Even with a potential ban on its drones in the US still looming, it’s widely rumored that DJI will launch the Air 3S later this year – and a new leak has hinted at some of its specs, including a redesigned dual-camera setup.
An X (formerly Twitter) account with a decent track record of DJI leaks, @OsitaLV, has shared a rendered image of a drone marked up as the DJI Air 3S. The low-resolution visual, posted with the caption, “A small upgrade of Air 3”, looks as though it could be taken from DJI marketing material.
The leak comes just a few weeks after another account shared a two-second video on X, which claimed to show the upcoming drone in flight.
Though the leaked render isn’t sharp, it gives some interesting clues about the upgrades we could see on the Air 3S. Of course, we can’t vouch for the authenticity of the image, but the form factor of the pictured drone certainly resembles the existing Air 3, which launched more than a year ago.
Like the DJI Air 3, the drone in the leaked image has a dual-camera gimbal under its nose, albeit more refined than the current version. It appears to be angled at the edges for better aerodynamic performance, which could lead to efficiency gains and longer flight times. Unfortunately, the image resolution is too low to make out details of the field of view or aperture.
The drone in the leaked image also features forward obstacle avoidance sensors, together with a sensor array on the underside of the drone. It’s difficult to make out specifics, but it appears to be a similar setup to the one already featured on the DJI Air 3, which offers Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing. As we reported last month, some have suggested that DJI Air 3S may also feature LiDAR sensors to assist with flight performance, which would make it the first consumer-level model to do so.
A main camera upgrade?
The leak has sparked significant discussion among DJI fans online, with plenty of speculation around what it could mean for the specs of the DJI Air 3S.
Much of the conversation is centered on the specs of the two lenses: many believe that the rumored Air 3S will pair a 1/1.3-inch sensor with a larger 1-inch sensor. A direct comparison of the sensor housing in the leaked image versus the DJI Air 3 appears to support this theory, indicating that the latter is larger.
👉Thanks to my subscribers for the information. DJI Air 3S in detail image#dji #djiair3s pic.twitter.com/1Q8RLuyomBAugust 3, 2024
This would be an upgrade from the two 1/1.3-inch sensors of the DJI Air 3, bringing together the best features of previous Air models. If true, this could see the DJI Air 3S land highly in our list of the best DJI drones. It’s worth noting, though, there’s a chance you may not be able to buy the new drone if you live in the US and the revived legislation banning DJI drones passes through the Senate and into law.
As we touched on above, the United States House of Representatives has passed the Countering CCP Drones Act. If the bill passes the senate and gets signed into law, DJI would be banned from selling its drones in the US. The details of how it would be implemented aren’t yet clear, but it seems likely that new DJI drones would be prohibited from sale. It could also be imposed retroactively on pre-existing DJI drones.
If that happens, drone pilots will need to look for other options. There are several in our round-up of the best drones, which our experts have tested to give you genuine alternatives if DJI models are off the menu.