DJI vs Insta360: The Borderless Battle for the Image Entry Point

In the second half of the 20th century, a classic chapter in industrial history unfolded on the shores of Tokyo Bay: a "duel between two titans." Canon and Nikon, once business partners who joined forces, launched a life-or-death struggle spanning half a century after each had filled its own gaps. This extremely intense local confrontation forced both sides to complete technological iterations, ultimately propelling Japan's imaging industry to a global leading position. This showdown between Canon and Nikon was essentially a battle for imaging discourse power in an era dominated by optical technology. With the widespread adoption of smartphones, the waves of portability and computational photography pushed former optical giants into the twilight of stagnant growth. The marginal benefits brought by refining lens precision in the traditional imaging industry are declining sharply, yet this has also spawned products such as gimbals and portable handheld imaging devices. It was precisely during this winter of the gradually waning traditional imaging market that DJI and Insta360, as new entrants breaking the deadlock, secured their tickets to the next era. DJI keenly captured the physical "blind spots" and niche scenarios that smartphone lenses could not reach, using precise flight control technology to carry lenses into the sky, providing users with more perspectives on viewing the world. Insta360, on the other hand, met the fragmented needs of extreme sports and personal documentation through panoramic stitching and minimalist software post-processing. But the fatalistic sense of history lies precisely in its cycle. As DJI's "God's-eye view" began to extend downward compatibility, and Insta360's "panoramic ecosystem" grew upward, the niche blue oceans eventually converged into the same deep waters. The two Chinese imaging players, fighting for a larger market share, inevitably faced collision. The fires ignited decades ago on the shores of Tokyo Bay to fight for imaging discourse power have now been rekindled on the shores of Shenzhen Bay. The contest unleashed between drone leader DJI and panoramic camera leader Insta360 is no longer a localized friction around a single product, but a comprehensive war ranging from the sky to the ground, from supply chains to courtrooms, from distributor storefronts to social media. Product line clashes are merely the ring on the surface; beneath, dozens of suppliers face exclusionary pressure, the signboard of a Changsha distributor was dismantled overnight after a million yuan renovation investment was completed, multiple patent ownership disputes were formally filed at the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, and the wording used by founders and companies in their public exchanges has become increasingly sharp. As the fire burns simultaneously across products, prices, channels, supply chains, patents, and public opinion, the buffer zone between DJI and Insta360 is gradually disappearing. This is a borderless battle for the image entry point. Unprecedented Statement After ten years, DJI founder Wang Tao broke his silence for the first time, accepting an exclusive interview with the outside world. While discussing his entrepreneurial journey and attempting to refresh his personal and corporate image for the public, this geek CEO made a rare evaluation of his competitor, comparing Insta360 founder Liu Jingkang to "Hong Hai'er" (a mythical character known for being mischievous). Behind this seemingly teasing comment lies the fact that two consumer technology leaders born from the same Shenzhen supply chain are escalating their warfare to a new level. Over the past year, DJI and Insta360 have penetrated each other's core territories, with the front lines spreading from drones all the way to panoramic and action cameras. The dispute continues. On April 16, DJI officially released its new-generation pocket camera, the Pocket 4, while Insta360 also planned to launch a new product similar to the Pocket form factor, named "Luna," in the first half of this year. More provocatively, accompanied by the comprehensive clash of product lines, conflicts between the two sides over supply chains and patent litigation have quickly intensified. On March 23, 2026, DJI formally sued Insta360 at the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, involving six patent ownership disputes, which the court has officially accepted. In the complaint, DJI pointed out that the patents in question focus on key technical fields such as drone flight control, structural design, and image processing. They were inventions created within one year after former core R&D personnel left the company and are closely related to the tasks assigned to employees during their tenure at DJI. According to the "Patent Law," they should be classified as service inventions. Insiders told the media that two of the six disputed patents involve critical details. In the application documents submitted by Insta360 in China, some inventors were listed as "requesting non-disclosure of names," whereas in the corresponding PCT