Striking similarities between DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 and the Xtra Muse raise a whole heap of questions over rebranding, tariffs, and consumer trust.
Some excellent detective work by The Verge has highlighted the fact that the wildly popular DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and the Xtra Muse, which is on sale in the US, are eerily similar cameras.
And not just in appearance either. This seems to go a long way beyond the Xtra Muse being the usual cheap and cheerful reverse-engineered knock-off of a popular piece of consumer electronica. Rather it looks suspiciously like an attempt to sell DJI products in the US under another brand, thus avoiding punitive tariffs and hedging bets against a potential all-out ban on the company's products.
Xtra describes itself as "a dynamic and independent start-up 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."
All you get apart from that is a contact email address: info@xtra-us.com. No physical address, no company history, no R&D facilities, no factories, no personnel, no nothing.
All are virtually identical down to the DNA. They look the same, use the same components, behave the same way when tested side to side, use the same code with some changed names, and crucially DJI doesn't deny the fact that the two companies are connected when confronted.
It also didn't deny that SkyRover branded drones were rebadged versions of its own UAVs earlier this year. In fact, security researchers reckon there are at least another eight companies being used as shells by DJI to move its equipment under rebadged labels.
Arguably, not much. Sidestepping tariffs is an industry with a history as long as commerce, and if you can get DJI-spec kit at a considerable discount, then there are obvious consumer benefits. If you're comfortable with the ethics of that — and there is enough effort going into setting up these schemes to suggest that plenty of people are even when the whistle is blown — then fine.
Where things might become stickier is with warranties, support, and firmware. The Xtra Muse might well track DJI Osmo Pocket 3 firmware updates exactly, but then again it might not. There are quite literally very few guarantees when it comes to this sort of thing.
What will be interesting to note is what happens next. If DJI does face an out and out ban in the US, will these shell companies also all disappear? Or can it keep shape-shifting and stay ahead of the authorities? And even if none of that comes to pass does it show the roadmap to other companies to be able to sell their products in the lucrative US market without worrying about having to account for additional tariffs on top of everything else?
Meanwhile, The Verge says that Xtra has already trademarked two codenames for upcoming DJI dopplegangers: DJI’s Osmo Nano will apparently be the Xtra Atto, and DJI’s Osmo 360 should be the Xtra Sphra. Both probably with you in time for Christmas...