Mavic 3 Drone release date to replace Phantom

Rumors swirl as drone pilots await the release date of the Mavic 3 drone, but insiders state it will replace the Phantom series drone.

Ex-DJI employees recently reached out to to give us the scoop on the Mavic 3 release date. The insider also discussed reasons why drone pilots would drop their Air 2's, Phantoms and Mavic's to get this new drone. Frankly the evidence may already be out in the wild. While the Mavic 3 release date rumors are just that, this particular source has been of great value to Drone U members before.

The drone market has seen a lot of new drones released recently. DJI released the Mini 2 drone, the Mavic Air 2 and the DJI FPV drone. While the FPV drone is a completely new offering from DJI, the other drones are simple evolutions of previous platforms. The Mini 2 and Air 2 really offer features that already exist elsewhere, yet these drones have really reduced the platform size. At what point with the drone industry see a Mini 4 drone that literally offers everything a Mavic 2 Pro offers? The push for micro drones is coming and will ramp up before the 2023 release of Remote ID.

According to our insider at DJI, the Mavic 3 will be released this fall. The target dates were discussed internally at DJI, but haven't been solidified just yet. Our insider said to expect the new Mavic 3 drone to be released in late August or September of 2021. Pilots will remember the Mavic 2 Pro & Zoom were released the last week of August in 2018. DJI has repeated patterns before, and we expect them to release the Mavic 3 series this fall.

What will excited Pilots about the Mavic 3?

What will DJI do to attract pilots to purchase the Mavic 3? Well, the Phantom line is aging. We know that DJI has been wanting to evolve from the Phantom line into more portable offerings that may attract a wider audience. Currently, there isn't another drone that offers the caliber of mechanical shutter at such a low price point. What are the core offerings we are expecting from the Mavic 3? Simply put, expect the Mavic 3 to:

Replace the Phantom line
Offer a potential RTK offering
Multiple Camera offerings, potentially interchangeable lenses
Larger camera sensors
Multiple Variations of the Mavic 3
Potential Mavic 3 Enterprise version
Increase flight time through new arm design.

Over the years of rubbing elbows with drone industry executives, the chatter to replace the phantom line has been around since 2018. Remember when DJI stopped producing the Phantom Line, only to bring back the Phantom 4 Pro V2 later that year? The industry spoke up and told DJI... there is nothing else out there and we need Phantoms. Without an evolution of the Phantom line in a few years, it can be expected that DJI will release a new model.

The evidence of what to expect is all over the industry. Think of this, the DJI Phantom 4 RTk...DJI's "mapping" drone is 4x more expensive than a normal Phantom. It makes economic sense for DJI to remove the normal Phantom and force buyers to purchase the RTK Phantom... Increased revenues for an audience with deep pockets. News flash DJI, the Phantom 4 RTK sucks for modeling, and doesn't offer as much flexibility as a traditional Phantom. Example: free flight mode, a GPS triggered shutter operation. The competition heats up with mapping and modeling drones as Skydio's site scan is actually exceptional for modeling... not mapping. Don't get too excited. The market will ultimately prove this as well, as serious mappers don't have the time for linear-rolling-shutter drones. When these cameras increase acquisition time 3x and increase processing time by 2x, the operations are not scalable.

For the Mavic 3 drone to excel at mapping, we need two core features. The Mavic 3 would most likely have an RTK receiver and a mechanical or "global" shutter to increase mapping efficiency. The RTK unit is not important for modeling. Albeit engineers, architects and mappers would most likely love the added RTK capability. Now consider this, the Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual Advanced has an optional RTK receiver... The example of a potential Mavic 3 mapping drone isn't a far stretch by any means.

We have already seen leaked photos of a Mavic like body with a camera payload that had interchangeable lenses. While some of the leaks are a distraction, anything is possible at DJI. The sheer number of engineers DJI employs is on par with some of the largest tech companies in the world... As a result, it is easy for them to innovate at record pace.

Pilots should expect a larger camera sensor in the Mavic 3, offering 4k 120 fps and 42mp Photos with cinematic camera control (anamorphic anyone?).

As competition heats up from American manufacturers, DJI has to level up its innovation to remain relevant. Expect the Mavic 3 to have much longer flight times. We expect DJI to take design cues from the DJI FPV drone. The DJI FPV drone has arms that look like they produce lift, reducing power output in forward flight. We wouldn't be shocked if DJI did the same thing with the Mavic 3.

Pilots should expect a blow-out offering from DJI.