DJI’s first-ever FPV (first-person-view) drone hasn’t been much of a secret for months — but an unboxing video now shows off the new quadcopter, controller and FPV goggles from practically every angle (via OsitaLV).
While the prominent “NOT FOR SALE” and “DISPLAY DEMO” stickers on the box and controller suggest that some details might change before a rumored March launch, we can clearly see a set of front- and downward-facing cameras that are likely obstacle avoidance sensors, in addition to the large main camera mounted high in the drone’s shell.
The battery is a tall rectangular brick that plugs right into the back, and it seems like the kit comes with both a charger and a portable power bank of some sort — though it’s unclear which device plugs into that.
In December 2020, the Trump administration added DJI to a commerce blacklist, citing ties to the Chinese government. The filing accuses the company of enabling “wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance.” It has been reported that DJI has provided drones to the Chinese government for use in surveilling brutal prison camps in the Xinjiang province.
There are also potential security concerns with DJI drones. The US Interior Department and the Department of Justice are both reviewing — or have outright banned — the use of foreign-made drones.
DJI disputes the Trump administration’s characterization.
Despite all that, DJI’s products continue to be available in the US as of this writing.
The new controller design looks more gamepad-inspired than ever before, with individual sculpted grips for each hand and triggers around back, but also DJI’s now-familiar detachable joysticks that slot inside each handle. Our video host also says the new V2 goggles feel lighter than the ones DJI originally introduced in 2019, even if the design looks quite similar.
Unfortunately, there’s no footage of an actual flight quite yet, and I wouldn’t expect the group that filmed this video (Dominion Drones) to provide one anytime soon: there’s no trace of the video on the company’s YouTube channel, and this copy comes to us via SpiderMonkeyFPV instead. Seems like someone may have gotten in trouble.
If you crave some DJI drone footage right now, though, and don’t care whether it’s FPV… might I suggest my colleague Vjeran’s video review of the DJI Mini 2?