Nikkei and Fomalhaut Techno Solutions recently took apart a DJI Mavic Air 2 with the hopes of finding out how the new drone comes in at $799. The teardown found the Mavic Air 2 materials cost around $135 with around 80% of the components being commodity parts.
Keeping the price low
The teardown found that the parts are purchased at around 20% of the retail price. For comparison, phone parts are ordered at around 30%-35% of the retail price. A Japanese drone manufacturer has said it would cost around double the amount in materials alone for it to make an identical drone.
Fomalhaut Techno Solutions shared that many of the parts found in the Mavic Air 2 are also found in smartphones and other mobile devices, making the supply much larger and the cost to produce much lower. The Mavic Air 2’s camera has components also found in smartphones along with the GPS is built out of parts found in smartwatches.
The sole part that is exclusive to the MA2 is the semiconductors that control the propellers according to a company official. The drone also consists of a few expensive parts that cost more than $10, this includes the battery and camera.
US parts
When we think of a product, we often think that it was made in China or the parts originated from the country. While that might be true for some of the components in the Mavic Air 2, some are US parts. The IC chip responsible for controlling the battery is made by Texas Instruments and the radio amplifier is made by North Carolina company, Qorvo.
The future
While DJI is using some US parts, that might change with the ongoing trade war between the US and China. DJI has had its fair share of privacy issues and accusations made along with the reduction of DJI drones being used in the US military. So far, DJI hasn’t seen it as bad as Hauwei has but only time will tell if the drone giant with 70% market share will survive in the US.
Do you think DJI will survive in the US? Or will it have to focus on other markets around the world? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Photo: Fomalhaut Techno Solutions
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