DJI has launched its latest drone, adding to the ranks of consumer-grade drones from the company. The Mavic Air is half the size of the DJI Mavic Pro, yet is still packed to the brim with features.
The drone weighs only 430 grams (with batteries) but is able to sustain up to 22 minutes of flight time on a single charge. As a comparison, the Mavic Pro weighs in at 734 grams, while the Spark is 300 grams.
The Mavic Air comes with a 1/2.3″ CMOS camera sensor that records 4K resolution at 30fps. Further more, DJI has for the first time included HDR algorithms into the software for high dynamic range photos up in the air. It also includes 8GB on-board storage; a first for DJI which usually relies solely on microSD cards. That said, the microSD slot is still present.
Also built-into the drone are new photography modes. It can take 12-megapixel stills and stitch together 25 different photos into a single 32-megapixel sphere panoramic photo right in the drone. No external apps or software are needed.
There are also several new video modes. On top of the Quickshot video introduced with the Spark, DJI is introducing two new modes: Asteroid and Boomerang. The former starts with a spherical image that zooms in as it descends toward the subject on the ground, while the latter flies around (like a boomerang) the subject. ActiveTrack is also present in the Mavic Air with improvements made for multiple subject tracking, subject following and subject focusing modes than previous models.
SmartCapture is an ultra-responsive control mode using gestures and palm recognition. Users can control the Mavic Air simply using gestures, which has a maximum range of 6 metres. One step up is wireless control using smartphones with the DJI app that extends the range to 80 metres. By using the included remote control (with detachable joysticks!), the range is further extended to 4 kilometres. It is also compatible with the DJI VR Goggles for a more immersive flight experience.
Mavic Air will be available in three colors: Onyx Black, Arctic White and Flame Red. DJI is launching the Mavic Air in limited markets right now, with a more global release sometime this year. The US price for the standard kit, which includes the drone, battery, remote controller, carrying case, two pairs of propeller guards and four pairs of propellers, is US$799 (RM 3136). The Mavic Air Fly More Combo meanwhile includes the drone, three batteries, a remote controller, a travel bag, two pairs of propeller guards, six pairs of propellers, a battery to power bank adapter and battery charging hub for US$999 (RM 3921).
(Source: DJI)
