The prospect of a ban on DJI drones in the US doesn’t seem to have fazed the market-leading drone maker, with a new leak suggesting the DJI Air 3S is about to launch.
Reliable DJI leaker @Quadro_News shared a two-second video on X showing a drone in flight, and tagged the video with #djiair3S (see below). The video is followed by another post with a still image from the video series: a close-up of the underside of the mysterious drone, which you can also see below, and which @Quadro_News has suggested is the DJI Air 3S.
It’s the first leak we’ve seen from a reliable source about a future DJI Air 3 successor, and it comes almost a year after that drone – the company’s most recent Air model – was announced. Given the source of the video, we think it’s legit, although it reveals few details about a potential Air 3S and only suggests it’s on its way.
The in-flight drone certainly looks like an Air series model: it has the same form factor and looks like dual cameras, just like the Air 3. DJI fans are already reacting to the leak and speculating what the potential Air 3S will hold for the future would mean table, including a camera system that would combine the best of the DJI Air 2S and Air 3 models.
👉Here’s the video 🤙#dji #djiair3s https://t.co/Kp3dda5hkwJune 20, 2024
The DJI Air 2S is a single-camera drone with a large 1-inch 20 MP sensor, while the Air 3 is a dual-camera model, but both sensors are of the smaller 1/1.3-inch 12 MP type – the same sensor used in the Mini4 Pro. Lovers like @NICKs_HIGHTECH claim that the rumored Air 3S will have one camera with the larger 1-inch sensor, and another with the 1/1.3-inch sensor, which would combine the best of the two previous Air models for photographers into one drone.
We rank recent models from the DJI Air series as among the best all-round DJI drones, especially for aerial photographers, and the first rumors about the Air 3S will undoubtedly get DJI fans excited. However, if and when the drone launches, you may not be able to buy it if you live in the US.
The United States House of Representatives has already passed the Countering CCP Drones Act, and if the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law by President Biden, DJI drones will no longer be commercialized in the US .
👉Bro, I’m reaching you too 🤙 nice to see the flight test of DJI’s new drone #dji #djiair3s pic.twitter.com/pbqS8tBFRSJune 20, 2024
It’s unclear exactly how the ban will be implemented, but it will likely be imposed upon the release of new models, such as the rumored DJI Air 3S, and possibly applied retroactively to current models. This would dramatically limit options for consumers in the US, where DJI dominates the drone market with more than 70% of sales
However, if the ban goes into effect, consumers won’t be completely without options: we’ve rounded up the best DJI drone alternatives and all of these models have been extensively tested by Ny Breaking experts.
The possible US ban has dominated DJI’s headlines lately, so rumors of an exciting new model could be a welcome distraction for the drone giant. If and when the DJI Air 3S takes to the skies, we expect it to be added to our list of the best drones, although if you’re in the US you might have to look elsewhere for your aerial camera thrills.