11 Best Action Cameras in 2023 [Tested and Reviewed]

GoPro's latest offering, the HERO11 Black, was released in September 2022. It sports an image sensor larger than one on a regular video camera, and improved image stabilization, horizon leveling, and battery life.

In our tests, we found the image stabilization feature to work very well. Vibration while riding a bike was almost completely nullified. Even during high-impact activities like going over a curb, the resulting video looked as though the camera was merely floating. Images were super-sharp. Details like leaves on trees and pebbles on the road were captured with clarity. Colors were beautiful--not oversaturated, but naturally vivid--even under water. Although overall image quality is superb, we did notice a drop in performance in low-light settings. Just like GoPro's previous model, the built-in mic is quite good. Unwanted noises such as wind and the hum of bicycle tires became almost inaudible. Voices and birdsong were recorded clearly even without an external mic.

However, the battery life leaves much to be desired. In our test, the HERO11 stopped recording to prevent overheating after 37 minutes. It got so hot it was actually impossible to hold with bare hands! This inability to record for long periods continuously is a weakness it shares with its predecessor.

Touch screen operation is simple, and if you can use a smartphone, you probably won't need to consult its manual before diving in. The settings menu has text and icons, making it easy to understand. Functions are abundant, too: Wi-Fi for sending shooting data, automatic uploads to GPS and cloud services, and the ability to edit videos in a phone app.

In short, this latest GoPro is a top-class camera with great performance across the board. Not only that, but it's intuitive to use. If your top priority is shooting beautiful videos and you aren't put off by the price, it's an obvious choice.

GoPro, DJI, and Insta360 are some of the most well-known names in the action camera market, but there is a wide range of other manufacturers as well. Some models list 4K compatibility and ultra-wide-angle and come in under $100. At first glance, they look like stiff competition for major manufacturers. So, we actually tested out a popular action camera under $100 on Amazon and compared it with other high-end models. Although it was possible to shoot in 4K, it didn't come out sharp. Image stabilization was weak, so there was significant blurriness. Action cameras under $100 might list impressive features, but in the end, you get what you pay for. It couldn't compete with the higher-end models at all. Take a look at the actual images taken during product testing. 

DJI released the Osmo Action3 in September 2022. Compared to their previous model the design is more standardized, with front and rear view screens. It supports video shot in portrait mode just like a smartphone.

Image stabilization works well. The resulting video looks like the camera is flying mounted on a drone! It neutralizes small road vibrations as well as large bumps and jolts. Unless you drop or hit the camera, you're unlikely to notice any blurring. Colors are vivid and bright, and seem balanced for general use. In underwater shots the blue end of the spectrum is lovely. It may be because the focal point is close to the camera, but distant shadows were fuzzy, and landscapes weren't its forte.

The microphone's noise cancelation suppresses wind easily. In fact, it may work too well. Because it blocks so much background noise it might sound unnatural to you. However, you'll hear birdsong and voices clearly.

The camera didn't stop due to overheating in our test, and we clocked in over 100 minutes of continuous shooting. It does get hot, but battery life is great. The touch screen is sensitive, and the menu is similar to a smartphone, making it intuitive and easy to use. There's no GPS or automatic cloud upload feature, but it has a front display. Like the previous model, it offers auto-editing using AI algorithms. Vertical mounting is simple; it's perfect for making videos for phone screens and social media.

To summarize, DJI's latest camera has powerful image stabilization and a long-lasting battery. Though distant shadows might not come out in the highest resolution, overall performance is top-class. We recommend it for those who want to take clear and crisp long videos.

GoPro's HERO10 Black is a high-end model that can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second.

Image stabilization is powerful and road vibrations were canceled out well. When we went over a six-inch curb, it corrected accordingly. The video was smooth and natural-looking. The stabilization feature works well enough that the camera seems like it's floating.

Image quality is good, too. When combined with stabilization, details are sharp. Even with high-contrast shots, the images came out close to what your own eyes would see. Colors are intense and look great both in and out of the water. We noticed some noise in shadow areas, but it didn't affect the resolution much. The mic picks up sound well. It captures voices clearly while suppressing wind and environmental noises. We have no complaints there.

When it came to battery life, we got in 44 minutes of shooting before it stopped due to overheating. At that point, the battery was at 38 percent remaining, and the camera was so hot it felt scalding. Unless you cool it down with running water, long-term shooting will be next to impossible. The touch screen responds quickly, and there were no accidental interactions. Like a smartphone, the icons make it easy to understand and use. It also offers help prompts for displayed items.

We were satisfied with its functionality and felt nothing was lacking. It has auto-upload to the cloud, automatic editing by AI algorithm, and voice operation in multiple languages.

