DJI Mavic Pro Review

When we think about a drone, we usually imagine a scary, large, four-legged helicopter. No matter how advanced the features of drones are, portability has always been a problem. Drone manufacturers have recently started considering this issue and are now manufacturing quadcopters that are compact and a lot more portable.
For instance, famous camera manufacturer GoPro introduced the Karma Drone with foldable legs in the month of September. In response, DJI a known drone maker unveiled Mavic Pro, a foldable drone just like GoPro Karma but with much better specs. When packed, Mavic Pro is smaller than a bread loaf and can be easily carried in backpacks.

In spite of its compact built, the quadcopter has some advanced features, like it can avoid obstacles, track the objects as they move, and automatically reach to a location chosen by the pilot. In this DJI Mavic Pro review, we’ll have a detailed look at the features, benefits, pros and cons of this compact quadcopter.

Features

Folding Design – DJI Mavic Pro has dramatically eliminated the portability problem with the help of its innovative folding design. The front arms of the copter swing back and the rear ones flip down towards its main body. Also, unlike the Phantom series of quadcopters from DJI, Mavic Pro does not feature stands at the bottom. Rather, it has short legs protruding from the arms which make it look as if the quadcopter is lying flat on the belly. Once folded, you can easily hold the copter in a single hand or carry it in your backpack.

Impressive Video Quality – Mavic Pro has a 78.8 degrees field of view and 1/2.3” sensor. The camera in this quadcopter can seamlessly record videos of up to 4K-resolution at an impressive 30fps or 1080 pixels at 96fps. You can also click 12MP pictures with this copter in Adobe Raw or JPEG format. It also has a 3-axis gimbal for enhanced stability while capturing videos and images. Moreover, the gimbal can also be rotated to 90 degrees to shoot vertically and eliminating the need to fly the drone sideways.

Obstacle Avoidance – The drone offers an astounding stability in the air which it achieves with the help of a total of 5 cameras. Two front cameras of the drone assist in avoiding obstacles by stopping the drone some meters away from trees, walls, etc. when you are flying towards them as the cameras are placed in the front.

Precision Landing – Two cameras located at the bottom of the drone work with its GPS and GLONASS to enhance stability and ensure that you do not fly in restricted areas. These cameras also play an integral role in Mavic Pro’s innovative Precision Landing.

Active Track – This feature was first launched in Phantom 4 but DJI has made substantial changes to it in Mavic Pro. This feature keeps a chosen subject in the main frame of the camera and follows the subject automatically. The drone makes use of computer vision for recognizing objects and then following it. Many DJI Mavic Pro reviews suggest that the Active Track feature in this drone is indeed quite accurate and easy to use.

Apart from Active Track, the drone also has Terrain Follow mode which allows the drone to automatically progress on hills and terrain while following you. If you love snow sports, mountain biking or hiking, Terrain Follow will unquestionably be useful for you.

Tripod Mode – The speed of the drone is considerably reduced when it is in the Tripod Mode, but its controller sensitivity increases dramatically. You can use this mode while flying in limited spaces or if you are looking for detailed, cinematic shots.

Benefits

Longer, Accurate Flights – While Phantom 4 from DJI is very famous for its flight time and range; Mavic Pro is surprisingly almost similar and even better than Phantom 4 despite its smaller frame. Mavic Pro’s maximum speed is 40mph which is 5mph shy of the maximum speed of Phantom 4 but 5mph more than the highest pace of GoPro Karma.

Mavic and Phantom 4 offer an average flight time of 22 minutes on a single charge and their maximum flight times are timed at 27 minutes. Moreover, Mavic’s little controller provides a range of 4.3 miles, which is almost a mile more than the range of Phantom 4.

Compact Controller – Just like the drone, even the controller of Mavic Pro is compact. However, it features a monochrome display to provide you with all the important data. You can also connect your smartphone to the controller to see what the drone is shooting. Moreover, the controller also features a switch with the help of which you can toggle between Wi-Fi and RC mode to easily control the drone right from your smartphone.

DJI Go App – Shorter flights can be easily managed right from your smartphone with the DJI Go app. The app will provide you with two sticks on your smartphone’s screen, allowing you to easily fly the drone just like you do it with the controller. However, in the Wi-Fi mode where you will be flying the drone with your smartphone, you will only be able to fly up to an altitude of 50m and distance of 80m.

Drone Selfies – Another innovative feature of this Maverick Pro is drone selfies with a gesture. The drone makes use of its active tracking feature for this and requires you to make a hand gesture in shape of a photo frame for activating a 3-second timer after which it will take your Dronie (Drone Selfie). Moreover, there is also Precision Hovering if you are looking for longer exposure shots. Needless to say, Dronies will be very prevalent now on Facebook and Instagram.

DJI Mavic Pro Goggles – You can also buy optional goggles with Mavic Pro to enjoy the first-person view of your flights. As per several DJI Mavic reviews, the cameras are highly realistic and provide you with all the flight details right on the heads-up display. However, a major drawback here is the size of these goggles. While Mavic Pro is the most compact drone currently available in the market, the glasses are a little too big as compared to the drone and its controller. The goggles feel cumbersome and large on head, and can be very inconvenient if you partake in longer flights.

First Impression

DJI Mavic Pro is undoubtedly a great innovation in the world of drones and has successfully eliminated the portability problem. I have been using it for about two weeks now, so it is a little difficult to say how it functions on a long-term basis, however, by the looks of it, I am pretty much sure that it will continue to function flawlessly in future too. Apart from being portable, the drone also has some of the most advanced features that are well ahead of other drones. It accurate, fun and you can easily spend long hours trying all of its intelligent features.

No matter if you are a drone veteran or just a newcomer, you will surely be impressed with the features of Mavic Pro. The smart features, including active tracking, are simply outstanding and work as they promise. Even the DJI Goggles are pretty interesting but their size is a major letdown. Right from its size, features, accuracy, camera quality, to its mobile app, DJI has worked on every single aspect of this drone to make sure that it is the best drone that one can buy.

And while the drone is somewhat expensive, it is still worth the investment if you are looking to get your hands on the most compact and feature-packed drone currently available.

Why Should You Buy DJI Mavic Pro?

As you can see, DJI Mavic Pro is loaded with a lot more that you’d expect from a drone. It has a unique foldable design, standard features that have been improved massively and a powerful combination of innovative features that are sure to add up to your drone flying experience. And the best thing is, everything about this drone is simple. While you might need some practice with some features, like the Sport Mode, nothing is too complicated or exclusively dedicated to the drone veterans. If you are looking to buy an advanced quadcopter and don’t mind spending a little more for the features, DJI Mavic Pro is clearly an excellent choice for you.

Conclusion

Every significant aspect of this quadcopter has been covered in this DJI Mavic review, however, if you have any queries about this drone or simply want to share your experience of using this drone, send them to us with the help of the comments section available below. And if you are looking for other great drones or advanced security tools, like Smart Cameras, Smart Locks, Doorbells, Smart Thermostats, etc. make sure that you check other pages of our website. We have reviewed some of the best products for you!