DJI Mavic Pro 2 Rumors
DJI has established itself as a market leader in the sale and manufacture of drones. DJI's Mavic Pro Drone is one of the top drones in the compact drone market, and has a ton of features to match. The drone was originally released in October 2016, and an upgraded version, the DJI Mavic Pro Platinum was released in August 2017 and included a number of upgrades over the original.
As the drone market is ever changing, we must look to the future of the Mavic series of drones. What will DJI include in the next generation Mavic Pro? Read this RC Hobby Review article On The Mavic 2 for the latest news and rumors, as well as our wish list of features for the next in this popular series.
Update 8/23/2018
The Mavic Pro 2 and Mavic Pro 2 Zoom are here check them out below:
DJI Mavic Pro 2
DJI is very good at keeping their new drones under wraps until they are announced, and the DJI Mavic Pro 2 is no exception. Therefore, everything written in this article is pure speculation and subject to change.
That being said, let us go through the current list of rumors surrounding the next generation Mavic.
Mavic 2 Release Date:
The Mavic Pro 2 is expected to be released by DJI in 2018. Looking at previous releases of drones, the Mavic was released in October 2016, and the refreshed version was released in September 2017. Going off these estimates, the Mavic Pro 2 is likely to be released in Quarter 3-4, 2018. However, DJI has announced there will be a big event named, "See The Bigger Picture" on July 18th, 2018 at 10am in New York... Could it be coming earlier than suspected?
Price:
The DJI Mavic Pro currently sells for $899 (drone only), and the Mavic Pro Platinum sells for $1099 (drone only). The Mavic Pro 2, with its extra feature set, is expected to sell at the higher price bracket of between $900 and $1100.
Size and Build Quality
The Mavic Pro made waves for packing a bunch of great features into a body which is less than 1 liter in volume and folds to be easily carried in a bag or pouch. The Mavic Pro 2 is widely expected to continue this trend of being compact, while not sacrificing too much in terms of features.
One of the potential improvements noted in the original Mavic Pro was that the foldable 'joints', although innovative, was flimsy and could break if not treated properly. These joints could be made stronger in the Mavic Pro 2.
Additionally, the Mavic Pro 2 could have some form of water resistance built in. Given the amount of users who take their drones to the beach, the seaside or like to use it in all weather conditions, having water resistance would protect the drone as well as increase its durability.
Mavic Pro 2 Camera & Gimbal
The original Mavic Pro comes with a 3 axis stabilized 4K, 12 megapixel camera and is one of the drones best selling points, noted for its clear image and stable video footage. However, the camera was noted in reviews for stuttering, especially when shooting videos at 60 frames per second.
The protective cover which helps guard the camera from debris and other objects was also noted as being quite thin and flimsy.
The Mavic Pro 2 will certainly look to improve the quality of the camera, potentially by including a larger 1 inch photo sensor, already found in its Phantom line of drones (a larger sensor helps improve the quality of footage in low light situations). A larger field of view would also be welcome, particularly as the drone is great for taking shots of wide landscapes.
The Mavic Pro 2 could also come with a detachable camera, like the GoPro Karma drone – this could lead to some great customization options for those who want to take their aerial photography to the next level.
Drone flight features:
The original Mavic Pro came with a bunch of flight features such as obstacle collision detection during flight and a 'return to home' feature (which makes the drone fly back to you when it is low on battery). However, there are some definite improvements that we could see in the Mavic Pro 2, which would make the drone flying experience even better.
The original Mavic Pro only has front camera sensors for its obstacle avoidance. While they do the job, having side or rear sensors would make the feature even better and efficient. This would make a huge difference while flying the drone, and would help protect the drone from a nasty accident.
DJI recently introduced several new flight features in its latest new drone, the DJI Spark. These features include:
- Facial recognition (where the drone is able to sense your face, follow you around and take photos of you automatically)
- Gesture control (where you can use gestures to control the drone without the need of a controller, such as taking photos, selfies or video)
- Palm takeoffs/landings (where the drone can take off and land from your palm).
These features make the DJI Spark awesome to use for the casual user, and add an element of fun to using the drone. These features should be included in the Mavic Pro 2 and would take the drone experience to the next level.
Drone speed, flight time and distance:
The Mavic Pro has a great top speed of 40 mph. This is by no means a bad top speed, but is not the fastest drone in DJI's line up (the Inspire 2 drone has a reported top speed of 67mph). Being able to fly faster when required is a great advantage when it comes to increasing the total range and flexibility of the drone to capture different events.
The Mavic Pro has a rated battery life of up to 25 minutes flight time (dependent on conditions). While this is above average in the market, DJI should aim for a larger battery or more power efficient motors to ensure that this figure goes above 35-40 minutes. This extra time gives drone users the power and the freedom to experiment with different shots and angles without fear of the drone dropping out of the sky.
Battery technology could also be improved in the Mavic Pro 2. The current technology in batteries is lithium polymer batteries. While these are relatively power efficient and charge quickly, they are not able to withstand use in lower temperature conditions, meaning that the drone can't be used in situations such as on mountaintops etc. This could be improved by switching the battery to lithium ion batteries, which can be used in temperatures up to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most drone users like to operate their drone within their line of sight, so they don't lose their precious investment. However, some daring users like to explore with their drones and are not afraid of letting the drone fly out of sight. The Mavic Pro has a range of up to 4.3 miles from the controller. The Mavic Pro 2 is expected to increase this range even further, by being able to fly up to 5 miles from the controller. The extra speed and flight time all help to increase the effective range of the drone.
Check out some footage of the current DJI Mavic Pro below!
Conclusion
2018 is set to be a great year for drones and drone enthusiasts worldwide. We all wait with bated breath to see what DJI has in store for its great Mavic line of drones!
