The DJI Mavic Air 2's official launch may be lined up for April 27, but that hasn't stopped photos of the incoming drone leaking left, right and center – with the latest ones giving us a good look at the mid-range drone's design from virtually every angle.
Several leaks of the DJI Mavic Air successor have already revealed most of its specs, and now what appear to be official photos have been picked by DroneDJ from one of its partner sites.
The images reveal that the Mavic Air 2 will effectively be a smaller version of the DJI's Mavic 2 series, which arrived in August 2018. This would make it larger than the original DJI Mavic Air, but still very portable thanks to its folding design.
This size difference is hinted at by the photo below of the Mavic Air 2 being handheld – we don't yet know exact dimensions or weight, but it's undoubtedly more compact than its older Mavic 2 siblings.
Considering the Mavic Air 2 will be cheaper than the latter and also have a smaller camera module, this makes sense. According to the text above the lens, this camera will have a larger 1/2-in CMOS sensor than its predecessor, though this will still smaller than the DJI Mavic 2 Pro's one-inch chip.
So what else do the newly leaked images tell us? Well, there is definitely no top sensor, which means that the Mavic Air 2 won't be able to automatically duck underneath tree branches if they're above the drone.
Still, it will likely be one of DJI's safest drones yet, thanks to its intelligent flight modes, APAS (or Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems) and AirSense, the latter of which identifies aircraft locations and notifies you in real time.
One other small detail that we can see in the leaked images is that the Mavic Air 2 appears to have DJI's Low-Noise quick release propellers, which should make it a little quieter in flight than its somewhat noisy predecessor. That's handy if you want to be a little more discreet during take-off and landing.
- Read our DJI Mavic Air 2: release date, news and features round-up
- Or check out out in-depth: DJI Mavic 2 Pro review
- These are the best drones you can buy right now
A tempting price tag
One other detail that appears to have arrived from the leak is the DJI Mavic Air 2's price – it will apparently cost $799, the same as its predecessor when that drone arrived in January 2018. There's no confirmation of what this will convert to in other regions, but the Mavic Air originally cost £769 / AU$1,299, so it's likely the Mavic Air 2 will follow suit.
Considering the Mavic Air 2's likely specs, that's a pretty competitive price tag. The drone will apparently be able to shoot 4K/60p video, take 48MP photos (likely stitched from a 12MP sensor), pack a 34-minute battery life (up considerably from its predecessor's 21-minute flight time) and, crucially, come with Ocusync 2.0, which would at least quadruple the Mavic Air's 2km range and boost the stability of its signal.
For beginners and hobbyists, it could well be the sweet spot for aerial photos and videos. The cheaper DJI Mavic Mini is also a great option, but lacks features like 4K video and object tracking, while its smaller size can actually make it less stable than larger drones in a stiff breeze.
We'll bring you all of the official news on the DJI Mavic Air 2 during its likely launch on April 27, but for a more in-depth look at its specs check out our DJI Mavic Air 2: release date, news and features roundup.
Via DroneDJ
