News

DJI Releases The New $999 Air 2S Drone

Minor design and construction tweaks aside, there are 3 main upgrades that differentiate the DJI Air 2S from its predecessor, the Air 2.

Published

5 years ago

April 19, 2021

Joanna Melki

DJI

The DJI Air 2 was one of the best drones released in 2020, offering everything most drone operators could ever want: a high-resolution camera, excellent battery life, tremendous range, and intelligent obstacle avoidance technology, just to name a few of its selling-points. Now, the Chinese drone powerhouse has released an updated version, calling it the DJI Air 2S.

Minor design and construction tweaks aside, there are three main upgrades that differentiate the DJI Air 2S from its predecessor:

1-inch CMOS sensor capable of recording 5.4K footage at 30 frames per second or 4K footage at 60 frames per second.
Intelligent obstacle sensing in four directions that makes it possible for the drone to actively avoid obstacles in more complex scenarios and at high speeds.
Advanced O3 (OcuSync 3.0) image transmission technology capable of delivering an ultra-smooth, clear, and reliable image feed at distances of up to 12 km.

These features alone make the DJI Air 2S a great all-rounder capable of recording professional-grade video footage, covering large distances, and providing aerial views, among other things.

Other noteworthy features include intelligent HDR technology capable of merging multiple shots, automatic hyperlapse and panorama creation, and MasterShots, an advanced intelligent feature that gives you the best shots in any location with just a tap.

Also Read: Sightec Completes First Drone Delivery Without GPS

The DJI Air 2S starts at $999, but the price jumps up to $1,299 if you purchase it two extra batteries, four ND filters, a charging hub, and a shoulder bag.

DJI Air 2S Fly More Combo

At this price point, it’s very difficult to find a more capable drone, especially if you’re a traveling videographer and want the best image quality in the smallest package. One possible alternative is the Skydio 2, a self-flying drone released in 2019 that records 4K footage at 60 FPS.

News

Microsoft Plans $10 Billion-Plus Gulf Expansion Despite Iran Conflict

Security is shaping Microsoft’s approach, from resilience work with governments to what it will say about how the money splits by country.

Published

4 days ago

September 24, 2026

Nour Nasir

Microsoft

Microsoft is planning more than $10 billion of investment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait through 2030, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith told Reuters, calling the spending schedule aggressive. The Iranian conflict that began on February 28 has not persuaded the company to scale back.

“We’re sustaining all the investments we planned to make before this conflict started, and we are in fact adding to them,” Smith said. The $10 billion-plus total does not, however, show how large those additions are.

The investment, which Smith described as part of Microsoft’s continued infrastructure expansion, is aimed at cloud and AI infrastructure and at the company’s growing regional operations. Microsoft also intends to put more than $400 million into subsea and terrestrial connectivity across the Middle East by 2030.

The spending fits the region’s own ambitions too. Gulf governments have been investing heavily in AI infrastructure as part of a push to diversify their economies beyond oil and gas and turn themselves into global technology hubs. Major cloud and AI providers have been drawn in part by the land and relatively low-cost energy on offer.

Microsoft is widening its partnerships with regional AI companies, though not on identical terms. In 2024, it invested $1.5 billion in Abu Dhabi-based G42 for a minority stake, and Smith currently sits on G42’s board. Saudi Arabia’s Humain and Qatar’s Qai are working with Microsoft on selected priority areas, but Smith said the company does not plan to make capital investments in either.

Also Read: Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power

The conflict has added another strand to Microsoft’s work in the region. Since it began, Smith said, the company has supported regional partners with digital resilience assessments, and it is now working with Gulf countries through a digital resilience initiative focused on preparedness and the protection of critical data.

So far, the company has given no country-by-country breakdown of the investment, citing security among other factors. So while the headline figure is public, how Microsoft divides the spending among the four countries is not.