New drone with an innovative controller is a challenger set to seriously worry dominant DJI

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Potensic's Atom 2 is a sequel to the first drone to seriously threaten DJI's dominance of the ultralight space. What can it do?

Potensic Atom 2 controller
(Image credit: Potensic)

Last year Potensic's Atom & Atom SE drones delivered a bit of a surprise to market leader DJI, undercutting the dominant brand on price and offering similar levels of power and capability – even exceeding in places.

Now Potensic is back with an updated Atom 2 drone, capable of 4K HDR video and raw images from its 48MP half-inch Sony image sensor.

Potensic Atom 2 drone in hand

(Image credit: Potensic)

The rise of Potensic wasn't a complete surprise, but until the Atom (read my original Atom SE review) the company had seemed to carve a niche in the toy space.

The Atom 2 gets an upgraded version of the innovative controller with Potensic's PixSync 4.0 radio technology which the company says offers 10km range (6.2 miles) – more than good enough to assuage any fears of signal loss if you're flying sensibly (or legally). This is a step up on the previous Atom's PixSync 3.0 (8km) and a key area of competition for serious drone users.

Video specs are 4K 30fps, with a 1080P 5x slow motion option recorded to MicroSD card. The drone can also capture 1520 x 2704 vertical format video, cropped rather than rotated.

New camera features include a 'Super Night' mode, up to 4x digital zoom, 8K still photos from 48MP sensor, and AI subject tracking using the camera, and 25 MB/s file transfer. This is powered by a new Potensic app for iPhone or Android, with features like panorama, burst shooting, and RAW as well as other premium options supported.

All this in a drone still under 249g, yet claiming a 29-minute hover / 32-minute forward flight time – again very comparable with the DJI Mini 4K.

Potensic Atom 2 sat on rock

(Image credit: Potensic)

Potensic is launching the Atom 2 with a standard price of $329 and a Fly More Combo for $449. You can now purchase 'Potensic Care' within the app (another new feature is an in-app chat service for support).

🇺🇸 Potensic Atom 2 on Amazon USA $329.99

🇬🇧 Potensic Atom 2 on Amazon UK £399.99

Read more like this...

Read my guide to the best drones for kids and check my original review of the Potensic Atom.

I also have a guide to the best non-DJI drones for those who want to avoid the famous Chinese company.

Adam Juniper
Adam Juniper
Managing Editor

With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones. 

Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 

He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones, The Smart Smart Home Handbook, 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook. 

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