The game between Yingshi and DJI has moved from the shadows to the forefront. Both sides have barriers in the short term, making it difficult to have disruptive actions; In the long run, it may be like Hikvision and Dahua driving industry development through competition and cooperation.
Yingshi claims to be making drones, which is seen as declaring war on Xinjiang. In the past year, there has been an increase in the number of times it talks about DJI, but in fact DJI has taken the lead and entered the shadow stone side market (sports cameras), with some products only 100 yuan cheaper than shadow stones. Now there are rumors that DJI is going to enter the core area of Yingshi.
This is the result of the consumer grade imaging equipment industry shifting from incremental expansion to deep cultivation of existing stock. Yingshi’s revenue is limited, and cross-border operations in Xinjiang are normal. Shadow Stone’s reverse infiltration is like Hai Kang’s “reverse encirclement” of Dahua, aiming to make it impossible for the other party to eliminate itself based on their advantage.
On July 21st this year, Yingshi announced that it has launched drone business, will promote two brands, and evaluate investment opportunities. One week later, its consumer grade drone brand “Yingling Antigravity” made its debut, planning to launch the world’s first panoramic drone and recruit for public testing in August. On May 21st, Yingshi obtained a patent for “unmanned aerial vehicles”.
DJI holds over 70% of the domestic drone market share. In 2021, DJI launched a sports camera to stir up the market and split the market share of Yingshi. In the global sports camera market of 2023, GoPro will be ranked first, Yingshi will be ranked second, and DJI will be ranked third; In 2024, the landscape will change, with DJI rising to second place and Yingshi falling to third place. In 2025, DJI plans to launch its first consumer grade panoramic camera, sparking speculation.
Yingshi’s entry into unmanned aerial vehicles has strategic considerations and also carries the implication of counterattack. After its listing, Liu Jingkang’s attitude towards entering the drone market was humble and confident. The current confrontation between the two sides is like a ‘mirror war’ between Hikvision and Dahua.
Dajiang marketing has the shadow stone gene, and shadow stone is spread by KOL and UGC, such as launching topics to form a creative cycle; DJI is also shifting from technology driven to content+community driven integration trend, such as the Pocket3 Vlog shooting craze.
