DJI HISTORY

DJI stands for Da-Jiang Innovations (大疆创新, Dà Jiāng Chuàngxīn). In Chinese, “Da-Jiang” translates to “Great Frontier”. DJI is a Chinese technology company known for its drones and other imaging and stabilization products. 

In the context of DJI (drones), “Da-Jiang” (大疆) is a Chinese term that translates to “Great Frontier”. Specifically, “Dà” (大) means “great” or “big,” and “Jiāng” (疆) means “frontier” or “border”. Therefore, “Da-Jiang Innovations” (大疆创新) translates to “Great Frontier Innovations,” according to some sources. 

The company DJI, officially known as SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd., uses this name to reflect its innovative approach to drone technology and its ambition to push the boundaries of what’s possible, according to multiple sources

DJI is the largest consumer drone company in the world. Based in Shenzhen, China, its drones have become a hit worldwide, being used in everything from travel vlogs to Hollywood movies.

Initially DJI considered basing itself in a country such as Germany to help it overcome perceptions that Chinese brands and Chinese products are low quality. DJI eventually decided against this, and decided to help change the perception that Chinese products were low quality. In that time, DJI has created a line of products with quality and excellence high enough that they are routinely used by major studios to film documentaries and movies around the world.

From a differnt source: What Do The Letters DJI Stand For?

DJI, or 大疆创新科技有限公司 in Chinese stands for Da Jiang Innvoations, however to the average English speaker the words do not make much sense. Translating from Chinese, “Da Jiang”means “General”, so DJI basically means “General Innovations”in English.

Timeline

Feb 10, 2012 – “Flame Wheel” F330 ARF Kit

Feb 15, 2012 – “Flame Wheel” F550 ARF Kit

Jul 25, 2012 – S800

Jul 26, 2012 – Zenmuse Z15 Camera Gimbal

Jan 7, 2013 – Phantom

Jul 2, 2013 – S800 EVO 

Sep 4, 2013 – A2 Multi-Rotor Flight Controller

Sep 13, 2013 – DJI Zenmuse Z15-GH3 3-axis Gimbal

Oct 28, 2013 – Phantom 2 Vision

Nov 22, 2013 – Zenmuse Z15-5D 3-axis Gimbal

Dec 16, 2013 – Phantom 2

Jan 20, 2014 – Phantom FC40

Feb 24, 2014 – S1000

Mar 24, 2014 – Zenmuse H3-3D for Drones

Apr 7, 2014 – Phantom 2 Vision+

May 9, 2014 – Zenmuse Z15-BMPCC

Jul 16, 2014 – Zenmuse Z15-GH4 (HD)

Aug 4, 2014 – S900

Sep 18, 2014 – Zenmuse Z15-5D III (HD)

Oct 23, 2014 – S1000+

Nov 13, 2014 – Inspire 1

Jan 7, 2015 – 3-axis gimbal for Sony A7 cameras

Jan 19, 2015 – H4-3D gimbal

Apr 9, 2015 – Phantom 3 (Professional & Advanced)

Apr 13, 2015 – Ronin-M

Jun 8, 2015 – DJI Matrice 100

Aug 5, 2015 – Phantom 3 Standard

Sep 11, 2015 – Zenmuse X5 & X5R

Oct 8, 2015 – Osmo

Nov 27, 2015 – Agras MG-1

Dec 10, 2015 – Zenmuse XT

Jan 5, 2016 – Phantom 3 4K

Mar 2, 2016 – Phantom 4

Apr 17, 2016 – Osmo RAW

Apr 17, 2016 – Matrice 600

Jul 14, 2016 – Zenmuse Z3

Sep 28, 2016 – Mavic Pro

Oct 24, 2016 – Zenmuse Z30

Nov 10, 2016 – Matrice 600 Pro

Nov 16, 2016 – Inspire 2

Nov 16, 2016 – Phantom 4 Pro

 

Nov 16, 2016 – Zenmuse X4S

Nov 16, 2016 – Zenmuse X5S

Feb 26, 2017 – Matrice 200 Series

Mar 28, 2017 – Agras MG-1S & MG-1P

Apr 13, 2017 – Phantom 4 Advanced

Apr 23, 2017 – Ronin 2

Apr 23, 2017 – DJI Goggles

May 24, 2017 – Spark

Aug 24, 2017 – Mavic Pro Platinum

Aug 24, 2017 – DJI Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian

Oct 11, 2017 – Zenmuse X7

Nov 7, 2017 – DJI Wind 4 and DJI Wind 8

Nov 22, 2017 – DJI Goggles Racing Edition (RE)

