Drone technology is constantly evolving, and new innovations and significant investments bring more advanced models to market every few months.
Unmanned aerial vehicle technology covers everything from drone aerodynamics and materials to circuit boards, chips and software that represent the brains of this drone.
According to Prospective Industry Research, China's DJI products account for more than 80% of the global market share and more than 70% in China, ranking first among global commercial drones companies in 2020.
Observers attribute DJI's dominance to the continuous work in the field of development and innovation and the provision of its drones with the latest technology available in this field, such as infrared cameras, GPS and lasers.
"Phantom 1" and the beginning of domination
The company initially began selling drones and controllers, and by 2013 the company launched the DJI Phantom 1 drone, its first consumer-oriented product.
This drone marked the beginning of the spread of drones around the world, as the company provided it with GPS, but the battery took 90 minutes to charge, and it could only fly for 10 minutes. Besides, she was without a camera or a holder.
Users had to install a GoPro or other lightweight camera to record aerial footage, but the installed camera suffered from shake in flight.
Before GPS technology was integrated into drones, users had no means or method to determine the direction or position of aircraft in the air, which made controlling and maneuvering the aircraft very difficult, and this problem significantly hampered the overall user experience.
By integrating GPS and compass, drones can hold in place even if the user leaves the remote control. This gave operators full control of the aircraft and made the technology safer and easier to fly.
The internal integration of GPS made DJI aircraft safer and more reliable in flight than any other drone available at the time.
"Phantom Vision 2". First march with a camera
The company has continuously improved every new aircraft it releases, innovating key technologies and updating specifications, including range, flight time and camera quality, with the Phantom Vision 2 coming with a built-in camera capable of recording 1080p videos, at 30 frames per second.
Featuring an extended flight time of 2 minutes and a range of up to 20 meters, the Phantom Vision 300 was DJI's first drone to include a built-in camera that can capture 14-megapixel stills.
The company continued to develop, and within two months of the release of the Phantom Vision 2, the company released the Phantom 2, which equipped it with a GoPro camera and stabilization system. This time, the company also fixed some of the issues of the previous version, as DJI increased range and battery life so users could keep the planes in the air longer and fly longer.
This allowed the aircraft to fly 25 minutes with a range of up to 300 meters, with the inclusion of the second version of the built-in flight control system "NASA-M", a 2.4 GHz remote control system with a separate channel and a port to control the Zenmiz H3-2D mounting axis.
This was important because operators no longer needed to make the plane land in order to replace the battery as is often the case, which previously significantly hampered the overall flight experience.
The 2 Phantom Vision 2014 brought the first stable three-axis stabilization system found in a DJI drone, helping to achieve smooth, shake-free shots.
Users had to either purchase the camera and stabilization system or fly with a camera that could only tilt up or down with shots remaining vulnerable to shake.
The advanced three-axis stabilization system in the Phantom Vision 2 ensures that shots are smooth and stable in the air and gives pilots more freedom to shoot dynamic and innovative shots.
The aircraft also came with a 14-megapixel camera, 25 minutes of flight time, a range of approximately 700 meters, and an advanced positioning system.
3 versions of the "Phantom 3"
DJI continued to develop in 2015 with the launch of the Phantom 3 series in 3 different versions: Basic, Advanced and Professional.
The basic version included a built-in redesigned camera capable of shooting 2.7K videos, at 30 frames per second, as well as capturing 12-megapixel stills in JPG and RAW formats with a range of 1km and 20 minutes of flight time.
The advanced version featured an extended range of 2 kilometers, 23 minutes of flight time, and the first 4-megapixel 12K camera released by DJI.
A notable improvement in both the basic and advanced version was the integration of the Russian version of GLONASS, as well as global positioning systems.
This allowed the aircraft to connect to more satellites to improve stability and location accuracy during flight, making the aircraft easier and safer to drive in the air than its predecessors.
DJI is equipped with the advanced and professional version of the Phantom 3 with a built-in Lightbridge transmission system that enables a longer range and high-definition video transmission capacity of up to one kilometer, and this system has proven to be much better than the wireless network system found in the basic version of the Phantom 3.
