With a 1-inch 20MP sensor, powerful autonomous functions, and a compact body weighing less than 600 g, DJI Air 2S is the ultimate all-in-one camera drone. Bring this aerial powerhouse along anywhere to capture and experience every epic detail of your world.
The Mavic Air 2S’s camera sensor is the same size as what you get in the higher-end Mavic 2 Pro. It’s much larger than the half-inch sensor used in last year’s Air 2. The Air 2S should shoot almost equally good photos and better video as the Mavic 2 Pro, at least on paper.

Once you switch to 4K 60fps, though, the highest 4K frame rate you can capture, there will be some significant cropping because it isn’t using the full one-inch sensor in that mode. It looks roughly like a 1.3x crop to my eyes, but DJI wouldn’t confirm exactly how much crop there is. That shouldn’t discourage you from using 4K / 60fps. The video quality still holds up and the image looks great in the final result. But if you’re just comparing spec sheets, you won’t see that there’s a crop in this mode.

That also might explain why the Air 2S has a slightly wider focal length than others in the Mavic lineup. When using the full one-inch sensor, the focal length is 22mm. Typically, DJI drones are either 24 or 28mm. I personally like the slightly wider look, but if you prefer a tighter composition, you can use the built-in digital zoom or crop in edit.

The digital zoom availability depends on which shooting mode you’re in. In 1080p / 60fps, you can zoom 6x; 1080p / 30fps lets you zoom 8x; 4K / 60 up to 3x; 4K / 30 has 4x zoom; and lastly there’s no digital zoom at all when in 5.4K. Historically, digital zoom is not something that tickles my fancy, but having a one-inch sensor with a max resolution of 5.4K really helps here and the loss in quality isn’t that steep. Even at 3x, you can capture some very usable footage.

This the footage from Dji Air 2s

However, here’s where we get to another caveat: none of this matters if you’re filming in D-Log or HDR because you can’t zoom in while shooting in any of those color profiles, only the standard color profile. You have to do all your zooming and cropping again after the fact in the edit when you shoot in either of these modes.

Also, you can’t use the digital zoom at all while taking photos, which is a bit perplexing. There’s another caveat between color profiles: the maximum ISO in D-Log color profile is 1600, while the standard color profile goes up to 3200. For comparison, the Mavic 2 Pro’s max ISO in standard color profile is 6400. It’s not a dealbreaker, but like the 4K 60 crop, it’s good to be aware of it.

The Air 2S also debuts a new automated flight mode called SmartShots. Once you activate it, the drone takes a few minutes to capture a few pre-programmed videos. It has options like wide circular shots, tight circular shots, dronies, top-downs, and so on. It records five to ten “must-have” clips, and the app automatically generates a short edit. It’s like the slideshows on GoPro’s Quik iOS app but for drones. It’s a great option for less experienced pilots who just want something reliable and easy to share with their friends.

One big selling point of the Air 2 was the ability to shoot 48-megapixel photos with the help of pixel binning. You won’t have that option here, but I’d always choose sensor size over pure resolution, and the Mavic Air 2S proved me right. The photos look phenomenal. As someone who prefers taking drone photos over video, having a one-inch sensor in a smaller body than the Mavic 2 Pro is a dream come true. Both drones take 20-megapixel photos, but there are a few noticeable differences.

There’s the focal length I mentioned earlier, but also the dynamic range on the 2 Pro is better. It offers 14 stops compared to 12.4 stops on the new Air 2S, which helps keep your sky from blowing out in high-contrast scenes. Sure, you lose a bit of information to work with, but the difference is not super noticeable. Photos look impressive at both low and higher ISOs. You’ll also be missing out on that Hasselblad color science, if that’s worth anything to you.ceable differences.

The Mavic 2 Pro does have one big feature over the Air 2S: adjustable aperture. That’s useful for both photos and video and gives you another control point when trying to nail the perfect exposure. On the Air 2S, the only controls you have are for ISO and shutter speed, so DJI has included a set of ND filters in its Fly More bundle ($1,299, also includes extra batteries and other accessories) to allow you to limit the amount of light coming into the lens.


Specs DJI Air 2S

Takeoff Weight
595 g

Max Ascent Speed
6 m/s (S Mode)
6 m/s (N Mode)

Max Descent Speed
6 m/s (S Mode)
6 m/s (N Mode)

Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level
5000 m

Max Flight Time (no wind)
31 minutes

Max Hovering Time (no wind)
30 minutes

Max Flight Distance (no wind)
18.5 km

Max Flight Speed (near sea level, no wind)
19 m/s (S Mode)
15 m/s (N Mode)
5 m/s (C Mode)

Max Wind Speed Resistance
10.7 m/s

Operating Frequency
2.4 GHz
5.8 GHz

Propellers
Quick release, low noise, folding

Aircraft Arms
Foldable

GNSS
GPS+GLONASS+GALILEO

Compass
Single Compass

IMU
Single IMU

Internal Storage
8 GB

Price start 999 USD