DJI Mavic Mini vs DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone Comparison

Spec Comparison of the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Mavic Air 2

The newest DJI camera drone releases are the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Mavic Air 2, we put them up against each other in this spec and feature comparison.

Two of DJIs cheapest film making and aerial photography drones, they cost $499 for the Mini and twice that for the Mavic Air 2 at $999. How does this stack up in feature comparisons?

Both being very new to the market, with the mini being released just before the end of 2019 and the Mavic Air 2 a new film making drone for May 2020 they are both folding camera drones and offer the entry level enthusiast great offerings depending on what they are after.

When folded the Mavic Air 2 is just over 8cm longer diagonally than the Mavic Mini which isn't a lot, but that is over a third of the entire length of the Mavic Mini, which shows how small of a drone that is.

When comparing the dimensions, every side is smaller on the Mini and it's easier to see the difference when you compare the volume.

The Mavic Mini is just over 2 fizzy pop cans in volume at 654cm³ and the Mavic Air 2 is just over double that at 1466cm³ when folded up in it's smallest configuration. This is just a little bit bigger than a large bottle of wine if you want to think of something you could compare to.

The weight is also just over double too, the Mavic Mini having the world famous 249 grams and the Mavic Air 2 coming in at 570 grams take off weight, including the battery.

The field of view is just 1 degree larger with the Mavic Air 2 at 84° and the Mavic Mini having 83° so this difference would barely be noticeable when up in the skies filming and taking photos with your drone.

From here, the differences start to get bigger and bigger, starting with the top speed of 68kmh for the Mavic Air 2 and 46 kmh for the Mavic Mini, this is an increase of 22kmh over the smaller DJI camera drone.

Their ascent speeds are the same but the descent is 1m/s faster with the MA2.

Max flight altitude and transmission distance is 3000m and 4km for the Mavic Mini and a whopping 10km transmission distance and 5000m for the Mavic Air 2.

You also get a slightly longer flight time of 34 minutes which is great for setting the drone up, taking off, getting in to position and taking the shot, you'll probably have 30 minutes or more remaining as you are taking your first composition or video shot.

Photo and Video Comparison of the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Mavic Air 2

Off the bat, you get three times the size in video bitrate, from 40 mbps for the Mavic Mini, to 120 mbps for the Mavic Air 2. This doesn't exactly mean three times the video quality but it does mean you'll have more data to work with in the bigger video files.

The MA2 uses a slightly larger image sensor of 1/2" which is 8mm diagonal size, compared to the 1/2.3" of the MM.

This and software feature improvements means that the Mavic Air 2 can take 48mp still images in JPEG but also offers 12mp RAW photos and DNG files.

In teh video department you get some of the best frame rate options of any camera drone with the Mavic Air 2, having 8x slow mo capabilities at 1080p and 240fps to play with for incredible slow motion footage in high definition.

There are a number more video resolutions and frame rate options on the MA2 compared to the minimal selection on the Mavic Mini of 1080p at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps and 2.7k at 30fps.

You also get more photo and video auto modes and shooting features, more Quick Shot options and cinematic features such as active tracking, point of interest and all this is topped with HDR video mode and D-Cinelike so that means extra large video files with more information to do some tasty post colour grading on to make them look even better.

Summary

If you want a simple pocket camera drone that can get you in to film making and aerial photography, it's hard to go wrong with the Mavic Mini.

If you want more options, you want to take hyperlapses in the sky or play around with d-cinelike and color grading in post and don't mind the extra size or weight, the DJI Mavic Air 2 is a fantastic option.