I’ve been shooting with the Insta360 X5 for a year. Trail runs, races, city trips, training sessions, all of it in 360.

I’ve held onto footage from that camera that I still watch back for no reason other than to remember what a particular morning felt like. I liked it enough that I wasn’t in a rush to switch anything.

After a month-long vacation carrying only the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P, I started thinking about consolidating it into a full DJI ecosystem instead, since I’d already tested and geared up with a Pocket, a Nano, an Action 6, and most recently, the Lito X1. The X5 was the one outlier left.

I never got to try the original Osmo 360, not until I saw my friend, Kyle Vergara, using one when we were in Boracay. Watching him shoot with it planted the idea before I even knew I wanted it.

So I waited for the DJI Osmo 360 II to see if it was worth the switch, half hoping it wouldn’t be, since switching meant admitting I was ready to let go of a camera that had been good to me.

Insta360 released the X6 around the same time, and as a creator, it was tempting. But between the workflow I already had and the cost of the gear, the math didn’t work out.

Anything leaning hard into AI these days comes with a jacked-up price tag, and the X6 wasn’t an exception. The Osmo 360 II has its own AI features, but the price is still bearable.

Price

The Standard Combo starts at PhP 32,490, with the Osmo Extreme Battery Plus, a Camera Protective Pouch, a cleaning cloth, an Osmo 360 Silicone Lens Cap, and a USB-C to USB-C PowerDelivery cable included.

@gadgetmatchThe new DJI Osmo 360 II is here with 1-inch 360° imaging, native 8K/60fps, and AI SuperNight 2.0! ✨♬ original sound – GadgetMatch

The Adventure Combo, which is what I got, runs PhP 39,490 and adds two extra Osmo Extreme Battery Plus (2150mAh), an Osmo Multifunctional Battery Case 3, an Adjustable Dual-Direction Quick-Release Adapter mount, and a 1.2m Invisible Selfie Stick.

For rider friends, there’s also a Limitless Riding Combo at PhP 34,490, which pairs the Standard Combo with an Osmo Heavy-Duty Clamp Mount kit.

Build

Coming from the X5’s lengthy monolith shape, the Osmo 360 II looks like a square monolith that fits in the palm of my hand.

The smaller footprint makes it easier to switch between portrait and horizontal orientation when shooting single-lens.

It’s heavier than the X5, though, and I noticed that weight almost immediately the first time I clipped it onto a mount, like the camera wanted me to know it meant business.

The design feels sturdier than its predecessor, and it now has a replaceable lens for when you scratch it, instead of a trip to a service center.

Performance

The Osmo 360 II arrived during a rough month for shooting in the Philippines. We were hit by one storm after another, with barely any sun in between, and there were days I genuinely wondered if I’d get to test this camera the way I wanted to before a deadline caught up with me.

I’d planned to test it on my usual trails, but landslides closed them off, so the next best option was a car-free Sunday in Ayala Triangle while the sun cooperated.

 

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It wasn’t the adventure footage I had in mind, but making a plain Sunday in the city look like it mattered turned out to be its own kind of satisfying.

360 video now shoots at 8K60, up from 8K50 on the previous model, with the bitrate raised from 170Mbps to 220Mbps.

Single-lens shooting tops out at 4K60, though 4K50 is the recommended setting. Daytime footage looks excellent, especially for anything meant for social with a slightly different perspective than the usual flat shot.

Scrolling back through those Ayala Triangle clips later that night, I caught myself smiling at angles I wouldn’t have thought to frame on a regular camera.

Night footage is where I’ve historically had issues with this category of camera, and I still don’t love straight Video mode after dark. But the new model claims 14.5 stops of dynamic range with its low-light processing, and shooting in Boost Video and SuperNight modes noticeably improves low-light results.

Photos hold up well too. Single-lens stills shoot ultra-wide at up to 30MP, and panoramic 360 photos go up to 120MP HDR.

