What Is Inside a Drone: Processor, Camera, Radio, GNSS, IMU, Motors and Battery

A Drone Is a Flying Computer with a Camera

Every camera drone contains the same set of components. A processor handles the image and controls the flight. A camera with a CMOS sensor records. A radio module sends the video to the controller and receives commands. A GNSS receiver provides the position, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) measures tilt and acceleration. Brushless motors with electronic speed controllers (ESC) turn the propellers, and a lithium-ion battery powers everything.

Manufacturers rarely say whose chips they use. Teardowns fill the gap: iFixit identifies the chips on the boards, and the Japanese firm Techanalye describes its analyses in EE Times Japan. Full chip lists with part numbers exist in the drones catalogue for two models: the DJI Mini 3 (16 parts) and the DJI Mavic 3 Pro (13 parts). For the other models we know the chip maker without a part number, or only the modules described by the drone maker.

Processor

The processor is the heart of the drone. According to the iFixit teardown, the DJI Mini 3 runs a quad-core Ambarella H22 video SoC, alongside NXP i.MX RT1064 and HDSC HC32F460 microcontrollers. Memory is 256 MB of Kingston DDR3L and 256 MB of Kioxia NAND flash.

In the Mavic 3 Pro iFixit found three Leadcore chips: the H6MN application processor, the E2B video processor and the P1 processor. It describes all three as likely. The memory is certain: 2 GB of SK Hynix LPDDR4X and 16 GB of Samsung eMMC.

In newer models DJI is moving to its own processors. Techanalye found a DJI-designed processor in the DJI Flip, DJI Neo 2 and DJI Avata 360. According to that analysis, the Neo 2 no longer uses any chip from the original DJI Neo. In the DJI Mavic 4 Pro the camera, flight and communication processors were all replaced with new chips compared with the Mavic 3 Pro. Their types and makers appear only in the paid report.

Other makers name the processor directly. The Skydio X10 carries an NVIDIA Jetson Orin. According to DroneXL, the Antigravity A1 uses an Ambarella CV5 made on a 5 nm process. In the HOVERAir X1 PROMAX Techanalye found a processor from the Qualcomm QRB family, without the exact model.

Camera and Image Sensor

Manufacturers state the sensor size and resolution, but almost never the sensor maker. The Mini 3 and Mavic 3 Pro teardowns do not name the camera sensor maker. For the DJI Avata 2 Techanalye only says that the main camera's CMOS sensor comes from a Japanese manufacturer.

The exceptions are makers who advertise their supplier. Potensic states a Sony 1/2-inch 48 MP sensor in the Potensic ATOM 2. Inspection drones use Teledyne FLIR thermal cameras: the Skydio X10 a Boson+ 640×512 module and the Flyability Elios 3 a Lepton 3.5 with 160×120 resolution. For the Matrice 4T DJI states an uncooled VOx 640×512 microbolometer without naming its maker.

A drone camera is more than a sensor. In the Mavic 4 Pro Techanalye counted 12 motors: flight motors, gimbal motors and the optical image stabilisation motors of the cameras.

Radio Link

The radio carries the live view, the control link and Wi-Fi to the phone. In the Mini 3 iFixit found a Synaptics Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5 chip (SYN43456) and Kangxi Wi-Fi front ends for 2.4 and 5 GHz. iFixit marks the Leadcore S1 RF transceiver only as possible.

The Mavic 3 Pro most likely has a Leadcore IE1000 transceiver, Skyworks front ends for 2.4 and 5 GHz, Synaptics Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.1 and an ADS-B receiver that shows nearby aircraft. For the Flip Techanalye names a UNISOC communication chip and for the Neo 2 an AIC chip, both without part numbers. The Skydio X10 has its own third-generation SkydioLink radio module, registered with the FCC as 2ATQRSMODBV3.

GNSS, IMU and Sensors

The GNSS receiver in both the Mini 3 and the Mavic 3 Pro is the same u-blox UBX-M10050-KB. Both drones also use the same TDK InvenSense ICM-40609-D 6-axis motion sensor. In the Neo 2 Techanalye found a GNSS chip from Unicore Communications.

The Mini 3 has three more sensors that help it hold position: a Goertek SPL06-001 pressure and temperature sensor (altitude), a MEMSIC MMC5983MA magnetometer (compass) and a Texas Instruments OPT3101 front end for measuring distance to the ground. The Flip has a forward LiDAR built from a VCSEL laser and a CMOS sensor by Chinese manufacturers.

