With spec leaks the talk of the town as we inch closer to the Mavic 4 Pro‘s inevitable release, how will it compare to what is already for sale? Will it be worth the wait or should you just order an Air and Mini drone now? Let’s see.
The Mavic series of drones is meant for a more advanced user compared to the Air and Mini lineups. I usually suggest that if you’re interested in purchasing a Mavic, then you should fall into one of two groups: either you already make money flying drones with a cheaper drone, or you have a decent amount of disposable income.
If you don’t have either, then I usually suggest you don’t purchase a Mavic and look at the Mini 4 Pro or Air 3S to see if they can fit the specifics of what you need.
Mavic 4 Pro vs Air 3S vs Mini 4 Pro
| Mavic 4 Pro | Mavic 3 Pro | Air 3S | Mini 4 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Camera | Next Gen 4/3 CMOS, 100 MP, 6K/60 | 24mm, 4/3 CMOS, 50 MP, 5.1K/50 | 24mm, 1-inch CMOS, 48 MP, 4K/120 | 24mm, 1/1.3″ CMOS, 48 MP, 4K/100 |
| Med-Telecamera | 70mm, 1/1.3″ CMOS, 48 MP, 4K/100 | 70mm, 1/1.3″ CMOS, 48 MP, 4K/60 | 70mm, 1/1.3″ CMOS, 48 MP, 4K/120 | N/A |
| Telecamera | 168mm, 1/1.5″ CMOS, 50 MP, 4K/100 | 166mm, 1/2″ CMOS, 12 MP, 4K/60 | N/A | N/A |
| Obstacle sensing | Omnidirectional: up, down, left, right, backwards, forward facing LiDAR | Omnidirectional: up, down, left, right, backwards | Omnidirectional: up, down, left, right, backwards, forward facing LiDAR | Omnidirectional: up, down, left, right, backwards |
| Special features | Infinity gimbal, 360 degree rotating payload | N/A | N/A | True-vertical filming |
| Max takeoff alt. | 6,000 m | 6,000 m | 6,000 m | 3,000 m |
| Max wind resistance | 12 m/s | 12 m/s | 12 m/s | 10.7 m/s |
| Max speed | 25 m/s | 21 m/s | 21 m/s | 16 m/s |
| Flight time | 51 minutes | 43 minutes | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
| Max Transmission range | 30 km | 28 km | 32 km | 25 km |
| Weight | 1,063 g | 958 g | 724 g | <249 g* |
| Internal storage | 512 GB | 8 GB | 42 GB | 2 GB |
| Transmission System | O4+ | O3+ | O4 | O4 |
On paper, the Mavic 4 Pro doesn’t look like a massive upgrade, although the actual value will likely come from the software rather than the hardware. A more powerful chip will also likely be included, which will enable better obstacle avoidance using that new front-facing LiDAR.
Actually, the leaked photos of the Mavic 4 Pro seem to show the LiDAR sensors being on the front legs rather than directly above the camera payload on the Air 3S.
The hardware change that is most exciting, at least to try out, is the 360-degree rotating camera payload. This is likely why the design of the Mavic 4 Pro looks like a flying PTZ camera, because it basically is.
I’m not sure what this will really give to traditional drone pilots, although I can see some new creative options. The biggest pro I can imagine is true vertical photos and video from its cameras, just like the Mini 4 Pro.
However, this edition could have big use cases in the enterprise market, allowing basically free roam of the camera to see up, down, left, or right of the drone during inspections or mapping.
May 13 is the current rumored release date for the Mavic 4 Pro, with the official teaser potentially coming the week before. More leaks are expected to come out beforehand, so we’ll get an even better picture of what DJI has in store before the official release.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments