DJI was almost able to make it to today’s Mavic Air announcement without any leaks, but details managed to bubble to the surface yesterday morning. The Mavic Air is truly a hybrid device from DJI, combining the 4K recording prowess and folding legs of the Mavic Pro with the diminutive size of the Spark. And as you’d expect, there are styling
And as you’d expect, there are styling cues taken from both drones in the finished product. When it comes to weight, the Mavic Air is roughly 41 percent lighter than the Mavic Pro. In addition, when its legs are folded up against its body, the Mavic Air is smaller and easier to transport than the Spark (the Spark’s legs are not retractable).
The camera is supported by anew 3-axis gimbal, with an angular vibration range that has been reduced to 0.005 degrees. Unfortunately, one of the rumored specs from yesterday didn’t hold up for release, and that involves the Mavic Air’s 4K recording capabilities. The drone uses a 1/2.3-inch sensor (f/2.8 lens) that is capable of shooting 4K video at either 24 or 30 fps (100 Mbps) — not 60 fps, unfortunately. 1080p footage can be captured in slow-motion at up to 120fps. The camera can shoot stills at 12MP, and can capture 32MP sphere panoramas using 25 photos that are stitched together.
The Mavic Air uses a 2375 mAh battery that provides runtimes of up to 21 minutes, which fits neatly between the 16 minutes of the Spark and the 27 minutes possible with the Mavic Pro. The drone also incorporates 8GB of internal storage for your videos and photos if you don’t want to bother purchasing an additional microSD card. However, a microSD slot is included for additional storage, and supports up to 128GB cards.
DJI is promising that the Mavic Air will be easy to fly, and includes a 7-camera obstacle avoidance system to prevent you from wrecking your expensive toy. It also features ActiveTrack capabilities, which allows the drone to lock on 16 selectable subjects.
The DJI Mavic Air is available in Onyx Black, Arctic White and Flame Red, and is priced at $799. This price includes the drone, battery, remote controller, carrying case, two pairs of propeller guards and four pairs of propellers. There will also be a Fly More Combo that includes the drone, three batteries, remote controller, travel bag, two pairs of propeller guards, six pairs of propellers, a battery to power bank adapter and battery charging hub for $999. The Mavic Air is available for preorder now, and will begin shipping January 28 th.
