Drone maker DJI announced an update to its popular Mavic Air quadcopter today. The Mavic Air 2 will cost $799 when it ships to US buyers in late May. That’s the same price as the previous Mavic Air model, so the drone stays as DJI’s mid-range option between its more capable Mavic 2 and its smaller, cheaper Mavic Mini.
The Mavic Air 2 is still plenty small, but the new version has put on some weight. DJI says that testing and consumer surveys suggested that most people don’t mind lugging a few extra grams in exchange for a considerable upgrade in flight time and, presumably, better handling in windy conditions. Even better, thanks to a new rotor design and other aerodynamic improvements, DJI is claiming the Mavic Air 2 can remain aloft for 34 minutes—a big jump from the 21 minutes of flight time on the original Mavic Air.
The Camera Eye
The camera has some new automated modes for capturing videos and photos with sharper detail and higher dynamic range.
Photograph: DJIThe big news in this update is the new larger imaging sensor on the drone’s camera. The Mavic Air 2’s camera ships with a half-inch sensor, up from the 1 2/3-inch sensor found in the previous model. That should mean better resolution and sharper images, especially because the output specs haven’t changed much. The new camera is still outputting 12-megapixel stills, but now has a bigger sensor to fill that frame with more detail. There’s also a new composite image option that joins together multiple single shots into a large, 48-megapixel image.
On the video side, there’s some exciting news. The Mavic Ai