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DJI Mavic Air 2 Vs Mavic Air Vs Mavic Mini (Ultimate comparison)
Took me a few days, but I finally have it: Mavic Air 2 vs Mavic Mini vs Mavic Air, a complete table comparison between these three (and much more).
With the release of the new Mavic Air 2, I must say it's really hard for the other mavics to compete, especially thanks to its great price.
Buying the Mavic Mini or the Mavic Air new from DJI is currently impossible since they discontinued them.But you can still find them refurbished here (much cheaper)
I have also made an article comparison between the new DJI Mini 2 vs the Mavic Air 2 here
That's why in this article I'm going to help you find which one is the best for you until the end.
Battery life Comparison
The new Mavic Air 2 tipped the scales considerably when it comes to drone battery life.
Even if just a few years ago, the 16 minutes of the DJI Spark seemed like enough, 2020 came with a record in terms of battery life between the Mavic series.
Even if just a few years ago, the 16 minutes of the DJI Spark seemed like enough, 2020 came with a record in terms of battery life between the Mavic series.
The Mavic 2 Pro was the king so far, and still isn't far off, but with the improvements of the Mavic Air 2 and considering the Air 2 is still cheaper than the high-end DJI drones, it's a no-brainer to buy.
Noise levels compared( How silent is the Mavic Air 2?)
You might be wondering how silent is the new DJI Mavic Air 2 and if it can get more silent than the already great sounding Mavics of the last DJI generation.
The answer is: yes it can.
The answer is: yes it can.
How many decibels does the Mavic Air 2 have?
I have measured both the Mavic mini and the Mavic Air 2 to have 64 decibels on average when nearby.
The new Mavic Air 2 comes with silent propellers, just like the latest releases from DJI and the sound it makes is low pitched and very silent compared to anything I've heard before.
The difference in terms of sound level and pitch (how annoying the sound is) between the Mavic Air and the new Mavic Air 2 is collosal.
Range ( Is there any difference in Europe?)
What's the difference between wifi and occusync 2.0?
As you could see in the big table at the beginning of the article, the new Mavic Air 2 uses Occusyinc 2.0, along with the other mavics from the professional line.
The older Mavic Air only used wifi technology which limits the range to a maximum of 4km in this case, but it's even worse if we take into account using the drone in a highly populated area.
If you want to fly your Mavic Mini or Mavic Air in a city, good luck with that. Wifi interference from the city will mess up your signal and you will be able to fly no more than a few hundred meters before getting your feed interrupted.
However, the Occusync 2.0 is a different transmission protocol from wifi and reaches much further and isn't that badly influenced by local city wifi.
What is the range in Europe for Mavic and why does it differ?
The "CE" range you'll see in the specs is what you'll get if you decide to buy your drone from Europe, as it's illegal to fly in any other protocol.
Basically FCC stands for Federal Communication Commission that regulates electronic products sold in the USA.
While CE stands for Consumer electronics and is a standard certification for consumer electronics.
Under each of these area certifications, DJI is obliged to produce drones that are limited to a certain transmission frequency, and therefore the difference in range.
The Mavic Air 2, however, doesn't really have any issue in my opinion compared to others on the table (just look at the DJI Spark). It can fly up to 6 km even in the European Union, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.
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Camera (Footage and Photos Compared)
Considering the price difference, I wouldn't compare the Mavic Air 2 with the Mini yet, however, the Mavic 2 Pro is another beast alltogether.
I will compare the Mavic Mini to the Mavic Air 2 soon, subscribe to my channel on youtube to get notified when I do that.
The big battle happens between the Mavic Air 2 and the Mavic 2 Pro, since the cheaper one does have the higher bitrate and the more MP in the camera, which might seem strange.
But that's not the entire story.
What is bitrate and why is it important?
Bitrate is basically the amount of information that gets processed by a camera in a certain interval of time.
The bigger the bitrate, the more details the photo can contain.
For a perspective, the DJI Spark had 24Mbps, whil the Mavic mini comes with 40Mbps and the New Mavic Mavic Air 2 comes with a record breaking 120 Mbps, 20 more than even the Pro version of the magic 2.
Video samples compared side by side ( Mavic Air 2 vs Mavic 2 Pro)
I applaud the guys at Moment for taking their time to make a great comparison before I could.
We're currently going to compare the zommed in footage of the Mavic Air 2 and the Mavi 2 Pro, and after that we're taking some photos and comparing those.