international applications, the real names of the inventors were listed—these individuals are exactly the R&D personnel who had previously left DJI. Liu Jingkang responded on social media stating that the only patent potentially involved in the flight control field is the technology enabling drones to achieve a "skydiving" effect with a single button press, a concept he himself originated, adding, "If DJI wants this feature, I can give it to them." Regarding the hidden inventors, Liu Jingkang explained that the reason was to delay the exposure of the technical team list and avoid being targeted by headhunters, rather than deliberately evading ownership issues. Reviewing DJI's explosive progress over the past decade, this drone hegemon has never lacked challengers, but Insta360 is indeed one of the few opponents that has stirred DJI's competitive spirit. Ruthless Elimination Insta360 is not the first challenger to DJI. In the early days, numerous massive international giants attempted to carve a piece of this cake, the most well-known being GoPro. Ten years ago, the then-dominant action camera brand boldly launched the Karma drone, but due to power failures just two weeks after its release, it issued a global recall, finally exiting the market with layoffs in 2018. Almost simultaneously, 3DR, which championed open-source principles and was highly favored by Silicon Valley capital, also suffered a collapse in product experience, leading to over 100,000 units of high inventory and a hasty transformation. Colin Guinn, former Chief Revenue Officer of 3DR, had to admit: "Silicon Valley traditional companies centered on software have found it difficult to compete with Chinese manufacturers possessing strong vertical integration capabilities." Domestic challengers also returned empty-handed. In 2016, Xiaomi attempted to seize the drone market with a low price of 2,999 yuan, but after experiencing a "crash" incident at its launch event and sluggish sales, it disbanded its team. In the same year, HuiXiang (Hubsan), backed by huge investments from Intel, was preparing to launch its drone product, Typhoon H, in the US, when it was hit by a patent lawsuit from DJI. Struggling for less than a year, HuiXiang faced creditors visiting its suppliers and ultimately ended with layoffs. Looking back at the players who have tried to challenge DJI over the years, almost all have been wiped out. The main reasons for failure can be summarized into three points: Immature product technology leading to frequent crash accidents; new players lacking a self-sustaining core business, making it impossible to sustain a long war relying solely on financing; even powerful large enterprises lack the patience to continue development after suffering failures. In the past many years, what could block DJI's offensive were mostly "small but beautiful" companies. AgroTech XAG, currently rushing towards an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, focuses on the agricultural protection sector, with 2025 revenue reaching only 1.166 billion yuan. Zero Infinity's drone products lean towards lightweight designs targeting overseas markets, with 2025 revenue scale nearing 1 billion yuan. These companies either chose different tracks or different markets, avoiding direct confrontation with DJI in the main battlefield of consumer drones. "Basically, everyone's strategy is still to avoid the sharp edge and seek differentiated markets," commented a tech industry insider. However, current Insta360 has completely stepped out of the "prey" model familiar to DJI in the past. Unlike startups holding PPTs for financing that immediately attempt to collide with DJI in the main drone battlefield, Insta360's entry path presented distinctive characteristics. Insta360 entered via panoramic cameras and action cameras, quietly building a vast base of young users and considerable revenue volume without triggering DJI's core defense mechanisms in the early stages. Revenue skyrocketed from 159 million yuan in 2017 to 9.858 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 76.85%, with net profit attributable to shareholders reaching 964 million yuan in 2025. As of 2025, Insta360 has maintained the top spot in global panoramic camera market share for eight consecutive years. In a sense, Insta360 followed the path GoPro took years ago, but relying on Shenzhen's extremely agile innovation supply chain, its product trial-and-error efficiency and manufacturing capabilities far surpass those of the latter. In 2025, Insta360 successfully listed on the STAR Market, becoming the "No. 1 Chinese Panoramic Camera Stock." The leap in capital strength undoubtedly injected confidence into Insta360 for crossing over into the drone track. A deeper variable lies in the fact that as time passes, the underlying hardware supply chain for drones has become increasingly perfect. Taking HaoYing Technology, which is currently rushing for a STAR Market listing, as an example, this company focusing on drone power systems has already transformed complex powertrains into standardized outsourced components. Even Jimu Robotics, established only two years ago, has been able to launch