DJI Osmo Nano review | The unbiased motorcycle test

Date reviewed: September 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: From £239.99 (RRP) | www.dji.com

The DJI Osmo Nano on review here arrives just one month after the Insta360 GO Ultra, and besides undercutting the RRP of its rival by a very significant margin, it’s got some notable benefits that can make it a lot of fun to use.

But it also has some important drawbacks that you need to be aware of.

As always, this 100% independent and unbiased review will look at the video and audio quality, handling, battery life and more, but I can tell you now that the decision you’ll need to make if investing in one of these small action cameras will come down to more than just pixel-peeping.

Pros & Cons

Why you can trust this review

No manufacturers or distributors ever have any influence on the reviews I write or film, I won’t ever do any paid reviews, and I’ll never agree to affiliate links. All products are tested fairly and equally, and if anything changes over time, I will update the written reviews.

Your purchasing choices should always be your own – Bennetts BikeSocial is just here to help ensure they’re informed choices.

What do you get?

The DJI Osmo Nano is a small camera with its own built-in storage of 64GB or 128GB, and a removable screen unit that also has its own battery that recharges the camera when attached. Included in the standard bundle is a hat clip with quick-release mount, magnetic lanyard, ball-joint with quick-release mount on a sucker that can be removed to expose a ¼” tripod mount, protective camera frame and a USB-C Power Delivery (PD) cable for data-transfer and charging.

DJI has priced the Osmo Nano incredibly aggressively compared to the GO Ultra (£389 at time of writing)…

According to a DJI Spokesperson, the “Osmo Nano will not be available officially in the U.S. market on official websites upon its global launch on September 23. DJI remains committed to the U.S. market and is optimizing our strategy to best serve our customers amidst evolving local conditions.”

Now let’s find out if it’s worth buying…

The DJI Osmo Nano is smaller than the GO Ultra. Except where it isn’t...

While the DJI Osmo Nano gives you a smaller camera unit than the old DJI Action 2, it is actually bigger than Insta360’s GO Ultra in all but height, and that’s critical depending on how you intend to use it.

Thanks to being so squat, if filming in landscape mode (which I do almost all the time), the Osmo Nano is the more compact device. I’d go as far as to say that not only is it the best design for filming in this orientation on a motorcycle helmet, it’s also more suitable for attaching to a horse-riding hat. Or a baseball cap. Or a skydiving helmet. Or a dog.

The Osmo Nano and GO Ultra are small cameras, but I’ve deliberately avoided the word ‘tiny’. Both have very high-spec features packed in their little bodies, but it was the old GO 3S that I’d describe as tiny. It had lower performance in every respect, but if size really matters then you’re going to have to trawl eBay for a second-hand one.

These new mini action cameras won’t fit inside a motorcycle (or skydiving) helmet, though as you’re not allowed to put them inside bike lids on track anymore (and it’s not the best idea in an accident), perhaps that doesn’t matter. Arguably though, they’re perhaps less ‘fun’ now.

DJI Osmo Nano video samples

All clips are entirely unedited and straight out of camera

Remote viewing on the Osmo Nano is really useful

Sure, you can connect pretty much any modern action camera to the app on your mobile phone for remote viewing of the footage, but having a dock that simply unclips and maintains the display makes setting up a shot from your helmet – or in awkward locations – very quick and simple.

In my testing I was able to view footage and start / stop recording or change settings at a range of up to 80m, which is the same as I got on the Insta360 GO Ultra. But… once I’d lost connection, I couldn’t get it back until I was just under 10m away from the camera.

As with the GO Ultra, I was able to film between rooms in the house no bother using the Osmo Nano, and two walls were the limit.

The DJI does have a couple of notable limitations when the camera’s separated from the dock that, while not deal-breakers, are frustrating:

• You can’t review footage you’ve shot remotely. If you want to check the clips that are on the camera, you have to pop it back on the dock.

• You can’t view the live feed if you’re using a wireless mic. If you have a mic connected the video feed is disabled, so have it turned off while setting up the camera angle.

Osmo Nano vs GO Ultra wind noise reduction

Testing the two mini action cameras on a motorcycle

The DJI Osmo Nano has great audio for motorcycling

Like the Insta360 GO Ultra, the DJI Osmo Nano can record audio from the camera (with two wind noise reduction settings or the option to turn it off), or it can record from a wireless microphone (but not transmit live video to review on the separated dock).

