter.

If GoPro can pull this off, delivering a compact, stabilised, modular camera with the right features at the right price, it could reclaim ground not just in Japan, but in every market where creators are hunting for smarter gear.

And given the shape of the market right now (see also the escalating drone wars), this may be GoPro’s best chance yet to hit DJI where it hurts.