DJI Mavic 3 Pro: DJI's future high-end drone approaching?

Where did the Mavic 3 Pro go? Expected by some for the second half of 2021, it looks like DJI's next high-end drone won't take flight until early next year. A little update on the various rumors around the next DJI Mavic 3 Pro.

DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom: soon the next generation?

Presented in August 2018, the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro are currently the most high-end consumer drones from the Chinese manufacturer . The Pro version stands out by integrating a camera designed with Hasselblad – which DJI acquired in 2017.

The first consumer drone to integrate a 1-inch type sensor (20 Mpx), it is equipped with an f/2.8-f/11 variable aperture diaphragm. For its part, the Mavic 2 Zoom has a real 24-48 mm optical zoom. However, it must be satisfied with a smaller sensor, of the 1/2.3 inch type.

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro, equipped with its Hasselblad sensor

Although excellent, these two drones from DJI reach the 3-year mark. A real record in the world of high-tech! And many photographers and videographers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Chinese brand's next high-end drone. However, it seems that the wait is still a little longer.

Towards a launch in the first half of 2022

According to a source close to DJI, mentioned by the American media dronedj.com, the future drone must be finalized next October (both in terms of design as technical specifications). The preparation of the production lines would take approximately 2 months, to which it would be necessary to add 2 additional months for the production launch of the aircraft.

The hull of a prototype of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro

Not to mention that Chinese factories close for a whole week on the occasion of the Chinese New Year (which will fall on February 1, 2022). Add to that the shortage of components that currently affects many tech players, and the The arrival of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro could take place (at the latest) around March 2022.

Furthermore, we are curious what name this new drone will have. For some time, DJIt has been removing the mentions "Mavic" and "Osmo" from the name of its drones and stabilizers. It is therefore not impossible that it is simply named “DJI Pro 3”.

Will the Mavic 3 Zoom be in trouble?

Thanks to the source mentioned by dronedj, we know (a little) more about this future drone. For the first time, the drone would be equipped with a large sensor, of the Micro 4/3 type, designed by Hasselblad. A real revolution compared to the 1-inch type sensor of its predecessor.

However, the Swedish brand would have encountered difficulties during the development phase of the sensor. As a result, the “Zoom” version would be scrapped, leaving the “Pro” version alone to take over from the 2 models made in 2018.

Of course, all this information is to be taken in the conditional. And it remains very difficult to predict, even approximately, when the next DJI drones will leave the nest. However, the absence of leaks concerning the next DJI Pro 3 seems to indicate that its takeoff is not for now.