DJI has been teasing something new on their website and in mail outs for a a couple of weeks, and today unveiled the updated Mavic Air 2 drone offering a number of improvements over the original.
The new drone still folds for convenience, but the new body is slightly larger and heavier than the original Mavic Air, but the improved flight time of 34 minutes over the originals 21 minutes and claimed 10km range more than make up for it.
It’s not just the body that gets an overhaul, DJI has upped their camera game with a larger 1/2” camera sensor which captures 12MP shots, but there’s also a 48MP photo mode too – which is possibly stitching.
DJI has included scene recognition on the Mavic Air 2 camera, claiming it can detect five scenes: sunset, blue skies, snow, grass and trees – and apply optimised settings to ‘make the photograph pop by bringing out the highest degree of color, detail, and tones’.
Video mode on the Mavic Air 2 drone also gets a bump with the camera now able to capture in HDR, with 4K video at 60 fps and 120Mbps. There’s also a new 8K Hyperlapse mode and slow motion at either 4x (120fps) or 8x times speed (240fps) in 1080p resolution.
DJI also included new flight mode which will intelligently combine automated flight modes and video tracking which look phenomenal, including the new Spotlight function, which is normally found on higher end DJI drones.
- ActiveTrack 3.0: Select a subject for Mavic Air 2 to automatically follow. The third iteration of ActiveTrack uses state-of-the-art mapping technology and new flight path algorithms to offer improved subject tracking and obstacle avoidance, along with the ability to quickly re-engage the subject if it temporarily moves behind an object.
- Point of Interest 3.0: Set an automated flight path around a specific subject. The updated iteration improves surface recognition to better dynamically track subjects.
- Spotlight 2.0: Found in professional DJI drones, Spotlight locks a subject in the frame while the user has free operation of the drone’s movement.
Confidence in flying the drone is improved with a new Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 3.0 enabling the Mavic Air 2 to create a new path around, under or over objects which come into its flight path to avoid collision.
DJI is also launching something on the Mavic Air 2 called ‘AirSense’, which uses ADS-B to receive signals from nearby airplanes and helicopters and warn drone pilots of aircraft in the area.
The Mavic Air 2 drone will be available to buy from ‘mid-May’ in two options – $1,499 for just the Mavic Air 2 or $1,899 in a combo pack offering more batteries, two additional batteries, more spare propellers, a case, a charging hub, and neutral-density filters. You can check it out, and pre-order now on the DJI online store.
