New Mavic will be DJI’s safest drone ever. Let’s look at the specs

Now that we have seen the first images of what we believe to be the new DJI Mavic (and not the DJI Mavic Air 2), it’s time to talk about the specs. We believe that the new DJI Mavic will be DJI’s safest drone ever, as it will include ADS-B In and almost certainly 360-degree obstacle avoidance. Furthermore, we expect the following specs for this new foldable DJI drone.

We already knew that a successor to the DJI Mavic Air was in the works and would likely be introduced in April of this year. Today we got to see some of the first photos of this new and exciting drone from DJI. However, not much is known in terms of specs. Here’s what we know, and what we think will be included.

We think that DJI will tout this new foldable drone as their safest aircraft ever since it will feature ADS-B In, which will notify the remote pilot in control of any nearby manned aircraft that have ADS-B Out so that incidents like these will hopefully be prevented. The new DJI Mavic will also almost certainly include 360-degree obstacle avoidance.

Let’s look at the specs

Here’s what we know and what we expect.

Design and form factor

• We expect the DJI Mavic to be slightly bigger and heavier than the DJI Mavic Air, but still significantly smaller and lighter than the DJI Mavic 2.
• In terms of materials used and overall design, the new DJI Mavic seems to be more sturdy and solidly built then the original DJI Mavic Air. The Air had a somewhat fancy but also complicated and fragile design. Remember those tips at the front legs that you’d have to fold out? The new DJI Mavic seems to be much more straightforward and simple in its design.
• The new design is very similar to that of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom, which in my view a good thing since those drones are very well built.

Camera and gimbal

• The DJI Mavic will feature a 3-axis stabilized gimbal and camera.
• It will not feature a one-inch sensor.
• However, it will have 4K video capability and will likely be on par with the DJI Mavic Zoom and possibly be even better (without having optical zoom).
• Video footage will be significantly better (fewer compression artifacts, increased dynamic range) than the original Mavic Air, which had 4K at 100 Mbps.
• The camera and gimbal hardware seem to be copied from the DJI Mavic 2 Pro albeit in a smaller package.

DJI Mavic features

• The original DJI Mavic Air had a number of special features such as 32MP sphere panoramas, HDR photos, QuickShots, ActiveTrack, and gesture control. We expect the DJI Mavic to have similar and likely more and better features.
• The new DJI Mavic will almost certainly have 360-degree obstacle avoidance and will have ADS-B In capabilities, making it DJI’s safest drone ever.
• We suspect that the new DJI Mavic will have a much stronger Wi-Fi connection and a better range than the original Mavic Air. It might even have Lightbridge. Of course, we hope that DJI will include Ocusync 2.0, but we haven’t been able to confirm that as of yet.
• We do not yet know if the DJI Mavic will be compatible with the DJI Smart Controller.
• It will have new motors, props, and ESCs, and flight time will likely be around 30 minutes. (Thanks to Mr. D. for chipping in here.)

Pricing and availability

• We are expecting the new DJI Mavic to be introduced in late April.
• We are currently checking to see if FCC filings have already been made.
• Pricing will likely be below $1,000.

Lastly, we will keep you posted on any new information that accidentally gets leaked.

What do you think about the new DJI Mavic? Will it indeed be DJI’s safest drone ever? Let us know in the comments below.

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