DJI Mavic 2 Pro

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the most powerful consumer drone you can buy thanks to its gimbal-stabilized Hasselblad camera with a 1-inch CMOS sensor for stunning aerial 4K video and photos.

It's one of two foldable drones Chinese brand DJI just launched, further cementing it as the king of drones in 2018 and giving us a sequel to the likeable DJI Mavic Pro.

What's new? It mostly comes down to the camera quality and the smarter modes for capturing video and photos. The picture is brighter on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro vs the DJI Mavic Pro 1 without being blown out. You're going to see a difference side-by-side.

Comparisons matter when it comes to the price, too: it's noticeably more expensive. And even with superior 10-bit HDR video, an adjustable aperture, and a built-in Hyperlapse mode, the alluring power behind the Mavic 2 Pro doesn't guarantee it will sit at the top of our best drones 2018 list. It's not that easy; DJI has DJI to blame.

The new DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is slightly cheaper and features a 2x optical zoom lens – it can shift from 24mm to a 48mm in 4K (for a 2x zoom), and simulate 96mm in Full HD (4x the zoom). It's all done with a gesture on your smartphone that sits inside the controller clamshell. The downside? It uses smaller 1/2.3-inch CMOS camera sensor.

DJI just made your life more difficult by introducing two compelling drone choices if you're looking to spend considerable cash on a consumer drone. Everyone else with a smaller budget should look no further than the still-excellent DJI Mavic Air, our pick for first-time fliers.

Release date and price

DJI dropped a bombshell on us at its launch event when it announced that the DJI Mavic 2 Pro release date was August 23 that very day, with orders going out right away. The Mavic 2 Zoom is ready to ship within one business day, too.

The Mavic 2 Pro price is decidedly more expensive than the Mavic Pro 1 worldwide. It costs $1,499 (£1,299, AU$2,299). Compare these prices to the Mavic Pro 1, which was  £899, $999 and AU$1,349.

Right in between those prices is the Mavic 2 Zoom at a little more tolerable $1,249 (£1,099, AU$1,900), but still considerably expensive. Whichever new drone you get, you're going to expect a lot for your money. 

We'll continue to test the new DJI drones before rendering a judgment in a full DJI Mavic 2 Pro review, but this appear to be the foldable drone to buy if you want the best on a consumer level. While we test it, enjoy these photos of the drone from the launch event.

Desi

Camera

Controller

Battery