Raymond Wong

Tech

DJI's Mavic Air 2 flies by other drones with 34 minutes of flight time

The longest-lasting Mavic drone DJI has ever made, the Mavic Air 2 is also a lot more intelligent, too.

More intelligence

Replacing the Mavic Air is the new Mavic Air 2. The foldable drone is faster and has improved image optics, but the reason DJI drones are the best in the business is because of the company's relentless pursuit of adding more intelligence into each quadcopter.

The Mavic Air 2 has all of the usual DJI smarts like obstacle avoidance and subject tracking and a few new upgrades. The new stuff, like Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 3.0, is able to better autonomously maneuver around, over, and under obstacles.

Other major upgrades that aren't visible from the outside: Point of Interest 3.0 and Spotlight 2.0, which improve automated flight paths around a subject and subject-locking, respectively. Spotlight 2.0 was a feature previously exclusive to DJI's more expensive Inspire drones.

There's also a new "AirSense" feature that warns pilots when other aircraft are nearby. So you don't crash into another drone or a plane. Useful!

By default, the drone takes 12-megapixel photos. However, like many phones, you can dial the resolution up to 48-megapixels if you want it.

The improved intelligence extends to image quality, too. DJI says HDR is improved — merging seven shots into one. Low-light photography (a weakness for drones) is clearer with "Hyperlight" mode. The drone can also recognize five different scenes, much like the same AI modes on Android phones.

4K60

High-res, silky smooth video? Check. There's also slow motion at 4x in 1080p and 8x in 1080p at 240 fps. Check.

8K

The Mavic Air 2 can capture 8K footage, but only for one specific type of content: hyperlapses.

34

The number of minutes the drone can fly on a single charge.

That's 13 minutes longer flight time than the Mavic Air and 3 minutes longer than the Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom, and Mavic Mini.

There's one tradeoff on the Mavic Air 2: weight.

570

The 570 gram Mavic Air 2 is heavier than the 430 gram Air. But way lighter than the 907 gram 2 Pro.

The controller is all new as well. You no longer need to sandwich your phone between two foldable grips. Your phone fits onto a spring-loaded top for greater comfort and better video visibility. DJI also says it's improved HD transmission so that you get a clear and stable feed up to 10km (6.2 miles) away.

$799

The standard kit comes with a Mavic Air 2, a controller, and one battery. The $988 "Fly More Combo" comes with everything in the standard kit plus two spare batteries, charging hub, ND filters, and shoulder bag.

Due to COVID-19 interruptions, DJI's launching the drone in China first. DJI's taking pre-orders today with deliveries arriving in other regions by the end of May.

Thanks for reading,
head home for more!