DJI's price cut: Who's angry?
In 2014, the Wall Street Journal published an article praising a company as "the first Chinese enterprise to become a pioneer in the world's major consumer product fields."
At that time, shortly after the company launched its blockbuster product, the product's revenue exceeded $1 billion, and it appeared in popular American TV shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The name of this company, just like its drone products, has become well - known to the general public - DJI.
Ten years have passed. DJI has long occupied more than 70% of the global consumer drone market. The newly launched handheld gimbal Pocket 3 has become a trendsetter among young people. DJI is still being envied and chased by its peers in the process of innovation.
According to the vision of Wang Tao, the founder of DJI, he founded DJI not for fame or fortune, but just wanted to "have a good time," which is a smart thing to do.
Now, DJI is facing an increasingly crowded market. With competitors closely following, DJI also needs to consider how to maintain its growth rate.
Recently, topics such as "DJI announced price cuts, and consumers who have already purchased products are seeking returns and rights protection" have attracted a lot of attention and topped the Weibo hot search list. It is reported that since October 9, DJI has significantly reduced the prices of many products. The gimbal camera Pocket 3 has a maximum price cut of 900 yuan, and the action camera Action 4 has a maximum price cut of 1,129 yuan.
In addition to the big price cuts, DJI is also actively expanding into new fields. In August, DJI launched the sweeping robot DJI ROMO, entering the smart cleaning market; in July, DJI launched its first panoramic camera Osmo 360, directly challenging Insta360.
With price cuts on one hand and cross - border expansion on the other, DJI reveals rare anxiety. DJI's position in the consumer drone market is as important as Apple's in the mobile phone market, but one must bear the burden if they want to wear the crown. On the highly competitive technology track, the pressure on the giant is also considerable.
DJI's Price Cuts and Users' Rights Protection
Just after the National Day holiday, many users with DJI Pocket 3 were still immersed in the mood of taking great photos during their trips. However, an announcement of price cuts from DJI completely wiped out the joy of many consumers.
On October 9, DJI launched the Double 11 promotion, significantly reducing the prices of many of its main products, with a maximum price cut of nearly 1,500 yuan. The promotion started at 0:00 on October 9 and lasted until 24:00 on October 14.
Among them are many star products. The standard version of the gimbal camera Pocket 3 has dropped from 3,499 yuan to 2,799 yuan, and the all - in - one set has dropped from 4,499 yuan to 3,599 yuan, with a maximum price cut of 900 yuan; the action camera Action 4 has a maximum price cut of 1,129 yuan...
"If I had known it would be discounted after the National Day, I might as well have rented a Pocket 3 for my trip. Why did I spend an extra 700 yuan to buy it?" Chong Er said regretfully to Lianxian Insight after learning the news.
Compared with many users who have used DJI products for a year, Chong Er in Chengdu only decided to buy the Pocket 3 before October 1. During the National Day holiday, Chong Er chose to travel during the off - peak season, setting off on October 3. On October 1, he went to an offline store to buy a standard version of the Pocket 3, thinking that he could record some Vlogs.
"Unexpectedly, I who bought it on October 1 became the biggest loser. I neither had the satisfaction of enjoying the product earlier by buying it early, nor the pleasure of getting a price difference refund within seven days," Chong Er said helplessly.
Image source: DJI official website
According to Chong Er's statement to Lianxian Insight, after the price cut rules were announced, the salesperson at the store clearly stated that "there will be no price difference refund, no return without reason, and no compensation." In contrast, consumers who bought the product on October 2 can get a price difference refund.
Compared with Chong Er, who is still struggling to defend his rights, consumers who bought the product through online channels are a bit luckier. Li Heng in Xinjiang has applied for a refund online and is now in the process of returning the product and getting a refund. According to Lianxian Insight, Li Heng bought the DJI Pocket 3 on September 3, and it has been activated for more than ten days, and he did not choose price protection.
"I talked to the customer service for less than five sentences, and the customer service agreed to the return and refund. I guess the DJI customer service is really overwhelmed now." Lianxian Insight checked the official DJI flagship store on a certain platform and found that according to the store's regulations, the product supports a 30 - day return without reason.
It is precisely the completely opposite after - sales attitudes between online and offline channels that have sparked the anger of many users. "I bought it offline for peace of mind and guarantee, but now I can't get any guarantee at all," Chong Er felt extremely uncomfortable after seeing the online after - sales guarantee on the social platform.
It is worth noting that the regulations of authorized stores in different regions vary. Lili, who bought the product at a Beijing store on September 28, is still struggling to get a price difference refund from the salesperson. "Currently, the salesperson's plan is to refund 80% of the price difference to users who bought the product before October 1," Lili said.
However, Lili is not satisfied with this plan. "Why? Why can't the online and offline after - sales services be the same? At that time, we didn't take advantage of the online platform discounts and chose to buy offline for peace of mind. But now the offline store has such an attitude. I can't understand it," Lili said bluntly to Lianxian Insight and said that she will defend her rights to the end.
There are also some lucky ones offline in this storm. Han Yuan in Hunan bought the Pocket 3 offline on September 29 and has successfully got a price difference refund. "I saw the price cut news a few days ago and immediately communicated with the salesperson. The salesperson helped me register, and I got a 700 - yuan refund on October 9," she said.
Although price fluctuations have become the norm for technology products, the wide range of products involved and the large price cuts by DJI this time have sparked heated discussions. The focus of the controversy in this price cut and rights - protection storm is the inconsistent after - sales guarantees between online and offline channels, and the inconsistent after - sales guarantees among different offline stores, which exposes DJI's management problems.
Especially when "seven - day return without reason" and "price protection" have almost become standard features on online platforms, the "tricky language" of offline stores has disappointed many consumers.
