DJI is getting ready to unveil a brand-new drone on Thursday, August 25.
While not confirmed, a slew of leaks in recent months — plus the image on the promotional material for Thursday’s event — suggest DJI’s new device will be a cinewhoop drone.
Cinewhoop drones are compact, highly versatile machines designed for capturing high-definition video in pretty much any location that you care to fly it, including indoors and through tight spaces.
The cinewhoop drone design was popularized by a number of videos that went viral last year. One of the most extraordinary efforts used a cinewhoop to fly through a Minneapolis bowling alley and among patrons (all carefully choreographed, we should add), with the impressive results earning the skillful drone pilot much praise.
Up to now, cinewhoops have mostly been hand-built by drone enthusiasts. With that in mind, it seems that DJI is keen to step in with a ready-to-fly cinewhoop for those new to the game or experienced pilots who are looking to perform more adventurous flights beyond what can be achieved with, say, DJI’s Air 2S or Mini 3 Pro quadcopters.
One of the leaks that dropped in May suggested DJI’s new drone will weigh around 500 grams (1.1 pounds), which would make it considerably lighter than DJI’s current FPV drone, which tips the scales at 795 grams (1.75 pounds). A “greatly improved battery life” is also rumored to be part of the package, suggesting that it will fly significantly longer than the 20 minutes offered by DJI’s FPV drone.
DJI is also rumored to unveil a new set of FPV goggles designed especially for use with its new drone, so look out for that, too.
How to watch
DJI will unveil its new drone at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, August 25.
The announcement will be livestreamed on DJI’s YouTube channel, which we’ve embedded at the top of this page.
Besides the drone itself, DJI is also expected to reveal the drone’s price and availability. Its current FPV drone, which landed last year, costs $999 for the Combo package, so we can expect DJI’s new device to go for more than that, though by how much it’s impossible to say.
All will be revealed at DJI’s special event on Thursday morning.