Mavic Air or Mavic Mini 1

[Tobbias]

Hi All ,

I am debating between a mavic air refurbished with 3 month warranty or a new mavic mini 1 fmc.

I am new to the hobby so just wondered which would be better to start with , I have C.A.A. Flyer I’d and operator I’d so weight is not a problem .

The price is same for both drones just wondered which is best for a beginner.

Thanks

 

[old man mavic]

myself i would go for the MM just on the increased flight time from the AIR ,it really depends what you are planning to use the drone for the MM is really good for close up and personal flying but it is not as good in windy conditions and also something else to consider is the AIR and MM use different apps to fly with and they are in different classes when it comes to flying characteristics

 

[StantonZ]

Probably not the answer you're looking for but...neither.
MA2 is a worthy upgrade to the original, and the MM just doesn't have enough power (they dominate the crash reports).
It took me awhile before I pulled the trigger, but this is the advice I was given...and you get what you pay for.

 

[old man mavic]

Probably not the answer you're looking for but...neither.
MA2 is a worthy upgrade to the original, and the MM just doesn't have enough power (they dominate the crash reports).
It took me awhile before I pulled the trigger, but this is the advice I was given...and you get what you pay for.

while your answer may be correct to a point, it all depends on what the OP can ,and is prepared to spend on a drone ,i believe that is why he named the two choices he was asking about

 

[Tobbias]

while your answer may be correct to a point, it all depends on what the OP can ,and is prepared to spend on a drone ,i believe that is why he named the two choices he was asking about

Tbh £500 was about my limit , the air 2 is about £800 -£1000 , I appreciate the extra you get with the air2 but was bit more than wanted pay for 1st drone.

I see what you mean with the DJI fly app is a much simplified and easier app to use, the one on the air was just mind blowing .

 

[Heindrich1988]

OP, if you can stretch your budget, go for the Air 2 Fly More Combo. If not, the Mini Fly More Combo would be better.

The reason I suggest the Fly More Combo is that you really do need at least 3 batteries to make the most of whatever drone you buy. In fact, I just bought a 4th standalone battery yesterday at full cost cos even 3 wasn't enough for me.

I'm not sure if that Air 1 deal you found comes with extra batteries.

Also, I see that you are in the UK. Check if anyone you know is coming back from the US or China. Unfortunately DJI charges a premium for the European market. But China/US is basically the same price.

 

[Yogi053]

I do not have a Mavic drone/quadcopter yet and I have enjoyed reading most of the posts on the forum. I admit to being a 'lurker' to try and gauge the feeling of others to their differing machines before opting to purchase one of my own. The MA2 is very tempting with the extras that it supplies and yet the MM seems to enjoy a good reputation amongst the owners on here. With the permission of the moderators, I will contiue to monitor the relevant posts and threads till I decide on my choice. Having said that, I must congratulate those members who post their video clips and photos for all to see and enjoy. Thankyou.

 

[Tobbias]

OP, if you can stretch your budget, go for the Air 2 Fly More Combo. If not, the Mini Fly More Combo would be better.

The reason I suggest the Fly More Combo is that you really do need at least 3 batteries to make the most of whatever drone you buy. In fact, I just bought a 4th standalone battery yesterday at full cost cos even 3 wasn't enough for me.

I'm not sure if that Air 1 deal you found comes with extra batteries.

Also, I see that you are in the UK. Check if anyone you know is coming back from the US or China. Unfortunately DJI charges a premium for the European market. But China/US is basically the same price.

Yeah the mini fmc in the UK is still £460 or £600 US$ a big difference

 

[crash3x]

I owned all three at one point. My first drone was the Mavic Air, then the Mavic Mini came out and I purchased that and most recently I purchased the Mavic Air 2.

You're asking as a first time drone owner/pilot between the Mavic Air and the Mavic Mini, I'd go with the Mavic Mini, it's just so much fun to fly and very simple once you get the hang of it, it has some great features and as long as you fly responsible and pay attention to the weather conditions you'll be very happy with it! And as mentioned above, much better battery life. Buy the Fly more combo if you can afford it.

The Mavic Air is a bit more capable but also a bit more intimidating I feel for new pilots. I wish the MM was my first drone but unfortunately it was not out yet so I went with the Mavic Air but when the MM came out I bought it for the fun factor and to fine tun my close up skills. Overall I REALLY like my MM, I use it a lot, it's just so fun & simple.

