Does this track? DJI Mavic 4 spec leaks spin controversy…

I have reported in the past on DJI products that haven't yet been launched and, on a few occasions, I seem to have had some pretty accurate information. One of the most reliable sources is X poster Jasper Ellens, who has gone as far as to post sample images from the Mavic 4 Pro (apparently).

How, though, can he whip up a controversy about the specs of a product that isn't even out yet? I'll get to that in a moment. First, though, here are those sample images (sadly the weather means all we can really tell is that it'll cope with shades of gray!):

Interestingly, that tweet (X post?) shows 1, 2.5x and 6x on-screen options in the app, suggesting all-new optics for the Mavic 4 drone. It also says 24x on screen but, if memory serves, this kind of number is typically helped with a degree of digital zoom.

Anyway, I promised controversy! That comes with the rumored DJI RC Track product – rumored, of course, largely from the same source.

This was a DJI 'beacon' – a controller that the drone could follow. I have tested similar concepts on drones including the original Skydio 2+ and the more recent, cheaper, and more practical AI tracking drone, the HoverAir X1 ProMax.

If we assume that, somehow, Jasper Ellens / X27 has a direct line to goings on at DJI's HQ, the controversy he seems to be whipping up is that the beacon – apparently called the DJI RC Track – was due for launch earlier, as it works with the DJI Air 3S and DJI Mini 4 Pro, both already on sale.

Ellens also mentions "safety reasons" as a cause for pulling the plug in October, but also that the Air 3S' LiDAR feature was promotion-worthy enough.

An interpretation of Ellens' hypothesis is that the product has been held back for no other reason than to add excitement – and an extra feature – to the Mavic 4 launch expected in April, and perhaps make the Mavic 4 seem better. Or that it is now going to be ready because the software is better.

This in turn begs the question: what other features are expected of DJI's new flagship consumer / prosumer drone? Well, guess who has also been promoting his own drone-related news website recently…

He's not the only one, though. Igor Bogdanov and Photo Rumors are in on the act, too. In any case, the settled list of key features expected in the drone (which doesn't officially exist yet) is:

• 4/3 main image sensor
• Hasselblad 28mm f/2 lens
• 6K/60FPS 4K/120FPS
• 14 Stops of dynamic range
• Dual-native ISO 400 / 1,200 (with D-Log)
• Stepless electronic ND Filter
• 6654mAh battery / 52 minutes
• 1044g
• 04+ image transmission – 40Km / 24.85 miles
• Gimbal rotation -90 to +80 and vertical mode
• Cine version (as before) with a 2TB SSD
• Dual charging system – 100W and 240W USB Power Delivery 3.1

All this is expected to come at prices from $2200 (about £1850, AU$3500) and expected some time in April – when we know more (and if any of this is true at all), we'll tell you!

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