DJI

DJI has announced the Mavic Air, a new mid-range drone that sits between the diminutive Spark and the high-end Mavic Pro.

The Air is the company’s most practical yet portable drone to date: weighing in at 430g, the drone’s folding arms sit flush against its body to create a chunky, smartphone-sized block that can easily be carried around.


Unlike some smaller drones, the Air is kitted out with the necessary tech to capture crisp, steady video. The three-axis mechanical gimbal is suspended from dampeners and the Mavic Air captures still images at 12-megapixels and 4K video at 30fps. If you’re after slow-mo shots, these can be captured in 1080p at 120fps. As an added bonus, DJI’s panorama system can stitch together 25 photos to create a 32-megapixel image in around a minute.

The Mavic Air comes with 8GB of onboard storage and an microSD card slot. There’s also USB-C for speedy exporting of captured footage. The drone has a maximum flight time of 21 minutes and can fly in winds of up to 22mph and elevations of 5,000 metres.

DJI

DJI has also squeezed in seven onboard cameras and infrared sensors, which combine to construct a detailed map of the drone’s surroundings. Forward and backward facing cameras can detect obstacles from 20 metres away and help the Mavic Air automatically avoid crashes.


The 1080p live video feed has a range of 2.5 miles for first-person view control and in Sport mode the Mavic Air can reach speeds up to 42mph. Hand gesture controls over a distance of six metres are also supported – commands include push, pull, land and capture.

The price and specs fill a gap in DJI’s drone line-up, with the Mavic Pro Platinum capable of flying for 30 minutes and the Spark not able to film in 4K.

It’s available in three colours – black, white and red – and costs £769 complete with drone, battery, controller, carrying case and two pairs of propeller guards and four pairs of propellers. The Mavic Air is available to pre-order now and orders start shipping on January 28.