One BIG thing to note is the MA is a bit louder with a unique there's a drone above you sound lol, the MM is definitely quieter.

Also as noted above, the MA2 is an amazing drone and my favorite especially now that it's compatible with the smart controller.

BUT... To answer your question... Mavic Mini 100%.... If looking to learn and get used to things, want some great pics & vids, a super portable/easy to travel with package, great batter life, and again just a super fun drone to fly! I'd think you'd be happy with that choice. It's very capable with some great features! In a year or so if you're still into the hobby, you sell it and upgrade like most of us do.

Good Luck and let us know what you go with!

 

[Tobbias]

I owned all three at one point. My first drone was the Mavic Air, then the Mavic Mini came out and I purchased that and most recently I purchased the Mavic Air 2.

You're asking as a first time drone owner/pilot between the Mavic Air and the Mavic Mini, I'd go with the Mavic Mini, it's just so much fun to fly and very simple once you get the hang of it, it has some great features and as long as you fly responsible and pay attention to the weather conditions you'll be very happy with it! And as mentioned above, much better battery life. Buy the Fly more combo if you can afford it.

The Mavic Air is a bit more capable but also a bit more intimidating I feel for new pilots. I wish the MM was my first drone but unfortunately it was not out yet so I went with the Mavic Air but when the MM came out I bought it for the fun factor and to fine tun my close up skills. Overall I REALLY like my MM, I use it a lot, it's just so fun & simple.

One BIG thing to note is the MA is a bit louder with a unique there's a drone above you sound lol, the MM is definitely quieter.

Also as noted above, the MA2 is an amazing drone and my favorite especially now that it's compatible with the smart controller.

BUT... To answer your question... Mavic Mini 100%.... If looking to learn and get used to things, want some great pics & vids, a super portable/easy to travel with package, great batter life, and again just a super fun drone to fly! I'd think you'd be happy with that choice. It's very capable with some great features! In a year or so if you're still into the hobby, you sell it and upgrade like most of us do.

Good Luck and let us know what you go with!

Thanks very much for the reply , with the great advice from everyone I think will be the mini fmc , seems a very good package with all the accessories and having seen some great yt videos looks a great starting point .
Thanks for all replies .

 

[Mrmund]

I have both, plus a Spark.
If I had to choose only one to keep, it would have to be the Mavic Air. My Mini is great when I want something small, packs down and less noisy but the Air is super solid, good photos and videos and just reliable. I never worry about the wind(I'm very conservative when I fly the Mini)or flying over water. I understand why people like the Mini and mines great but I really like the extra power and redundancy on the Air. My only complaint is that it's noisy but the Master Airscrew props help out alot.
They're both good but I had to pick one that I can fly all the time definitely the Air.

 

[lannes]

Mavic Air for me as well, just a higher performance and more robust drone than the Mavic Mini, only drawback is the shorter flight time.

 

[Starz]

Mavic air.
I‘ve had both. Guess which one I don’t have anymore.

 

[jnatt]

I have both and both are great.. the MM is better flight times and the charging from USB a real bonus but the MA is much better in the wind and getting close to stuff.. I take my MM walking more but use the MA for more planned trips.. both have down sides but are great machines.. if I had only 1 I would probably go for the MA though

 

[baristabob]

I was in the exact situation in May. I decided on the refurbished Air Fly More Combo and glad I did.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

Just a thought...since you're new to drones and DJI "seems" to be going the way of the Fly app in the future, perhaps the Mini would be better choice to give you a chance to become familiar with the app that they might be going forward with. (64bit architecture as opposed to 32 bit)

 

[Modra]

Hello

I own both of the drones you're debating over and hands down the mini wins. Both are easy fliers , the air sounds like a gang of angry bees the mini not so bad. i bought the MA2 when it was released and just sold the air for 750 CDN with three batteries. For your price point you could find i used MP they still stand up well .i don't worry about the wind with the mini just make smart choices when flying . Either way happy and safe flying .

 

[hiflyer201]

First off...I don't own a mini. To my way of thinking there are too many compromises to save weight. Those screw on props for instance.
To confuse matters more....You could probably pick up a good Spark for a little more than half the price of either. It has a really good camera and is truly robust.
The Mavic Air with simple tweaking in Go4 app is very easy to fly and will handle just about any wind that you care to be out and about in. It's sturdy, it's small, it's fast, it's obstacle protected front and rear, and it's very sleek looking. It will go as far as any of them..you can't hang out as long but it will make it home. For me the choice is simple..The Mavic Air.