Mavic Air: Would you buy it again?

[floyd]

The reason is the imaging chip; the MA use the same as the one in the Phantom 4 Pro. The MP uses an older one.

Hmm, I didn't know this. Maybe I should give my son my MP and I'll buy a new Air.

Does the Mavic Pro Platinum have a Phantom sensor or the standard MP sensor?

 

[Red Baron]

Thanks. That was my thought too.

Make sure you get the fly more combo- Extra $200 well spent!!!

 

[djorgen]

Hmm, I didn't know this. Maybe I should give my son my MP and I'll buy a new Air.

Does the Mavic Pro Platinum have a Phantom sensor or the standard MP sensor?

Same as MP afaik.

 

[sappercap]

Think this thread just convinced me to go get an Air. Lol. Was on the fence, but think the air is just what i need.

 

[Red Baron]

Think this thread just convinced me to go get an Air. Lol. Was on the fence, but think the air is just what i need.

In my opinion it'd a no brainer for the $$

 

[JB999]

Hmm, I didn't know this. Maybe I should give my son my MP and I'll buy a new Air.

Does the Mavic Pro Platinum have a Phantom sensor or the standard MP sensor?

Only the Phantom 4 Pro have the 1" sensor.

 

[djorgen]

Same as MP afaik.

Correction: same imaging chip/processor on the MA and the P4 Pro. The sensor is different; its a bigger one on the P4 Pro.

 

[baksideDisaster]

Yep, for my needs the Mavic Air is perfect with it's portability and camera resolution. So much I sold my Spark and haven't flown my 3DR solo since December. Same thing that sold me on it on release day is same reasons I love it now. Really I guess it's up to you what you intend to use it for.

 

[Travisimo]

I've had mine for several weeks now and my honeymoon with the Air is still not over! I enjoy it so much that I think about flying it every day, even though I physically cannot do it. I think the form factor is the killer feature because it is a grab-n-go drone that you can take anywhere. Even though the Mavic Pro is relatively compact, it's still not as portable as the Air. I'm just using the Fly More case that came with it and I can take everything I need with me in the small shoulder bag. That is invaluable. Sure, neither the battery life nor the transmission quality are as good as the Pro, but for me personally these are offset by the portability, better camera, better gimbal, built-in sd storage, and rear sensors. If money were no object, I would have waited for the Pro 2, but the Air offers a great bang for the buck that is unbeatable right now.

 

[MavicMo]

While its not really a matter if I'd buy it again or not, as I'm a DJI Fanboy and would buy it again...

BUT of all my DJI drones it's my least favorite. If I had to pick just one drone to own/buy or keep it'd be my Mavic Pro.

What I don't like about the Mavic Air (Most of these aren't huge issues);

• Pretty short flight time by today's standards
• Range is barely better than the Spark in Wifi dense areas. I'm not one to push distance by any means, but I've lost contact with my Mavic Air at only 800' out which initiated auto-RTH. It is better the Spark in open areas.
• Video feed can be very laggy even at short distances in wifi dense areas
• Less stable in even moderate winds than the Mavic Pro
• Doesn't work as seamlessly with the DJI Goggles
• Seems to need a CC every other flight even from the same location. I've performed more CCs on my Mavic Air than either my Mavic Pro or Spark in all the time I've owned those
• Picture/image quality isn't hugely different if you are doing it mostly for sharing on Social Media sites.
• It costs almost as much as a Mavic Pro. And if you are willing to buy used, you can get a Mavic Pro fly more combo for the same price as an MA fly-more combo.

Of all the things I listed above, the ones that are "key" to me are; Price and the Short range...

 

[dirktwa]

I hate the range. I hate the short flight time. I hate the laggy video connection. Go with Pro.

 

[Kevjones777]

No I would not buy the Mavic Air again. I would buy the Pro Platinum. If you shop around now with all the rumors of the Mavic 2 there are plenty specials on the Pro. In fact I would buy a DJI refurbished Pro. For one you know it's been tested by a person. All the replacement bits are brand new. You are effectively getting a new hand built drone. Using wireless on the Air was a tactical blunder in my humble opinion but I understand how they wanted to differentiate it. The Pro is still an excellent drone and I question how good 4k video really is or if you really need it as a hobbiest.

 

[Mike_in_Letcombe]

I have both. I’m very impressed with the Air, much better than the Spark it replaced. No issues with range, I know a ‘friend’ who took his nearly 1,750 metres no problem. Obviously I wouldn’t do that as it’s out of LOS. Some people, eh?