Mounted to the screen of my 2001 104,000 mile Honda VFR800, I compared the DJI Osmo Nano’s ‘Daily’ and ‘Action’ wind noise reduction with the Insta360 GO Ultra’s ‘Weak’ and ‘Strong’ and the results surprised me. While allowing more of the wind noise onto the recording, the DJI sounds a more natural to me, and also allows you to hear the bike more clearly.

Osmo Nano vs GO Ultra audio comparison

Testing the DJI Osmo Nano in my garage and on the road

Where the Osmo Nano also scores highly is in the fact that it can record from two mics at the same time, making it great for interviews. While you can record speech with the built in mics for vlogging etc, the twin peaking bars on the Nano’s screen are very handy for monitoring audio from two sources. By accessing the ‘Pro’ mode, you can adjust each microphone’s gain separately in a range between -12 and +12, and choose to have them both mixed to a single mono track, or separated left and right or right and left. In the footage above you can hear the internal mic inside my garage, and the DJI Mic 2 and Mic Mini. There’s also a clip with the Mic Mini tucked into the chin-skirt of my Arai Quantic at 60mph…

The DJI Nano video quality is mostly very good

While testing the audio in my garage I noticed some poor video performance from the Osmo Nano, with thick darks bands also moving slowly up or down through the shot. These were caused by the 50Hz AC mains voltage here in the UK strobing my LED lighting, but I always shoot at 25fps or multiples of that to avoid it.

After a lot of back and forth I narrowed it down to the ‘Sport’ stabilisation mode being turned on. Drop that down to ‘Daily’ and the quality vastly improves.

During testing in the daylight I could see no obvious difference in video quality or stabilisation performance with the camera on the bike getting shaken around a lot, so I leave the Osmo Nano in ‘Daily’ stabilisation now. A firmware update might refine this over time – the night video mode only became available as an update in the week before launch, so DJI is clearly working down to the wire.

Osmo Nano vs GO Ultra video comparison

Unedited footage while mounted to a VFR800 screen

Out in the sunshine, the DJI has great video quality and excellent stabilisation, but compared to the Insta360 Go Ultra I did notice a slightly worse handling of high contrast lighting and a little fringing of trees against the sky. We are pixel-peeking here, and it’s only noticeable when comparing the two directly. In fact, you might not even be able to see the difference now these clips have been through YouTube’s compression (make sure you open them in YouTube to go full screen, and set the resolution to be 4K).

Osmo Nano vs GO Ultra FoV comparison

Testing the DJI Osmo Nano’s field of view

In the garage for this field of view test I think the difference in standard performance quality is fairly noticeable. The DJI is a little less sharp and a little more flat straight out of camera.

The flatter profile of this standard footage could be boosted a little (I’m not using the ‘Pro’ mode, 10-bit colour or D-Log profile here), but for many users it’s the raw state that’s so important. Again, to some extent this is something only really noticeable with direct comparisons, but looking at the Kawasaki logo on my bike’s tank, I think the Insta360 GO Ultra has the edge in video quality indoors, and – to a much lesser extent – outdoors too.

Osmo Nano vs GO Ultra night test

Comparing standard and night view modes

Heading out at night, the difference is a lot harder to spot. With both cameras in their normal video modes shooting 4K 25fps it’s hard to say which one is best as there are times that when pausing one seems to have the edge, then it’s the other. Overall I’d say the Osmo Nano just takes it here.

Switch the DJI into SuperNight and the Insta360 into PureVideo and both look even better, but now I think the Insta360 has the edge. They’re both very good though, stabilising the footage well in extremely difficult conditions, and I’d not say either has a clear win.

DJI has (almost) kept the same mounting system

If you’re a fan of the DJI ecosystem you’ll appreciate that the Osmo Action quick-release brackets fit the Osmo Nano too.

Kind of.

You can clip the camera, or the camera and the dock together onto the mounts you already have, but just note that you’ll have to fight against the magnets as the Nano has introduced a ‘dual-direction’ design.

A slight annoyance with the existing DJI mounting system – even on the brand-new Osmo 360 – is that they work best when oriented in one direction. If you want to put the camera onto the mount in the opposite direction to which it’s designed, the magnets in the mount and camera will resist you. The mechanical clamps will still latch on fine – you just have to make extra sure that they’ve clipped on properly.