Industrial drones carry separate measurement modules. The Matrice 400 has a rotating 360° LiDAR, a 3D ToF LiDAR on top and millimetre-wave radar in six directions. For the Flyability Elios 3 you can add a NevadaNano flammable gas sensor, a Mirion RDS-32 radiation meter and a Cygnus ultrasonic wall thickness gauge. Its surveying payload uses an Ouster OS0 LiDAR with 128 beams.

Motors and Controllers

Every brushless motor needs a controller. In the Mini 3 iFixit found a Texas Instruments DRV8328B gate driver and a Spintrol SPC1168 motor microcontroller. In the Mavic 4 Pro the motor controllers come from Chinese manufacturers, as do most chips on the Avata 2 motor board.

FPV makers list the motors directly. The iFlight Nazgul Evoque F5 V3 uses XING2 2207 1750KV motors, and the BetaFPV Meteor75 Pro 1102 21000KV motors. The scale grows in agricultural drones: according to DJI, the Agras T50 has 100×33 mm stators and 4000 W per rotor.

Battery

Manufacturers give the capacity, voltage and cell chemistry, but not the cell maker. The DJI Mini 5 Pro has a 2788 mAh LiNiMnCoO2 battery at 7 V, and 4680 mAh in the Plus version. The Mavic 4 Pro has a 4S battery with 6654 mAh and 95.3 Wh. The Matrice 400 runs on a single TB100 battery with 977 Wh.

In the Mini 3 iFixit found what is likely a Texas Instruments BQ9003 fuel gauge. In the Mavic 3 Pro the charging chip is a Texas Instruments BQ24179.

According to Techanalye, the Avata 2 contains 52 functional semiconductors, 36 of them from Chinese manufacturers. For the Flip the same firm writes that the semiconductors are almost entirely Chinese.

Repair: What You Can Replace Yourself

iFixit published its DJI Neo teardown on 6 December 2024. The propellers and battery are easy to replace. Inside there is some glue and solder, and some Torx screws sit under glue. After replacing the main board, the camera or the camera motor, the drone needs calibration software that only DJI and authorised technicians have.

Other models are similar:

• DJI Mini 3 Pro: the main board and camera module come out without soldering; the ESC board and arms need a soldering iron.
• DJI Mini 4 Pro: the gimbal camera, GPS module, main board and ESC board are separate replaceable parts.
• DJI Lito X1: it comes apart without soldering except for the ESC board, motor cables and arm wiring.
• DJI FPV: the frame is screwed together without glue and has more than 60 screws; according to DroneDJ, replacing the ESC with soldering takes about 30 minutes.

Spare Parts and Service in Poland

Some manufacturers sell parts officially. HOVERAir offers a battery, repair kit and charging hub for the HOVERAir X1 and HOVERAir X1 PRO, and x-kom stocks them in Poland. For the Potensic ATOM x-kom lists a Potensic 2230 mAh battery, propellers, a camera guard and a charging hub. FIMI sells motor arms, an ESC board, a GPS board and a shell for the FIMI MINI 3 in its own store. Autel stopped selling the Autel EVO Lite+ on 18 July 2025, but according to DroneDJ it still sells parts and plans support until 18 July 2030.

DJI service in Poland is harder to find. DJI's website lists four authorised service centres in Poland: Vera Holding (Agrodron) in Łódź, INNPRO in Rybnik, TPI in Warsaw and DRA Tech in Warsaw. All of them are marked DJI Agriculture, meaning service for spraying drones (as of 16 October 2026). DJI's warranty terms name INNPRO as the service partner. Consumer drones are also repaired by independent workshops: SerwisDJI.pl, which is not on DJI's list, SkyStory near Bielsko-Biała and IRONSKY. We cover agricultural drones in “Agricultural Drones in Poland”.

In Short

• Full chip lists with part numbers are rare. In the catalogue only the Mini 3 and Mavic 3 Pro have them, both from iFixit teardowns.
• DJI increasingly uses its own processors and does not publish their types.
• The camera sensor and battery cell makers are almost never stated.
• Repairs are limited by calibration after a main board or camera swap, which only service centres can do.

How weight and the battery affect the rules is covered in “Drones Under 250 g in Poland”.