Don’t stop smoothin’ Fresh from last issue’s fly-by-wire thrills with the DJI FPV, Stuff swaps to something a little more sedate that’s engineered to capture ultra-stable content from R21 000 / takealot.com
The included charger takes around 80mins to fill up a depleted battery, so maybe pack a spare.
DJI’s status as overlord of the consumer drone world is pretty much unchallenged, but there’s no sign of laurel-resting from the Chinese company. This is the Air 2S, a souped-up version of the Mavic Air 2 that’s the same shape and size, but drops the ‘Mavic’ while upgrading the camera, obstacle-avoidance systems and transmission range. At R4 200 more than the Mavic Air 2, we’ve got two weeks of
capturing videos and snapping photos to decide whether this is a worthwhile upgrade. At first glance the Air 2S is virtually indistinguishable from the Mavic Air 2: a rectangular block with four fold-out rotor arms and a gimbal-mounted camera on the underside of the nose. But the camera is slightly larger, and a pair of up-facing anti-collision sensors have been added. When folded it’s roughly
The camera is fantastic for a drone this size, turning out super-sharp photos and videos with stunning colour depth
the size of a beer can and tucks away in a backpack. It’s light too, but not so light that you can use it overseas without registering it with the local regulator. It’s also reassuringly sturdy in spite of its folding design and preponderance of spindly bits. The rotor blades fold in so you don’t have to take them off, while the camera and its delicate gimbal can be protected with a pop-off plastic cover. The battery locks in place securely, while flush flaps cover the microSD card slot and USB-C file-transfer port. The controller will be familiar to DJI owners. It’s not new, but
neither does it need to be, with physical controls for gimbal tilt, taking photos or video, and automatic return to your take-off point without needing to touch your phone. The thumb-sticks can be removed for transport, with DJI thoughtfully including a place within the controller to stash them. There’s also a spring-loaded grip to hold your phone and connect via USB-C, microUSB or Lightning. DJI has sent us the ‘Fly More’ package: for R27 800 you get two extra batteries, spare rotors and a carry case. That seems like a decent deal.
