Mavic Air 2S Review. Who It’s For And Not For

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Mavic 3 Pro, but to my surprise (as well as for many others), DJI released a new drone recently, the Mavic Air 2S and in this review I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about to help you decide if it’s worth buying.

Now you may be reading this Mavic Air 2S review from different perspectives:

1) You could be a first time drone buyer and considering this as your first model (in this case, I say get it if you can afford it because it’s amazing).

2) You may be an existing owner of other drones, including other Mavic or drone models and are wondering if it’s worth buying (I am personally in this position and the answer to this question is it depends on the current model/s you own which I will cover in this review).

Whatever the case, I will be helping you make a concrete decision in this post.

Basic info on the Mavic Air 2S drone:

Company:

DJI.

Current price:

$1,000.

Main specs:

• 20 megapixel camera.
• 1 inch sensor on the camera.
• Records at 5.4k (in video mode).
• Records at up to 4k at 60 fps.
• 30 minute flight time.
• 4 sensors.
• Intelligent flight modes available.
• Up to 12 km range.

Do I recommend this drone?

In most cases, yes (Get it here).

It is an amazing new drone and in many ways one of the best ones DJI has ever released, but if you own other models with similar specs, you may want to consider holding off on buying this drone until the next generation model comes out (The Mavic 3).

My rating for the Mavic Air 2s: 5 out of 5.

Get the Mavic Air 2s here.

The main pros of the Mavic Air 2s explained:

• Having a 1 inch sensor camera on this small of a drone is a first.
• You can take amazing photos and videos with this.
• A 30 minute flight time is amazing for this drone.
• Next level obstacle sensors and tracking capabilities.
• It currently has the longest range of any drone on the market.
• Great for people looking to do outdoor filming.
• The cost is honestly an incredible deal for the quality you get.
• Has FPV flight modes.
• Many drone users are making the switch to this drone because of it’s many pros.
• For first time drone users, this may be the only model you’ll need to buy and use.
• If you have a Mavic Pro 1, a Mavic Air 1 2 or other models cheaper than this, buying the Mavic Air 2s would be a significant upgrade.

The main cons of the Mavic Air 2s explained:

• If you own similar drones, this might not be worth it (Mavic 2 Pro for example).
• It’s tracking isn’t as amazing as something like the Skydio 2.

Why I love the Mavic Air 2s drone (but why I decided not to get it yet):

The first thing to know about me is that I actually have several Mavic models and the most advanced one I currently use is the Mavic 2 Pro.

To say I have “some” experience flying drones is an understatement because I’ve been doing it for years and filming myself in such beautiful places like:

• The Oregon Coast.
• The California Coast.
• The Washington Coast.
• The Catskill Mountains.
• Places like Smugglers Notch.
• The White Mountains of New Hampshire.
• And many other places.

And I have a YouTube channel which shows “some” of these drone flights I’ve done (my most popular ones are in Natural Bridges and the Catskills).

Most of those places are filmed on my Mavic 2 Pro and just by having that drone alone, it sort of makes buying the Mavic Air 2s a bit nonsensical and the reason why (as I’ll further explain in a comparison post) is because they are very close alike to one another, in specs, performance and in the quality of footage they deliver.

While I am in a 80% no position and 20% yes on buying this drone, let me explain why that is (and it may help you decide if you should get this new drone or not):

First, here’s why I’m 80% on the “no” side of things:

• I already have the Mavic 2 Pro (they are very close alike) and it works perfectly fine for me.
• I don’t want to spend an extra $1,000 on a similar drone.
• With the new regulations coming out (remote ID), I’m just going to wait.
• Every time there’s a new drone, every fan wants to get it. It’s important to make buying decisions not based on this initial want.

Next, here’s why I’m 20% on the “yes” side of things:

• It’s a tad smaller than the Mavic 2 Pro and thus more convenient for me to carry when I go hiking.
• My Mavic 2 Pro has been flying for years and I don’t know how much more I can get out of it.
• It’s camera (depending on who you ask) is quite sharp and having high shooting capabilities on such a small drone is amazing.
• The $1,000 deal for this drone is a steal considering what it offers.
• Like other DJI drones, you have to keep in mind all the flight restrictions you may have to run into.

Other independent (not promotional) reviews of the Mavic Air 2s:

This is probably the best one I’ve found comparing footage from the different Mavic models out there (draw your own conclusions):

If you want to get the Mavic Air 2s, click here.

Conclusions on the Mavic Air 2s:

In my above 80% no and 20% yes section, it’s subjective to my current situation with drones and this is why I personally decided not to buy the new Mavic Air 2s. This might change in the future, but given the state of things and all this new found anticipation for the Mavic 3, I think I’ll probably wait on that one to come out first.

But none of these cons point to the Mavic Air 2s being bad. On the contrary: If I didn’t own any of the major drone models I currently do, this would be an instant buy for me and like I said in the beginning of this review that I will reiterate:

• If this is going to be your first drone model, get it.
• If this is going to be an upgrade from a previous model you own that isn’t as good, get it.
• If you currently own a drone model on the same level or higher than the Mavic Air 2s, you may want to hold off until the Mavic 3 comes out.