đ¤ In this review, we will look at all that makes the DJI Mavic Pro and Pro Platinum great drones but also understand what are their limits and what are the other options out there based on your needs. This article contains some affiliated links which helps Dronemade keep free and power ever more drone resources to you.
But before anything, here's the official trail video from DJI, the manufacturer of the Mavic Pro. Time to grab some đż and enjoy this short and exciting video!
As you've found out the Mavic is a great piece of technology that is great for weekend and weekly explorers looking to capture their best memories from a different angle and realise awesome aerial clips to share with their loved ones. (The Mavic Pro is the drone that motivated us to start Dronemade!). This drone features some of the best technology available to date for DJI models, but is packed into a small, carry-able, compact format making it the ultimate travel companion.
The DJI Mavic (Pro and Pro Platinum) in a nutshell
â There are 2 versions of the Mavic; Mavic Pro & Mavic Pro Platinum. To keep things easy we will compare them alongside as only a few things change really. Its easy to get confused these days with the Mavic 2 Pro which is the newest model. If you're after the latest version, check out our Mavic 2 Guide. Back to our Mavic Pro and Pro Platinum, all other specs such as the battery and functions are strictly similar. Overall Mavic(s) are an incredible piece of technology that will not disappoint you or let you down when in need of reliable equipment. Some of their features are frankly quite outstanding considering their size and if you consider they are already 2 years old but still stand way ahead of many other drone models coming out today.
Front obstacle avoidance: now this sound like a swear word but it is basically one of the first drones that has an obstacle sensor system that can sense obstacles up to 15 m ahead and land safely if needed.
Return to home: if you loose control or signal, the drone can automatically come back to its starting point by flying up to 30 m and using its obstacle avoidance system.
Mechanical Gimbal Stabilization: your imagery will be stable and neat, no more blurred content and hello to wow effect homemade aerial videos.
đ¨ It is not all perfect tho.. as some aspects (usually untold) might pull you off such as:
Price: the Mavic remains an expensive drone and it can be scary if considering a first drone purchase to see so much money flying in the air (literally). Although, since the Mavic 2 came out, its price has decreased sharply.
Integrated camera: whilst the camera is great today, it is fixed to the drone meaning if you want a better lens, you will need to change of drone.
Potential lens condensation: if you store your drone for too long in humid places, it might have have an impact on your lens which will need to be dried up. But turns out rice is all you will need to fix it.. find our experience feedack here.
â Other good news is that alike all DJI drones, your Mavic Pro and Pro Platinum comes with the DJI App and offers intelligent flight modes and intuitive controls help you create cinematic aerial videos with just a few taps (see below). You can also automatically edit templates and an array of filters to share them straight to social media.
What intelligent flight modes come with my DJI Mavic Pro & Pro Platinum?
Tapfly: envision your shot and the drone captures it for you. Tap your phone screen and your Mavic will fly in the direction of your tap or exactly where you tapped while actively sensing obstacles. Capture shot after shot with just your fingertips.
ActiveTrack: Your Mavic automatically recognises objects of different shapes and sizes then tracks them according to what they are and how fast they move. This makes tracking much easier and more reliable. You can either "trace" or "profile" (following from a fixed perspective) your subject.
Gesture: Select the right mode, put your arms in the air to form a Y, then form a rectangle snapshot with your fingers and your drone will take a picture of you without even needing the remote making it truly unique. (see photo on the right).
Point of interest: fly above your subject or target, set it as your point of interest, fly a little backwards and let your Mavic circle around it making an epic 360° video.
What about the Mavic's camera specs?
Its pretty good for its price, really good actually... We've personally been using it for 2 years and it never failed us so far except this time...
â 4K videos: at 30 frame per second
â HD videos: at 96 frame per second
â 12-megapixel (mp) photos.
The camera is the same on the Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum, it is stabilised by a 3 axis gimbal stabilisation system which we must say is very efficient!
Photos are jut as nice with a RAW format available provided by Adobe DNG.
Does the image transmit well to my remote while flying my Mavic?
This is one difference quite notable between the two models as your Mavic Pro Platinum will give live HD (1080px) streaming on your screen while your Mavic Pro stays at 720px which remains enough if wanting to see where you're about while flying.
Video feed: stream live from your Mavic drone up to a distance of 7 kms!
â All this tech packed into one small drone makes it one of the best tools for stunning photos and videos. Our take is that if you're you're not to fussy about the live stream content on your remote, the Mavic Pro will be your better bet as a little cheaper.
đĄ If you want the real deal then you should consider the DJI Goggles (FPV). Switch to Sport Mode and unleash the drone's speed potential. Sport Mode sets the gimbal mode to FPV by default, so the camera moves with you as you fly.
How well will my Mavic fly?
This is probably one of the biggest differences between the Mavic Pro and the Mavic Pro Platinum as DJI insists on the Mavic Pro Platinum's battery life being about 10% longer in similar conditions. Now this is due to 2 reasons:
the propellers of the Mavic Pro Platinum have a more aerodynamic shape allowing longer and quieter flights (which is a great thing!)
the operating system has been improved giving you 3 extra minutes of flight time with your Mavic Pro Platinum compared to the Mavic Pro in similar conditions.
đĄ Now what's less told is that the new propellers of your Mavic Pro Platinum are compatible with your Mavic Pro model. This means that for as little as $10, you could switch your drone's propellers and set yourself off for a few more minutes of quieter flights. Get your propellers on Amazon (we've done it and its works 100%)
đĄNow If you wanna go a step above, you can also get the rechargeable led light propellers creating a really cool night flight effect as if a spaceship was landing near you each time.
You can find them for quite cheap on Amazon:
â Weighting only a little more than 700 g, both models are really well adapted for backpack adventure seekers and explorers.
Flight performance
Your DJI Mavic is very solid and has one of the longest battery lives in the world of drones still today despite being over 2 years old. Both models can fly up to 7 kms away from you with Full HD (FHD) Wi-Fi technology allows for 1080p real-time video transmission. It can also reach up to 65 km / h and fly for a duration of up to 31 mins per fully charged battery.
Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum batteries
Your Mavic's Intelligent Flight Battery has a capacity of 3830 mAh and a voltage of 11.4 V. Mavic uses a high energy density LiPo battery for optimal performance. Additionally, the batteries estimates remaining flight time, letting you know when to land in real-time.
â The great news is that both model's batteries are compatible with each other. In other words, If you have spare Mavic Pro batteries, they will work on your Mavic Pro Platinum drone.
đĄ Spare drone batteries are a must when travelling overseas, they give you more autonomy to fly and take pictures during your trips.
â The low voltage of your Mavic drone battery is compatible will most airline carry on bag policies. Find out more info about from your favourite airline here.
What are the other options out there?
"Coming soon"
Where can I buy my DJI Mavic Pro or Pro Platinum drone?
Anywhere is probably the best answer.. but as it is a common drone, we simply recommend you where you will find it cheapest. Finding spare parts is easy in many countries. You can purchase it or compare online via this offer below
If you want to be absolutely certain that you're not getting ripped off, then you can buy with peace of mind at the Official DJI Store for a little more money (usually).
đ Our final thoughts is that the DJI Mavic models remain two of the best adventure drones available on the market. We personally and gladly recommend anyone looking for a first (good) drone purchase. Considering the Mavic Pro models are made by DJI, the number one drone consumer drone manufacturer, its no surprise that this is a great purchase that will please you for hours and maybe even help you get some returns on it.
We hope you enjoyed this review and that it helped you understand a little more about your next exciting purchase. By doing it via one of our affiliate links, you are helping us remaining free and deliver ever more resources to the community, thank you!