The Osmo Nano can be clipped onto the mounts supplied with it – or available as accessories – in either direction, which is a decent upgrade, but one that also means the magnets inside have been redesigned, so no matter which orientation you clip the Nano onto any of the original quick release mounts, the magnets will always be trying to push it away. And the same goes for putting any other existing camera on the new mounts.

The ‘dual-direction’ design is a worthy design update, and the old clamps do still work so I can cover my bike and lid with the mounts I’ve got and still swap the Osmo Action 4, Osmo 360 and Osmo Nano between them all in seconds.

Both the DJI Osmo Nano and the Insta360 GO Ultra camera units can be attached to metal objects with the built-in magnets, but only the Osmo Nano has magnets in the base and the back, giving you a choice of views parallel to the surface or perpendicular. There’s no base on the Insta360’s camera to set it down on, but if it’s in the dock you can then attach it with the lens at 90° to the surface.

The Nano’s dock can only be attached magnetically by its base, but the magnets in both parts aren’t strong enough to hold the pair together when connected.

It’s hard to know when the DJI Osmo Nano is turned on

When the camera’s attached to your helmet, the Insta360 GO Ultra’s haptic feedback is a massive advantage – even at speed you can hear it buzz through your lid when turned on and off.

The DJI Osmo Nano just beeps, so if it’s a noisy environment it can be hard to notice, so on the bike, that means peering at yourself in the mirror.

More irritating is that the Osmo Nano doesn’t have a second status LED on the top (like the Insta360) or the rear – if you have this camera facing away from you on the bike, you can’t know if you turned it on or not while riding.

DJI Osmo Nano slow motion test

Comparing the various frame rates

The DJI Osmo Nano can film at up to 240fps

The DJI Osmo Nano can shoot at some impressively high frame rates. To compare the video quality I filmed the test above, which shows that the quality does reduce when switching to Slow Motion mode in order to access the 120fps footage despite it remaining in 4K. Whether it’s processing to upscale and sharpen 2.7K footage I don’t know, but it’s a handy setting to have and one that’s missing from the GO Ultra, which can film 2.7K 120fps and 1080P 240fps.

The DJI Osmo Nano has a range of resolutions and frame rates:

There’s also a hyperlapse mode in 4K, 2.7K or 1080P at 25 or 30fps running at 2x, 5x, 10x, 15x or 30x speed, as well as timelapse with intervals between half a second and 60 minutes.

Rocksteady stabilisation isn’t supported in the slow motion and timelapse modes, and horizon balancing (which works up to 30° of tilt, not 360°) only works in the 16:9 formats at 60fps and below.

You can also shoot stills at a resolution of up to 35MP.

Only the DJI Osmo Nano camera module is waterproof

Like the Insta360 GO Ultra, it’s only the DJI Osmo Nano’s camera module that’s waterproof – the dock is rated to IPX4, which means it’s resistant to water splashes, not submersion or water jets. The USB-C port does have a dust cover though, which to me is a major win over the Insta360.

The DJI Osmo Nano has very good battery life

For such a small camera, it’s impressive how long the DJI Osmo Nano will film for. It’ll depend on the settings you use, but I benchmark all action cameras indoors at around 22°C shooting at 4K25. Note that when testing the Osmo Nano attached to the dock, it overheated after 1hr 22mins – the figure below is after recharging it and starting again with a fan blowing on it…

Recharging the flat camera and dock together with a Power Delivery USB-C charger took 90 minutes, but the camera is the first to be charged to get you going as quickly as possible and was at 54% in just 10 minutes, 80% at 20 mins and 100% at 42 mins.

The dock charges the camera itself with no external supply – here’s how quickly it worked and how much power it used from the dock when that started from 100%...

The camera recorded for a further 56 minutes, but we can see from the table below that the DJI Osmo Nano dock will only recharge the camera fully from dead once, and on the second run it’s also slower…

With 10% showing on the dock it would no longer charge the camera. That 48% remaining charge gave me 27 minutes of runtime. So which device can give the best overall recording time from a fully charged camera and dock? Let’s find out…

The DJI Osmo Nano is the clear winner here. It takes a little longer to charge both units, and for the dock to charge the camera, but only by a matter of a few minutes. Surprisingly, the DJI has the smaller battery:

The DJI Osmo Nano also has an ‘Endurance’ mode, but in my benchmark testing it didn’t make any difference to the battery life. It might have an effect when the camera’s having to do more processing, but I was unable to compare this.