This was important because drone users could monitor and enhance aerial photos and videos in high quality from their smartphones. Before Lightbridge, users had no way to see footage recorded over long distances by an aircraft camera, which hindered widespread use in both the entertainment and commercial sectors, particularly in the world of aerial photography and video.
With the invention of Lightbridge, aircraft owners can now view live images taken by their aircraft in high quality directly from their smartphones, allowing users to monitor aerial photos and videos.
It is also equipped with optical positioning, which provides more stability, stability and accuracy during aerial photography. To promote the Phantom 3 series, DJI also launched the DJI Go app. The app allowed users to access the plane's camera settings and flight controls, while the user is automatically alerted if any problems are detected in the aircraft.
The app features a simplified and user-friendly interface, making drone technology more understandable and easier to use for a wider audience.
"Phantom 4". Summary of experiences
With the launch of the Phantom 4 by 2016, the company continued to showcase its drone development capability, fitted with a completely redesigned mounting hub, which supports the drone's camera on both sides instead of one, and was made of magnesium alloy material developed for added stability and strength.
The Phantom 4 was the first consumer drone to be equipped with innovative computer vision and sensing technology that made it the safest and most intelligent drone.
The Phantom 4 featured a first-of-its-kind front and lower obstacle avoidance system, which enabled it to intelligently detect objects in its path and automatically stop or move around the body to avoid potential collisions. He also led the way to smarter flight modes that took advantage of the obstacle avoidance system.
Within the Phantom 4, the company has introduced a compass and dual IMU modules to provide faster reaction time.
In addition, the Phantom 4 features a full three-axis stability system with a 4MP 12K camera, a range of 5km and a flight time of up to 27 minutes.
With all its new and improved features, as well as new smart flight modes – including Active Route and Click to Fly – the Phantom 4 has become the most sought-after drone in the industry.
The following year, the company introduced the advanced and professional version of the Phantom 4. Both aircraft have a range of up to 7 kilometers thanks to the Lightbridge 2 system, a battery life of up to 30 minutes, and an upgraded 4K 20-megapixel camera with a 1-inch sensor.
The Pro version also featured a 360-degree obstacle avoidance system that was fully upgraded to give users more safety and peace of mind in the air.
"Mavic Pro" and entering a new phase
With the arrival of the Mavic Pro for the first time in 2016, a new transmission system called Okeosink appeared, which allowed the ability to transmit 1080p video at 30 frames per second, while the Lightbridge 2 could transmit 720p video.
Okiosink also allowed two devices to be wirelessly linked to one drone, including regular remotes or DJI goggles.
With the launch of Mavic Air in 2018, the airline has taken a step forward with 8GB of internal storage, and features an all-new intelligent flight system for highly stable and accurate flights, as well as an improved front, bottom and rear obstacle avoidance system for added safety in the air.
Each drone series incorporated new biotechnologies that made drones better and safer. The company continued to improve range, camera, quality, battery life and flight performance with each product.
The company designed the "Aeroscope". It is a device capable of detecting most modern drones, in order to eliminate doubts about the security risks posed by drones when they fly over sensitive areas, such as prisons, airports and other protected facilities.
Aeroscope intercepts communication between the controller and the aircraft to extract the flight path, status, serial number, controller location, owner contacts and any other information the user can act on, transmits information in real time, and takes seconds to collect information.
This gives those responsible for monitoring enough time to intercept any attacks. The aeroscope has a range of 40 kilometers, and there is also a portable option.
Development of march systems and platforms
Not only does the company manufacture and develop drones, but DJI also manufactures other technologies that serve it in its field such as flight platforms and systems, the A3 and A3 Pro flight controller and the Ronin 4D platform.
For better drone flight, DJI has also created FBV goggles that transmit drone footage to the user in real time.
Instead of watching them via a smartphone or controller, the user wears glasses to watch, just like virtual reality glasses.
Most DJI aircraft have a built-in mounting hub, but you can also buy ZenMiz cameras, which have built-in triple mounting hubs, such as the Zenemiz X7 camera and stabilizer that is available with a resolution of 24 megapixels and interchangeable 5.2K and 6K lenses.
As a result of its continuous work, the company has over the years released drones specifically designed to meet the needs of everyone from professionals to consumers, as it is the most popular drone brand today, has a dominant role in the global drone market, and is one of the most influential Chinese companies globally and representative of China's technology industry.