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- Reports claim DJI’s first 360 drone will weigh under 250g
- It’s allegedly based on similar 8K camera tech to the Osmo 360
- The launch is tipped before the end of 2025
DJI is widely expected to release one new ultra-lightweight drone this year, with the hotly-anticipated DJI Mini 5 Pro seemingly gearing up for a 2025 launch. But if recent online rumblings are to be believed, though, the company might actually be announcing two models by the end of the year – with one being an entirely new type of drone based around a 360 camera.
We’ve already had official confirmation that Antigravity is prepping its own lightweight 360 drone powered by Insta360 camera technology – although just via a teaser, with specifics remaining unknown for now. And, if a report at Notebookcheck is accurate, it’ll have a competitor right off the bat.
The report details rumors coming out of China that claim DJI is working on a similarly lightweight drone (under 250g, to ensure it stays in the regulation-dodging sweet spot) that will also offer 8K 360 video recording, using a mechanical three-axis gimbal to hold its camera.
The camera, apparently, will built on similar foundations to the hardware inside the recently-released DJI Osmo 360, the company’s first 360 action camera.
A flying Osmo 360?
The Osmo 360 is an excellent 360 camera (I know because I’ve tested it for our DJI Osmo 360 review), using two 1/1.1-inch sensors married to two ultra-wide fisheye lenses and a gaggle of clever software tricks to create panoramic 8K videos with a minimum of effort.
These videos can then be reframed in DJI’s companion apps (either the DJI Mimo mobile app or the DJI Studio desktop app) before being exported for sharing or use in other editing programs.
A flying version of the Osmo 360 that manages to remain under 250g sounds almost too good to be true, particularly if it’s going to have two large sensors on board. I suspect we may see smaller sensors on the drone, in order to keep weight below that key 250g mark.
If the reports are correct, DJI seems to have a busy few months ahead. The company is also tipped to be releasing the DJI Mic 3, a new model in its popular wireless microphone range, as well as the DJI Osmo Nano, a small modular action camera, and the DJI Romo, the company’s first ever robotic vacuum cleaner.