GoPro's HERO9 Black is known for its ability to shoot not a mere 4K, but 5K video.

It has great image stabilization. Even when our tester jumped a curb on their bike, the jolt was hardly noticeable. Minor vibrations from the road are canceled out; only a really big impact would be too much for the stabilizer to handle.

Resolution is amazing, and we could even make out people's facial expressions in small reflections. Colors are intense in bright shots, dim light, and even under water. High-contrast shots look natural and noise in shadows is not a big issue. Overall, image quality is fine. We can say the same for the sound quality, too. It captures very little environmental noise, and voices are recorded clearly. You won't have to shout to be heard in your video.

We got in 56 minutes of shooting time before it shut down due to heat. At 39 percent battery remaining, we still couldn't resume right away. It was hot enough to be very uncomfortable to touch. You can mitigate this by cooling it manually, or by shooting at lower resolutions if you need long, seamless videos.

The rear touch screen is the control hub, but unfortunately, it's sluggish compared to recent smartphones. At times, we couldn't scroll or switch between menus smoothly. But the icons are simple and it offers help prompts, making it great for beginners.

It has the main functions you'd want, such as automatic video editing in an app that's easy to use. Auto-upload to cloud storage and voice operation round out the suite.

The Action2 Dual Screen Combo from DJI is a compact high-performance camera that can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second.

Image stabilization really shines; even going over a six-inch curb on a bike was hardly noticeable. Road vibration is almost totally nullified; the camera feels like it's shooting while floating. Bright-light shots are captured with such good resolution that you can make out the texture on the walls of distant buildings. Vivid, bright colors that still seem natural will likely please most videographers. However, we saw noise in shadows, and those areas of the video had slightly lower resolution than the highlights. It seems to prioritize brightness over resolution.

Voices come across loud and clear, and the sound of bike tires on the road was minimal. Background noises such as wind were suppressed fine. Because both the camera body and mount are metal, you can sometimes hear the sound of them moving against each other.

Its major weakness was in continuous shooting. We discovered that it shut down due to overheating after only 14 minutes. The battery read 52 percent for the camera and 100 percent for the front touch module, and it was uncomfortably hot. Although it has a fairly large battery capacity, don't expect to shoot 4K video for more than 10 minutes at a stretch. The touch screen works well and scrolling is smooth. Icons are designed well, and overall operation is intuitive.

It has voice operation and auto-editing via algorithm, but no GPS. Note that the microSD card goes into a module piece, not the camera body itself; this module is not waterproof.

The ONE RS from Insta360 is a new model with a detachable lens and a larger battery than its predecessor.

Image stabilization was impressive; it felt like the camera was floating. It did a wonderful job of compensating for big jolts; it would perform well for recording high-impact sports. Small road vibrations while biking were also handled well. Image resolution is superb, and it captures details such as leaves and branches in sharp focus even at a distance. Colors are vivid but natural, and contrast is also fine, producing beautiful shades. Underwater scenes looked unnatural appearance but had decent resolution. Image quality in dark areas was poorer, although still acceptable. The microphone is an improvement from the previous model. But, it does pick up background noise, humming vibrations, and wind. Recorded voices sound muffled. For better sound, you'll want an external mic and adapter (purchased separately).

It can shoot continuously for 83 minutes as per our test. The updated case and mounting bracket have heat-transferring properties to minimize overheating. We liked that it kept recording without overheating. Settings are adjusted by touching or swiping and the menus are simple and easy to navigate. The screen is small and a little hard to read, but it responds accurately to touch, just like a smartphone.

It has a dedicated app with enhanced features, including remote control functions and a video editor with AI algorithms. It can transfer GPS info, too. Note that you'll need a smartphone to activate the camera for the first time.

Akaso's Brave7 LE is a popular item on online shopping sites.

It only has a display on the front, and we found its image stabilization less effective than others. Road vibrations led to a bit of blurring and some choppiness. Significant jostling resulted in some shaky video before compensation kicked in. Fine details don't show, and it feels like it's rather low-res. The lack of contrast gives videos a soft look. Noise is noticeable in dark shadows and colors become difficult to tell apart. In bright light, the colors aren't bad, but images are undersaturated and backlit subjects have very little contrast. The built-in mic picks up a lot of wind noise but not much else. Voices are audible but muffled under environmental noise. Road vibrations were picked up as noise, but voices were clear when there was no competition from the wind or road.

On the plus side, the battery lasts an impressive 122 minutes' worth of continuous shooting time--about twice as long as its competitors. You also get two batteries with your purchase for a total of 240 minutes! It won't shut down due to overheating either. The menus are intuitive and simple, and the touch screen is appropriately sensitive. Overall, it's easy to use. There's no visual feedback when scrolling or tapping, so it was sometimes hard to tell if our inputs had been registered.

