Dear DJI, You've done it for the Mavic Mini now make a bigger battery for the Mavic Air, PLEASE!

[Paul WIngfield]

The Mavic Mini has two battery options. If only DJI could do the same for the Mavic Air(MA) I would be delighted.
The MA is superb in my view for portability, agility, range and camera but we typically get around 14mins actual flight time, and that really is its Achilles heel. It would be fantastic to just have an extra 7 to 10 minutes of flight time. Surely a bigger battery option isn't beyond its potential because it's situated pretty much centrally on the bird so it shouldn't disturb the weight distribution too much, if at all.
Come on DJI, don't leave it to a 3rd party, please remember us existing customers and give us a new optional battery upgrade.

 

[Butterfly Copper]

Hmm, according to the specs the Mavic Air battery has a capacity of 2375 mAh as the Mavic Mini has 2400 mAh. Does not look like a major difference to me (apart from the different voltage and battery type).

It is more like the Mini is much lighter that adds to the flying time I guess...

 

[Paul WIngfield]

Hmm, according to the specs the Mavic Air battery has a capacity of 2375 mAh as the Mavic Mini has 2400 mAh. Does not look like a major difference to me (apart from the different voltage and battery type).

It is more like the Mini is much lighter that adds to the flying time I guess...

You're missing the point. You can't compare the MM and the MA on actual battery power because they're different models with different weights, motors and props.
The Mavic Mini has two battery options. All I'm asking for is a similar option for the MA.

We desperately NEED a bigger battery on the Air because its flight time at the moment is comparable with toys and that's such a shame because other than that it's superb.

 

[Thomas B]

You're missing the point. You can't compare the MM and the MA on actual battery power because they're different models with different weights, motors and props.
The Mavic Mini has two battery options. All I'm asking for is a similar option for the MA.

We desperately NEED a bigger battery on the Air because its flight time at the moment is comparable with toys and that's such a shame because other than that it's superb.

Likely would put it over the 250gm weight limit and mandate registration... which, it seems, solves a lot of difficulty for travelers.

 

[anotherlab]

Likely would put it over the 250gm weight limit and mandate registration... which, it seems, solves a lot of difficulty for travelers.

Are you taking about the MA or it's battery? Increasing the size of the MA battery, would push the MA over 500 g, but that shouldn't matter for registration as it's already well over 250 g.

 

[dawgpilot]

The Mavic Mini has two battery options. All I'm asking for is a similar option for the MA.

I'm confused by your point here, as the "second" battery option on the Mavic Mini is a *smaller* battery, not a larger one. (they created a smaller version to get the overall weight below a 200gram limit for the Japanese market).

 

[Paul WIngfield]

Likely would put it over the 250gm weight limit and mandate registration... which, it seems, solves a lot of difficulty for travelers.

It's already 350g so over 250g. I'm just after a decent flight time with it, so would like a bigger battery.

 

[Dannick]

It's already 350g so over 250g. I'm just after a decent flight time with it, so would like a bigger battery.

It wouldn't make sense for DJI to have not put in the battery that gave the MA the most flight-time that it is capable of while fitting within their body design. Flight time is a huge selling point for drones, so they wouldn't have intenionally crippled the times. The Mini has 2 options because the second option is smaller to save on weight. The MA requires more power than the MM due to extra sensors, lights, and higher quality video processing (not to mention significantly higher weight). I feel like it isn't as simple as just "making a bigger battery" for the MA. You may be able to get more flight time if the actual battery housing itself was larger, but then the aircraft wouldn't be as streamlined, and that doesn't seem like a very "DJI" thing to do.

 

[DanMan32]

First, we need to compare WHr, not AHr.
WHr is AHr x voltage. More volts with same amps gives you more watts.

Now you take WHr, divide by watts, that gives you runtime.

Since the MA has more WHrs (more cells, higher voltage), we can conclude by the shorter runtime that the MA draws significantly more watts than the MM.

It should be noted that the cells used in the MM are cylindrical li-Ion rather than the flat LiPo. The former has less energy density than the latter.

 

[Paul WIngfield]

It wouldn't make sense for DJI to have not put in the battery that gave the MA the most flight-time that it is capable of while fitting within their body design. Flight time is a huge selling point for drones, so they wouldn't have intenionally crippled the times. The Mini has 2 options because the second option is smaller to save on weight. The MA requires more power than the MM due to extra sensors, lights, and higher quality video processing (not to mention significantly higher weight). I feel like it isn't as simple as just "making a bigger battery" for the MA. You may be able to get more flight time if the actual battery housing itself was larger, but then the aircraft wouldn't be as streamlined, and that doesn't seem like a very "DJI" thing to do.

It's already been done by privateers piggy backing batteries.

DJI brought out the Mavic Air as a cheaper drone while the Mavic Pro was already available. To give it a longer flight time would've crippled sales of the MP so it made sense to give it less flight time because everything else about the MA was better than the existing MP, and for a lower cost.

The Mavic Mini is in a different class to the other two partly by design and partly because of impending legislation from people such as EASA who will want it registered in June 2020 even though it's under 250g unless DJI declare to be a toy (hence the simpler software and no 4k video; even though the electronics could handle it).

Another, larger capacity battery for the MA is not rocket science, it isn't available from DJI but it could easily be made by them. It would also give the MA a new lease of life.

 

[Dannick]

It's already been done by privateers piggy backing batteries.

