The DJI Mavic Air is an easy-to-fly drone that shoots great 4K video, packed into an impossibly small package.

It's the latest -- and in many ways greatest -- consumer drone from DJI, the name that's effectively become for drones what Apple and Samsung are for smartphones. The Mavic Air effectively combines the best aspects of the company's top-end Mavic Pro -- my go-to consumer camera drone recommendation since it was introduced in October 2016 -- with the portability of its more casual-focused, travel-friendly Spark, while adding some great new capabilities to the mix, including better obstacle avoidance and an improved 4K video camera.

Starting at $799, £769 and AU$1,299, the Air is a clear step up from the Spark, but its position against the $999 Pro is more hazy. The Mavic Pro has a couple features the Air doesn't, but the opposite is also true. Mainly, the Pro has a slight edge on battery life and video transmission range and can record video at a "true" 4K resolution of 4,096x2,160 pixels. There's also a Pro Platinum edition that's quieter and flies a few minutes longer than the baseline Pro model.

The Air, on the other hand, is a much smarter drone than both the Spark and Mavic Pro thanks to new tech inside that not only makes it safer for you to fly, but keeps the drone itself out of harm's way as well. For nonprofessionals looking for a camera drone that does more than snap selfies, but is still amazingly compact for travel, the Mavic Air is just about perfect.

DJI spec comparison

Spark Mavic Air Mavic Pro Price $399; AU$649; £449 $799; AU$1,299; £769 $999; AU$1,599; £1,099 Dimensions (LWH) 143×143×55 mm 168×83×49 mm (folded); 168×184×64 mm (unfolded) 198×83×83 mm (folded); 305×244×85 mm (unfolded) Camera 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch image sensor; f2.6 25mm lens 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch image sensor; f2.8 24mm lens 12-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch image sensor; f2.2 28mm lens Video resolution/Max. bit rate 1,920x1,080 (30fps); 24Mbps 3,840x2,160 (30fps); 100Mbps 4,096x2,160 (24fps); 60Mbps Photo resolution (pixels) 3,968x2,976 4,056x3,040 4,000x3,000 Formats (video/photo) MP4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC)/JPEG MP4, MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC)/JPEG, DNG (raw) MP4, MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC)/JPEG, DNG (raw) Storage microSD card microSD card, 8GB internal microSD card Camera stabilizer 2-axis mechanical gimbal plus electronic stabilization 3-axis mechanical gimbal 3-axis mechanical gimbal Control modes Gesture, mobile device, remote controller Gesture, mobile device, remote controller Mobile device, remote controller Obstacle sensing Forward Forward, backward Forward Max. transmission distance w/controller 1.2 miles (2 km) 2.4 miles (4 km) 4.3 miles (7 km) Max. flight time 16 minutes 21 minutes 27 minutes

Before diving into the features, let's talk battery life. The flight time for the Air is up to 21 minutes. That's in ideal conditions with no wind. In my testing, I typically got between 15 to 18 minutes of continuous flight with wind. You can, and probably should, buy extra batteries; DJI has a "Fly More" package for $999, £949, AU$1,599 that adds additional propellers, two extra batteries and a multibattery charging hub. Few things are more disappointing than traveling out to a scenic spot only to run out of flight time. However, also keep in mind that a spare battery won't do you any good if you're 400 feet in the air over the ocean and running out of time to get back safely.

Like flying a drone using the Force

There are several features unique to the Air, but its new SmartCapture mode is a good demo of its intelligence, letting you fly the drone with simple hand gestures. The Spark has a similar Gesture mode so you can launch and land the drone from your palm and take photos for video clips while it's in the air, all without a phone or controller. The Mavic Air's gestures give you more control than the Spark, though.

Mark Licea/CNET

You can enter SmartCapture mode through the DJI Go 4 mobile app or, thanks to a Feb. 9 firmware update, double press the light/button on back. Using your hands you can make the Air take off or land on the ground as well as fly it away from or toward you, increase its altitude and have it track your movements. Flashing a peace sign will snap a photo, while making a frame with your thumbs and forefingers will start and stop video recording. It's all very cool, but mostly as a way to get wows from your friends and family because much of this and more can be done just by flying it around with the mobile app.

What I find much more useful than SmartCapture are the drone's QuickShot flight modes, a group of preset flight paths that record short video clips while tracking a subject. There are six in all on the Air including two new ones -- Asteroid and Boomerang -- and to use them requires little more than tapping on the subject you want it to follow. The end results are bite-size videos great for sharing on social.

Asteroid QuickShot from the DJI Mavic Air pic.twitter.com/Hs0q2Fyhcd — Josh Goldman (@ByJoshG) February 8, 2018

That's one smart flying robot

While the automated QuickShot modes and SmartCapture are nice for occasional use, eventually you'll want to pick up and use its controller. It's similar to the Spark's in that it's small and simple and you need to also have an iOS or Android device for a screen. But it has removable sticks that store in the body of the controller for easier travel.

You get full control of the drone and a 720p-resolution view from its camera from up to 2.4 miles (4 km) away -- twice the range of the Spark. While having the option to fly with just your phone is nice, using the controller is much more enjoyable. Plus, it leaves your whole screen for flight data and framing your shots and adds physical controls for controlling the camera on back. It also gives you access to the drone's Sport mode, which lets you fly at up to 42.5 mph (68.4 kph).

Sarah Tew/CNET

The thing is, even pilots who know how to control a drone still get into trouble with obstacles. That's where the Mavic Air's system of seven -- seven! -- built-in cameras and infrared sensors comes into play, helping to map the drone's environment so it knows just where it is and where obstacles are as well.