Note that if the camera’s battery is flat, it won’t work straight away when you connect it back to the dock – you have to wait a couple of minutes before you can use it again.

The DJI Osmo Nano’s lens cover is vulnerable

Even with the included shell case attached to the DJI Osmo Nano camera, the lens cover is vulnerable due to being slightly domed. It’s a shame DJI didn’t incorporate a protrusion at the top and bottom of the lens aperture on the shell case, which would protect the lens in a drop without appearing in even the widest fields of view.

While filming some lock attack testing for Bennetts BikeSocial’s huge library of motorcycle security reviews, I knocked the camera over and some metal shavings scratched the lens. Fortunately my review sample came with a spare lens cover, which can be easily unscrewed and replaced at a price of £19.99.

It’s a shame there’s no carry case included with the DJI Osmo Nano, so I’ve been using the soft carry pouch that’s supplied with the DJI Osmo 360 (reviewed here), as I keep that protected with the silicone lens cover that also came with it.

You can’t expand the DJI Osmo Nano’s camera storage..

…but you can expand the dock’s. I have the 128GB Osmo Nano, which is enough for just over two hours of 4K25 footage. That storage space is in the camera itself so anything shot on it can be either downloaded to your phone’s app wirelessly, to a computer by connecting via USB-C, or by exporting the footage from the camera to a microSD card (not supplied) in the dock, then copying those files to the computer. The camera has to be attached to the dock of course, but it also must be oriented with the lens pointed away from the screen.

This means that if you fill the camera’s storage space you can export the clips to the card, so you have up the maximum card size (up to 1TB) plus the storage space on the camera.

Exporting the files to the card isn’t lightning fast – it can take several minutes – so if you have a spare port on your computer you’re best off transferring direct.

Interestingly, while the 128GB Osmo Nano has a claimed data transfer rate over its USB 3.1 connection of 600MB/s, the 64GB version is limited to 400MB/s.

I tested the export time of files in various methods using a Macbook Pro with a built-in SD card port and USB-C connection:

I usually use the microSD card to transfer footage, which takes the same amount of time regardless of the camera (assuming the cards are the same spec), but it’s clear to see that connecting the Osmo Nano direct to the computer can give some real speed advantages. Transferring 3.54GB from the Insta360 GO Ultra using the USB-C port to the Mac took 90 seconds, which I calculate would take 59 seconds with a direct computer connection on the Osmo Nano for the same size.

Best accessories for the DJI Osmo Nano

Included in the DJI Osmo Nano standard bundle are several very useful accessories, but if you’re mounting the camera to your bike or motorcycle helmet, you’ll need some extras. Here are some you might be considering…

Dual-Direction Quick-Release Foldable Adaptor Mount, £33.99 | This aluminium quick-release mount clamps securely to the Osmo Nano camera or dock base and has a ¼ inch tripod thread socket in the bottom and a pair of Go-Pro style legs that fold out to allow attaching to a wide variety of clamps, arms, mounts etc. This is ideal for fitting to your motorcycle helmet, though remember that while the dual-direction feature works great on the Osmo Nano, the magnets will work against other cameras in the current range (I’d imagine the Osmo Action 6 will be Dual-Direction), but still attach securely. Alternatively, the £15 Osmo Action Quick-Release Adapter Mount is a simple alternative, though it’s the older single-direction magnet design, and at the price you might as well get it with the adhesive base…

These flexible bases from Insta360 are the best option I’ve used for motorcycling

Curved Adhesive Base Kit, £15 | This adhesive base is ideal for mounting to the top of your motorcycle helmet and it includes a (single-direction) quick-release mount, but the orientation of the arms is wrong for chin mounting or indeed attaching to the bike’s screen. You can get a flat adhesive base kit for £19, though this won’t work on a helmet. The best bases I’ve ever used are the Insta360 Flexible Adhesive Mounts at £18.99 a pair, which are perfect for most motorcycle surfaces as they conform to the shape you’re sticking them too. They can also be trimmed if necessary – I use one on the chin bar of my Arai Quantic.

Osmo Nano Glass Lens Cover, £19.99 | Being able to replace the lens cover on an action camera is essential. Keep one in your bag if you’re likely to be putting your camera in harm’s way.