RAW photo support is new this generation, and it’s this type of addition that made me want to slow down and actually shoot stills again instead of treating this as a video-only device.

Storage

AI features pushing further onto these devices has driven up demand, and prices, for RAM and storage across the board.

MicroSD cards, SSDs, even cloud storage all cost more than they used to, and I’ve felt that pinch every time I’ve had to buy a new card just to keep shooting through a busy week.

What I appreciate about DJI’s new lineup this year is the built-in storage, over 100GB on the Osmo 360 II. Paired with a microSD card, I’m not scrambling to back up mid-shoot just to free up space, which matters given how fast 4K and 8K footage eats through storage.

Not watching a storage warning pop up in the middle of something I can’t reshoot is a relief I didn’t know I needed.

Ecosystem

Before this, the X5 was the one device in my kit that didn’t run on DJI. Now that the Osmo 360 II is in the mix, footage lands in the DJI Mimo app the same way it does from everything else I own.

I’m not juggling two apps or two export flows anymore. Previously, files from the X5 would sit untouched longer than I wanted, simply because everything else I owned already funneled into Mimo and this one didn’t.

I can’t count how many times I opened my phone meaning to edit something, only to close it again because the file was sitting in the wrong app.

Editing 360 footage in the app is straightforward, with tools built for actually shaping the story rather than handing it off to AI.

Trimming, tracking, GyroFrame for dynamic movement, motion blur adjustments, multi-clip cuts and exports in one pass. If you do want AI in the loop, there’s Highlight Auto Selection to help surface usable scenes for reels.

Insta360’s ecosystem likely has comparable editing depth. What’s different for me is having it all live in one app instead of splitting my workflow across two, and how much lighter that’s made the whole process feel by the end of a shoot day.

Is the DJI Osmo 360 II your GadgetMatch?

If you’re already using DJI across your gear and your workflow, the Osmo 360 II is an easy yes.

It fixes a real complaint from the first generation, folds into one ecosystem instead of two, and comes in at a price that’s hard to argue with.

Letting go of the X5 turned out to be less of a loss than I expected. It’s more like finally closing a tab I’d left open for a year.

Swipe Right if you want hardware upgrades that solve a genuine complaint from the first generation, one ecosystem instead of two, and a real price advantage.

The DJI Osmo 360 II is built for someone focused on storytelling and getting the most out of the gear they already own, rather than someone chasing the newest AI-editing tools.

Swipe Left if you want AI-driven editing front and center, or you’re already settled into Insta360’s ecosystem.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or so they say. However, for a gamer, imitation is the sad state of the industry today. Every game is a copy of another. Every game today is a survival simulator, an extraction shooter, or a cozy organization title. The Blood of the Dawnwalker is no different. However, while it does draw inspiration from so many past titles, the unique blend makes it one of the most unique RPG experiences today.

A tale of darkness

The Blood of the Dawnwalker touts itself as the next project of the minds who came up with The Witcher 3. Rebel Wolves, a relatively small outfit, is the new home of several developers who worked on the aforementioned game. That, in itself, is already a strong reason why you should get Dawnwalker.

But it goes much deeper. And it starts with the story.

Coen of Laslea lives a relatively peaceful life in a valley called Vale Sangora. But that peace is dependent only on the whims of the valley’s vampiric rulers, a cabal of four brutal vampires who keep the peace in exchange for a monthly blood tithe, called a Blood Mass, extracted from every villager from every village once a month.

Unfortunately for Coen, this month’s Blood Mass doesn’t end as usual. Events have drawn the vampires’ ire, and — surprise, surprise — Coen gets turned into a vampire himself. Faced with a new reality, Coen goes on a rescue mission to save his family as a newly turned vampire.

Dawnwalker reverses the old trope of the hunter hunting the monster. Do you embrace the vampire within or keep being human?

