The DJI Avata is my favorite drone for people who want one He flies, Not just the movie. The starter set comes with a stick and goggles that allow you to jump and soar to your heart's content with a first-person view of the sky. But you may not want to buy the original Avata anymore — because the just-announced DJI Avata 2 looks better for hundreds of dollars less.
After weeks of leaks, DJI is finally revealing the Avata 2, and we've been playing with it for several days. It looks better, flies better, lasts longer, and most importantly, the set you want with the goggles and controller starts at just $999 — less than the $1,388 you'll pay for the OG or the $1,278 after DJI replaces the original set of goggles for the model A little cheaper and more comfortable. You can also purchase the new custom-made drone for $489, less than the $629 price DJI charged for the original.
There's a lot of changes to cover here, and it certainly isn't everyone Impressive as we hoped based on the leaks. The overall story is great: a larger 1/1.3-inch camera sensor with larger pixels to capture more light (DJI estimates two additional stops of dynamic range), four additional minutes of battery life (at 23 minutes), and five additional degrees of tilt shift ( negative 85 degrees to 80 degrees), and an additional three kilometers of maximum range (13 km), all in a flatter, more aerodynamic package that weighs 28 grams less than its predecessor (now 377 grams at take-off).
While the original Avata always felt a little top-heavy top and front and might shake a bit while diving, my colleague Vjeran Pavic actually found the Avata 2's 16mm shorter frame and 32mm wider frame to be more stable in the air – despite its three new tires Blade fans provide the same maximum speeds. It also now has rear collision avoidance, although there are no front collision sensors yet.
Meanwhile, the new DJI Goggles 3 – which lets you see through the eye of the drone as it flies – now has a built-in battery and GPS, meaning no more dangling batteries and no more Link your phone to the remote control ID.
The dual 1080p, 700-nit micro-OLED headset also features an extra hour of battery life over the original, a “one-click defogging function” that rotates its fans to remove condensation, two additional antennas and a new sync algorithm for what DJI claims is video transmission Smoother and more stable, the video bitrate reaches a maximum of 60Mbps, although the frame rate still reaches 100fps.
The new Goggles 3 also have a pair of outward-facing cameras that give you 2D or 3D cross-view, so in theory you don't have to remove them to see your surroundings, but in practice, the 44-degree field of view is pretty decent. So narrow that my colleague Ferran found himself pushing up his glasses instead.
He also told me that the new DJI RC Motion 3, the bundled motion controller, has been pared down to the point that it looks a bit like a toy, and we agree that it's a bit strange that the record button has been moved so far down side From the fist, under your middle finger.
But it also includes a two-stage trigger similar to an R/C car and a nifty new dial that lets you select a pre-programmed 360-degree drift, roll, or 180-degree drift that you can do with a flick of the joystick. These camera movements are always the same, and Vjeran thinks they might get old quickly, but it's a neat inclusion.
On the practical side, the Avata 2 now has 46GB of built-in video storage, more than double the previous generation, and you may not need to mess with a microSD card at all. DJI says it will contain 90 minutes of video at 1080p60 (or 45 minutes at 4K60). The drone's built-in Wi-Fi now lets you download footage directly to phones at up to 30MB/s or share live streaming to your phone, and you can now connect a 65W USB-C PD charger directly to the drone to charge it. Its battery while inside.
The drone isn't compatible with older batteries or controllers, unfortunately, and DJI points out that you can technically drain one battery in less than three minutes if you fly in manual mode at a maximum speed of 27 meters per second (60 mph). . There's still no 24fps shooting mode or portrait shooting; You get 4K, 2.7K, and 1080p in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. Here is the full list:
4K (4:3) 3840 x 2880 at 60/50/30 fps
4K (16:9) 3840 x 2160 at 60/50/30 fps
2.7K (4:3) 2688×2016 at 60/50/30 fps
2.7K (16:9) 2688 x 1512 @ 120/100/60/50/30 fps
1080p (4:3) 1440 x 1080 at 120/100/60/50/30 fps
1080p (16:9) 1920 x 1080 at 120/100/60/50/30 fps
It was not Need Avata no longer flies with DJI's Goggles 3 – the company has made Goggles 2, Goggles Integra, Goggles 3, and a new RC Motion 3 that is compatible with the DJI Air 3 and Mini 4 Pro as well. But those drones cost more, and have narrower fields of view: they're not made to let you swoop through the air from a first-person perspective.
Avata 2 is available today; The $999 kit comes with DJI Goggles 3 and RC Motion 3; The $1,199 also comes with two additional batteries, a sling bag, and a charging hub that can transfer power from multiple batteries to the battery with the highest charge level. The stick-based controller is sold separately for $199, the RC Motion 3 is $99, and the ND filter kit is $79.
“Typical beer trailblazer. Hipster-friendly web buff. Certified alcohol fanatic. Internetaholic. Infuriatingly humble zombie lover.”