drone products leveraging mature suppliers. This means this competition can no longer be won decisively simply through patent suppression or supply chain scale speed. Direct Confrontation When DJI and Insta360 clashed on the legal and public opinion fronts, the topic most eagerly discussed by outsiders was who fired the first shot? In fact, if one deconstructs both parties' product lines, it becomes clear that this battle has no clear boundary; the "ground melee" has already quietly begun. DJI's ground imaging product layout covers various categories including action cameras (Action series) and pocket cameras (Pocket series). No matter what ground imaging product Insta360 launches, it is hard to avoid DJI's range. Insta360 first released its action camera Ace in 2023, with application scenarios similar to DJI Action 4. The biggest difference is that Ace focuses on shooting first and cropping later, achieving panoramic freedom with a single lens. Although DJI's Pocket series and Insta360's Go series differ slightly in product form, they essentially compete for the same audience group: "mass life recording." Showing cards in the "absolute territory" of the sky and panoramic views happened simultaneously in the summer of 2025. On July 23, 2025, Insta360 officially announced its entry into the consumer drone market, launching "Antigravity," a brand incubated with third parties. Just one week later, DJI released its first panoramic camera, the Osmo 360, equipped with two custom 1/1.1-inch square sensors, supporting up to 8K 50fps recording, with a standard set price of 2,999 yuan. This price was nearly 300 yuan lower than Insta360's flagship X5 (priced at 3,298 yuan after adjustment), brimming with provocation. Liu Jingkang posted a Weibo message "congratulating" DJI early in the morning after the Osmo 360 launch, while simultaneously announcing a 500-yuan price cut for the X5 to respond. In fact, Insta360 had long expected DJI to make a panoramic camera. According to All-Weather Tech, internally Insta360 had also believed: "Actually, their project started a bit earlier, which I think is very normal. Because in their company's mission, there is actually coverage of both mobile imaging and sky imaging. This is an inevitable result. For a company of DJI's scale, it needs to find various existing opportunities. From the perspective of development and survival, entering existing markets is an essential outcome." Wang Tao recently admitted his mental journey when entering the panoramic camera field during an interview: "The first time I saw a panoramic camera was nearly ten years ago at a Japanese camera exhibition, made by Ricoh. Previously, due to technical limitations, we felt the panoramic image quality wasn't good enough, and some basic technologies hadn't developed sufficiently. On one hand, resolution was insufficient; on the other hand, especially at the stitching points, there were always flaws. Now we are quickly approaching the inflection point; it feels like the right time." Coincidentally, Liu Jingkang also had serious considerations regarding making drones. On Liu Jingkang's office desk, there was once placed a GoPro drone, done to remind himself: "Do not know what you do not know." "I believe GoPro certainly conducted extensive testing during its R&D. But the difficulty lies in that even if you exhaust all methods and efforts, abundance does not equate to completeness. The issue of completeness is exposed only when users test the product in real scenarios. This belongs to dying from 'not knowing what you don't know'." Liu Jingkang once confessed. On December 4, 2025, Antigravity A1, the drone jointly developed by Insta360 and a third party, officially went on sale. This world's first 8K panoramic drone weighs 249 grams, equipped with a 1/1.28-inch dual-lens panoramic imaging system, featuring Vision flying glasses and Grip motion-sensing remote controls, with a standard version priced at 7,999 yuan (6,799 yuan after national subsidy discount). At that time, Liu Jingkang explicitly stated in his WeChat Moments: "Five years ago when making the decision, we foresaw that this move would stimulate DJI to 'raid' the panoramic camera market. Even with this cost, we chose to set sail five years ago. The reason is simple: The top runners in a marathon will run faster; do you choose to lie down in the newbie village, or choose a devilish coach?" Beneath the product ring, a more ruthless shadow war unfolded simultaneously in the supply chain and channel sectors. On December 8, 2025, Liu Jingkang released a multi-thousand-word internal letter, bringing the supply chain game onto the table. Liu Jingkang stated that during the critical half-year of Insta360 advancing its drone project, up to 33 core suppliers suddenly faced "exclusivity" pressure, involving 7 optical lens modules, 8 structural parts, 3 screens, 2 batteries, 8 chips and electronic components, and 5 others. According to reports by Economic Observer, Zhou Guangtai, head of Insta360's supply chain, revealed that some suppliers interrupted cooperation because they had signed exclusivity agreements with DJI or received verbal requests. A