Exciting news this morning! We learned from a trusted source, that the mass production of the DJI Mavic Pro 2 is about to start. Last week we already reported that the rumor mill was spinning up for the DJI Mavic Pro 2 with some sources claiming the new foldable drone may be introduced as early as March 2018.

We also heard from several DJI officials during the launch of the Mavic Air in New York that it was going to be a busy year for DJI. Based on the information we were able to obtain, it sure seems that 2018 will be a very busy year indeed for the Chinese drone manufacturer. Apart from the Mavic Air, we expect DJI to introduce both the Mavic Pro 2 and the Phantom 5 this year.

Note: the image shows the production of the DJI Inspire, not the new Mavic Pro 2.

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DJI’s Mavic Air was announced last week to a flurry of great reviews. We’re currently putting together our review but spoiler: We can say that this is the drone to get in the ~$800 price range.

A short recap on specs:

• Capture 4K Video and 12MP Photos
• 3-Axis Gimbal-Stabilized Camera
• GPS- & Vision Position-Based Navigation
• 8GB of Internal Storage/up to 256GB via microSD
• FlightAutonomy with Obstacle Detection
• Top Speed of 43 mph in Sport Mode
• ActiveTrack Subject Tracking Modes
• Up to 21 Minutes of Flight Time
• Foldable, Portable Body

One way to save money is buying the Fly More combo but that’s not saving money off the original DJI Mavic Air, it is saving over $200 on accessories when purchased at the same time. 

The good news is that we’ve done some digging and negotiating to get the lowest price offers from various resellers on the Mavic Air. Head below for the breakdown…

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Finally, the adventure unfolded! Today is the day of the official announcement of the all-new DJI Mavic Air. We now know all of the specifications of this drone that slots right in between the current DJI Mavic Pro and DJI Spark and priced at $799.  As usual, many specs had already been leaked through different channels and we tried our best to gather them and present them to you. However, today is the day, so let’s get started!

Last updated at 1:54pm, EST

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We’re on location in NYC for what we believe will be the DJI Mavic Air Announcement. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube as we blast out live updates throughout the event and after where we’ll have some hands on time. Check below the fold for updates.

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Today we’ve discovered the first photos and specifications of the DJI Mavic Air drone which will be officially released tomorrow morning at a special DJI event in New York City. We will be on the scene there as well at 9AM ET so expect full coverage here on DroneDJ.

The below photos and specifications come to us from multiple tipsters who’ve been correct in the past. Also, the photos and specs seem to corroborate information we’ve already received from other sources. The new photos also show some of the features we have seen before, such as the swooping lines in the official DJI invitation and in the DJI teaser video.

One of the photos is a banner showcasing the new drone highlights some of the main features of this new unmanned aerial vehicle from DJI, such as the 4K60 video, 32-megapixel panorama mode, and 4 foldable legs.

Last updated: 12:47pm EST

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Another day, another rumor! Or so it seems at least. This morning we have learned that the DJI Mavic Air will come in different colors similar to the DJI Spark (review). We don’t know if the color choices are going to be the same as the Spark color options, but we do know that the Mavic Air will be available in a variety of colors.

Update: the colors for the Mavic Air seem to be black, white and red. We have no information yet on other possible colors.

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Little by little, we are discovering more information about the all-new DJI Mavic Air drone. Today we learned from a source who has actually seen the new drone, that the foldable unmanned aerial vehicle will indeed have backward-facing obstacle-avoidance sensors. Of course, as with all rumors, there is no guarantee that this information will 100% correct, but it comes from a very credible source and we decided to share it with you.

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We’ve had many clues that point to a new DJI Mavic Air drone to be released on January 23rd in New York City. We documented and explained our “Mavic Air” theory on this very website, but many people still had their doubts. Well, today we have found yet another piece of evidence that will bolster our case. Follow along.

Go to your browser and type in the following URL (or simply click it) dji.com/mavic-air. It redirects you to the official DJI.com homepage.

Why is this interesting? We’ll explain.
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DJI just released a new teaser video for their upcoming event in New York City on January 23rd.

In the video, we see a number of quick shots showing New York City, commuters, a beach, planet earth, urban environments, people, a fingerprint, cells, a nerve system, storms, lightning, crashing ocean wave, rain, growing plants, ants, a match lighting, an iris and…

Parts of the design of the new Mavic Air!

The video wonders if we are ready for what is to come. I think we are!

Update: it seems we have the name DJI Mavic Air confirmed!

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This morning, we received DJI’s invitation to its “Adventure Unfolds” event in New York City that will take place on January 23rd.

The invitation seems to provide two clues as to what the Chinese drone manufacturer may be introducing later this month. We think it will be a new version of the Mavic Pro drone that is smaller, lighter and faster. We also believe it will be called the DJI Mavic Air. Read on and see how this adventure may unfold.

Update on 1/16: DJI just released their teaser video for the event.

Update 2 on 1/16 : it seems we have the name DJI Mavic Air confirmed!

Update 3 on 1/17: dual cameras with a zoom feature for the Mavic Air?

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Many people were expecting Chinese drone manufacturer, DJI to showcase new drones at the CES 2018 event in Las Vegas this week. But they did not. Instead of new drones, DJI showed a redesigned Osmo Mobile 2 and an all-new Ronin-S stabilizer. Both seem to be great products, but we did feel some disappointment that no new drones were announced. Luckily, it now seems that this may change soon as we just received an invite to a DJI event in New York City on January 23rd to announce new gear.

