Over the past two years, it's become noticeably more common to see friends purchasing "cameras"—though not the traditional professional models from Sony, Nikon, or Canon. Instead, these are compact, user-friendly "Made-in-China cameras" that slip easily into a pocket. At concerts and trade shows, the once-ubiquitous "long guns and cannons" have gradually been replaced by the DJI Pocket, while in action scenarios, panoramic, thumb-sized, and action cameras from DJI and Insta360 have become the mainstream choices.
According to data from AVC Revo, online sales of action cameras in China reached 4.78 million units in 2025, a year-on-year surge of 232%, with retail revenue hitting 9.71 billion yuan, up 223%. For handheld gimbal cameras, IDC reports that global shipments hit 16.65 million units in 2025, a robust 83% increase. In contrast, traditional categories like smartphones and PCs are seeing growth in the single digits, with some even experiencing a decline. Notably, the primary players in this arena are almost entirely domestic, which makes this an opportune moment to explore the promising smart imaging sector and the standout contenders within it.
DJI: Building a "Sky-to-Ground" Imaging Ecosystem from Drones
When discussing smart imaging, DJI is an unavoidable name. As the undisputed ruler of the consumer drone market with roughly 75% global share, its most viral product in recent years has surprisingly been a pocket-sized gimbal camera—the Osmo Pocket 3. This palm-sized device, equipped with a 1-inch sensor, mechanical stabilization gimbal, and a 20mm wide-angle lens ideal for vertical short videos, has transformed from a piece of photography gear into an internet sensation.
How dominant is this little machine? From November 2023 to September 2024, DJI secured the number one spot in global camera sales for 11 consecutive months, with its market share in camera products directly surpassing Panasonic and Sony. This year's Pocket 4 series, with its new algorithms and added telephoto lens, has once again become the "standard answer" for gimbal cameras. In China, DJI's brand recognition in the camera field now far exceeds that of the traditional "big three" (Sony, Nikon, Canon). The Action series has been updated to its 6th generation, featuring a 1/1.1-inch square sensor and variable aperture, leaving GoPro struggling to keep up. Last year, DJI also launched its first panoramic camera, the Osmo 360, winning over users with its 1-inch panoramic field, native 8K resolution, and full integration with the DJI accessory ecosystem. The wearable Osmo Nano focuses on magnetic, portable design, allowing for first-person perspective shots simply by attaching it to clothing.
Returning to its core business, DJI added the Lito series this year, bringing aerial photography entry-level pricing down to the 2,000 yuan range. The Neo series, marketed as a "flying follow-cam photographer," is small enough to fit in a palm and can take off from it, tracking subjects without a remote control, specifically targeting Vlog creators. The Avata 360 panoramic drone further lowers the barrier to entry for drone use. With this extensive product line, DJI offers a solution for everyone, regardless of budget, skill level, or need for professional-grade aerial footage.
In the professional sphere, DJI's Ronin series cinema stabilizers are standard equipment on film sets; the Ronin 2 won a Scientific and Technical Award at the Oscars last year. The RS 5 stabilizer, designed for commercial shoots, features a built-in intelligent tracking module that can lock onto people, cars, or pets within 10 meters. Even in audio, the DJI Mic series wireless microphones have become essential gear for short-video creators. DJI has effectively created a comprehensive "sky-to-ground" imaging ecosystem, offering answers for nearly all daily shooting needs. In 2025, DJI secured 62.4% of global handheld smart camera shipments; in the first half of 2026, it commanded a 74% share of China's online action camera market by volume and 80.9% by revenue. This near-total dominance is the hallmark of DJI's power.
Insta360: The "King" of Panoramic Cameras Expands on All Fronts
Mention Insta360 and panoramic cameras immediately come to mind. As the company that truly pushed panoramic cameras to their peak, Insta360 held a 67.2% share of the global panoramic camera market in 2023, a figure that climbed to 71% in the first quarter of 2026. Simply put, seven out of every ten panoramic cameras sold worldwide are from Insta360. But the company isn't content to rest on its laurels. It has aggressively diversified its product lines: the GO series pioneered the thumb-camera category, expanding action camera shooting scenarios with its ultra-small size and weight, easily attached to clothing, hats, or pet collars for first-person perspectives; the Ace Pro 2, co-engineered with Leica, directly competes with GoPro and DJI in the wide-angle action camera space; the Flow series phone gimbals support Apple's DockKit for automatic tracking; Link series cameras and the Connect all-in-one target office and conference scenarios; and professional models like the Pro 2 and Titan have handled VR broadcasts for CCTV's Spring Festival Gala and even been sent to space.
