DJI Avata 2 leaks show it could soon take your FPV drone videos to new heights
Could its new Goggles deliver an AR flying experience?
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The originalDJI Avatawas a fun gateway drug to FPV (first-person view) drone flying when it landed in 2022, and a new wave of leaks suggest it’s going to get a more powerful successor soon.
TheDJIAvata 2 has now appeared in theFCC databasefiling, which is a sure sign that it’s going to take off soon. This has been backed up by further FCC evidence, includingbattery labelsfor the drone and mentions of new accessories including the DJI Goggles 3 headset, a DJI RC Motion 3 controller and a DJI Remote Controller 3.
This all follows some leaked images, one of which was shared by regular DJI leakerQuadro_Newsand revealed the new FPV drone’s design (below). Another post shared byJasper Ellenshints at some possible specs, which suggest the Avata 2 ’s upgrades will include imaging boosts like a larger sensor and improved safety features.
According to the leaks, the Avata 2 could get a 48MP 1/1.3in CMOS sensor, which could be the same as the one in theDJI Mini 3 Pro. That would be a pretty big upgrade from the 1/1.7in sensor in the current Avata. It could also seemingly be capable of shooting4K/120p slow-mo video and support the D-Log M format for color grading your videos.
Brother Avata 2, resting by the sea….I’ll see you soon.#dji #djiavata2 pic.twitter.com/ftUS6z3L9iMarch 10, 2024
The image and spec leaks suggest the Avata 2 will also be a bit bigger than the current model, weighing in at 458g (rather than 410g), though the FCC filing strangely points to a lower capacity 2150mAh battery, which would be a drop from 2420mAh one in the original drone.
What we don’t yet know is how DJI has improved the experience of flying the drone. The DJI Goggles 3 could certainly make a big difference, with leaked photos suggesting the headset could even have front-facing cameras and augmented reality (AR) features.
Still, all of this, and the Avata 2’s potential new safety features, should become clear soon, with thelatest informed guessworkpointing to a potential mid-April launch.
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What do we want from an Avata 2?
While we enjoyed the original DJI Avata as a smooth, user-friendly introduction to the world of FPV drone flying, it also had room for improvement – and the Avata 2 sounds like a promising, if equally niche, flying camera.
The biggest change to the experience could actually be its DJI Goggles 3 headset, particularly if it does indeed have a passthrough option to give you the option of a mixed-reality view. While this seems unlikely, given that you’d still technically need a ‘spotter’ to maintain visual line of sight with the drone in most regions, the leaked images do appear to show cameras on the front of the headset.
Other drawbacks that we noted in ourDJI Avata reviewincluded the poor placement of its microSD slot, the absence of a manual mode with the standard controller (which made buying the DJI Remote Controller 2 a necessity), and the potential for motion sickness while flying (for some people, at least). Hopefully its successor will go some way towards addressing those issues without increasing its base £499 / $629 / AU$799 price tag too much.
Even if you aren’t interested in FPV flying, it sounds like DJI could have some treats en route for land-based video shooters, with FCC filings alsohinting at the imminent arrival of the DJI RS4 and RS4 Progimbals. DJI’s quiet 2024 so far is about to take off, it seems.
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Mark is TechRadar’s Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he’s contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph’s Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London’s Square Mile.
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