Xtra’s Cameras Look an Awful Lot Like DJI’s but Without the Tariffs
Some popular DJI cameras, including the extremely popular Osmo Pocket 3, are being sold in the United States at a pre-tariff price by a relatively unknown startup, and it’s bizarre.
As The Verge reports, it appears that Chinese company DJI, which recently lost its lawsuit against the Pentagon concerning its designation as a Chinese military company, has devised a way to avoid tariffs on Chinese imports in the United States by selling some of its products under a different name.
“What if I told you DJI may have found a way to dodge those tariffs and pesky customs inspectors by offering a disguised version of the camera? What if I told you an entire new ‘US’ company has quietly been erected to sell it on Amazon for far lower, even as low as $499 during Amazon’s big new sale?” asks The Verge‘s Sean Hollister.
The company in question is Xtra Technology, which was brought to The Verge‘s attention by Konrad Iturbe, who describes the maneuver as a “very brazen attempt” by DJI to maintain its “foothold in the US market.”
Xtra sells products like the Muse, which is very clearly a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, down to the design and specifications, as shown by the FCC’s images.
The Verge had security consultant Jon Sawyer look at the Xtra Muse’s accompanying app, and sure enough, there were “countless places” where DJI’s original code was replicated with just the name “DJI” changed. However, there remained a whopping 7,552 references to DJI’s LightCut app, and a singular reference to DJI’s e-bike drive system.
In case more evidence was necessary, Hollister bought the Muse for himself and compared it against the Osmo Pocket 3. He found that the two cameras behave the same way, operate identically, and even get warm in the same places after the same amount of use. They are undeniably the same camera in different packaging.
This isn’t necessarily unusual, as the same electronics are sold under different names all the time. However, what makes this situation significantly different is that the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, which launched in October 2023 for $519, now costs $800 thanks to tariffs. Although the Osmo Pocket 3 remains extremely popular, this significantly higher price and relative scarcity in the U.S. have undeniably harmed DJI’s bottom line. DJI sure looks to have found a way to mitigate some of this harm through a new DJI-esque startup: Xtra.
“Xtra is a dynamic and independent startup company registered in Delaware (DE), United States. We are founded with a team of industry professionals from leading innovative companies, who have deep expertise in imaging technology and consumer electronics. Passionate about pushing the boundaries of creativity, we specialize in designing cutting-edge products that empower both professionals and enthusiasts to capture the world in extraordinary ways,” Xtra says on its website.
As of now, Xtra sells just three things: the Xtra Muse (a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 ripoff), the Xtra Edge (a DJI Osmo Action 4 ripoff), and the Xtra Edge Pro (a DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro ripoff). However, Iturbe discovered references to other products that suggest Xtra’s versions of DJI’s popular mics, the Osmo 360, Osmo Nano, and Osmo gimbals may very well be on the way under the Xtra umbrella.
This is not new for DJI products, though. In July, DJI’s Mini 4 Pro drone showed up on Amazon in the United States under a different name: SkyRover.
And just like it did when PetaPixel asked for comment on its alleged connections to SkyRover, DJI today declined to comment on Xtra.
Image credits: DJI and Xtra Technology
