Price and release date
There’s not long to wait for the new Mavic Air as you can already pre-order the drone with a release date of 28 January. It’s understandably a more affordable version of the Pro model and the price is £769/US$799. So the Air sits between the Mavic Pro and the Spark. You can also choose a ‘Fly More Combo’ bundle which includes additional propellers, batteries as well as a battery charging hub, power bank adapter and travel bag. It’s available for £949/US$999, a special price down from £1,048/US$1,112.
Design
The main reason for the Mavic Air is the way it’s portable, even pocket-sized according to the firm. DJI says it’s not much bigger than a smartphone – in width and height – and other objects like a glasses case or a pair of headphones. Part of the reason the Mavic Air is so portable is due to the folding design so you don’t need a large rucksack to transport it. You still need a controller, of course, which also folds down quite small and is included in the box alongside a case and propeller guards. You can easily hold it in your hand and carry it around so you have it whenever you need it. The Mavic Air is half the size of the Mavic Pro model at just 168×83×49mm when folded. It’s also 41 percent lighter at 430g. The DJI Mavic Pro is available in three colours: Arctic White, Onyx Black and Flame Red.
Specs and features
Despite the Mavic Air being so pint-sized it remains packed full of feartures, some of which are improved and even unique for a drone so small. DJI says the Air is the smallest drone to offer a 3-axis gimbal which has been redesigned to protect the camera.Said camera comes with a 1/2.3in CMOS sensor, 24mm lens with an f/2.8 aperture. It’s capable of 12Mp photos and 32Mp spherical panoramas. In terms of video, it can capture 4K at 30fps and Full HD at up to 120fps. There’s also an HDR capture mode. The Mavic Air has a seven camera and 3 direction environment system so it is aware of its surroundings, making it the most intelligent Mavic yet. It also has an impressive 21 minute flight time if there’s no wind. DJI says it can fly up to 2.5 miles away and over 16,000 feet above sea level. It’s also fast at 42.5mph when flown in Sport Mode. That’s faster than the Mavic Pro.
Most drones require a memory card to store the footage but it doesn’t matter if you forget your card with the Mavic Air as it has 8GB of internal storage. You’ll be able to connect to it via USB-C, but there’s still an SD card slot anyway. Like the Spark, you can conrol the drone with the palm of your hand. There are also plenty of improvements and new features. First up is improved ActiveTrack which provides higher precision for objects changing speed and direction as well as the ability to tap on your subject rather than draw a box. It can detect multiple subjects. QuickShots is also better with two new options: Asteroid, a backward and upward flying video and panorama shot, and Boomerang, which does what it says on the tin. FlightAutonomy 2.0 means more precise and safe flights, even without GPS. And the ‘advanced pilot awarness system’ means the Mavic Air can fly around or over objects if needed, you can simply push forward on the control stick without worry. Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
