Is DJI preparing a spate of new drone activity this spring?

The antennae of drone watchers have started twitching again after drone pilot and DJI leak conduit OsitaLV tweeted claims the company will discount its Air 2 drone while it undertakes previously rumored development a new Mini 3.

Today OsitaLV’s Twitter account updated his February 27 tweet, stating “1, Air2 will have a discount 2. Development of Mini 3 has begun.” In today’s follow up, the generally reliable DJI information leaker said the Air 2 “discount will begin in March 4th, Action 2 included.” Shortly before that, a post featured a photo of a diminutive, familiar looking drone and controller, below a heading in typical company typeface, “DJI Mini 3 Pro.”

Erring towards caution, OsitaLV added the qualifier, “Before further confirmation, I’ll regard this pic as joking.”

OsitaLV’s prudence notwithstanding, his tweet regarding the Mini 3 largely corresponds to expectations that arose from information that DJI leaker DealsDrone published in December. That featured a multi-year calendar, with a Mini 3 listed in the month of April of this year – presumably signifying a release date. At least five total products were also on the timetable – including an Inspire 3, FPV Mini, and Pocket 3.

Though not necessarily mutually exclusive, OsitaLV’s recent info that the Mini 3 has gotten underway may undermine the DealDrones evidence of an apparent April release. Were OsitaLV’s information hot off the internal DJI presses, a February development launch would almost certainly not leave enough time for the company to bring a finished drone to market two months later.

Still, it’s been nearly a year and a half since DJI released the Mini 2 in November, 2020, and that’s a long time for a tech product to go without a major revamp.

What might an update involve? Thus far, of course, no real evidence has surfaced about new tech or features that may be in the works. But speculation by DJI customers seems to concur that an enhanced camera is a given, as well as improved battery life beyond 30 minutes that many rival makers now offer.

Wish list improvements also include full obstacle avoidance, as well as – given the addition of sensors that would require – a Mini 3 automated subject tracking feature the Mini 2 doesn’t have. Also unknown is whether DJI would equip a new Mini 3 with the Remote ID the current model lacks as part the package.