A dark world

The Blood of the Dawnwalker roots itself as a traditional RPG. As a newly turned vampire, Coen doesn’t have awesome vampiric powers yet. Though he’s stronger as a vampire, a more ferocious monster can easily take him on at lower levels.

He does have a diverse skill tree pronged into three sections: Witchcraft which works only in the daytime, Vampirism which works at night, and Swordplay which works in both. Every section has its share of overpowered skills. One of my favorites heals Coen every time he executes a perfect block while in his vampire state. Coen essentially becomes invincible with some of these skills.

To level up, Coen must fight enemies or accomplish missions. Both of which add to how fun the game is. But let’s start with fighting.

Dawnwalker draws inspiration from Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Specifically, the game has a direction system of attacking and blocking. You can pick which of the four cardinal directions to attack and block. Pick a direction that your enemy doesn’t, and the attack lands. Alternatively, pick the direction that your attacking enemy does, and you block their attack.

Unlike Kingdom Come, Dawnwalker is much more accessible, especially with an icon that explicitly tells you where attacks are coming from. Fighting in Dawnwalker feels fun, regardless of how overpowered Coen is. Even at high levels, I don’t find it boring to enter another encampment and fight an entire army.

The Ubisoft way

Another way to bring Coen to those higher levels is by accomplishing missions. The Blood of the Dawnwalker does this in a way typical of most Ubisoft-inspired RPGs. Brencis, the big bad of the vampire posse, is supported by three lesser bosses. Each lesser boss has their own dominion with a set of objectives to “anger” their respective ruler. To fight Brencis, Coen must first kill all three lesser bosses.

Alongside these three goals, Coen can also recruit rebels to fight against Brencis or find powerful weapons that will help against the fight. You can also reminisce about your family’s past or romance the local witch.

If Dawnwalker were just a typical RPG (and, in some cases, it is), then you can cross off these objectives like a checklist. But Dawnwalker doesn’t do that. Time is a resource here.

Losing time

Once you finish the prologue, Coen will have thirty in-game days to rescue his family from Brencis. Time doesn’t move regularly, though. It moves only after every accomplishable activity: finishing objectives and levelling up. Each day has sixteen segments, divided into two halves for day and night. A time-progressing activity can move time up by one increment (or the equivalent of one or two hours) or even six. Some activities can even progress time from day to night (or vice versa).

On a similar note, Coen has different abilities depending on the time of day. During the day, Coen uses witchcraft. During the night, he can use his vampiric claws and suck his enemies dry as a vampire.

Using time as a resource is hardly a novel idea. I’ve seen it in Dead Rising and Dying Light. Dawnwalker, however, makes the march of time feel more pressing. Often, it’s a strategy game of figuring out which objectives to prioritize. Should I prioritize the other vampiric bosses? Should I hunt for more supporters to the rebel cause? Should I give time for Anca, my love interest?

Plus, with the differences between day and night, it’s important to plan when I wanted to do certain objectives. Am I strong enough during the day to beat a high-level monster, or should I wait until night when I’m much stronger?

Time is an illusion

Though the feeling of time’s passing is palpable throughout, Dawnwalker eventually makes it all an illusion. Thirty days is enough time to get stronger, find allies, and defeat all three lesser vampires. In fact, there are even ways to save a lot of time.

On my first playthrough, I accidentally discovered a way to break the sequence of the traditional RPG experience. After beating my second vampire lord, I wanted to explore the map a bit more before tackling the third and final lord. The next mission on my docket was hunting for a powerful silver sword in a cathedral, a supposedly low-stakes mission. Apparently, the third lord likes hanging around the cathedral. So, while I was minding my own business, the game gave me the opportunity to fight the third lord without needing to anger her. And why wouldn’t I take that chance?

With eighteen full days left before the deadline, I beat all three lords and angered Brencis enough to trigger his mission. I also felt strong enough to take him on.

Now, this isn’t to say that the game’s time-based mechanic is a failure. You can’t take away that feeling of having to strategize objectives, even if it’s ultimately moot. Besides, there’s still that day-night mechanic.

