DJI seems to be preparing three new drones for release in the coming months: a Mini 5 Pro, Avata 3, and a Neo 2, according to DroneXL. The site published leaked images and video of the drones, along with a new FCC filing that suggests DJI is also working on a new action camera called the DJI Osmo Nano.
DroneXL published a video showing two drones that may be follow-ups to the Avata 2 and the adorable DJI Neo. DroneXL notes a few differences, like that the Avata 3’s battery sits farther back and it’s got a larger camera unit up front. It also has four-blade propellers rather than the three-blade setup of the Avata 2. Next to the Avata 3 is what the outlet thinks is a Neo 2 prototype, although it’s hard to discern much more than that it appears to have redesigned propeller guards compared to the original.
Yesterday, DroneXL pointed to a new FCC filing that revealed some information about the unannounced Mini 5 Pro. The filing shows the Mini 5 Pro will pack a whopping 33.5Wh battery — a big improvement over the 18.9Wh of the Mini 4 Pro — and the outlet writes that the wireless transmissions specs support rumors that it could stream video from as far as 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) away, or 5 kilometers farther than its predecessor. That range edges it closer to that DJI Mavic 4 Pro that wasn’t supposed to launch in the US but somehow went on sale here, anyway. (We’d love to know why, but DJI won’t say.) The Mini 5 Pro is expected to launch in September.
Rounding out DroneXL’s rumor post is a newly-published FCC filing for the DJI Osmo Nano, a new wearable action camera that appears to have a modular display like the Action line. The outlet notes that the company is also expected to release a Mic 3 and Osmo 360 camera, though it doesn’t have any solid guesses about when they’re coming.
© James Abbott
© Future
In 2019, DJI insisted to me that it wasn’t killing off the Phantom, its iconic line of oft-imitated drones that turned the Chinese company into the powerhouse it is today. And yet, DJI has just announced the end of life for its final two Phantom drones — the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced — with no new Phantom models in sight.
According to a support page, DJI actually produced its last Phantom in May 2018, and will now suspend service for its final two Phantom models on June 1st, 2025. Seven-plus years of support is a pretty decent run.
While DJI wasn’t the first maker of off-the-shelf flying quadcopter cameras — the first Phantom arrived in 2013, whereas Parrot’s AR Drone was already on shelves in 2010 — the Phantom was among the first ready-to-fly ones widely adopted by both consumers and video production pros. Other companies produced loads of Phantom clones and knockoff toys, and the unique pillow-and-legs silhouette of a Phantom soon became an instantly recognizable symbol for “drone.” I saw it on signs banning drones from public parks, for example.
But DJI doesn’t seem to need the Phantom brand anymore. Now, most of its drones are more rectangular packages with fold-down legs for portability, and it has many other brands to carry that torch, from the highest end Inspire down through the Mavic, Air, Mini, and the new entry level Flip line.
According to extensive leaks via the usual suspects (Jasper Ellens, OsitaLV), a new Mavic 4 Pro is imminent, and a Mini 5 is well on the way.
We’ve reached out to DJI for a statement on the end of the Phantom, and the company should get back to us by tomorrow.
© James Abbott
The skies around Dallas are about to get a lot more interesting. No, DFW airport isn't planning any more expansions, nor does American Airlines have any more retro liveries to debut. This will be something different, something liable to make all the excitement around the supposed New Jersey drones look a bit quaint.
Zipline is launching its airborne delivery service for real, rolling it out in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Mesquite ahead of a gradual spread that, if all goes according to plan, will also see its craft landing in Seattle before the end of the year. These automated drones can be loaded in seconds, carry small packages for miles, and deposit them with pinpoint accuracy at the end of a retractable tether.
It looks and sounds like the future, but this launch has been a decade in the making. Zipline has already flown more than 1.4 million deliveries and covered over 100 million miles, yet it feels like things are just getting started.
© Tim Stevens
Login