The new DJI Power Series isn't going to fly on its own – but it could help you fly, or do a lot more, for longer.
(Image credit: DJI)
DJI, known best for its drones, action cameras, and gimbals, has thrown its hat into yet another ring – portable power stations. The company have just launched the Power 1000 and Power 500 portable power stations. They have capacities of 1024 Wh and 512 Wh respectively.
Both devices can be fully charged in approximately 70 minutes (or to 80% in 50 minutes), and weigh just under 30 pounds / 13Kg for the Power 1000 and 16 pounds / 7.3Kg for the 500.
The UK versions feature UK power sockets (and DJI say that even when charging it stays under 23Db). (Image credit: DJI)
This might seem a sharp change of tac for DJI, but in practice the company has worked hard on perfecting battery technology to get the most power in the lightest batteries for drones, and many drone users and other creatives need power on the move, so it makes a lot of sense for their customer base.
"Over the past several years we've seen travelers and content creators around the world increasingly turn to DJI drones and handheld cameras, to capture and share their experiences. These users have a demand for fast charging, worry-free, sustainable power consumption and today we're glad we can address this with the new DJI portable power stations," said Christina Zhang, Senior Director of Corporate Strategy at DJI.
Personally, I'd have thought if you've got one of these in the field, then the three batteries on most drone chargers will seem to last a good bit longer – especially with a picnic! (I personally used an Anker Solix when testing for a review to do just that). DJI is also offering some drone-specific fast-charging cables for the Air 3, Mavic 3, Inspire 3, and Matrice 3.
DJI are clearly wise to the features offered by other power stations, and offers both a Solar Panel Adapter Module (MPPT) and a Car Power Outlet to SDC Power Cable (for a 12/24V connection). The devices also have two-way USB-C ports as well as classic mains sockets, with 2x 140W connections on the 1000 and 2x 100W on the 500, so can even be charged via USB.
The devices can serve as UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) with just a 0.02 second latency, and have safety certifications from the Swiss third-party testing authority SGS.
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The products are shipping from today, at a price of $999 / £879 / AU$1,369 for the DJI Power 1000 and $529 / £459 / AU$729 for the DJI Power 500. They're already visible on the DJI Store, and are being offered in bundles with solar panels.
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.
