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There are people who might be averse to buying a DJI drone, for any variety of reasons, in which case the Autel EVO and Parrot Anafi are good alternatives. The EVO has a built-in display in its remote, so you don't have to connect your smartphone for flight, and the Anafi offer USB charging for its battery—something you don't get with any Mavic drone.
The overall design has been dramatically changed and with improved connection to the controller, noticeably longer battery life, 4K video at 60 fps, 48MP stills from the new 1/2-inch Quad Bayer sensor and a whole host of new functionality, this is a significant upgrade on the previous Mavic Air. I’m also looking forward to testing out Hyperlight, a new feature where the Air 2 takes multiple low-light photos, and merges them into one, brighter image. This feature wasn’t available during my time with the drone, but will be available at launch. With a video transmission of up to 10km, the Mini 2 boosts its range by 150% when compared to the original. We would love to be able to say we pushed it to its limits, but unlike our experiences with the Mavic Mini, in the same Drone-safe area, we couldn’t legally fly high or far enough to get the connection to waver on the Mini 2, which is pretty great going. DJI Mini 2 review: DJI Fly App
There is also an 'Aeronautical Knowledge and Safety Test' being developed for recreational drone pilots, but it's not yet clear when this will be introduced. DJI’s reliable stabilization has become as synonymous with the brand as the shades of grey that adorn all its consumer products, and we’re here for all of it. The first flight I took with the Air 2, its battery lasted at least 22 minutes, based on the timestamps of my photos and videos. This flight consisted of a good deal of hovering (which drains the battery faster) as I took pictures of the drone for this review. A subsequent flight, which also involved plenty of hovering, lasted at least 25 minutes. I plan to update this section as I take the drone on more flights. The Air 2 is a little bit better suited to difficult environments, with an operating range of -10˚ to 40˚C while, on the spec sheet at least, the Mini 2 bottoms out at freezing point. The app shows the view from the camera lens, swappable with a Google Maps view of the area in which you're flying with a tap on the screen. On-screen controls swap between different camera settings and flight modes.
Footage looks punchy, detail captured is solid in good light, and dynamic range is fair, though we noticed clips crying out for an ND filter on a couple of occasions. There isn't a huge amount of scope to pull detail out of highlights on bright days, so the Mavic Mini isn't going to be a pro filmmaker’s dream drone, but its image quality is still great for what it is, and good enough for relatively seamless inserts with other drone footage, or casual aerial videography. The core sensor/lens specs match last year’s model like-for-like, which means existing Mavic Mini owners will likely begrudge forking out extra for this upgrade.Vision positioning requires non-reflective, discernable surfaces, and adequate lighting. Available at altitudes from 0.5-30 m. The vertical and horizontal positioning accuracy is within ±0.1 m. Despite its age, the DJI Mavic Mini is still one of the best beginner-friendly drones you can buy. The Mini 2, which succeeded it in April 2020, did bring 4K video powers, Ocusync transmission for greater range, and the ability to shoot raw photos –but if none of those are important to you, then the Mavic Mini remains a very solid buy. Where the app excels for power users is the expanded menu, accessible by hitting the three dots in the top right. This is where max altitude and distance can be set, as well as your Mini 2’s home point.
The Mini 2 and Air 2 have very similar looking controllers, and both use DJI’s OcuSync 2.0 radio system which boosts the reliability of the signal meaning it should be fine within legal operating ranges – and then some. In use both are the same too – charge the remote, then when you reach your flying location pull up the phone grip and clip your phone in. The Air 2 does offer an higher live view at 1080p but on a typical phone screen the difference between 720p and 1080p video preview isn’t as much use as you might expect, and what really matters is the video you’re recording is to a Micro SD card onboard which should be uninterrupted either way. With the Mavic Air 2, DJI gets just about everything right. The drone is as small as it needs to be, stowing in a small bag with ease so you can roll some footage at the end of your favorite hiking trail. We've come a long way from the days where you needed a drone as big as a Phantom 4 to net quality results.
The palm-sized DJI Mini 2 is still a fine 4K drone
The original Mavic Mini could only capture up to 2.7K/30p footage at 40 Mbps. The Mini 2 now allows you to record in resolutions up to 4K/30p, 2.7K/30p, and 1080p/60p at 100 Mbps. You can also zoom in on subjects while recording. Both 4K and 2.7K allow up to 2X zooming, and 1080p resolution allows you to hone in on a subject up to 4X, though the quality only remains lossless at 2X zoom.
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