These images are zoomed in quite a lot for you to see the differences and are shot in standard modes, without any color changes.
Images compared side by side ( Mavic Air 2 vs vs Mavic 2 pro Photos)
Is the new SmartPhoto function of the Air 2 useful?
The SmartPhoto function seems to be much more than simply an automatic exposure setting. It can detect certain elements in the shot and compensate with exposure values so it makes sure nothing is under or over-exposed.
Does HDR make any difference?
The Mavic Air 2 can turn HDR on for both photos and video and can allow you to capture more details in photos with more extreme lighting conditions. As you can see in the example bellow, it corrected for the darker spots, making them lighter as well as for the harsh lighting in the sky, making for a much more detailed landscape.
Mavic Air 2 Tracking and obstacle avoidance
It's clear as day that the Mavic Air 2 and the new Active Track 3.0 system is the best of everything DJI gave us so far in terms of tracking.
The obstacle avoidance won't be as multidirectional as the one on the Mavic 2 PRO, that has sensors in basically every direction, but certainly smarter.
Is the New Mavic Air 2 a better follow me drone than the Skydio 2?
It certainly has the potential to be, as I've seen an incredible display of agility and obstacle detection in this video compared to the Skydio 2, which is the undeniable king of follow me drones.
In what scenarios is obstacle avoidance useful?
- When you're using things like follow me or other flight modes.
- Flying backwards for a shot
- Return to home ( it's better for the drone to stop there and you get it later than simply crashing into something)
- Cables ( these are harder to see sometimes but the obstacle sensors detect them)
- flying while looking down ( this means you can't see what's in front of you so it makes it a little more dangerous
Weight - Is it worth upgrading from the Mini to the Air 2?
Has the Mavic Mini become irrelevant after the release of the new Mavic Air 2?
Definitely not!
I would say it completes the Mavic lineup just perfectly, as the size and price difference between the two is considerable.
On one hand, you'll need to register the Mavic Air 2 in most countries, because it's even over 500g, on the other hand, the Mavic Mini is even more portable than the Air 2 and can be easily carried in super small luggage around the world.
An advantage of bigger size however is that it looks more professional and deals better with wind. So you decide what's best for you in this case.
Can these drones be flown inside?
There's no doubt that the Mavic Mini is still the best drone that can be flown indoors, even though the new Mavic Air 2 can be just as stable.
The prop guards of the magic mini are much more protective compared to any other in the series.
While the original magic air is slightly smaller than the new improved version, it's still not exactly made for indoors flight. Same goes for the Air 2.
Transmitters and mobile apps
The transmitters of all the mavics so far have been barely changed, besides adding a small screen for telemetry.
Everything changed with the Mavic Air 2, as it comes with a simple yet big controller.
Some People like it, some don't. I personally do and here's why I think it's better:
- Better grip by default
- No need to unfold the antennas and bottom parts.
- Much easier to stick the phone in the top compartment.
- No more cable issues (it fixes right on the side)
- Twice the battery life (which is absolutely great)
Does the Mavic Air 2 come with a pause button?
Unfortunately, unlike the previous models, the new Mavic Air 2 doesn't have a pause button, which can be a bit of a downside.
Let me explain why:
It's mainly used for stopping any automatic flight mode in case you detect any problems. And considering the drone doesn't have side sensors, I don't want to see what happens if you're not fast enough to use the app to stop it while a circle shot goes towards a tree and you panic, lol.
What about flight modes?
The Mavic Air 2 comes with the usual flight modes of DJI drones, and this time around, compared to the Mavic Mini, it also has Active Tracking, and a really good one at that.
I would say it's the definitive winner when it comes to flight modes in the Mavic lineup so far.
I would say it's the definitive winner when it comes to flight modes in the Mavic lineup so far.
Which drone Do I recommend and for who?
1.Mavic Air 2
- My top recommendation in 2020
- Great for Pro Photography
- Perfect for Slow Motion 4k
- Great for Weddings and events
- Great for travel and vlogs
2.DJI mini 2
- Best drone for Travel
- No need to register
- For people with a lower budget looking just for fun
- As a backup to the other two drones (for professionals)
1.Mavic 2 Pro
- For pros shooting in low light
- For complex sideways obstacle avoidance
- For Pro Photography
- Night time photography
- Events filming and presentation videos
Paul Posea
Hi, I'm a long-time drone reviewer and I hope my articles and comparisons on this site as well as Dronesgator's youtube channel are of as much help as possible.
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