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While drone-related DJI announcements are nowhere to be seen this week, the Chinese drone company did announce the 2nd generation of its OSMO Mobile gimbal. We got a chance to play with one on the show floor, and we grabbed a first look at one using a smartphone that was docked in one.

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Yuneec introduced three new drones at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The first one, and possibly the most important one, is the Typhoon H Plus, a successor to the Typhoon H that was launched in 2016. Besides the Typhoon H Plus, Yuneec also launched a fixed-wing drone, named the Yuneec Fixed Wing Firebird FPV. Lastly, they also introduced a new budget-friendly HD racer, a first for Yuneec.

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We wanted to provide you with an up to date summary of all the drone companies that are present at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. From the 9to5mac group, we have five people walking the floor of the event to talk to manufacturers and get the latest drone news. Everything that is newsworthy will be posted here on DroneDJ.

This post will be updated as the show continues. Latest update is from 1/11/18 @ 6:10 pm EST.

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Yesterday, DJI announced their all-new DJI Ronin-S stabilizer. It will come in two different sizes to support both mirrorless and D-SLR cameras. It will also work with the most common camera and (zoom) lens combinations, such as the Canon 5D, Panasonic GH, and Sony Alpha series. On paper, it seems like DJI has a winner on their hands with the all-new Ronin-S. It has all the features you could wish for, but no word yet on the pricing.

Will DJI price this stabilizer as aggressively as they have priced the redesigned Osmo Mobile 2? Let’s take a closer look.

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Today’s the first day of the press festivities at CES 2018, and tonight’s event, Unveiled, serves as a showcase for hundreds of tech companies — from little startups to international conglomerates.  Drones have become a popular attraction at CES, and in the mix of everything from radiation-protection underwear to smart smoke alarms we managed to find a few drone companies…

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We had a feeling that the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 was coming. Today DJI officially announced the redesigned stabilizer for smartphones. Last Friday, we had a chance to look at an almost final prototype at the DJI office in New York City and I have to say, it looks very good indeed. It does feel slightly more plasticky than its predecessor, the Osmo Mobile 1 as DJI decided to only use high-strength modified nylon for the housing this time. But the pricing is so much better at $129 (the Osmo 1 originally retailed for $299, but can be bought for less now), that the material choice is easily forgiven. Another major difference is the battery. Instead of a hot-swappable battery, the Osmo Mobile 2 has an integrated battery that provides an astonishing 15 hours of stabilized footage, which is three times longer than the outgoing model. The new Osmo can also charge your smartphone while filming.

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Chinese drone manufacturer, DJI just released two new products right before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this year. The first is the redesigned Osmo Mobile 2 for smartphones, which will initially be exclusively for sale at the Apple store online. The second is the all-new Ronin S stabilizer for mirrorless and DSLR cameras.

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Workhorse’s Surefly personal helicopter drone was first shown to the public during the Paris Air Show in June of 2017. Now we have learned that Workhorse has received an Experimental Airworthiness Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly their personal drone during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week.

The Surefly is a hybrid octocopter that can carry two passengers. The aerial vehicle can be flown manually with a joystick. Something that should be as easy as flying a DJI drone, according to Workhorse. Or it can be flown in a fully autonomous (drone) mode using sense-and-avoid technology to bring its passengers safely to their destination. A 4-cylinder gasoline engine charges the batteries, which in turn power the electric motors for the eight propellers. The personal helicopter has a range of 70 miles and can lift 400 lbs. The rotor arms can be folded as shown in the photos below.

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GoPro, the company that we know from the Karma drone and action cameras, is laying off between 200 to 300 people this week, mostly from its drone division. The company had sent its workers a letter earlier this week informing them of the layoffs. According to GoPro, the job cuts are part of a larger restructuring “to better align our resources with business requirements”.

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Ahead of the CES 2018 event in Las Vegas, the rumor mills start speeding up. Today, we learned that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certified the DJI OSMO Mobile 2 on December 11, 2017. Does this mean that DJI will unveil a new OSMO 2 at the largest consumer electronics show? Maybe, but not necessarily. In the same FCC filing, you can see that the photos are embargoed until January 25, so the OSMO Mobile 2 may also be released at a later point in time.

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DJI will be at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV this year. The DJI booth will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall #26002 where you can experience their entire product portfolio of camera drones and image stabilization systems.

There’s no definitive word on likely new Drones from DJI, but anticipation is high that CES 2018 is the perfect venue for a launch pad. We’re keeping our eyes peeled for information and if we find out anything in the next week, we will post it here on DroneDJ.

*** Update 1/7/18: DJI reveals Osmo Mobile 2 and Ronin S ***

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Five days ago, we first reported on the newly announced DJI Phantom 4 RTK (Real-Time Kinematic). This new DJI model with very precise and accurate mapping technology, showed up during an official event of the Chinese drone manufacturer where two other new drones for the agricultural market were introduced. Details of the Phantom 4 RTK where very limited initially. We had reached out to DJI to find out more but at the time they could only confirm that this was indeed a new DJI drone model. We do not have any information yet on price and availability.

Since then new photos and more information about the Phantom 4 RTK have emerged.

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Two days ago we reported about the new DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone being spotted at an event in China. Today we can confirm that this drone is not some photoshopped Phantom, as some people on social media seem to believe, but that it is indeed a new DJI drone. The drone was shown at an official DJI event in China where two new agricultural drones, the MG-1S Advanced and the MG-1P, were announced. 
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