DroneDJ

DJI is expanding its smartphone filmmaking lineup again, but US buyers are being left on the sidelines for now. The company has officially launched the new DJI Osmo Mobile 8P globally, introducing a feature-packed smartphone gimbal aimed at creators, vloggers, and livestreamers who want smoother footage and smarter tracking tools.

As new foreign-made drones from brands like DJI remain effectively blocked from entering the US market, FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty is publicly defending the agency’s controversial decision to expand its “Covered List” of allegedly unsecure equipment to include foreign-manufactured drones and critical drone components.

The clock is ticking for American drone users who want their voices heard in one of the biggest drone policy battles the US has ever seen.

Drones have gotten incredibly good at flying, but out at sea, landing them is still a gamble. Constantly shifting decks, unpredictable waves, and slippery surfaces mean even experienced pilots can struggle, forcing most offshore operators to limit flights to calm conditions. Now, a young maritime tech company thinks it has finally cracked the code.

If you want a snapshot of where farming is headed, look no further than a drone hovering over a soybean field in Brazil. At this year’s Agrishow 2026, DJI rolled out its latest Agricultural Drone Industry Insight Report, and the numbers are hard to ignore. More than 600,000 DJI agricultural drones are now deployed across 100+ countries, operated by over 600,000 trained pilots.

Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions (AVSS) is pushing drone utility into an explosive new territory, literally. The Canadian drone safety company has just wrapped up real-world testing of a system designed to trigger avalanches remotely, using drones to drop explosives in controlled conditions.

What if flying a drone felt less like piloting and more like giving directions to a smart assistant? Antigravity’s latest A1 update is betting big on exactly that.

A startup aiming to change how drones operate in high-stakes situations just landed fresh funding, and it’s going after one of the biggest challenges in the industry: scaling drone operations without adding more human pilots.

Skydio, the largest US-based drone manufacturer, says it has raised $110 million in new funding while unveiling an even bigger commitment to American production: a planned $3.5 billion investment in the United States over the next five years.

From ancient ruins to hometown streets, some places deserve to last forever. That’s the idea behind Antigravity’s new global initiative, Project Eternal, which asks drone pilots and 360-degree camera users worldwide to help document the world before it changes.

Across Europe and Asia, DJI’s latest gadgets are already in people’s hands. In the US, those same products are delayed, harder to find, or only available through third-party sellers after weeks of waiting. What started as a drone problem tied to national security concerns has quietly turned into something bigger — where even DJI’s cameras, microphones, gimbals, and power stations are getting held back, despite having nothing to do with drones.

If your DJI drone has mostly been used for vacation clips, neighborhood sunsets, or the occasional family gathering, the newest SkyPixel contest winners may inspire you to charge the batteries immediately.

DJI has another hit on its hands, but if you’re in the US, you might be watching from the sidelines again. The company just unveiled the Mic Mini 2, a tiny, fashion-forward wireless microphone system designed for creators who care as much about sound as they do about style. It’s the kind of product that feels tailor-made for TikTokers, YouTubers, and mobile filmmakers — and yet, like many recent DJI launches, it’s rolling out globally first, with no clear US availability window.

DJI’s compact Neo 2 is quietly becoming one of the most interesting beginner drones around, and its latest firmware update gives creators another reason to pay attention.

DJI just added more trophies to its shelf, and this time the spotlight came from one of the biggest stages in professional video production. At NAB Show 2026 in Las Vegas — one of the most important events for filmmakers, broadcasters, and content creators — DJI picked up multiple awards for two of its newest products: the RS 5 gimbal and the Osmo 360 camera. For American creators looking for smarter gear this year, these wins could be worth paying attention to.

America has been criticized for cracking down on Chinese drone makers. But now China’s capital is doing something even more dramatic: banning new consumer drone sales altogether. That’s an awkward headline for DJI’s home market.

If you’ve ever sat in city traffic wondering how anything gets delivered on time, imagine needing urgent lab samples, medications, or diagnostic materials moved between hospitals. That’s exactly the kind of problem drones are now helping solve in London.

DJI has just launched the Lito drone series, giving budget buyers fresh options with modern features like 4K cameras, obstacle sensing, and easy-to-fly designs. But not in the US. Thanks to ongoing FCC-related uncertainty that continues to cloud future DJI releases in America, these new entry-level models are arriving abroad while US shoppers watch from the sidelines. That frustration does come with one upside: the DJI drones already available in America are now seeing aggressive discounts, with some prices down by an easy 30% or more.

Weekend pizza cravings usually come with the same routine: place the order, track the driver, and hope dinner arrives hot. But Little Caesars and Flytrex are betting Americans may soon get used to looking up instead of looking out the window.

So, DJI has launched the Lito X1 drone and positioned it as the fresh replacement for the Mini 3, but American buyers won’t be getting it. Instead, the US market is left with an unexpected consolation prize: 31% off on the Mini 3 (DJI RC), now discounted to just $379 from the usual $549. Interestingly, this is what the new Lito X1 would also have cost if it had launched stateside. But here’s why the “old” drone may suddenly be DJI’s smartest buy in America.

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to buy a smartphone gimbal, Insta360 may have just handed you one. The company has released a major spring software update for its Insta360 Flow 2 series, which includes the Insta360 Flow 2 and Insta360 Flow 2 Pro. And this isn’t one of those tiny bug-fix updates nobody notices. It meaningfully upgrades how these gimbals work with both Android and iPhone devices, while adding creator tools that can make your phone footage look far more professional.

If you’re in Seattle next week, it may be worth looking up after sunset. Princess Cruises says it will host a one-night-only Alaska-themed drone show over downtown Seattle on May 1, giving locals and visitors a free public spectacle ahead of the summer cruise rush. The event is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. and is expected to be best viewed from the Seattle Center International Fountain Mall.

DJI has launched two brand-new budget camera drones today, the Lito X1 and Lito 1, and they look exactly like the kind of products American buyers would normally rush to grab. Affordable pricing. Smart safety tech. Strong cameras. Beginner-friendly controls. There’s just one problem: they’re not coming to the United States.

As drone programs become a bigger part of policing, firefighting, and emergency response across the US, keeping clean records of every mission is turning into a serious challenge. This is why drone fleet management platform AirData has announced a new integration that automatically captures and organizes flight data from BRINC’s Lemur 2 and Responder drones. The goal is simple: help public safety agencies create complete mission records without forcing pilots to do extra paperwork after every flight.