DJI Neo 3 leak reveals a 42g weight gain – but why?

A leaked registration appears to reveal the weight of DJI’s next compact drone, and it’s considerably heavier than the Neo 2.

The DJI Neo 3 hasn’t been announced, but a new leak may have revealed one of its first concrete specifications. An image shared by leaker Igor Bogdanov (@Quadro_News) appears to show the unannounced drone in China’s civil unmanned-aircraft product system. The document names the DJI Neo 3, lists the model as DEN326, and gives it a production date of September 21, 2026.

More importantly, both the empty weight and maximum take-off weight are listed as 0.1927kg, or 192.7g. That would make the Neo 3 around 42g heavier than the 151g DJI Neo 2, an increase of roughly 28%. For a drone this small, that’s a significant jump. The question is what DJI has done with those extra grams.

DJI Neo 3 specs: what could explain the extra weight?

Right now, we don’t know. The leaked registration gives us the weight, but doesn’t reveal what’s responsible for the increase. There are some clues elsewhere, though. Previous leaked images appear to show redesigned propeller guards, additional rear ventilation, and a new raised component on top of the aircraft.

Leaked Fly More Combo packaging has also prompted speculation that DJI may have integrated the Digital Transceiver into the Neo 3 itself. Unlike the Neo 2’s detachable solution, a separate transceiver doesn’t appear among the accessories shown with the Neo 3. That’s an inference rather than a confirmed specification, but integrated transmission hardware could account for at least some of the additional weight.

The mysterious top-mounted component is another unknown. It’s been suggested that it could house additional obstacle-detection hardware, but the leaked images don’t establish what it actually does. Whatever DJI has changed, the Neo 3 still appears to come in at under 200g, despite gaining around 42g over its predecessor.

The September 21 date shown in Bogdanov’s image is a production date rather than a launch date, so we still don’t know when DJI plans to unveil the Neo 3. But with a production listing and retail packaging now appearing in leaks, the next Neo certainly looks to be getting closer.