Some fresh leaks have given us a good look at the DJI Air 2S, which will soon succeed the DJI Mavic Air 2. How is it shaping up?
The DJI Air 2S leaks have now turned into something of a torrent, with a few different sources appearing to reveal the incoming drone’s design, specs and possible release date. So how exactly is this successor to the DJI Mavic Air 2 – a mid-range model that sits top of our guide to the best drones – shaping up? If the rumors are correct, then it could well be the most exciting drone of the year. Luckily, we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out either. The DJI Air 2S name appeared in the US database for new product registrations a few weeks ago, a move that usually hints at a launch within a month or so. And with the leaks growing recently, it looks like we can expect a full Air 2S release sometime in April. Like the sound of the DJI Air 2S? We’ve analyzed all of the latest rumors and combined them with our own thoughts on the features we’d like to see in the mid-range drone below. So if you’re in the market for a new aerial companion to help take your photography or videography to the next level, read on for the latest news on what could be the biggest drone launch of the year. With no official teasers or launch events, we still don’t know exactly when the DJI Air 2S will be released. But given its recent FCC registration, which is the US database for certifying incoming electronic products, and the rapidly growing leaks, it seems likely that we’ll see the drone appear at some point in April. The DJI Mavic Air 2 was announced on April 27 2020, so we’re approaching a year since that mid-range drone arrived for hobbyist fliers. That said, the original DJI Mavic Air arrived on January 23 2018, so the series isn’t renowned for being on an annual release cycle. But the evidence does point towards that being the case for the Air 2S. The moment that really sparked the DJI Air 2S rumors was the appearance of its name on the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) database. In short, if a product appears on there, it’s usually launched within a month or so – and the burst of recent rumors suggests it’s gearing up for launch soon. How much will it cost? There have been no leaks or rumors on this yet, so all we have to go on is the current DJI Mavic Air 2. That drone arrived for a pretty reasonable price of $799 / £769 / AU$1,499 – and given the DJI Air 2S is expected to be a relatively incremental upgrade (more on that later), we’d expect it to have a price tag that’s in that ballpark, or possibly slightly above it. What hasn’t yet been confirmed is whether or not the DJI Air 2S will have a ‘Fly More’ bundle in a similar vein to the Mavic Air 2’s offering. This bundle, which includes two extra batteries along with other handy extras like ND filters and a shoulder bag, and offers very good value, is available for the Mavic Air 2 for $999 / £949 / AU$1,899. On the more recent DJI FPV, the ‘Fly More Kit’ is simply sold separately as two extra batteries and a charging hub. But given a recent leak from the German site TechnikNews (below), that appears to have been a one-off, as some official-looking leaked images include a traditional ‘Fly More’ bundle. The most recent DJI Air 2S rumors and leaks point towards it being a slightly bigger upgrade to the DJI Mavic Air 2 than earlier speculation had suggested. The Air 2S name certainly points towards it being an incremental upgrade – this isn’t a DJI Mavic Air 3, after all – and early rumors had suggested that was indeed going to be the case, with the main new features being a new camera and possibly Ocusync 3.0 connectivity for compatibility with the new DJI FPV Goggles V2.0. But recently, we’ve seen growing speculation from TechnikNews and Kanzhaji that the DJI Air 2S will have a new 1-inch sensor. If true, that would not only be a big upgrade on the DJI Mavic Air 2, but would also put the Air 2S’ camera up with the pro-leaning DJI Mavic 2 Pro.