In that way, Dawnwalker’s time mechanic is still a success. Yes, it could have gone further, but you can’t ignore that it’s a unique approach to RPGs.

Choice is an illusion

Being a vampire, Coen is always prone to that hunger for blood. To materialize this, he has a blood hunger meter, which naturally depletes as time goes by. This is further highlighted by a “give in to the hunger” option with several NPC dialogues, which gradually becomes more difficult to ignore when the hunger gets higher. At one point, it becomes impossible to resist, so Coen feeds on that NPC and essentially kills them off.

On the choices-definitely-matter level, the game ideally wants you to balance Coen’s hunger for blood. It wants you to drink blood before NPC encounters, so you don’t accidentally drink them dry.

In my opinion, the system just doesn’t land. There was never a time when I felt crippled by that hunger. At times, I even forgot that it existed. It could be because I wasn’t shy about feeding during combat. After all, feeding has a very strong healing mechanic, which works extremely well in fights.

Although, I still tried the NPC feeding option on some annoying characters. And it was… meh? Sure, the drawback is that I lost dialogue options which could have led to something amazing. But I also didn’t get anything in return. I didn’t feel more powerful, nor did I feel Coen becoming more corrupted by vampirism. In essence, the hunger is more for roleplaying than something mechanically rewarding.

It’s unfortunate because Dawnwalker has something called a corruption level. The more you drink blood, the more this stat increases. The higher it is, the more vampiric powers you can unlock. If the game offered more rewards for drinking NPCs like better corruption increases (as in Vampyr, a similar vampire game), then the hunger might be more interesting.

Is The Blood of the Dawnwalker your PlayMatch?

The Blood of the Dawnwalker is easily one of the most mechanically interesting RPGs of 2026. The game patches together several unique mechanics from the past, which already worked on their own but shine even brighter when cobbled together.

Sure, it doesn’t go far enough with a few mechanics, but that’s fine enough. It’s a dark fantasy tale that keeps itself fresh throughout the playthrough. For that, this game gets a Swipe Right and a Super Swipe for those craving for a semi-lengthy, go-through-all-the-bosses RPG.

When the POCO F8 Pro came out, I expected its price to be a little higher than what was announced. It’s just how it is nowadays with smartphone pricing due to AI, storage, and more.

Nevertheless, it definitely exceeded my expectations and was one of the best real premium mid-rangers of its time. Now, POCO is back with its latest smartphone offerings, simply elevating the package the F series is known for.

While Rodneil likens the POCO F9 Ultra to an underrated star K-Pop performer, I stick by my own analogy that the POCO F9 Pro variant is a lighter weight class boxer who packs definitive power.

Smooth all-around performance

Mainly marketed for unparalleled gaming performance, the POCO F9 Pro brings incremental improvements in various departments.

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile chipset, there is no doubt the device performs lightning quick by midrange standards.

Like its predecessor, it’s an overkill for casual usage — consistently smooth and without any hiccups.

I have only been able to use this device for my usual day-to-day workload, which includes vlogging, correspondence, occasional gaming, and content consumption.

For gaming, content creation, more

From filming several clips for my food vlogs, putting all of them on an editing software, and generating reels for social media publishing, I’ve had seamless sessions with the F9 Pro.

Just having a powerful tool to execute such a workflow from start to finish feels a lot less stressful.

It matters a lot during video playback and when I have to run through a polished draft one final time before rendering.

It’s not jittery unlike other midrange devices which tend to lag or freeze on the playback part. Precision trims and cuts are likewise a breeze.

In the two weeks I’ve had this device, I haven’t tested it yet for livestreams, but I see no reason for it not to deliver on that end.

And for gaming, it’s much like my experience with the F8 Pro across various titles: steady and worry-free.

Visuals are clear and crisp with the phone’s 6.59-inch 185Hz AMOLED HyperRGB (2,510 x 1,156) display.