What's most noteworthy, however, is Insta360's foray into handheld gimbal cameras and drones—areas long considered DJI's exclusive territory. Entering these markets to challenge DJI is a bold move, and our experience with the Luna Ultra gimbal camera and the Yinglin A1 panoramic drone suggests they are remarkably polished and live up to market expectations. On the distribution front, Insta360 opened its first Japanese flagship store in Asakusa, Tokyo, in early August, making it the first Chinese imaging brand to open a direct retail store in Japan. With roughly 70% of its revenue coming from overseas, it's a classic example of a Chinese brand that's "blooming outside the wall."
Hohem: Quietly Profiting in the Stabilizer Market
Compared to DJI and Insta360, the name Hohem might be unfamiliar to some readers, but it's a major player in the overseas stabilizer market. It holds a 70% share of the global action camera stabilizer market and a 25% share of the overseas online phone stabilizer market, with users in over 140 countries and regions. In 2025, it officially entered US Best Buy stores.
Hohem's defining characteristic is its creation of the AI-follow gimbal concept. Previously, phone gimbals either required manual tracking or app-based subject selection, which was often unreliable. Hohem's approach involves installing an independent AI vision module directly on the gimbal, making tracking independent of the phone and app. The gimbal can find and follow its target on its own. Take this year's flagship iSteady M7, for example. It uses a magnetic, detachable AI tracker that requires no complex Bluetooth pairing or app downloads—just make an "OK" gesture to start tracking. Combined with a detachable touchscreen remote, it allows a solo content creator to handle the work of a camera operator single-handedly.
In terms of its product matrix, Hohem covers most daily user scenarios. Beyond the camera stabilizer, its phone gimbal lineup includes the M, V, and entry-level X series, with the iSteady Q in a selfie-stick form. The Hohem GO is a desktop auto-follow stand, the MT2 is a camera stabilizer, the Pro 4 targets action cameras, and last year they added the MIC-01 wireless microphone. The most intriguing product, however, is the 4K Vlog camera Hohem Eyepic unveiled at CES. This detachable, magnetic gimbal camera allows the gimbal base and camera to be separated freely. The camera can be attached to a basketball hoop, car grille, or even a pet, while the base stays in your hand as a remote and monitor. Our team got an exclusive look, and the key takeaway is that this device solves the "camera position" problem: shoot handheld using the gimbal logic, and when you want to include yourself in the frame, detach the camera and place it anywhere you like, eliminating the need to run back and forth. Hohem's CEO, Chen Min, emphasizes that users truly want products that are "simple, portable, and easy to use," a philosophy the company consistently pursues.
Obsbot: Using AI to Make the Camera the Director
Obsbot is the most unique and youngest of these companies, positioning itself not as a camera manufacturer but as a leader in AI tracking and auto-framing algorithms. Its first product, Tail, was radical in its approach—no gestures needed, the camera itself identifies, tracks, frames, and captures the subject. The user's only task is to double-tap the screen to switch targets. Today, Obsbot's product lines fall into three categories: the Tail series for e-sports arenas, where a single Tail 2 can replace an entire multi-camera crew for tracking and switching, drastically cutting labor costs; the Tiny series for meetings, online classes, and live streaming, with the latest Tiny 3 weighing just 63g and offering 4K resolution and auto-framing with minimal operational requirements; and the Meet series, fully focused on video conferencing with built-in AI auto-framing and noise-canceling microphones. While its hardware specs might not be the most compelling, Obsbot's "AI Director" technology has allowed it to capture over half the share in the high-end camera category, selling products in over 150 countries. It's clearly another company that thrives on its technology.
Beyond these four, the sector is bustling with other interesting players. Moman, specializing in live-streaming gear, has its LARK series wireless microphones topping overseas charts. SmallRig covers everything from camera cages to live-streaming solutions, essentially becoming the "arms dealer" for video creators. In the mid-to-low price action camera segment, Shenzhen-based firms like SJCAM and AKASO offer cost-effective alternatives. The most significant new entrants, however, are smartphone makers. IDC has revealed that OPPO and vivo have confirmed plans to enter the handheld smart camera market, with their first products expected this year. Honor's recently launched Robot Phone, while different in positioning, also qualifies as a new smart imaging species. With phone manufacturers bringing their imaging algorithms and supply chain advantages, this track is about to get much more crowded.