DJI brought out the Mavic Air as a cheaper drone while the Mavic Pro was already available. To give it a longer flight time would've crippled sales of the MP so it made sense to give it less flight time because everything else about the MA was better than the existing MP, and for a lower cost.

The Mavic Mini is in a different class to the other two partly by design and partly because of impending legislation from people such as EASA who will want it registered in June 2020 even though it's under 250g unless DJI declare to be a toy (hence the simpler software and no 4k video; even though the electronics could handle it).

Another, larger capacity battery for the MA is not rocket science, it isn't available from DJI but it could easily be made by them. It would also give the MA a new lease of life.

Piggy backing batteries still makes the overall battery size larger. Unless they can fit more power into the same MA battery shell, the likelihood of them doing anything about it is slim to none.

If the MM is in a different class, why are you comparing it to the MA?

At this point, they're more likely to release a Mavic Air Pro or an Air 2 rather than release new batteries for a basically 2-year old model. I get where you're coming from, but it isn't really realistic looking at how DJI runs as a company. I think you're under-estimating what goes into new product development (even if it's "just a battery") for large companies like DJI.

 

[Paul WIngfield]

I'm not comparing the MA and the MM. There are two batteries available for the MM and that was the point.

Making a larger battery for the MA is a relatively simple task because nothing changes in the drone and the CofG can be arranged to be the same by weight distribution in the battery case.

Of course they will be working on another class 4 drone because that's what they're good at but it would be a relative doddle to produce a larger battery pack and it could breath new life into the current MA, a product that has only one major Achilles heel.

What's complex about that?

 

[anotherlab]

I don't think that DJI deliberately limited the battery time for the MA to prevent it from taking away sales from the MP/M2. I think it was just a casualty of going to a smaller size. They could probably squeeze a couple of minutes of flying time with updated motors and props, like what they did with Mavic Pro Platinum.

 

[DanMan32]

You have things backwards.
Most distributions of MM have just about the largest battery capacity that the given space and weight will allow. Japan has an undersized battery for their MM because they have a much lower weight requirement to classify as a toy.

You're assuming the MA battery is undersized. It most likely is not as the MA didn't have an external weigh constraint. The only constraint is diminishing returns since a heavier battery would require more power to lift it. Also a higher capacity battery would take up more space which means redesigned body.

Yes, some have hacked by adding more battery, but it's ugly as it doesn't fit in the given cavity, and they certainly didn't get a proportional increase in flight time compared to increase in capacity.

In actuality, it is the MM that is underpowered even in main distribution, as they used less energy dense cylindrical Li-Iions than LiPos that have a higher energy density and can be custom shaped. They probably chose the cells they did because they are more stable and focused on a market of less experienced hobbyists who are likely to abuse LiPos.

 

[anotherlab]

Saying whether or not the MA battery is too small is probably a subjective opinion. DJI made a design decision to go with a 27 Wh battery, when the Mavic Pro comes with a 43 Wh battery and the Mavic 2 goes to 11 uses a 59 Wh battery. At any rate I don't think you'll see a a larger battery for the MA. They would have to change the design to hold a higher capacity battery.

If they do a MA 2 when they announce the drones with ADS-B receivers, that would be a good opportunity for DJI to increase the flying time.

 

[Scoobychief]

You're missing the point. You can't compare the MM and the MA on actual battery power because they're different models with different weights, motors and props.
The Mavic Mini has two battery options. All I'm asking for is a similar option for the MA.

We desperately NEED a bigger battery on the Air because its flight time at the moment is comparable with toys and that's such a shame because other than that it's superb.

Completely agree with you, i would also love to get say 10 mins extra flying time, like you say we prob get about 14 mins actual flying time, this really is it's achilies heel

 

[Deleted member 94047]

Yup, achilies heel indeed! If DJI made an optional higher capacity battery for the Air, it would be a win win for all. Existing owners would want one (or three), new buyers would consider the MA more seriously, and DJI could make a lot of sales by giving the MA a new lease on life without having to design a whole new drone. But as much as I want this to happen, I don't think we will have it

For what it's worth, I get 14 minutes of flight time landing with 15% - 10% of battery left. I know I am pushing my luck too far and asking for trouble but I wanted to land with 30% left, that is 12minutes of flight time. It is the only aspect of the MA's flying experience that makes me regret buying it. Such a fantastic drone crippled by its battery - I need to punch something!

 

[crosswired]

yeah, I'd love to have an additional 5 minutes of flight... anyways, noone seem to make extended capacity batteries as yet, sadly

 

[Paul WIngfield]

First, we need to compare WHr, not AHr.
WHr is AHr x voltage. More volts with same amps gives you more watts.

Now you take WHr, divide by watts, that gives you runtime.

Since the MA has more WHrs (more cells, higher voltage), we can conclude by the shorter runtime that the MA draws significantly more watts than the MM.

It should be noted that the cells used in the MM are cylindrical li-Ion rather than the flat LiPo. The former has less energy density than the latter.

I know the difference between Ahr and Whr. I have an Electronics Systems Engineering degree. However I dont understand what that has to do with me requesting a larger capacity battery option for the MA.
Others have done it themselves unofficially, albeit Heath Robinson style. I would like to see an option for it made by DJI. It's a simple enough request and task for DJI.

 

[Paul WIngfield]

I'm confused by your point here, as the "second" battery option on the Mavic Mini is a *smaller* battery, not a larger one. (they created a smaller version to get the overall weight below a 200gram limit for the Japanese market).

The point is that there are options for the MM but not for the MA.
A larger battery option the MA would give us a decent flight time, which we dont have at the moment.