POCO also pairs the flagship-level processor with a dedicated VisionBoost D8 chipset to enable AI super resolution and smart frame rate at the same time.

This way, you don’t have to choose just one between high resolution or a high frame rate. But of course this depends on what the game’s settings allow.

But for Call of Duty: Mobile, I personally prefer a smoother frame rate as the visuals look detailed already to begin with. WildBoost Engine then enables efficient performance throughout your sessions.

Battery improvements

The POCO F9 Pro comes with just a slight upgrade to its battery capacity — from 6,210mAh to 6,330mAh. But I do feel it’s been more efficient in distributing power and consuming it.

A welcome addition is its wireless charging capability.

However, you’ll need a magnetic case to ensure your power bank of choice sticks good on its back.

The battery supports 100W HyperCharge for a quick replenishment should it finally be drained after a long day. But otherwise, you should be able to use this outdoors from dawn ’til dusk.

Sound by Bose

POCO continues its partnership with audio brand Bose as well, bringing high-quality 2.1 channel audio to the device.

The quality is, again, more refined, as if coming out of budget earphones. You can shoot up the volume and still expect well-rounded sound instead of crackling or distorted.

There are two preset audio profiles: Dynamic and Balanced.

Aside from that, you can customize the audio depending on your preference, whether you like the more immersive, 360-degree sound blasting from the speakers or a more balanced, treble and voice-focused mix.

Cameras: A bit more consistent across ranges

In the camera department, the POCO F9 Pro introduces a 200MP ultra-clear camera system equipped with OIS.

Here are its hardware:

• 200MP f/1.68 OIS main camera, OIS
• 50MP f/2.0 floating telephoto camera, OIS
• 8MP f/2.25 ultra-wide camera
• 32MP front camera

Generally, shots are more color accurate and natural, compared to the F8 Pro. That’s the system’s most distinct improvement.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

If you’re indoors with warm ambient light, you’d get the shots you’d expect from such a setting. Same when outdoors if the weather is overcast and cool or it’s hot and sunny.

As with Xiaomi’s mobile photography blueprint, users can switch from 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm focal lengths at “1x” zoom.

The telephoto shooter then takes over with shoots from 2.5x zoom and beyond, and helps with lossless shots at up to around 5x. It also doubles as a macro shooter for close-ups.

Meanwhile, Portrait Mode also introduces a 3.1x zoom focal length, which gives you another option for framing subjects.

Still, the blurring can be hit or miss. But you can definitely pull off some smooth bokeh and make subjects pop out more with depth. But sometimes, as with the F8 Pro, there are segmentation issues and the blurring sometimes isn’t enough.

When filming, Pro mode ensures the exposure and focus stay steady even with tracking shots. It’s not perfect and you’ll still experience some inconsistencies, but it the package is pretty darn good for everyday vlogs.

Here’s a quick sample:

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Premium look and feel

The F9 series also carries over the premium look and feel for the devices. The main difference is that the entire camera module is now protruded, occupying the upper third of the back panel. That’s instead of just the individual shooters popping out.

The “Sound by Bose” branding is also a little larger now with a faux speaker design beside the cameras.

Everything else is simple and clean, reflecting the premium branding. The back remains just a little slippery, but thankfully, there is a clear case, which also lets me do this:

My only issue again is the curved corners which crop out some UI elements, text, or visuals when gaming and in other scenarios.

Having used the F8 Pro for almost a year now, I’ve quickly adjusted to the user interface and its unique elements compared to other brands.

Although if you are switching from another smartphone brand, there’s going to be a bit of a learning process to get used to them.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The POCO F9 Pro is once again a Swipe Right. Its overall package puts other competitor devices in the segment to shame, whether you’re planning on using it as a gaming-first device or an overall ample performance daily carry.

You are also promised high-level performance for whatever scenario for years to come, making it a smart investment.