Best DJI Mavic 2 Pro Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

Since the release of its Mavic Pro in 2016, DJI has taken center stage with its drones that are both compact, intelligent and capable of producing good image quality. The Chinese intends to keep his crown with an even more advanced Mavic 2 Pro.

Presentation

Unlike the Mavic Pro , the Mavic 2 is available in two versions: a “Pro”, tested here, this time with a 1 “sensor camera, but also a” Zoom “, which is distinguished by an optical zoom (2x) which the other Mavics lack, apart from this difference in camera, the Mavics 2 are technically identical, to within 2 grams.

Best DJI Mavic 2 Pro Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Drone Quadcopter UAV with Hasselblad Camera 3-Axis Gimbal HDR 4K Video. Adjustable Aperture 20MP 1″ CMOS Sensor, up to 48mph, Gray

2. DJI Mavic 2 PRO Drone Quadcopter Fly More Kit Bundle with 3 Batteries, Hard Rugged Carrying Case. ND & Rotating Adjustable Polarizer Filter Set & Must Have Accessories (12 Items)

3. DJI Mavic 2 Pro

4. DJI Mavic 2 Pro – Drone Quadcopter UAV with Smart Controller Hasselblad Camera 3-Axis Gimbal HDR. 4K Video Adjustable Aperture 20MP 1″ CMOS Sensor, up to 48mph, Gray

5. DJI Mavic 2 Pro Drone Quadcopter with Hasselblad Camera, Fly More Combo, 3 Batteries. 6 Piece Filter Kit, SanDisk 128gb Memory Card, Shock Proof Case, More

Getting started

DJI has managed to get everyone to agree with the foldable design of its Mavic Pro: well thought out, it allows you to take your drone with you everywhere and deploy it in just a few seconds. It is therefore quite logical that the Mavic 2 adopts the same principle of foldable arms. The general design evolves, however, the Mavic 2 Pro sporting a more worked shape and a little less angular than its predecessor. 

The manufacturing quality is impeccable and the plastics seem solid. The name “Pro” does not seem usurped, the device inspires confidence and seems even better built than the previous one. Despite its foldable side, there is no excessive play and the rigidity is there. Only the flexible covers protecting the various ports seem a little fragile.

Once in hand, we note, however, that the Chinese quadrotor has become overweight. It is indeed larger than the first Mavic Pro. From 198 x 83 x 83 mm, it thus passes to 214 x 91 x 84 mm folded; once unfolded, it occupies a volume of 322 x 242 x 84 mm and is therefore approximately 8 cm longer. Above all, it is also heavier, going from 734 g to 907 g. A difference that is not trivial, since it thus crosses the 800 g mark and changes the legislative framework (see box). 

If we add the remote control (317 g) and a medium-weight smartphone (180 g), we reach around 1.4 kg, which is quite light in absolute terms, but already less if we want to transport it in a bag all day. When roaming, we may prefer the lightness of the  Mavic Air, for example, although its range of use is significantly lower.

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This weighting is however justified by the addition of several sensors and the use of a 4S battery, more powerful, but heavier (297 g, or 57 g more than that of the Mavic Pro).

On the side of the radio control, no upheaval, the changes are minor, but still welcome. First of all, we especially appreciate the possibility of unscrewing the sticks for transport. These are stored in the small notches which can also be used to hold the smartphone during use. DJI has thought of providing a second pair to replace them in case of loss.

If it is possible to fly the Mavic 2 Pro without a smartphone, it is however not very practical since the screen of the radio control is only used to display information on the flight and the status of the drone. To see what the drone is filming, the best solution therefore remains to go through the DJI Go 4 application, compatible with most Android and iOS smartphones. 

However, we have suffered some mishaps (updates impossible via the smartphone, loss of connection …), in particular with Huawei smartphones (P8 and P9) and we can only advise you too much to check that your smartphone is listed well in the list of compatible models. Fortunately, no problem to report with our Galaxy S6 and Honor Play used for testing, except for some subtleties of positioning in the remote control. The USB cable connection system, in particular, is not very practical for the installation of certain smartphones, the connector tending to move a little and asking to be pushed in well.

Flight

The Mavic 2 Pro is ready to fly just as fast as its predecessors. Just remove the protective screen from its camera, unfold its four arms and turn it on. We then turn on the radio control and connect the smartphone which can automatically launch the DJI Go 4 application if authorized. After checking the firmwareif the smartphone is connected to a network and after acquiring the GPS signals (usually only a few seconds), we access the flight interface displaying the image captured by the camera and a lot of information to the screen. These are useful, but rather invasive and sometimes redundant to those displayed on the screen of the radio control. Fortunately, we can make them disappear with a simple swipe of the finger on the screen, in order to better see what the camera captures.

The engines are started by positioning the two sticks in the lower bottom corner, towards the inside. Then just push the left stick to take off. A button on the interface allows you to take off automatically, the Mavic 2 Pro then positioning itself in hovering flight approximately 1.2 m above its takeoff point. The radio control is set to mode 2 by default (gas and yaw to the left, pitch and roll to the right), but another setting can be chosen if necessary. Note however that the left stick does not really control the gas, but the height of the quadrotor, since it automatically returns to the center. The Mavic 2 is indeed completely stabilized and stays perfectly in place when you no longer touch the controls.

