An overall DJI Mavic Air review for you - part 3

Although it looks like a toy, the Mavic Air is sturdy and well built. The recessed gimbal, with its snap-on camera cover, adds a layer of protection, making it a perfect travel companion. However, putting the cover back in place after use can be a little tricky, with no perfect way to put it back in place. You only need to make sure that the camera is facing straight ahead or that the cover is not aligned properly to slide into position.

Taking a page from Spark's design, DJI launched the Mavic Air in three colors: white, black and red. Although colors are a fun touch, we found that the red and black versions were fingerprint magnets. The white version is the best, but it can be lost more easily at a distance against a clear sky.

The DJI Mavic Air is the first DJI drone to introduce USB-C for content transfer. Unfortunately, the USB port can not be used to charge the drone. For this, you will need to transport the proprietary charger. Of course, it also comes with a micro SD card slot, but this time there is also 8GB of storage on board. Thus, if you forget to have a card or if you manage to fill it very quickly, you can continue to take pictures with a single tap.

Another remarkable but simple innovation that adds to the portability of the new drone is the redesigned remote control. Out of the box, the joysticks for the controller are neatly stored under the collapsible clips of the smartphone, giving the new controller a flat surface that allows it to slide into the pocket at the back of the drone case. Simply remove and screw them, then unscrew them and put them away as you see fit.

The controller does not have the integrated display of the Mavic Pro remote control for flight telemetry, but you can insert your smartphone into the foldable clips and, also, you have access to a live video stream and all other information piloting that you need.

An overall DJI Mavic Air review for you - part 2

Given the limited flying time of most drones, you might want to consider investing in multiple batteries if you want to fully experience the flight experience of a drone. To get out of the ordinary with the Mavic Air, DJI offers the Fly More Combo for $ 999 / £ 949 / AU $ 1,599. It includes the drone, three batteries, a remote control, a travel bag, two pairs of protective propellers, six pairs of propellers, a battery-bank adapter and a battery charge concentrator. These different combos basically can satisfy all the needs from different users.

Even if the starting price is a high investment for a gadget with a range of 21 minutes, the improved technology housed in the elegant chassis makes the DJI Mavic Air very attractive, especially since it is less expensive than its big brother. And, unlike the Spark, it comes with its own dedicated controller, which largely justifies the cost.

Design and build

Compact and foldable form factor efficiency

The recessed gimbal adds protection, but the clip-on cover is awkward.

Removable joysticks on the redesigned controller.

USB-C port for data transfer only

The Mavic Air can look like the Spark in terms of size, but that's where the similarity ends. The arms of the new drone are foldable, like those of the Mavic Pro, bringing portability to a whole new level. 

Perfectly folded in your pocket 

Once folded, the Mavic Air can easily fit into a large pocket - think of cargo pants or a big jacket. Weighing 430g, it is heavier than the 300g Spark but lighter than the 743g Mavic Pro, and certainly lighter than a pint of beer. The drone zipper case adds to its small size - it slips easily into a backpack or camera bag with plenty of room for the rest of the gear.

An overall DJI Mavic Air review for you - part 1

DJI's commitment to innovation is reflected in the company's latest consumer drone: Mavic Air, which is the child of the almost perfect Mavic Pro and the compact and user-friendly Mavic Pro Spark. By taking the technology and foldable rotor arms of the Mavic Pro and the small form factor and playfulness of the Spark - and then improving both - DJI has produced its best drone so far for consumers.

DJI Mavic Air at Amazon Marketplace for $ 799.

Update: We have updated our review DJI Mavic Air to note the battery life of the controller and the battery charge time of the drone and the controller.

The DJI Mavic Air flies over this perfect middle ground, offering premium features at a lower price than the Mavic Pro. It has pretty much all the bells and whistles (although this drone certainly buzzes) that you could ask for, 4K video and 32MP panoramic shots at a 21-minute range. Most importantly, the DJI Mavic Air is easy to control thanks to an improved object avoidance and gesture control system, which makes this drone more popular.

$ 999 (£ 949, AU $ 1,599) for the Fly More Combo.

Comparison: Mavic Pro is $ 999 (£ 1,099, AU $ 1,599); Spark is $ 399 (£ 449, AU $ 649).

With a starting price of $ 799 / £ 769 / AU $ 1,299, the Mavic Air is cheaper than its big brother Pro. By paying this price, you get the drone, a battery, the owner charger, the redesigned remote control, a small carrying case, four propeller guards and two complete sets of propellers. So which means, basically all the necessary accessories you will need. And since all the official DJI products are in high quality and worth trusting, you don’t need to waste more time and money to purchase other products anymore. In this way, this investment, in fact, is quite cost-effective.

DJI Mavic Air full review - part 2

Those of us who accidentally drive their drones to an untimely death will appreciate Mavic Air's "Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems", or "APAS", which use the UAV's embedded sensors to detect obstacles in its flight path and trace a road around them without pilot intervention. Since it worked flawlessly guiding the Mavic Air around a few trees, feeling arrogant and confident, I very slowly flew the drone to my head. Of course, the APAS guided the Mavic safely around my head. Do not try this at home (DJI was careful to point out that APAS works best when the drone flies slowly enough to find a safe route around a hazard).

