There’s no denying that DJI has taken the drone world by storm with the release of the DJI Mavic Air 2. Since its launch, the drone has gained a huge popularity all over the world, particularly for its robust design, great camera, and long flight time.
In this review, we’re going to find out whether the DJI Mavic Air 2 is worth the hype or not. Let’s start!
At a Glance:
The DJI Mavic Air 2 has everything you’d expect from a premium drone, with excellent build quality, professional-grade camera, and long battery life, it’s definitely one hell of a drone.
While it’s not the most high-end DJI drone out there, DJI has designed it in a way that makes it a drone with premium specs minus the premium price.
Pros:
- Compact, foldable design
- 48MP camera sensor with 4K video recording at 60fps
- Great battery life
- 34 minutes of flight time
- 11.5 miles video transmission range
- Can shoot in raw format
- Obstacle detection
- 3-axis gimbal
- Long video transmission range
Cons:
- Somewhat expensive
- Editing on apps is limited to 1080p output
DJI Mavic Air 2 In-Depth Review
Design
At just 3.3 x 3.8 x 7.1 inches, the DJI Mavic Air 2 has a small footprint. The foldable design makes it easy for you to place the drone inside your gear bag or backpack.
The propellers are sturdy and they produce minimal noise. Moreover, it’s quite lightweight at only 1.3 lbs. However, you’ll have to register the DJI Mavic Air 2 with the FAA since the maximum allowable drone weight is 0.55 lbs. Anything heavier than that must be licensed.
Camera
The camera is probably the most important feature of a drone. Most people buy a drone just to be able to take awesome photos and videos.
The DJI Mavic Air 2 sports a 48MP camera that can capture high-detailed photos. However, the default mode caps the resolution at 12MP. The image quality is excellent and the colors are vivid thanks to the HDR technology. Additionally, you can shoot in Raw format so you can edit your photos professionally on Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
The camera is capable of recording 4K videos at 60fp, allowing you to take exceptional high-detail aerial videos. Moreover, the 3-axis gimbal ensures that your videos come out shake-free.
The OcuSync 2.0 technology provides the drone with an 11.5-mile video transmission range, which is more than enough to get everything into the picture frame. Not to mention that you can capture some cool time-lapse videos with DJI’s Hyperlapse technology.
Smart Features
The DJI Mavic Air 2 has several smart features that enhance its usability. For starters, it has several intelligent tracking features, including Spotlight 2.0, Activetrack 3.0, and POI 2.0.
Spotlight 2.0 allows you to lock the drone’s camera on a certain subject while also flying freely, while Activetrack 3.0 keeps subjects centered. POI 3 enables you to set the drone to follow a person or a vehicle so you can record all of your awesome adventures from the sky.
The Mavic Air 2’s remote control is quite easy to use and the buttons are sturdy enough without being too stiff. There’s no LCD screen on the controller, so you have to connect the drone to the DJI app on your smartphone. The DJI app lets you control the drone’s settings and flight modes.
You can also set the drone to shoot photos automatically and even make some boomerangs. Furthermore, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is equipped with an obstacle detection sensor and it actually works quite well.
Battery Life
The battery life is one of the Mavic Air 2’s strongest points. The battery provides the drone with up to 34 minutes of flight time, which should be enough for you to take some stunning aerial videos and photos. Moreover, if you choose to get the fly more combo, you’ll get two extra spare batteries to further extend the drone’s overall flight time.
What’s in the Box:
- Aircraft
- Remote controller
- Intelligent flight battery
- Battery charger
- AC power cable
- Low-noise propellers
- RC cable (USB Type-C connector)
- RC cable (lightning connector)
- RC cable (standard Micro-USB connector)
- Gimbal protector
- Type-C cable
- Pair of spare control sticks
If you go for the fly more combo, you also get:
- Two spare batteries
- Three more low-noise propellers
- ND filters set
- Battery charging hub
- Battery to power bank adapter
- Shoulder bag
Users’ Reviews on Amazon
The DJI Mavic Air 2 has 264 user reviews on Amazon, with an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5. Many people praised the drone’s camera, remote control, and battery life, while others criticized the fact that it’s not very beginner-friendly.
DJI Mavic Air 2 Alternatives
If you want a cheaper alternative to the DJI Mavic Air 2, consider taking a look at the DJI Mavic Mini. It has the same 30-minute flight time. Not to mention that it’s lightweight and doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA. However, the camera is limited to 2.7K recording.
If you want a drone with optical zoom capabilities, then the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom would be an excellent choice for you. It can record stabilized 4K videos, in addition to offering 2x optical zoom. It costs about double the price of the DJI Mavic Air 2, though.
If you want to try out a different brand than DJI, consider getting the Parrot BeBop 2. It comes with a pair of FPV goggles that can totally change how you use your drone. It’s also cheaper than the Mavic Air 2.
Final Thoughts
For most people, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is an excellent all-round drone. It has a high-quality 4K camera, great battery life, and a long video transmission range, in addition to an excellent build quality and a ton of smart features. You just can’t go wrong with this one!