Jan 7, 2018 – Osmo Mobile 2

Jan 7, 2018 – Ronin-S

Jan 8, 2018 – Tello (Collaboration between Ryze Tech, DJI, and Intel)

Jan 24, 2018 – Mavic Air

Mar 28, 2018 – Zenmuse XT2

May 8, 2018 – Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 Edition

Aug 23, 2018 – Mavic 2 Pro

Aug 23, 2018 – Mavic 2 Zoom

Oct 15, 2018 – Phantom 4 RTK

Oct 29, 2018 – Mavic 2 Enterprise

Nov 29, 2018 – Osmo Pocket

Jan 8, 2019 – DJI Smart Controller

Feb 21, 2019 – Matrice 200 Series V2

May 15, 2019 – Osmo Action

Jun 12, 2019 – RoboMaster S1

Jul 7, 2019 – Ronin-SC

Jul 31, 2019 – DJI Digital FPV Ecosystem

Aug 13, 2019 – Osmo Mobile 3

Sep 25, 2019 – Agras T16

Sep 25, 2019 – P4 Multispectral (Based on Phantom 4 Design)

Oct 30, 2019 – Mavic Mini

Dec 30, 2019 – Zenmuse XT S (Thermal imaging camera for enterprise)

Apr 27, 2020 – Mavic Air 2

See Also: Megapixels vs. Sensor Size: Can the Mavic Air 2 Beat the Phantom 4 Pro?

May 7, 2020 – Matrice 300 RTK

May 7, 2020 – Zenmuse H20 Series

Aug 26, 2020 – DJI OM 4

Oct 14, 2020 – DJI Zenmuse L1

Oct 14, 2020 – DJI Zenmuse P1

Oct 15, 2020 – DJI RS 2 (part of the Ronin series)

Oct 15, 2020 – DJI RSC 2 (part of the Ronin series)

Oct 20, 2020 – DJI Pocket 2

Nov 5, 2020 – DJI Mini 2

Nov 13, 2020 – AGRAS T20

Dec 15, 2020 – Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced

Mar 2, 2021 – DJI FPV

Apr 15, 2021 – DJI Air 2S

See Also: DJI Air 2S Review: Has DJI Finally Created a Superior Successor to the Phantom 4 Pro??

Sep 8, 2021 – DJI OM 5

Oct 20, 2021 – Ronin 4D with Zenmuse X9-8K and Zenmuse X9-6K Combos

Oct 27, 2021 – DJI Action 2

Nov 4, 2021 – DJI Mavic 3

See Also: DJI Mavic 3 vs. DJI Air 2S – Image Quality Tests, Comparison and Review

Mar 21, 2022 – DJI Matrice 30

Mar 21, 2022 – DJI Zenmuse H20N

May 10, 2022 – DJI Mini 3 Pro

Jun 15, 2022 – DJI RS 3 & RS 3 Pro

Aug 25, 2022 – DJI Avata (Amazon)

Sep 14, 2022 – Osmo Action 3 (Amazon)

Sep 22, 2022 – Osmo Mobile 6 (Amazon)

Sep 27, 2022 – Mavic 3 Enterprise

Nov 2, 2022 – Mavic 3 Classic

Nov 23, 2022 – Mavic 3 Multispectral (Mavic 3M)

Dec 9, 2023 – DJI Mini 3

Jan 10, 2023 – DJI RS 3 Mini

Apr 13, 2023 – Inspire 3

Apr 25, 2023 – Mavic 3 Pro

May 18, 2023 – Matrice 350 RTK

Jul 25, 2023 – DJI Air 3

Sep 25, 2023 – DJI Mini 4 Pro

Oct 10, 2023 – DJI Zenmuse L2

Apr 11, 2024 – Avata 2

Apr 25, 2024 – DJI Agras T50 and T25

May 16, 2024 – Zenmuse H30T & H30

Sep 5, 2024 – DJI Neo

Oct 15, 2024 – DJI Air 3S

Jan 8, 2025 – DJI Matrice 4T & 4E

Jan 14, 2025 – DJI Flip