Mavic (UAV)


The Mavic is a series of teleoperated compact quadcopter drones for personal and commercial aerial photography and videography use, released by the Chinese technology company DJI.

Mavic series

Mavic Pro

Announced in September 2016, the Mavic Pro, which was released in late 2016 was the first of the Mavic series. The drone was considered to be one of the first personalized drones on the market, being capable of capturing 4K video, having a flight range of and a flight time of 27 minutes. In 2017, however, DJI announced the Mavic Pro Platinum which came with a longer flight time, thanks to improved motor & performance, and re-designed propellers, making the Mavic both faster and more efficient.

Mavic Air

The Mavic Air, which was released in early 2018 was the first "pocket-sized" portable drone being able to capture 4k video at 30 FPS. The Air has a 3-axis gimbal and 25mm lens. The Air also has a SmartCapture feature, a three-directional environment sensing system and a max flight time of 21 minutes. Mavic Air 2, the model released in 2020, has the safety feature that warns users about nearby planes and helicopters via its controller.

Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom

DJI announced in August 2018, the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mavic 2 Zoom. Both drones consisted of 10 obstacle avoidance sensors on all sides and a max flight time of 31 minutes. Both of the drones could also record 4K video at 30 FPS. The Mavic 2 Zoom features a 4× zoom feature, and also featured a 12-megapixel camera. The Mavic 2 Pro features a Hasselblad camera and Hyper Timelapse feature.

Mavic 2 Enterprise

On October 29, 2018, DJI announced the Mavic 2 Enterprise. Incorporating features from the Mavic 2 line of consumer drones, the Mavic 2 Enterprise includes three modular accessories for both first responder and industrial applications. It includes the M2E Spotlight, the M2E Speaker, and the M2E Beacon, a strobe visible three miles away and is designed to clear FAA night waivers for night inspections.

Mavic Mini

DJI announced the Mavic Mini on October 30, 2019 as a replacement for the now discontinued DJI Spark and positioning it as a beginner camera drone. Its camera is on a three-axis gimbal and features a 12MP sensor capable of 2.7K video at 30 FPS. The Mavic Mini shares similar design characteristics with the Mavic Pro and Mavic 2 series, though notable for its portability and overall small size. DJI's marketing behind the Mavic Mini focuses on the weight of the drone at, allowing it to bypass drone registration regulations in several western countries like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In Japan, a model was released with a smaller battery weighing less, to come in under Japan's similar limit. Plus has a range of 4km.

Mavic Air 2

DJI released the new Air series member known as Air 2 on April 27, 2020. Air 2 has 1/2 inch CMOS camera, 34 min flight time per battery, can travel up to 68.4 kph.
The remote controller of Air 2 features a new design of Mavic family. DJI’s standard controller mounts a cellphone at the bottom, forcing you to look down while watching the screen. Detailed illustrations for the new controller show a mount that holds the smartphone at the top, more in line of view. This resembles the mounting on the controller for the Anafi, a Mavic Air competitor made by DJI’s French rival, Parrot. The original Mavic Air uses an enhanced Wi-Fi radio control system. But the Mavic Air 2 upgrades to OcuSync 2.0, a dedicated radio system that runs in the 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz ranges. This promises less interference from ambient Wi-Fi networks. It also offers a better range up to 10 kilometres.
In term of filming, Air 2 supports RAW format, 48MP mode, HDR video and 120fps slow motion mode.

Mavic Pro

Portability

The Mavic will fold small enough to fit into a small bag. Its legs and propellers fold underneath and to the side of the drone to form a compact package.

Camera

The Mavic is equipped with the same camera as the Phantom 4 UAV. The camera is a 12MP camera that is capable of shooting 4K video at 24 frames per second. It is capable of 96 FPS when shooting in 1080p. Its camera keeps the same 60 Mbit/s bitrate seen in the Phantom 4. The lens in the DJI Mavic possesses a 78-degree field of view, whereas the Phantom 4 maintains a 94-degree FOV.

Speed and distance

The Mavic flies at a top speed of 65 km/h in sport mode. An improved Lightbridge system can livestream video at a distance of 7 kilometers in 1080p.

Obstacle avoidance

The Mavic uses FlightAutonomy technology to sense obstacles up to 49 ft away and allows the Mavic to bypass them or brake to hover, reducing accidents.

Battery life

DJI rates the battery life of the Mavic at 27 minutes of flight time in zero wind conditions. Max hovering time is 24 minutes, while normal flight drops to 21 minutes.

Gesture control

The Mavic is the first DJI drone to have gesture control. Users can wave their arms in specific patterns to trigger drone functions, such as taking a picture.

Controller

The Mavic controller is more compact than those for other DJI drones. It includes fold-out grips for smartphones and small tablets and has a built-in flight information display for flight without a smartphone or tablet.
A switch on the Mavic allows it to operate in Wi-Fi mode independent of the controller. In Wi-Fi mode, all flight functions can be accessed using the DJI Go 4 app but with reduced range to a few hundred feet.

Intelligent Flight Modes

The Mavic Activetrack feature allows the Mavic to track an object without the user actively controlling the UAV. The Activetrack has three different settings: Trace, Profile, and Spotlight. The Trace feature also known as "Orbit" allows the Mavic to follow an object in a circular pattern while the object is in motion. When in Profile mode the Mavic will follow a moving object as well but always at the same, pre-set distance. Lastly, in Spotlight mode the aircraft camera will always point at the object and the flight course will be locked. The obstacle avoidance feature is not enabled in any of the Activetrack modes.

Updates

Mavic Pro Platinum

At the 2017 IFA trade show, DJI announced the upgraded Mavic Pro Platinum. The upgraded version includes better battery life and improved noise reduction due to new propellers and electronic speed controllers.

Mavic Air

The Mavic Air was announced on 23 January 2018, for release on 28 January at a starting price of $799. It is marketed as a smartphone-sized drone that can fit in a jacket's pocket.
It features a 12 MP 4K HDR camera, mounted on a 3-axis gimbal, and has a new panorama mode, which stitches together 25 photos in eight seconds to create a "Sphere Panorama". Due to antennas mounted on its landing gear, the drone has a 21-minute flight time and a 2.5 mile range. Like the Spark, the Air also features the "Smart Capture" mode, in which the drone can be controlled by hand gestures.

Controller

The Spark and Mavic Air controllers are similar to the Mavic Pro controller, except the Pro includes a small built-in display monitor screen. The Mavic Air controller also has detachable sticks for portability conveniences

Mavic Air 2

The Mavic Air 2 was released on April 27, 2020.
The drone features a camera capable of taking either 12 or 48-megapixel stills, and at its highest video settings, it is capable of taking 4k 60 FPS video. The camera's sensor is a 1/2" Quad-Bayer sensor.
Since its release, the standard drone package costs $799. The Fly More Combo costs $988.