DJI is scheduled to announce its new Avata 2 on April 11 yet that hasn’t stopped a flood of information about it leaking onto the internet. We even saw the drone itself being unboxed out in public late last month in a low-quality video. This new leak saw a series of hi-res images and specifications for the Avata 2 as well as the Goggles 3 headset and RC Motion 3 controller posted on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter).
Many of the pictures come from leaker Roland Quandt and they give us our first clear look at the drone which has notable design changes when compared to the original Avata. The camera is now at the front inside a smaller housing rather than sitting prominently at the top. Additionally, the flight fans have three blades instead of five. This streamlined design is identical to the one seen in an earlier leak from industry insider Quadro News giving it some validity.
DJI Avata 2, RC Motion 3, Googles 3 pic dump 1/x pic.twitter.com/oMdEFcNbaWApril 5, 2024
As for the Goggles 3, the headset looks similar to DJI’s Goggles 2. However if you look closely at the front, you’ll notice a pair of camera lenses. We know these are cameras because Jasper Ellens, another insider, shared screenshots of the Avata 2’s Quick Start Guide on X. Documents reveal the lenses enable the headset’s Real View PiP (Picture-In-Picture) mode, allowing users to see their surroundings without having to remove the Goggles 3. The reported “ultra-low-latency” video feed will then be shown on the device’s “micro-OLED high-definition” displays.
4/x pic.twitter.com/Zp82v6DwqjApril 5, 2024
The RC Motion 3, like everything else we discussed so far, looks similar to the previous generation with several notable changes. DJI’s upcoming controller has a darker color scheme sporting a different shade of gray and black-accented inputs. The joystick is on the left side pushing the now-flat mode button down towards the middle. Also, the orange lock button has a bumpy texture and is much larger than before. The same goes for the side dial: it’s a lot bigger.
Specs
Moving onto the drone’s specs, they come from Quadro News. Some of the information mentioned is stuff we already know, like the 1/1.3-inch image sensor, although there are plenty of new details.
Starting with the Avata 2’s camera, the lens will have a viewing angle of 155 degrees with an aperture of f/2.8. It’ll be capable of shooting video in 4K resolution at 60FPS or 2.7K resolution at 120FPS. Future owners will be given 46 GB of storage. Video transmission distance maxes out at 13 km (a little over eight miles). DJI’s drone won’t be able to fly for very long. Battery life is set for 23 minutes and it’ll take about 40 minutes to fully recharge.
Pricing info comes from yet another leak, OsitaLV, who posted a photograph of the drone's cost in China. It shows prices start at 2,988 Yuan (about $413 / £327 / AU$628) up to 6988 Yuan (about $966 / £765 / AU$1,468) for the presumed Fly More Combo package.
One key acrobatics, that's interesting. pic.twitter.com/BjPA7CmYO5April 3, 2024
Quadro News goes on to claim the Goggles 3 has better specs than the old model, “but some things have been trimmed.” He doesn’t really elaborate exactly what has been trimmed. Rather, he highlights some of the headset's key features like the two-hour operating time, 20-minute charging time, plus a viewing angle of 44 degrees.
Nothing else was shared about the Motion 3 controller. That’s pretty much everything regarding the Avata 2 and its accessories. There are still many things that we don’t know about, including any new features not mentioned. Considering April 11 is coming up soon, we won’t have to wait long to learn more.
Until then, check out TechRadar's roundup of the best drones for 2024.
