DJI Mavic Pro Review: Powerful and Easy to Use

Having reviewed dozens of drones of each shapes, sizes, and prices, I'd precocious travel to nan conclusion that smaller, lighter, and cheaper drones were nan measurement to spell for 90 percent of consumers. Premium drones, pinch each their instrumentality and formation regulations, conscionable didn't make sense. But past DJI launched its caller premium-priced, jumbo-size flagship user drone, nan Mavic 4 Pro, and made maine autumn successful emotion each complete again. Yes, this drone is earnestly impressive.

But earlier I deep-dive nan phenomenally bully camera and ridiculously agelong range, it's important to statement that nan Mavic 4 Pro will not beryllium officially disposable successful nan US. Yet. As good arsenic ongoing issues astir formation restrictions and security, a DJI spokesperson told WIRED, “Like galore world companies, we person had to set our marketplace strategy arsenic section conditions and nan manufacture situation person evolved. While we do not person a timeline for erstwhile we tin present nan merchandise to nan US market, we are intimately monitoring nan business and actively exploring each possible solution.”

The Mavic 4 Pro is, however, listed connected B&H Photo for $2,699, which is teasingly optimistic. It’s not for sale, yet, but location is astatine slightest immoderate hope.

Focal Hero

So what makes nan Mavic 4 Pro great? It's mostly down to nan camera. Or cameras, I should say. Just for illustration its predecessor, nan Mavic 3 Pro (9/10 WIRED Recommends), nan Mavic 4 Pro has 3 cameras. There's an ultra-high-spec wide-angle camera collaborated pinch somewhat lower-spec medium-telephoto and telephoto cameras. The trio’s balanced focal lengths are 28 mm, 70 mm and 168 mm, respectively.

They’re each improvements complete nan Mavic 3 Pro’s cameras. And nan prima of nan show features a caller 4/3 sensor tin of 100 MP photographs and 6K video seizure astatine up to 60 fps (or 4K astatine 120 fps, for slick slow-motion playback), pinch an astounding 16 stops of move range. It besides has an adjustable aperture, allowing pilots to prime thing betwixt f/2.0 and f/11.0.

The different cameras’ sensors are a small smaller successful size, their video is constricted to 4K resolution, and their apertures are fixed astatine f/2.8, but each 3 cameras tin seizure video astatine 10-bit value utilizing nan D-Log, D-Log M, aliases HLG colour profiles. In different words, each are built for pro-quality aerial movie making.

And amended yet, it is each mounted connected a wholly caller creation of gimbal that's capable to freely rotate and tilt. Not only does this mean it tin beryllium pointed straight upward, it tin besides rotate to seizure existent portrait-oriented content, perfectly formatted for nan likes of TikTok, Instagram Reels, aliases YouTube Shorts.

All of nan supra makes nan imaginative capabilities of nan Mavic 4 Pro thing to behold. It’s a awesome aerial camera successful almost immoderate lighting conditions (the 28-mm Hasselblad is peculiarly tin astatine night-time, for instance) and its scope of mobility and prime of focal lengths makes it incredibly versatile. If there’s thing other this accomplished successful consumer drones, image-quality wise, I’ve yet to brushwood it.

Flight Club

The drone’s formation capabilities are impressive, too, correct down to caller time-saving touches for illustration nan truth it automatically powers connected erstwhile unfolded. Battery life is now 51 minutes, a notable betterment complete nan Mavic 3 Pro’s 43 minutes, while nan much aerodynamic creation of nan drone makes formation some faster and quieter.

The 4 Pro is besides nan first Mavic exemplary to travel pinch a front-facing Lidar sensor, which, erstwhile teamed up pinch nan low-light imagination sensors that flick retired successful each directions, gives this drone a batch much situational consciousness and anti-collision capability, moreover successful less-than-ideal lighting conditions. This useful good pinch its search capabilities, which let it to accurately support nan camera focussed connected people, boats, and vehicles while being flown either manually aliases autonomously.

Return to location capabilities person besides been upgraded. The drone’s enhanced ocular skills now fto it automatically alert backmost to its take-off constituent without nan usage of GPS. I was besides capable to move nan location constituent to nan existent controller position alternatively than nan take-off point, which is simply a useful characteristic to person if you’re piloting nan drone from a moving car aliases boat.

Controller Upgrade

DJI sent maine some a regular RC 2 controller and nan caller RC 2 Pro controller ($1,299) to trial pinch nan Mavic 4 Pro, and while nan erstwhile useful good enough, nan RC 2 Pro really improves nan experience. Its surface is larger and brighter and tin rotate done 90 degrees to enactment much for illustration a smartphone (it runs connected Android, truthful you tin instal third-party apps), and it powers connected automatically erstwhile you assistance nan surface from nan body. This activity besides results successful nan 2 thumb sticks popping up, meaning you don’t person to screw them connected each clip you usage nan controller.

All successful all, nan Mavic 4 Pro represents a awesome upgrade complete its already awesome predecessor and makes nan thought of owning a larger drone erstwhile again very appealing. While it’s existent that heavier drones are taxable to a batch of (often tiresome) restrictions compared to ultra-lightweight models, but nan other paperwork and attraction astir formation locations seems for illustration a value worthy paying erstwhile they execute arsenic good arsenic this does.

As for nan existent value of nan Mavic 4 Pro, I’d telephone it costly but bully value—provided you’re going to really make usage of this drone’s immense array of capabilities. If you’re conscionable looking for thing to get successful nan aerial and seizure a fewer good-looking shots, nan overmuch cheaper DJI Mini 4 Pro (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is each you need. If you want nan elasticity and powerfulness to create thing special, nan Mavic 4 Pro has it—and more.

I conscionable dream DJI is capable to navigate astir nan ongoing uncertainty of nan Trump administration’s tariffs, arsenic it’d beryllium a existent shame if this superb drone were not disposable successful nan US.