As for GoPro, the category's pioneer, its share of the global broad action camera market shrank to just 10.7% in the first quarter of 2026. A brand that ruled the action camera market for 20 years has been collectively dethroned by Chinese manufacturers.
Three Key Drivers Fueling the Smart Imaging Explosion
The sudden explosion of this track isn't without reason. Three main factors are at play. First, the wave of short videos. As of December 2025, China has 1.074 billion short-video users, with a usage rate of 95.4%, demanding a massive amount of video content. However, footage from phones or traditional cameras often looks the same. This is where action cameras, panoramic cameras, and drones, which offer differentiated perspectives, become valuable. For instance, the wildly popular "first-person cycling" videos on platforms are nearly impossible to replicate with a phone or traditional camera, but an action camera handles it with ease.
Second, products have become more portable. Traditional cameras are bulky and heavy with a high learning curve, limiting their user base to photography enthusiasts. The smart imaging devices we've discussed share a common trait: portability. Smaller devices open up a world of new shooting scenarios—skiing, diving, cycling, camping, and concerts—places where lugging a camera used to be a chore but are now easy, high-quality shooting environments.
Third, and most critically, is the maturation of AI. Previously, imaging devices competed on optical quality. A decent setup cost a fortune, and you needed a high-performance computer for editing and retouching, making the barrier to entry extremely high. AI has completely changed the game. Insta360 panoramic cameras can automatically remove the selfie stick from the frame, the DJI Pocket can auto-detect and track people, and some cameras can even handle composition for you. Combined with the one-touch editing features every manufacturer is adding, tasks that once required professional software and years of experience are now accomplished with a simple tap on your phone after shooting. IDC projects the global handheld smart camera market will exceed 40 million units by 2030, with a five-year compound annual growth rate near 20%. Data from Sigmaintell shows gimbal camera shipments growing from 1.2 million units in 2023 to an expected 14.8 million in 2026—a more than tenfold increase in three years.
New Development Paths Becoming Clearer
This raises the question: is smart imaging hitting a bottleneck, or are there new directions ahead? In our view, three trends are relatively certain. First, AI will shift from a supporting role to the star. Currently, AI in imaging devices primarily helps with tracking and composition during shooting, and editing and color grading after. In the future, AI will autonomously judge what moments are worth capturing, what perspective to use, and what style to edit in. The competition will no longer be about lenses and sensors, but whose algorithms better understand "what makes a good image."
Second, cameras will become more like robots. This is already becoming apparent: gimbal cameras can pan, tracking cameras can find subjects, and drones can follow people. The ultimate form of an imaging device is a shooting robot that can move, frame, and make decisions on its own. Follow-shooting and auto-editing are just transitional steps. Looking further ahead, individual users might own a "personal photographer robot," and professional broadcast production could be gradually replaced by products like the Obsbot Tail 2.
Third, competition will shift from hardware to a synergy of software and hardware, and we'll likely see the most intense price wars, with phone makers' entry being a clear signal. OPPO, vivo, and Honor possess top-tier computational photography algorithms, mature supply chains, and the ability to reach hundreds of millions of users. Their entry will likely trigger two outcomes: first, they'll pull in a large user base, especially their existing phone users, through more complete ecosystems; second, they'll drive prices down, sparking price wars. For traditional smart imaging companies, this will force them to compete on ecosystems and pricing as well—which is ultimately good news for consumers.
The Smart Imaging Track Is Only Getting More Crowded
Looking back, the logic behind the smart imaging explosion is simple: short videos created the demand for content, and AI lowered the barriers to entry. The convergence of these two forces has birthed a super track. GoPro took 20 years to prove the market's potential, but Chinese companies have expanded it several-fold, or even tenfold, in under a decade. With phone makers entering, AI continuing to integrate, and devices moving toward robotization, the story of this track is just beginning. For the average user, this is arguably the best era to get into smart imaging: more choices, faster iterations, and increasingly affordable prices. The only question left is: with all these new gadgets, is your wallet ready?