Wanchun also added a detail to Lianxian Insight. When he bought the product offline, the salesperson repeatedly said that "the product never participates in national subsidies and price cuts." In Wanchun's view, the company should have known about the price cut for a long time, but still claimed that the price control was very strict. This move really damaged the brand's image.
DJI explained to the media that it has noticed the attention and discussions caused by this and attaches great importance to the feedback from every user. Currently, it is communicating through various channels to provide clear guidance and necessary support to users. It understands the users' feelings and will listen to all voices, optimize the relevant service and communication mechanisms, and provide users with a better experience.
DJI's price cuts are essentially aimed at promoting sales, but due to the inconsistent after - sales standards, they have instead caused dissatisfaction among a large number of users. This also tests DJI's handling ability, and it is crucial for DJI to retain users. After all, there are more and more players in the market, and consumers have more choices.
Is DJI Under Pressure Behind the Price Cuts?
In 2018, Wang Tao, the founder of DJI, published an article titled "DJI's Choices" on the company's intranet. He wrote: Dreams are never about utilitarianism, but more about preferences and inner inclinations.
Just as he founded DJI, it originated from the aerospace dream inspired by the childhood comic book Grandpa Who Exercises Your Brain. In Wang Tao's view, only by doing what one is truly interested in can one do it well, and only by having lofty ideals can one go further.
DJI has done a great job. It has long occupied more than 70% of the global consumer drone market, been recognized by its competitor 3D Robotics, proven the possibility of Chinese - made innovation to the world, and established a global competitive advantage... In the past decade, DJI has experienced many glorious moments.
As a giant for many years, DJI has provided new ideas for Chinese hardware companies, but Wang Tao always has a sense of crisis. As early as 2016, Wang Tao predicted that "the drone market is approaching saturation, and DJI's revenue may reach its peak when it reaches 20 billion yuan."
DJI's 2024 financial report shows that its annual revenue exceeded 80 billion yuan, a year - on - year increase of 35%; and its net profit reached 12.056 billion yuan.
With strong profitability and thick technological barriers, DJI has been breaking through its limits. Over the years, DJI has its own product methodology: in a niche market, it makes products with high technological thresholds and high unit prices. When a product enters the public's view, ease of use will be a clear indicator.
DJI seems to have achieved all these, but it still can't escape anxiety and pressure.
The slowdown in industry growth has become the primary problem. According to data from the China Merchant Industry Research Institute, the growth rate of the Chinese civilian drone market has dropped from 32% in 2023 to 20% in 2025, and the incremental space continues to narrow.
For DJI itself, with the increase in competitors, DJI needs to reach more consumers and consolidate its position. According to the "Market Research and Investment Strategy Research Report on China's Intelligent Imaging Equipment Industry from 2025 - 2031", DJI's global market share dropped from 19.1% in 2023 to 13.2% in 2024, while Insta360's share increased from 28.4% to 35.6% during the same period.
What's more fatal is the multi - pronged attack from competitors. Insta360 launched the "Yingling Antigravity" panoramic drone, directly impacting DJI's consumer market; the smart cleaning brand Dreame also officially announced that it is developing drone products, trying to enter DJI's territory in reverse; OPPO also announced that it will launch a new - form imaging product in 2026.
Not only are there peers closely following, but also mobile phone manufacturers with strong supply chains have joined the competition. Under such multi - party competition, DJI's price cuts are also an attempt to break the deadlock. For example, the blockbuster product Pocket 3 is participating in the Double 11 promotion for the first time this year.
Product iteration is also an incentive for the price cut of the old models. There are reports that the release of the Osmo Pocket 4 is in the countdown, so the price cut of the old model is an inevitable move. In addition, the price of the Osmo Pocket 4 may increase, and the upgrade highlights include improved zoom capabilities, support for 6K/8K video recording, and a larger screen.
Facing the competition, Wang Tao once said bluntly: "I hate the 'dog - eat - dog' culture." But now, the competitive situation he hates is surrounding DJI, and DJI needs to fight a defensive war.
Is It Difficult to Tell a New Story?
Making consumers rush to defend their rights overnight may not be DJI's original intention, but it reveals DJI's growth anxiety - the drone market is approaching saturation, and DJI needs a new story.
DJI chose to "land" from the air. On August 6, DJI released its first sweeping robot, ROMO, officially entering the home smart cleaning market. The ROMO series has a total of three models, with prices ranging from 4,699 yuan to 6,799 yuan.
Image source: DJI official website
Lianxian Insight learned from industry insiders that in late August, the sales volume of DJI's sweeping robot reached about 12,000 units, and its cost accounts for about 40% of the sales revenue.
Actually, DJI's intention to "land" has been buried for a long time. According to China Entrepreneur, an insider at DJI said that the sweeping robot project was launched in 2021. At that time, one person was selected from each relevant technical module department to form a project team, and now the sweeping robot team has more than 100 people.
As early as 2016, Wang Tao predicted that what DJI is currently doing is all related to robot vision. Now, robots are still "blind." If DJI makes a breakthrough in this area, the application scope will be very broad, including autonomous driving, industrial manufacturing, and household robots, all of which will become DJI's areas of expertise.
It is not easy for a new project to go from concept to implementation within DJI. The project team has to face a nearly strict perfectionist boss. When developing drones back then, Wang Tao had strict requirements, even for the tightness of a single screw - how many fingers should be used to tighten it and to what extent.
According to an insider at DJI, at that time, DJI carried out an internal competition. At the beginning of the project, there were only six people in the sweeping robot project, but each person had to come up with a complete product plan and report it to Wang Tao one by one. After the reports, they were divided into two groups of three to redesign the plans. After a selection, the final plan was chosen, and then the six people continued to work on it.
Finally, the DJI sweeping robot team