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The controls are in any case fairly reactive. Not as much as with an analog radio link in 2.4 GHz, of course, but enough to drive safely and control its framing. The OcuSync 2.0 digital link developed by DJI also offers remarkable transmission quality, with a 1080p video signal that can be sent over several kilometers. The interference depends of course on the obstacles and the difference in level between the drone and the radio control, but during our tests on flat ground, we were able to go up to 2 km without display problem. However, beware of respecting French law which requires keeping the device in direct view, which necessarily limits usage a little.

No need to worry, however, in the event of a loss of signal, the Mavic 2 incorporates a GPS + Glonass chip allowing it to automatically return to its take-off point or to the place where its pilot is. It also has a myriad of sensors allowing it to avoid obstacles, which can avoid many accidents and is above all very reassuring. The Mavic 2 Pro doubles, so to speak, the number of its collision sensors compared to the Mavic Pro: there are always two cameras on the front and two cameras as well as an infrared sensor on the bottom, but also now two side cameras and two at the back, as well as an infrared sensor on the top. 

What offer the drone a 360 ° view to detect obstacles in all directions. And it is clear that it works wonderfully. The APAS function even allows the drone to avoid obstacles automatically, which allows you to focus on the framing. Better still not to lose your vigilance, the system is not foolproof so far, especially if you take a little speed. 

Image quality

It is truly on image quality that the Mavic 2 Pro differs from its predecessor and the Zoom version. He is in fact carrying a camera developed in collaboration with Hasselblad, a renowned Swedish manufacturer of medium format cameras. This has a 28 mm equivalent fixed focal length optic with variable aperture from f / 2.8 to f / 11. Behind officiates a Cmos sensor from 1 “to 20 Mpx. In comparison, the Mavic Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom are satisfied with a Cmos sensor from 1 / 2.3” to 12 Mpx.

In addition to better image definition, this sensor gives the Mavic 2 Pro better dynamics and greater sensitivity. This is not trivial, especially for a drone which often has to undergo significant differences in brightness. This new Mavic thus joins the Phantom 4 Pro , equipped with a similar sensor.

This change of camera is accompanied by more settings in the application. We can thus mount up to ISO 12,800 in photos, ISO 6,400 in videos, adjust the exposure time and play on the aperture. We also benefit from a white balance adjustment and image profiles. Photos can be saved in Jpeg and Raw, while videos are encoded in H264 or H265. The latter offers the advantage of better compression and thus saves space on the memory card. This format also allows you to take advantage of all the refinements of the sensor and in particular recording on 10 bits (Dlog-M) and in HDR. On the flip side, you need a computer powerful enough to decode it.

Autonomy

The Mavic 2 Pro LiPo battery changes to 4S format. If its capacity increases little compared to the 3S of the Mavic Pro (3,850 mAh against 3,830 mAh), its 4 cells deliver a higher voltage (15.4 V against 11.4 V), capable of supplying motors faster.

Despite this, the autonomy of the Mavic 2 Pro is up compared to that of the Mavic Pro. DJI announces 4 more minutes in flight, up to 31 minutes without wind with a speed of 25 km / h and 25 minutes in “normal flight” (up to 15% of battery). In practice, the default settings trigger an alarm from 25% of remaining battery, after an effective flight time of around twenty minutes. Keeping manual control can extend the flight by a few minutes, but rarely beyond 25 minutes. The 31 minutes announced correspond to a complete discharge of the battery, by cutting all the alerts to keep the drone in the air, which is neither realistic nor recommendable for the life of the battery.

The purchase of at least one additional battery is still recommended, although the recharge is not too long (1h30). Indeed, it is not possible to recharge from a simple large capacity external battery, contrary to what the Parrot Anafi offers .

Good point on the other hand, the Mavic 2 Pro uses a so-called “intelligent” battery, in that it integrates a charge manager and various systems aimed at preserving it. Convenient so you don’t have to worry about its charging time or storage load, for example.

STRONG POINTS

• Good image quality.
• Many useful and well thought out flight modes.
• Obstacle detection on all sides.
• Easy and safe flight / Stability.
• Excellent build quality.
• Still compact, although a bit larger than the Mavic Pro.
• Good autonomy.

WEAK POINTS

• Rechargeable batteries only via the proprietary charger.
• Fairly high introductory price.
• Camera with 1 “sensor of 20 Mpx or optical zoom with small sensor, you have to choose (Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom).
• Problems with updates via the smartphone detected by several users, including us.
• Android application still not translated into French!

CONCLUSION

The Mavic 2 Pro improves all points of the Mavic Pro, our favorite flying camera of 2016. In addition to better image quality, it offers an even safer flight thanks to its numerous optical sensors and its automations which allow focus on framing without worrying about driving. Despite a slightly larger size, it remains easy to transport and it is a pleasure to be able to count on such a device in a large number of situations. The Mavic 2 Pro therefore easily takes the crown of the best consumer drone of 2018 and should even keep it for some time.

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