Osmo Nano ND Filter Set, £59.99 | Coming in a handy carry case, the ND Filters allow you to produce much more cinematic footage with a fantastic motion blur. Pro mode on the Osmo Nano gives access to shutter speed and auto ISO ranges, meaning you can screw the ND 8, 16 or 32 filters in place of the standard lens cover to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor. By locking in a lower shutter speed (1/50th on 25fps or 1/60th on 30fps for instance), your clips will look a lot more exciting.

DJI Osmo Nano with ND16 filter

A brutal test of the ND filter

The video above was an extremely harsh test of the ND filters as the camera was shaking around a hell of a lot on the VFR’s screen. I’ll keep this review updated with new footage, and be sure to look out for my videos on our Bennetts BikeSocial YouTube channel, as I always label the cameras I’ve used.

Osmo Magnetic Headband, £25.99 | Handy for PoV shots when you’re working on the bike for instance, or just use the clip that comes with the camera in the standard bundle and attach it to the peak of a baseball cap.

Dual-Direction Magnetic Ball-Joint Adaptor Mount, £33.99 | This mount was included in the standard bundle, so I’m not sure why you’d need another unless you lost it. I tested it by sticking it to the screen of my Carpe Iter navigation tablet on the GS and it stayed put while riding some bumpy roads at a good speed. It shakes about a lot, but as you can see from the showreel footage looking back at me on the BMW, the camera’s stabilisation dealt with it well.

The sucker can be unscrewed, leaving a ¼” socket to easily mount the Osmo Nano to a tripod, which is a great feature.

Three alternatives to the DJI Osmo Nano

Mini action cameras aren’t as small as they have been, but they can still get you some unusual angles and are particularly good for locations where you need to have as light a device as possible. Here are some others you might be looking at…

• Insta360 GO Ultra, £389 | I’m sure Insta360 couldn’t have guessed that DJI would come in at such a low price compared to its own mini-action camera (and DJI did drop it from £319.99 / £339.99 just the day before the launch), but £150 can go a long way. The GO Ultra has the better image quality in my testing in general, though it’s most noticeable in the garage. The haptic feedback is a big advantage for motorcyclists, but the DJI has what I consider to be the better form factor. Read the full review of the Insta360 GO Ultra here.

• Insta360 GO 3S, £289.99 | At the time or writing the GO 3S is heavily discounted but it’s still dearer than the Osmo Nano! It’s a smaller form-factor than the DJI or the GO Ultra, but it doesn’t have the same image quality or expandable storage. We haven’t reviewed the GO 3S, but here’s a link to the website.

• DJI Osmo Action 4, £199 at time of writing | Do you really need a small action camera? If you want the versatility of being able to easily attach the camera to yourself or your dog, the Nano is a great option and it’s smaller on your motorcycle helmet too. But if size doesn’t matter the Action 4 could be well worth a look, keeping in mind that it doesn’t have the night video mode, and that there’s a new Osmo Action 6 coming very soon. Read the full, unbiased review of the DJI Osmo Action 4 here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the action cameras we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

DJI Osmo Nano review: Verdict

The DJI Osmo Nano is a great little camera that’s come in at a massively competitive price point. But it’s not just cheap and cheerful: it actually feels better made than the Insta360 GO Ultra (though that’s still a very tough device), and if you watch just my showreel above – which is made up of clips straight out of camera – I’m sure you’ll be very happy with the performance.

However, when viewed side-by-side the Insta360 GO Ultra has an edge in video quality both in bright sunlight and especially indoors.

Is the Insta360 £150 better (at the time of writing)? If the best video quality currently available in a compact form is important to you then yes, but where the Osmo Nano really shines is in the squat design and the firmly latching quick-release clips that mean you can more confidently capture fun clips (like popping it on your dog’s collar) without worrying about it falling off and getting lost due to a solely magnetic fastening system (though Insta360 has just released what appears to be a more secure clip mount).

I’ll keep this review updated as firmware tweaks might see things change over time, but for now I’d say that, while both small, these are quite different cameras. The haptic feedback is a huge advantage when operating the Insta360 GO Ultra on a motorcycle helmet, but the DJI Osmo Nano has the arguably more motorcycle-friendly form factor and better battery life. The choice is yours… how deep are your pockets?

I’d genuinely love to hear which camera you choose. Let me know at the BikeSocial Facebook Group, or our exclusive BikeClub forum.