With regard to the physical design of the Mavic Air, DJI has also made some important improvements. On the other drones, the battery is partially exposed. But on the DJI Mavic Air, it returned safely to the heart of the fuselage, which gives it greater protection. Antennas are integrated into the landing gear, a move that should improve the connectivity between the aircraft and the remote control. This remote control has an integrated cable to connect your smartphone, as well as removable joysticks for easy transport. And the camera cover snaps can be on and off more easily, a welcome change. These are small adjustments by themselves, but they add to a more refined experience than the models of the past.

Is DJI Mavic Air right for you? It depends. If you've ever thought of the Mavic Pro, it's worth looking at the Air very closely - it has comparable specifications, it's easier to pack and there are hardware improvements to boot. But if you do not need to shoot 4K videos or RAW images, going with the Spark could help you save money. If you get the Mavic Air, do not forget the spare batteries. During my tests, the drone remained in flight for about 21 minutes of autonomy announced. But it's so much fun to use that you're going to want to fly a lot longer

DJI Mavic Air full review - part 1

There is no group of gadgets that are more exciting than drones right now. With constantly improving camera specifications, smaller and smaller sizes and ever-increasing air capabilities, they are a blessing for tech fans who are bored of the same old man in the world of smartphones. And no dronemaker is as interesting as DJI, the Shenzhen-based firm that quickly wins the nickname "Apple of drones".

DJI Mavic Air 

The latest addition to DJI is the $ 799 Mavic Air, a collapsible drone designed to be packaged in a backpack and loaded with all kinds of adventures without sacrificing image and video quality. Unlike the cheaper and smaller DJI Spark, the Mavic Air can shoot 4K videos and RAW images, stabilized by a three-axis gimbal. It's also more portable than the Mavic Pro, making it an ideal choice for hikers, travelers, and others who want superior results without the need for a cumbersome installation. And 8GB of onboard storage saves you from being screwed if you forget your memory card at home.

After taking the DJI Mavic Air on a Sunday morning tour, I was impressed by the amount of punch it contains. Among the best features, there are two new "QuickShot" modes, which offer Hollywood-quality video shooting at the touch of a button. One mode, "Boomerang", commands the drone to swing around a subject in a grandiose way; it is best used for plans of oneself looking towards an epic view. Another, "Asteroid", tells the drone to retreat from a subject, film in the sky and create a wild multi-image panorama assembled as a tiny planet. These QuickShot modes are the culmination of DJI drones, allowing even novice drone pilots to create excellent video results.

But beginners are not the only ones who will find something to like here. The riders will also be able to enjoy the "sport mode" of Mavic Air. Switching a switch on the controller activates this setting and triggers a speed demon drone capable of moving at approximately 42 miles per hour. It may not be much in terms of a car, but it's an absolute explosion with something so small. Most people will probably use Air Mavic to capture photos and videos, but it's a real pleasure to fly for a while, burning batteries like crazy. It put a smile on my face to be sure.

Take you to visit CP+ for our beloved DJI products - part 1

The CP+2018 show really can be said to be brilliant. All major technology brands have shown their trump card products. Among them, we can not ignore it, of course, UAV ace player - DJI. DJI is currently the leader in the drones and aerial photography industry, and it occupies an absolute market share. Now it has also made outstanding achievements in the field of stabilizers. At the CP+2018 site, DJI also brought us a wonderful display.

First of all, we are certainly looking at DJI's many well-known drones.

1. DJI Mavic Air

The new UAV drone now is Mavic Air. This product is designed for the aerial photographers and other users, so in the design, it reflects the lightweight side of the carrying characteristics. Its camera is integrated with the drone so the takeoff weight is fixed.

In terms of shooting performance, Mavic Air is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch 12-megapixel sensor that supports up to 4K 30p 100Mbps video recording and can shoot full HD 120p video at the same time. In terms of aircraft specifications, DJI Mavic Air is equipped with a three-axis stabilized head, equipped with binocular vision sensors in front, bottom, and rear. The overall performance is very interesting.

The biggest selling point of DJI Mavic Air is intelligence. It is even better for gesture and face recognition. From the live demonstration we can see that it performs very well. Whether it is to operate the direction of flight, landing, etc., these gestures can be accurately implemented through gesture recognition. Four cameras were designed separately in the front and rear, in order to support its obstacle avoidance function, this can be more intelligent during the flight.

In the past ten years, it was a hard time for camera manufacturers all over the world. Digital camera shipments decreased by nearly 80%. The popularity of smartphones represented by the iPhone led to a hard time of the protagonists on CP+ like Canon, Nikon, and Olympus. Although the quality of the photos taken by smartphones is not as high as that of cameras, they provide the convenience of taking and sharing anytime, anywhere, making the quality of photos not so important. Revolutionarily, smartphones make everyone a "photographer." The new consumer drones represented by Mavic Air will bring a whole new revolution to the industry.