DJI Mavic Air 2 controller photos leak online

There’s ever less surprise to expect for DJI’s Mavic Air 2 unveiling on April 27th. We’ve already seen many leaked photos of the drone from various angles. Now we also have high-res shots of the new Mavic Air 2 controller, confirming many indications we’d gotten from earlier leaks.

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The new photos come courtesy of a prolific DJI leaker who goes by the title OsitaLV on Twitter. They show the new controller from both the front and the back, in extremely high detail. Far from grainy spy shots, these look to be studio photos commissioned by DJI itself.

They confirm the controller’s biggest design change. DJI has moved the smartphone mount to the top of the device, up from the bottom. This looks to be a more comfortable arrangement, as the hands are no longer at risk of blocking the screen. Being higher up, the screen should allow users to hold their head higher, making it easier to shift view from screen to drone above.

The mount, which pulls out form the top of the Mavic Air 2 controller, looks to be quite sturdy. It appears to be spring-loaded, so that it grips the phone tightly. A pair of rubber nibs on the top and bottom of the mount wrap around the edges of the phone to keep it in place. It looks like it may provide a firmer grip than a similar top-of-controller mount made by Parrot for its drones as well as for Skydio drones. The mount does not appear big enough to hold a tablet.

Buttons and other controls

The Mavic Air 2 controller has a clean-looking design, with the control stick placed high up, just below the mounted smartphone. Based on a manual made public by Brazil’s equivalent of the FCC, we can ascertain what the various controls do. Between and just below the sticks is the flight mode switch, with three settings: tripod, normal, and sport. To the left of the switch is the flight pause button, and to the right is the power button. Just to the right of the right-hand stick is the button to toggle between photo and video mode. To the left of the left-hand stick we see a portion of a programmable-function button.

We’re also able to see controls on the back of the controller. On the back of the right hand side is the button that triggers shooting photos or videos, depending on the mode that’s been set. On the back left-hand side is the stabilizer wheel.

Want to learn more about the Mavic Air 2? Check out our compendium of everything we know so far.