The Best Drone on the Market - DJI Mavic Pro

The DJI Mavic Pro... (dramatic pause)... This camera drone is easily the best drone on the market. It appeals to beginners looking to purchase their first prosumer drone as well as professional video makers looking to up their game without shelling out a huge sum of money for a drone five times bigger and heavier. And why wouldn't it be? It simply is a magnificent machine. The DJI Mavic Pro is feature-packed all in a form factor that fits in your pocket...literally.

Portability: 10 out of 10

Portability is indeed all the rage right now for consumer or prosumer drones (also known as UAVs or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). If you told me a year ago that there was a camera drone that could do everything the DJI Phantom 4 could, but folds into the size of a small water bottle, I would say you're lying. Well, that was last year, and here we are. Weighing in at just 1.62lbs (739g) and measuring at about 3.27" x 3.27" x 7.8" (83mm x 83mm x 198mm) when folded, the DJI Mavic Pro is half the size than DJI's flagship series, the Phantom 4 which weighs 1,395g (3.07lbs). It is also much slimmer due to the way that its propellers fold in over the body making it small enough to fit into a backpack or a purse. It just redefines the portability segment and manages to make the GoPro Karma huge and bulky despite it being marketed in the same segment. Not only is this drone small, its controller is also relatively tiny without sacrificing many of the great features. It will hold most phones or even an iPad Mini once its all folded out.

Build Quality: 10 out of 10

So, being lightweight, small and having folding hinges, the DJI Mavic Pro has got to be flimsy and made out of thin plastic right? ...WRONG. The Mavic Pro is one of the toughest little flying beasts that's out on the market. We still don't think it'll survive a Red Bull Stratos Space Jump, but a crash into a grass field from 30 feet should have little effect to the Mavic Pro.

Camera Quality: 9 out of 10

Rocking a miniature 4K camera capable of 4K video at 30 fps and full 1080p HD at 96 fps, it uses the same sensor as the Phantom 4. It has a 12-megapixel camera supporting Adobe DNG RAW. The field of view is a slightly smaller, shrinking from 94 degrees down to 78. The Mavic camera doubles as the brushless gimbal motor for the roll axis for physical stabilization rather than digital stabilization that is more common in other models. And if you're worried about damaging the camera and gimbal, just leave the clear dome-shaped protector on when you fly. The DJI Mavic Pro also includes a tap-to-focus feature which is more suitable for shots within 25 meters, which could be a little of a nuisance, as I never had to worry about tapping the screen to focus. The Mavic uses the same infinite focus found on the Phantom 4. Tiny doesn't necessarily loss of quality. Overall, the footage looks fantastic considering the size of the camera, and for those long-exposure buffs, it supports an 8-second exposure for stills.

Battery Life (9 out of 10)

With a capacity of 3830mAh the Mavic’s Intelligent Flight Batteries give it a whopping flight time of up to 27 minutes. Although, in normal flying conditions I could only get up to 23 minutes before the auto return kicks in. Four LEDs display both the status and the remaining power of the battery, and you can check the battery level and status in real-time during a flight through the DJI GO app. Additionally, with advanced smart charging, the battery will automatically stop charging when full and slowly discharge at a safe rate.

Speed and Range (10 out of 10)

Just like the Phantom 4, the Mavic also comes in Sport Mode. Apart from the freedom of flying your drone however you wish, the DJI Mavic Pro has a top speed of 40 mph (65kph) when in Sport Mode. It also has a max ascent speed of 16.4 ft/s (5 m/s). Comparatively, this is a little slower than the Phantom 4, which has a top speed of 45mph. But the magic comes in when you're looking for range. Inside the DJI Mavic’s pocket-friendly remote controller is DJI’s brand new OcuSync transmission technology, a step up from the Phantom's Lightbridge technology. With a huge transmission range of 4.3mi (7km) on a clear day with little inteference, it is did pretty well streaming beautiful HD 720p quality at long range and Full HD 1080p at short range.

Smart Features (10 out of 10)

The Mavic Pro is not only smart in the design department but also with its built-in features. The Mavic uses FlightAutonomy technology to sense obstacles and allows it to avoid them. This is basically a combination of forward and downward sensors, plus GPS & GLONASS positioning working together to keep you flying safely. These sensors will allow you to hover precisely indoors as well where there is no GPS signal. Other features include ActiveTrack, which allows drone with a camera to follow you automatically by just drawing a box around your subject, in this case - you, on the screen. There's Points of Interest, which automatically circles your target giving smooth 360 shots of your subject, and Waypoints, which lets you move the drone precisely between points in space. Another feature is Tap to fly, which lets you smoothly advance forward, steering the drone by tapping your phone screen. Now the modes above are not new, but some I have never seen before are such as the Gesture mode, which lets you wave at the thing to tell it to take a selfie of you, and Tripod mode, which slows the drone down to give you precise shots, particularly for indoor work. Now for whatever reason if you think lugging the full Mavic set around a little burdensome... (seriously?), then why not leave the controller at home and just fly it using your phone. Although, you better be dead sure you know what you're doing without physical joysticks.

Overall (9.5 out of 10)

In a nutshell, you can't really go wrong with the DJI Mavic Pro. It is one of the most advanced, most portable, and well built drones on the market. I consider it the best drone on the market now. There are drones with better cameras, but they're a lot bigger. And there's smaller drones, but they're not pro-level video tools. The Mavic perfectly balances between these two. Perfect for commercial use, or just as a hobby gadget that you can throw into your backpack, it simply is a beautiful machine. At the time of writing, the DJI Mavic Pro is priced at ==> $999.00 for the standard package, and ==> $1,299.00 for the FlyMore Combo The Combo or bundle comes with the Remote, 3 Batteries, 16GB MicroSD, Charging Hub, Car Charger, Power Bank Adapter, Shoulder Bag. If you prefer getting a more comprehensive package with more memory space and better travel protection for your drone, you may want to ==>>CLICK HERE!