DJI has faced a ban on importing and selling drones in the United States since December 2025, but the company may have slipped one final drone under the wire. Between leaks, official announcements and FCC filings DJI may have one more drone for American enthusiasts to enjoy.
Today, DJI posted a teaser video for the new Lito drone, which could be the last DJI model to receive FCC certification, pending the outcomes of various legal battles. The teaser promised an official reveal on April 23.
Based on FCC filings, it appears DJI was able to get the Lito approved before the December 22, 2025, cutoff for the FCC ban. This means the new drone is "grandfathered" into the US market and can be sold in the US.
What is DJI Lito?
DJI's official teaser only highlighted the name and official launch date. However, some previous leaks revealed images that purported to be the new compact drone.
Earlier this month, "tech detective" Igor Bogdanov showed photos that look like marketing materials and not just CAD renders or dummy models. He also posted some packaging images. Today, in light of the announcement, he posted some zoomed in looks at the drone.
👉Well, well, well, what's this in my hands. The new DJI Lito🤭#djilito1 #djilitox1 pic.twitter.com/fp8tgxORBDApril 3, 2026
A separate leak on Reddit appears to reveal some specs of the Lito drone. According to the poster, the Lito has a top speed of 18m/s and an apparent incompatibility with current controllers.
Based solely on Igor's images, the Lito looks a lot like the DJI Mini 5 Pro, if perhaps a bit sleeker. It's not clear where it will fit in the DJI lineup. My speculation is that the Lito is a slightly less feature-rich version of the Mini.
How we got here
As mentioned, the FCC implemented a ban on foreign-made drones in December of last year, specifically targeting Chinese manufacturers. DJI has been fighting the ban since at least 2023 and sued the FCC in February claiming the agency "exceeded its statutory authority" in an attempt to overturn the ban.
You can still buy DJI-made drones in the US, especially grandfathered in ones that were made before the December deadline. Everything else has been or will be added to the FCC's "Covered List" or its list of banned devices.
Technically, DJI could possibly release more drones in the US after passing "rigorous cyber and hardware assessments," according to the NSD FCC Covered List Waiver 0126. However, it's not clear what those assessments include and if they'll be made difficult just to keep drones on the Covered List.
The legal battles are ongoing, so it may be some time before this is totally cleared up. But for now, the Lito is coming and could be the last new DJI drone we see for a while.
