DJI Air 2S | Review
How it's made
The design of the body is almost identical to that of the predecessor, except for the presence of two additional obstacle sensors on the front. The "four eyes" design is perhaps not the most elegant, but it is functional and will probably allow us in the future (currently this feature is not present) to see the APAS - dodge obstacles - even in sport mode.What stands out most is certainly the huge camera mounted on the three-axis gimbal, well integrated into the design of the drone. The battery is extracted upwards, the sensors and LEDs at the bottom are the same as the previous model. In short, you understand why it was called Air 2S instead of Air 3.
DJI Air 2S Mavic Air 2 Mavic 2 Pro Camera Sensor 1 "
20 MP, 2.4μm
22mm, f / 2.8 1/2 "sensor
48 MP, 0.8μm
24mm, f / 2.8 1"
20 MP, 2.4μm sensor
28mm, f / 2.8-f / 11 Video transmission system O3 (renamed from OcuSync 3.0)
4 Antennas
12 km, 1080P OcuSync 2.0
Double antenna
10 km, 1080P OcuSync 2.0
Double antenna
10 km, 1080P Flight time 31 minutes 34 minutes 31 minutes New functions and basic intelligent functions MasterShots
APAS 4.0
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Spotlight 2.0, ActiveTrack 4.0
Point of Interest (POI) 3.0 APAS 3.0
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Spotlight 2.0, ActiveTrack 3.0
Point of Interest (POI) 3.0 APAS
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Spotlight
ActiveTrack 2.0
Point of Interest (POI) 2.0 Environmental Sensing System Front, Rear, Top, Bottom Front, Rear, Bottom Front, Rear, Bottom, Left and Right Maximum video resolution and frame rate 5.4K / 30fps
4K / 60fps 4K / 60fps 4K / 30fps Photo resolution (max.) 20 MP 48 MP 20 MP Portability and weight High
595 g High
570 g Medium
907 g
The remote control
The remote control is also “recycled”, not from the Mavic Air 2: this new Air 2S uses Ocusync 3.0, the same controller as the more recent Mavic Mini 2.Ergonomics are of the highest level: Ocusync 3.0 holds well in the hand, is well balanced even when inserting a rather heavy smartphone and is precise in the movements of the sticks. This radio control with four antennas guarantees 12km of signal on the card, however in Europe they are always limited to 4km for reasons of signal strength regulations.
First flight
The battery (or the three batteries, depending on whether you have purchased the basic version or the "Combo" version) arrives in hibernation to better keep it in stock, and it will therefore be mandatory to recharge it up to 100% the first time in order to activate them. The charger has an additional USB port, which allows the remote control to be recharged at the same time.Before flying the drone it will be necessary to mount the propellers, pressing them down and rotating them in order to hook the quick mechanism release; you will then need to remove the protection from the gimbal. Once the batteries are charged, we can turn on the drone with a short click followed by a long one on the battery button. The same procedure will turn on the remote control.
Once you have downloaded the DJI Fly app on your smartphone and connected it to the remote control with the supplied USB cable, you will certainly be asked to update the firmware before being ready for take-off. In the meantime, a visual tutorial integrated into the application guides even beginners step by step up to operating the drone in total safety.
Technical innovations
If from an aesthetic point of view the differences with the Mavic Air 2 are few, the same cannot be said for technologies. The new DJI Air 2S features several novelties: on board we find Ocusync in version 3.0, APAS - the system that allows the drone to more intelligently identify the surrounding environment and create better routes with smoother movements - in version 4.0 and Active Track. , also now in version v4.0.The HLG profile has also been introduced for the camera and the "master shots", automatic scenarios with complex routes that allow even a beginner to obtain incredible cinematic shots .
Autonomy
Although the batteries are exactly the same as the Mavic Air 2, the duration drops from 34 to 31 minutes. The reasons are almost certainly the heavier camera and the more powerful processor, necessary to manage the new obstacle sensors which, we remember, are cameras and therefore entire video streams more to be managed in real time.Con the new DJI Air 2S also increases the price of the Fly More Combo version, 300 euros higher than that of the Basic variant. The difference is greater than that seen with the Mavic Air 2, where the package with additional batteries cost "only" 200 euros more.
We have not found a real reason that explains the increase in the price of the batteries, but we are sure that those who owned the Combo of the previous model will hold onto the extra battery they already have.
Camera
A drone is after all a flying camera, and if you change the camera change the whole drone; from this point of view, the DJI Air 2S has undergone a truly drastic change.It goes from a 1/2 ”sensor to a full inch one, capable of capturing four times as much light. Furthermore, the number of hardware pixels decreases (from 48 to 20), but the pixels actually usable increase, given that the 48MP of the Mavic Air 2 were used in quad bayer mode, thus resulting in all respects 12. This more than halving the number of hardware pixels allows you to have incredibly larger ones (2.4um against the 0.8um of the Air 2 sensor) capturing more light once again.
Given the ability to capture so much light, shooting at sunset and in low light conditions this drone is truly incredible.
Verdict
DJI Air 2S is a jewel of a camera, a flying concentrate of technology that is able to offer incredible satisfaction to hobbyists and amazing video quality to professionals, configuring itself as a drone so high-end that it completely steals the market from the now obsolete Mavic 2 Pro. DJI makes this move clearly in view of the imminent launch of a very expensive mo Mavic 3 Pro, which will probably occupy the professional market segment vacated by the Phantom series.Given the qualities and features, we give our Award to this incredible DJI Air 2S, which could truly be the best buy for the whole of 2021.
