Is DJI's new Inspire 3 professional drone coming in April? Patent drawing show innovations
[13:57 Tue,28.February 2023 by Thomas Richter]
The rumors surrounding a new version 3 of DJI&s top model for professional drone filmmakers DJI Inspire are intensifying: the well-known leaker OsitaLV now expects a release date in April 2023 and via NGDrone there are now also already design drawings of the Inspire 3, which were discovered at the Chinese patent office.
DJI Inspire 3
Inspire 3: Slimmer and lighter?
Clear are therefore already some of the external innovations compared to the previous model: so the new design resembles the old, the tapered narrow upright housing with the movable rotor arms, which also serve as a landing frame and can be raised in flight to give the Zenmuse gimbal camera free all-round view, but the new housing is significantly narrower than before. In addition, the integrated POV camera for controlling the drone is now located on the top (instead of the bottom before) of the front.
DJI Inspire 3
In the drawings, the battery no longer appears to protrude from the sides at the rear end - either DJI has abandoned the dual redundant battery concept and is only using one, or DJI has managed to slim down the drone or battery significantly. According to the rumors, the propellers are fortunately retractable for the first time for a model of the Inspire series - this would make the Inspire 3 more space-saving to transport than before.
For comparison the old Inspire 2
Probable improvements
. However, we can still only speculate about what&s new inside, but given that the previous model is already 7 years old and the technological development in the meantime, a comprehensive update of many components is expected. It is firmly expected that the Inspire 3 will also use a new Zenmuse gimbal camera (possibly a Zenmuse X9-8K Air), very similar in features to the Zenmuse X9 8K of the Ronin 4D gimbal camera system and capable of recording up to 8K at 75fps or more in ProRes 422HQ/RAW or H.264 using a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor. The Zenmuse X9 also features an interchangeable lens mount system that allows it to use DJI DL-mount, Sony E-mount and Leica M-mount lenses.
Zenmus X9 Gimbal Camera
There should also be an update to the integrated FPV camera with its 1-axis stabilization to provide better image quality. DJI is also expected to save a bit on the weight of the Inspire 3 through technical innovations, as the Inspire 2, which weighs about 3,300g (with battery but without Zenmuse gimbal camera), is over the magic 4kg weight limit, which is the upper limit of drone class C2, depending on the lens used.
DJI Inspire 3
Starting with the obstacle detection system, which on the Inspire 2 only includes sensors for front, bottom and top and could be upgraded to an omnidirectional Advanced Pilot Assistance System, to the intelligent recording features, which are now already surpassed by DJI&s current consunmer drones, to the rather measly flight time of only 23 minutes - the new Mini 3 Pro reaches 34 minutes, with special battery even up to 47 minutes and the Mavic 3 46 minutes.
DJI RC Plus Controller
New controller
. According to the rumors, the remote control will be the new RC Plus Controller, which previously only worked with the large Matrice 30. It features a 1,200 nits bright FullHD 7" screen (RC Pro: 5.5") with HDMI 1.4 port and supports the Inspire&s Dual Operator mode, which is especially important for professional shoots and allows independent control of the drone and camera by pilot and camera operator. This would also be an important differentiator from the Mavic 3 Cine (here&s our review), which does not support this dual mode.
Inspire 3: Price?
The (now sold out) Inspire 2 costs around 3,400 euros, with the Zenmuse X5S camera around 5,500 euros and with the X7 7,800 euros. With the ability to also record in CinemaDNG and ProRes, another 2,000 euros is added to the price. For comparison, the Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo costs around 4,800 euros - here&s our test with recordings in 5.1K ProRes HQ 50p LOG. The new Inspire 3 should clearly stand out from the Mavic 3 Cine in terms of its features and will probably be significantly more expensive for that reason. An upgrade to the current O3+ version (or even a new O4) could also tolerate the Inspire 3&s old Lightbridge video transmission system, increasing the range from 7km to at least double 15km in the US (like the Mavic 3).
We&ll know more soon - the fact that the Inspire 2 is shown as "sold out" in several versions in DJI&s webstore has always been a very reliable sign that a model update is coming.
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