China Action Camera Sales Reach 3.12 Million Units in First Half, with DJI Holding 74%

Kuai Keji, August 7 — Research firm RUNTO Technology today released sales data for China's action camera market in the first half of 2026.

The data shows that in the first half of 2026, online omnichannel sales of action cameras in China reached 3.119 million units, with revenue of 8.20 billion yuan, both up more than 90% year on year.

RUNTO Technology noted that growth in the action camera market is gradually shifting from professional outdoor shooting to everyday short-video creation by the general public.

As short videos, outdoor lifestyles and lightweight UGC creation become more widespread, and scenarios such as camping, cycling, diving, urban travel shooting and everyday self-media recording continue to expand, action cameras are evolving from specialist extreme-sports gear into everyday creative tools that people carry with them.

In terms of brand landscape, China's action camera market shows a clear concentration among leading players.

In the first half of 2026, DJI and Insta360 together claimed 89.4% of unit sales and 97.9% of revenue in China's online action camera market, further intensifying the market's "Matthew effect."

DJI ranked first by a wide margin, claiming 74.0% of online unit sales and 80.9% of online revenue.

In specific segments, the DJI Osmo Pocket series topped gimbal camera unit sales, while the Action series also led the wide-angle action camera market, helped by its drone imaging algorithm expertise and comprehensive accessory ecosystem.

Insta360 followed, with 15.4% of online unit sales and 17.0% of online revenue.

Insta360's traditional strength has been in 360-degree cameras, but in the first half of this year it launched the Luna Ultra gimbal camera, formally entering the gimbal camera segment long dominated by DJI and establishing a dual product line of "360-degree cameras + gimbal cameras."

By comparison, the room for other brands has been sharply squeezed.

Data show that, excluding DJI and Insta360, all other brands combined account for only about 10% of unit sales and 2% of revenue.

GoPro, once the leading action camera brand, is gradually being marginalized in the Chinese market.

Its high-priced flagship HERO13 has a relatively narrow audience, while its editing workflow is cumbersome and its ecosystem is not competitive enough, significantly weakening its appeal in China's mass-market short-video creation segment, RUNTO Technology noted.

In addition, entry-level brands priced around 100 yuan, such as Shangou, SJCAM and AKASO, rely more on overseas cross-border markets and have limited influence in domestic online and offline channels, with their share of low-priced models continuing to shrink.

Source: Kuai Keji

       Original title : China sells 3.12 million action cameras in half a year! DJI goes all out and takes 74% of the market