DJI has been one of the biggest names in the drone industry for many years now. They have a wide range of products under their list of drones – from small, portable ones like the DJI Mini to more advanced, high-end drones like the Phantom 4 Pro. And as if the already existing DJI models were not enough, they bring some new additions to the market.

Drones are incredibly useful and fun to fly, but they are also a complex technology that needs to be upgraded regularly. So that’s exactly what DJI plans to do. Even though they already have an impressive collection of drones in their product list, they are taking things a notch higher with the release of new drones this year.

Some have already hit the market, and some are scheduled for an official launch later this year, so we’ll be covering all the latest and upcoming DJI drones in 2021.

DJI Drones Released in 2021

Two brand new models from DJI have already hit the market this year – DJI FPV and DJI Air 2S. Here’s our review of both of them:

DJI FPV

FPV drones have always fascinated drone enthusiasts, so it wasn’t too long before DJI launched their very own First Person View drone. The DJI FPV is ready to fly out of the box. Just charge the drone and the goggles, and you’re all set to experience the flight with your own eyes as if you’re really flying high along with the drone.

Camera Quality

The DJI FPV can record 4K videos at 60 fps and 1080p at up to 120 fps. That is pretty impressive for an FPV drone, and you can record breathtaking videos in high quality and perfect clarity. The 12 MP camera features a 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensor for capturing crisp and clear photos as well. So this drone has enough to meet the requirements of both amateur and professional photographers and videographers.

Flight Modes

This drone features three flight modes:

• Normal mode: In this mode, max speed is limited to 31 mph. Obstacle-avoiding sensors are active, but they will only flash a warning and slow down the drone, so you need to maneuver through the obstacle manually.
• Sport mode: Maximum speed is increased to 60 mph in the sport mode, and the obstacle-avoiding sensors are disabled. You can enjoy unrestricted, high-speed flight in this mode, but needless to say, it’s not for beginners.
• Manual mode: This mode is for the most experienced pilots, as the controls are entirely in the hands of the pilot and all stabilizing mechanisms are disabled. The max speed is also increased to 87 mph so that you can enjoy a super-fast flight experience.

Other Features

The battery life of DJI FPV is not its strongest point. The maximum flight time for this drone is advertised as 20 minutes, but it will be less than that under practical flight conditions. It depends on how you fly the drone but 10 to 15 minutes of flight time is what you’ll be mostly getting out of this drone. Unlike the Mavic series, DJI FPV is not foldable, but it’s still small and not too heavy, weighing a little less than 800 gms.

Pricing

DJI FPV can be purchased from the DJI Store for $1,299. A Fly More Kit is available for another $299, which includes two additional batteries and a charging hub so that you can enjoy a longer flight time. You can also purchase a motion controller for $199, which lets you control the FPV drone more conveniently than the remote controller.

DJI Air 2S

Launched in April this year, there was quite a lot of hype surrounding the DJI Air 2S, and it sure lived up to it. Designed to be the successor and upgraded version of DJI Mavic Air 2, it packs many excellent features and exceptional camera quality. Small and compact, Air 2S is a fantastic addition to DJI’s increasing list of products.

Camera Quality

Air 2S boasts powerful image shooting and video recording capabilities with its 20 MP 1-inch sensor camera. It can also record videos in 5.4K resolution at 30 fps, 4K at up to 60 fps, and 1080p up to 120 fps. 4K video recording supports 4x digital zoom while you can enjoy up to 8x zoom at 1080p recording. So even when you’re flying at a high altitude, you can focus on all the little details without losing clarity and video quality.

There are also two unique features – Hyperlight, which improves the quality of images taken in low light conditions. Scene Recognition detects certain scenes and objects such as snow, trees, and sunsets, then automatically adjusts the picture quality. Overall, DJI Air 2S offers excellent camera quality, and even professional videographers will be more than happy to have this drone in their hands.

Flight Modes

DJI Air 2S features various autonomous flight modes that make flying the drone a breeze and allows you to capture amazing immersive videos and photos.

• MasterShots: In this mode, you can command the drone to focus on an object with a single tap, and it will perform different autonomous maneuvers while focusing on that object, recording a short video with cinematic shots all by itself.
• ActiveTrack 4.0: Air 2S uses this mode to track and follow an object or person while also avoiding obstacles. If the drone loses sight of the object at any point, it can still continue tracking mid-flight once the object is in view again.
• Point of Interest 3.0: This autonomous flight mode makes the drone fly in a circle around a specific object. The drone will constantly keep its focus centered on the object while flying.

Other Features

Air 2S is loaded with additional features like obstacle-avoiding sensors in 4 directions, 12km FHD transmission, and flight time of around 30 minutes. Even though it has let go of the ‘Mavic’ in its name, it’s still a part of the Mavic series as the successor to Mavic Air 2. As such, it sports a similar design and is also foldable like other drones in the series. Weighing less than 600 grams, it’s a super compact and lightweight drone that you can carry along on your adventures.

Pricing

You can buy DJI Air 2S from the DJI store for $999. If you go for the Fly More Kit for this drone, it will cost $1,299, and it gives you two additional batteries, a charging hub, four ND filters, and a shoulder bag. Other additional accessories include a car charger for $59 and propeller guards for $16.

New DJI Drones To Be Released in 2021

While DJI FPV and Air 2S have already hit the market, there are rumors and speculations about one more DJI drone to launch later this year – the DJI Mavic 3 Pro. Not much has been announced officially by DJI, but various sources have talked about the potential features and what we can expect from Mavic 3 Pro.

DJI Mavic 3 Pro

One of the biggest speculations surrounding the Mavic 3 Pro is that it will record 8K resolution videos, which is big news for the Mavic series in general. Its predecessor, Mavic 2 Pro, launched back in 2018, so it seems that its high time DJI released an upgraded version for one of their best consumer drones. And if it does end up packing an 8K camera, it will have a considerable edge over its competitors and immediately grab the attention of professional videographers.

Another topic of discussion is what type of sensor Mavic 3 Pro would use. A 1-inch sensor would allow the drone to maintain a compact size like most of the Mavic series, but it wouldn’t be enough to offer 8K resolution. And if they went for four third sensors, they might have to increase the drone’s size to accommodate the sensors. So this will be another interesting aspect to look out for.

As for the pricing, Mavic 2 Pro is already priced at $1,599, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Mavic 3 Pro touches on the $2000 price tag. DJI has not mentioned any official release date for the Mavic 3 Pro, but they have apparently tested some prototypes. There’s already a lot of excitement in the drone community regarding the launch of a new DJI consumer drone, so we’re excited to hear more about Mavic 3 Pro in the future.

Final Words

So what do you think about the new and upcoming DJI releases this year? DJI FPV brings you the super immersive FPV flight experience, while Air 2S offers impressive camera quality and autonomous flight modes. Both these drones are superb additions under DJI’s brand name, and we are hoping that the eventual release of Mavic 3 Pro will make things even better. As one of the best drone manufacturers, DJI never fails to surprise its consumers with hi-tech drones and innovative features.