You might have recently heard of DJI from their partnership with Microsoft in creating software development kit (SDK) for their drones. One of their recent drones that bridges the gap between the DJI Mavic Pro and the more entry facing DJI Spark has just been released.
It takes the fun packed features of the DJI Spark and the high specs of the pro version. The drone is quite portable with foldable rotors and comes with a three axis gimbal for stable recording.
Where to Buy DJI Mavic Air
Jumia Nigeria – See Offers | GearBest – See Offers | Amazon – See Offers
DJI Mavic Air Key Specs and Features
- 4K video at up to 100Mbps;
- 12 megapixel HDR stills
- 8GB built-in storage
- up to 21 minutes Flight Time
- 42.5 mph Top Speed
- Foldable arms
- 80 metre control distance
- 11.55V, 2375 mAh Battery
Design and Build
The Quadcopter is similar in size to the DJI Spark but is quite different in the build and structural design. It weighs about 430g which is somewhere between the DJI Spark and Mavic Pro , although a little more than the former. It is quite portable, capable of fitting into your pocket like those of your jogger pants.
The gimbal is withdrawn, thus, leaves more room for attachments. It is available in red, black and white colours just like the DJI Spark. However, the white coloured one might be hard to spot in bright sunlight while the other colours attract smudges.
The drone controller itself is portable has it comes with a clip you could attach to our smartphone and automatically start viewing live feed from the drone. To make things easier the joystick could easily be folded behind the smartphone clip.
Performance
To make flying the drone easier, DJI provides an Advanced Pilot Assistant System which helps in avoiding obstacles by flying over them or simply passing another route.
This is only possible after the drone makes a sought of examination flight of the surrounding which is done automatically by the drone itself. The drone manages to have a stable flight even in fairly turbulent wind despite its relatively light weight.
Also, you would find it difficult to crash the drone with fairly effective obstacle avoidance system in play. You could also stay connected to the drone up to 4km away controlling with the drone controller and up to 50m away from the smartphone connected through WiFi.
On top speed, the drone could go up to 68.4km/h in still air and down to 38km/h with wind speed resistance
Battery
With a battery life span of 21 minutes, the DJI Mavic Air lasts longer than the DJI Spark and is 6 minutes shy of the Mavic Pro.
In reality, the flight time is about 18 minutes which is increased by buying the Fly more Jumbo pack with 3 batteries giving you more flight time When the battery is low beyond the 10% mark, the drone will land itself preventing a crash out of the sky..
Connectivity and Optics
Besides this, there’s also a USB Type-C port which is not used for charging, just data transfer. The remote controller battery lasts up to 3.5 hours and takes about 2.5 hours to reach full charge.
DJI Mavic Air is capable of recording up to 4k resolution videos at 100Mbps bitrate, making the recording crystal clear when viewing. Also, you could capture 2.7k videos at up to 60fps while 1080p and 720p videos can go up to 120fps.
All this recording can be saved to the internal storage of 8GB or into your memory card of up to 16GB. The 12MP 1/2.3” CMOS sensor is stabilized by the Gimbal even so that turbulence in flight is not seen in the video.
DJI Mavic Air Price and Availability
DJI Mavic Air price starts at $799 at leading online stores. The DJI Mavic Air is available for sale in a number of online stores for about 300, 000 Naira depending on your location and the deal.
DJI Mavic Air Specs
Here are a few specs of the DJI Mavic Air:
General Features
- Description: Quadcopter
- Platform Support: iOS v9.0 or later
Android v4.4 - Colours: Black, Red, White
- Processor: –
- Memory: —
- Storage: 8GB
- Motor Type: –
- Dimension: Folded:
168×83×49 mm (L×W×H)
Unfolded:
168×184×64 mm (L×W×H) - Weight: 430g
Camera
- Resolution: 12MP
- Video Recording: 4K Ultra HD: 3840×2160 24/25/30p
2.7K: 2720×1530 24/25/30/48/50/60p
FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p
HD: 1280×720 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p - EV Range: 2.400 – 2.4835 GHz:
FCC: 4000 m
CE: 2000 m
SRRC: 2000 m
MIC: 2000 m5.725 – 5.850 GHz:
FCC: 4000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 2500 m - Camera Angle Adjustment: –
- FPV: –
- Shooting Time Delay: 8 – 1/8000s
- Field of Vision: Horizontal 50°, Vertical ±19°
- Features: Mavic Air Quadcopter With Propellers x 1 Remote Controller x 1 Intelligent Fight Battery x 1 Spare Propellers x 2 AC Power Adapter x 1 AC Power Cable x 1 Propeller Guards Set x 1 Gimbal Protector x 1 USB 3.0 Cable Type C x 1 USB Adapter RC Slider Cables x 3
Small Carrying Case x 1 Pair of Spare Remote Control Sticks x 1 Manuals x 5
Drone Experience
- Sensors: –
- Satellite Navigation: GPS + GLONASS
- Flight Time: 18 – 19 mins
- Maximum Altitude: 5000m above sea level
- Controller: remote control, smartphone
- Functions: –
Power
- Battery: 2, 375mAh battery
- Charging Time: 55 mins