 

[mapwd1702]

actually the MA handles wind BETTER than the MP. And they share the same size sensor, but the Mavic Air processes 4K video better because it has a 100 mbps data rate for UHD, the MP is only 60mbps

 

[Drone on]

I'm thinking about getting my son either a used Mavic Pro, which I currently own, or a new Mavic Air. I've watched all the youtube reviews, and the consensus seems to be if this is your first drone to go with the Air. But I'm a little concerned about WiFi only transmission.

For those who have owned their Mavic Air for a couple months and the honeymoon period has worn off, would you buy it again? Why or why not?

Since a used MP is about the same price as a new MA, which would you get for a first-time drone pilot?

Thanks for your thoughts and insights!

Edit: There aren't a lot of used MA for sale on eBay, so folks must be happy with them or don't want to take a financial hit by selling.

If it's for your son, it might matter how old your son is. If less than 16, I'd get him the Spark, then when he grows out of that, I'd give him my Mavic Pro, and buy myself the MP2 when it's released. From what I've seen of the honeymoon is over videos, the Air barely out performs the Spark, and compares poorly to the Pro

 

[ivpool$]

I'm thinking about getting my son either a used Mavic Pro, which I currently own, or a new Mavic Air. I've watched all the youtube reviews, and the consensus seems to be if this is your first drone to go with the Air. But I'm a little concerned about WiFi only transmission.

For those who have owned their Mavic Air for a couple months and the honeymoon period has worn off, would you buy it again? Why or why not?

Since a used MP is about the same price as a new MA, which would you get for a first-time drone pilot?

Thanks for your thoughts and insights!

Edit: There aren't a lot of used MA for sale on eBay, so folks must be happy with them or don't want to take a financial hit by selling.

I would buying again MavicAir.

 

[wjkrysak]

I own a Red MA and would buy it again. Portable, durable, quality appearance and feel. Flying it is great fun. Looking, hoping, for waypoints in future updated.

 

[OldBlueHeron]

It’s simply the best all around drone that DJI makes. IMO. I own most of them. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I live in a fairly congested suburb, and range has not been an issue. I also find it to be far more stable in wind then the MP. I love the Mavic Pro, but I have been flying the Air a lot more.

 

[Andrewandron]

I am AMAZED at how we humans are so different. I bought the Platinum as soon as it was released and here’s what I’ve found:

Pros:
1) It stays in the air for seemingly forever.
(Most flights last well over 20 minutes in the winter, in sports mode) I have the Fly More package, but I won’t need all 3 batteries unless I go out for a looong time. It also came with a car charger.

2) It is the quietest drone ever and actually has a nice soothing hum to it as it lifts off

3) it is as portable and stealthy as it needs to be. (I usually don’t even fold it up)

4) it’s 4K camera is at least as good as my P3P

5) ocusync is the best invention since sliced bread. Even if you’re not flying out the full 7km, it gives you a perfect HD signal when you slip behind a tree or something.

6) I rarely ever used my DJI goggles with my P3P, but since I got the Platinum, I nearly never fly without them. Fixed Wing mode is amazing and just flying without having to connect a wire to the goggles makes it much easier to pass them around to others to watch what your doing. They can even be sitting in the house watching your flight! And all with super clear 720 or 1080p video!

6) it’s faster than my P3P and is more fun to play around with.

7) the amount of intelligent flight modes is amazing! I recently tried the pano shots and even made a cute planet. I hope to try them all one day

Cons:

1) it doesn’t seem to be able to fight the wind quite as well as my P3P did.

2) it doesn’t have as many flight sensors as the Mavic Air or P4P

3) it doesn’t have the 100 mbs bitrate that the Air has, although I asked a few people and they said that will not be noticeable anyways. Not really sure how much of a “con” that is then.

4) it’s not as small as the Air. This is completely not an issue for me but apparently it is for some.

All in all, someday I’ll get a Mavic 2 or whatever but right now, if I didn’t own a drone, I’d literally pay 4 times the price to get a Platinum over an Air. It has exactly what I want. And even though there’s a few things on the Air that are better, I think it’s more of a Spark Plus, than a Mavic. For me, literally the 4 MAIN things I like about the Platinum are lacking in the Air.

Flight time.
Signal strength.
Super quiet.
Goggles connectivity and Fixed Wing.

Again, that’s MY list of important stuff. I completely understand that others have a whole different list.

Cool, how we’re different, but we all like to fly!!!

 

[mapwd1702]

If it's for your son, it might matter how old your son is. If less than 16, I'd get him the Spark, then when he grows out of that, I'd give him my Mavic Pro, and buy myself the MP2 when it's released. From what I've seen of the honeymoon is over videos, the Air barely out performs the Spark, and compares poorly to the Pro

coming from someone who doesn’t own one or has ever flown one. I have seen very few people with issues or regrets about buying the Air. It is in a totally different league than the Spark. I had one and now have the Air. A world of difference.