publicly available supplier agreement required that devices supplied to DJI could not be provided to competitors during the project cooperation period, covering all product lines including action cameras, panoramic cameras, drones, and handheld gimbals. However, this "supply chain isolation" is not one-sided. Supply chain manufacturers cooperating with Insta360 also stated they cannot supply DJI. A securities department representative from Hongjing Optoelectronics, an Insta360 panoramic camera lens supplier, clearly stated that the company has a deep strategic cooperation with Insta360 and has not yet established a cooperative relationship with DJI, precisely because DJI is a competitor of Insta360, its core client. The fire in the channel sector was equally fierce. In November 2025, a store signboard of an Insta360 authorized dealer in Changsha, Hunan, which had invested a million yuan in renovation, was forcibly demolished. The cause was a "Supplementary Agreement on Shop Lease" signed between the mall management and a DJI distributor, explicitly prohibiting Insta360 from opening branded specialty stores. Subsequently, this exclusivity clause was deemed invalid by the local market regulation department. DJI's price war intensity in the second half of 2025 was also unprecedented. For the first time since its launch, the Pocket 3 saw a price drop of up to 900 yuan; the Action 4 action camera dropped by 1,129 yuan; the Osmo 360 itself was priced 900 yuan lower than Insta360's X5; the newly launched Pocket 4 standard version was priced at 2,999 yuan, 500 yuan lower than the previous generation's launch price. The market generally believes that this aggressive price reduction strategy aims to comprehensively block Insta360. The 2025 financial report showed that Insta360's revenue grew by 76.85% year-on-year, maintaining its momentum; however, net profit attributable to shareholders decreased by 3.08% year-on-year. The outside world generally believes that this price war has brought certain profit pressure to Insta360. Battle for the Entry Point DJI's unprecedented rebound intensity may, on one hand, be related to Liu Jingkang's personality traits. In traditional business warfare, both sides often believe in "do more, say less." However, as a post-90s generation, Liu Jingkang is extremely enthusiastic about expressing himself on public platforms. From WeChat Moments and Weibo to internal letters, he frequently pushes the disputes between the two parties into the spotlight. But the deeper reason lies in the struggle for the image entry point. Relying on the strong blood-making capability of its main business, Insta360 possesses more confidence to wage a long war compared to past challengers. However, its predicament lies in the fact that its influence has always been overshadowed by DJI. Insta360 faces squeezing from smartphones and DJI's various handheld imaging devices on one side, while having to guard against homogeneous action camera competition on the other. Therefore, expanding boundaries into the sky has become the optimal solution for Insta360 to break the deadlock. If it can leverage its drone layout to break the fixed brand perception in the public mind that "DJI = Drones," and become an imaging brand that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with DJI in consumers' purchase decisions, then for Insta360, this battle counts as a win. The drone co-developed with a third party by Insta360 is just the first step; drones under the main Insta360 brand are also being developed simultaneously. According to insiders confirming with All-Weather Tech, Insta360 will subsequently launch drones under its main brand. What DJI truly cares about is not the gain or loss of shares in a single city or pool, but that Insta360's entry directly threatens its market position across the entire product line. Caijing once quoted a person close to DJI stating that DJI previously tended to view Insta360 as a "relatively benign and peaceful opponent." The turning point occurred at the moment Liu Jingkang announced the launch of the panoramic drone. DJI's subsequent reaction speed proved the intensity of this situation. From the Osmo 360 panoramic camera to comprehensive price cuts, from supply chain pressure to patent lawsuits. In just half a year, DJI completed a full-dimensional defensive counterattack spanning products, prices, channels, and legal affairs. This dispute was also determined by the geographical locations and industrial genes of the two companies. Both DJI and Insta360 grew up in Shenzhen, sharing the same soil of the hardware industry chain. Under Shenzhen's industrial rhythm, the window period for technological innovation is extremely compressed; once any new function is verified effective, it will be rapidly replicated by the mature supply chain within a few months. As players deeply rooted in the imaging industry, the showdown between DJI and Insta360 is destined to be a borderless battle. But regardless of the final outcome, just as Canon and Nikon fifty years ago on Tokyo Bay, high-intensity local competition is often the catalyst that pushes an industry to a global leading position.