If DJI were to put that Sony 1inch-type sensor on a Mavic Pro-II, that would be one heck of a bold move. These sensors are FOUR times the size of the current 1/2.3. They are superb performers but they run hotter and draw more power too. Putting in one of these cameras would be a very agressive move for DJI. It's going to make it harder for DJI to keep the drone size down as well as putting additional demands on the new battery. The Sony 5k scanning and 4k image processing is also more sophisticated too. This sensor is also much more expensive than the current 1/2.3 and this will drive UP the cost of the Mavic Pro-II considerably too.
This is also a bold move form a marketing prospective. This would be a big performance leap for the Mavic Pro-II and will shove it DEEP into
Phantom 4 Pro territory. I suspect that doing this would canabolize 50-75% of the Phantom Pro's market?? There would be little to no reason why anyone would feel the need to buy a Phantom/4/5. I mean,...what for? If I'm getting
Phantom Pro 4/5 image quality in a smaller, cheaper drone,...why would I buy and lug around a big fat Phantom? (I do this today with my
P4P and it's NOT fun at all)
The only think I could see the Phantom 5 getting that serious pros could want would be a true 10bit codec. (150mbps h.264 like the GH5 or HEVC) Heavy log gamma shooters and colorists would drool for that in at a $2,500-$3,000 price point. (but that would hurt the Inspire-II)
Maybe DJI is trying to "move up" all the classes. Air takes Mavic market,.....Mavic takes Phantom market....Phantom takes Inspire market? (And the Inspire takes?....well? it just stays as an "exotic" niche class market??)
NAB 2018 is coming in April (I go every year) DJI ALWAYS has a huge presence with a very large floor space. NAB is a "content creator" convention for professionals like TV broadcasters. But in recent years, they have widened the convention to almost ALL content creators at every level.
Could DJI drop the Phantom Pro 5 this year at their pavilion? It's a massive media event and the perfect market for that announcement.
Wow,..I dunno.