The front display is full-color, which helps with real-time adjustments when taking selfies. Wi-Fi data transfer is seamless, but it doesn't have GPS or voice control.

Insta360 brings us the ONE R Twin Edition. It's unique in that you can rearrange the lens, screen, and battery components to your liking.

Image stabilization works very well. Even when riding over a curb, the video looked as if we'd landed on soft ground because the jolt was almost imperceptible. Despite occasional jostling from small vibrations, the stabilization feature was strong. Although the images are fairly high-key, the contrast didn't lead to unnatural or overly-saturated colors. Videos look natural and beautiful. However, despite the high resolution, scenes with a lot of action had noticeable blurring. And in low light, colors lost their vibrancy and noise was more apparent.

We can't recommend its built-in mic, unfortunately. It picked up a lot of background noise from the tires on the bike. Even when we spoke loudly, the road and the wind made it hard to hear what was being said without concentrating. If you want to record sound with this, you'll have to come up with a way to deal with the noise.

The settings menu is simple and intuitive via touch screen. But accuracy is not as good as a smartphone, which may lead to unwanted interaction. The screen is also small. It's a bit hard to check what you recorded but it's not a major point of stress. It has automatic video editing with an app, uses Wi-Fi, and provides basic functionality such as voice operation.

A firmware update in May 2021 enabled a "quick-capture" feature: start recording as soon as you push the shutter button, even when the power is off.

Brave8 is the latest model from Akaso.

It sports a touch screen and front display, and the body is waterproof to a depth of 33 feet. There was occasional blurring from the movement of the bike, but the whole screen wasn't shaking. We'd say that the stabilization feature isn't perfect, but it works well enough. Buildings and roadside foliage showed up in sharp focus. Although we had no major complaints about the resolution, there was slight blurring when shooting while moving. Colors come out well enough under normal circumstances but are not true-to-life in high-contrast shots or shadows.

When it came to recording sound, voices were drowned out by background noise. The road noise comes through, the wind seemed very loud. It distracts from who's speaking. It will give decent results for environments with little wind and when the camera isn't moving much, though.

Battery life is good and we got 74 minutes out of it before it shut down due to overheating. However, we were able to restart it and continue until the battery was practically drained. You also get two batteries with your purchase for a total of 140 minutes of continuous shooting time.

The menus have many icons, making it easy for beginners to figure out, and touch sensitivity is reliable. The transition animations can be hard to see, as they're not super smooth. It has a front display for selfies, Wi-Fi, and voice operation to start and stop recording without touching it.

Akaso's Brave4 was released in 2018. Despite 4K video support, a wide array of accessories, and its relatively low price point, we were disappointed.

Image stabilization doesn't seem to work well, and blurring was a constant concern. Even riding our bike on a flat road led to the entire image becoming fuzzy here and there. Forget about going over large bumps. We also have to criticize the image quality. The subject's outline and details are blurry, and there was noticeable noise in dim lighting. The image wasn't as sharp as you'd expect from 4K. Colors look washed out slightly as well, like an older camera.

The mic picks up environmental noises and voices equally. They blend together to become indistinguishable. The waterproof housing muffles everything, so good sound capture will be impossible. We'd say trying to use the built-in mic is unrealistic.

On the plus side, the battery life is good. We tested it for 136 continuous shooting minutes. It operated just fine and wasn't even warm to the touch. Plus, since it comes with two batteries, you can expect over three hours of shooting time in one go.

Using buttons instead of a touch screen means navigating through multiple presses. It's inconvenient, to say the least. It has Wi-Fi, but no GPS or front display. And when you use image stabilization, it switches to a fairly narrow field of focus.

EK7000, Akaso's 2016 offering, supports 4K video and remote control using Wi-Fi--great features at this price point.

Unfortunately, we found that it doesn't correct shaking well at all, and even slight vibrations caused blurry images. Image quality is also poor, and doesn't even look like 4K. Details such as text on signs, tree leaves, and the fish models we used were really hard to make out. Colors are oversaturated and unnaturally dark.

The mic is not great either. It picks up every single noise, including the rattling of the camera in its case. Skip this one if you want to record voices or clear background sounds.

However, battery life is good. We kept it going for 108 minutes in our test, and it didn't shut down due to heat, nor did it malfunction.

With no touch screen, the push-button operation was cumbersome, requiring multiple presses to navigate the options. It also doesn't offer in-menu help for the items. It supports video transfer and camera control over Wi-Fi, but without GPS and a front display, extra features are sparse.