The alleged DJI Avata drone has surfaced in a new leaked photo that gives us a closer look at the indoor flying camera, allaying recent fears about launch delays.
The photo below, posted by a regular DJI leaker @OsitaLV (opens in new tab) on Twitter, it’s the first time we’ve seen the FPV (first-person view) drone in the wild, and it shows a very different design from the existing drone king models.
Unlike DJI’s current Mavic, Air Mini and FPV ranges, the compact DJI Avata features protected propellers that will help you fly safely between people and in confined spaces. That means it can be ideal for recording aerial videos for social media, just like the recent Snap Pixy.
Not that the pocket-sized DJI Avata and the pocket-sized Snap Pixy weigh just 101g are direct rivals. For starters, the Avata is expected to be an FPV drone, meaning it will likely fly using an included headset rather than over the phone.
DJI’s indoor drone looks similar in size to its Mini series, meaning it should have room for a much better camera than the Pixy, plus all the software intelligence that DJI is known for. They’re likely to include the RockSteady 2.0 and HorizonSteady stabilization seen in earlier cameras like the DJI Action 2 action camera.
Electronic stabilization intelligence is likely to be particularly important on the Avata, as the new leaked image appears to confirm that the drone will only have a single-axis gimbal. Other DJI drones have three-axis gimbals to ensure aerial footage remains smooth and steady, but this is less suited to so-called ‘cinewhoop’ drones which are largely designed to shoot dynamic, fast-paced indoor footage.
Recent rumors have suggested that the DJI Avata release date had been pushed back from its July takeoff proposal, but the emergence of a new leaked image suggests it’s still on its way to a release soon.
Review: A DJI-friendly mini FPV for indoors?
DJI drones are traditionally made for recording epic aerial videos in the great outdoors, but these leaked images from Avata suggest it could be something very different.
While it’s possible to fly drones relatively close to people who are “involved in what you’re doing” (in the words of the UK Drone Code), models like the DJI Mini 3 Pro lack the built-in support guards that DJI will apparently offer. Avatar.
Like the DJI FPV, the Avata will likely also be designed to record a style of video very different from DJI’s other consumer drones. So-called ‘cinewhoop’ drones are designed to shoot slow, steady footage in tight spaces.
This makes them particularly good tools for recording the dynamic indoor videos that have gone viral on social media in recent years, like the bowling alley video above that surfaced last year.
That said, today’s leaked image shows the Avata drone outside, so it’s possible that DJI is also designing it to be a smaller, beginner-friendly version of the DJI FPV to shoot a different type of outdoor video for your other drones.
