If you’ve been waiting to get your hands on DJI’s forthcoming Mavic 3 Pro… get used to that feeling. Originally anticipated for release in Q4 of this year, the product won’t be available for prime time until January of next year. That’s right: Q1 of 2022.
A lot of professionals and many prosumers are awaiting the Mavic 3 Pro drone, which is anticipated to have a Hasselblad camera, variable aperture, and more. But it looks like the wait will continue. A source who says he’s close to the project has given us some insider details, and it appears the product won’t be out until January at the earliest.
Let’s get into the deets.
First, a refresher
We’ve written previously about the anticipated release date, based on another source who lives in China and has a pipeline into the company. He told us the release date would likely be in October. Turns out there was indeed a deadline set for October, but it wasn’t a release date. Our new source, who says he is intimately familiar with the project, explains:
The drone is targeted to be “finalized” in October. (Not produced for sale. Final product specs/design/etc settled on). Oct 15 is current internal target date which will likely be met. But: then it will take two months (maybe a bit more) to prepare automated lines/assembly/equipment etc before full scale ramp up. Then DJI internally targets two months of full-scale production *prior* to release.
Well, that explains it
And by that, we mean that explains why leaks have been few and far between – and why we haven’t seen any images of the full Mavic 3 Pro yet. Remember this pic of what was said to be a Mavic Pro 3 shell? Well, that’s an indication the product isn’t yet finalized:
Again, our source fills in the blanks:
I think you see where this is going and why there won’t be any more leaks for a while. The shells you have seen were EVT units (engineering verification test shells). That’s the second step after DVT testing (design validation testing). Production has nowhere near begun.
So, the Mavic 3 Pro has a January release date?
That’s the plan. But there are no guarantees. Even the smallest delay means China will edge closer to Lunar New Year celebrations, the nation’s largest annual holiday. Everything in the country shuts down for a minimum of a week.
Oh: And don’t expect a Zoom model. Again, here’s our source:
And to lastly add a final bit of info: there will *not* be a zoom model. The sensor is micro 4/3 but development has been problematic (on the Hasselblad side). Three final prototypes now. Combine all the internal problems with a major chip shortage for a new smart controller and the delay is anticipated to be Q1 2022 before actual product release. (Jan-March). And remember Chinese New Year in February (Feb 1) will likely add a further delay as China shuts down for the whole week so if there is even another small delay it will be pushed back further.
When will we see the Mavic Pro 3?
Well, based on this it’s possible we won’t be seeing leaked photos of the final design DJI settles on until mid-October. Perhaps some other images will surface in the interim, but until they’ve locked down the final design (and someone snaps a photo) we really won’t know.
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