Either it’s DJI’s intention or Best Buy just made the same slip-up that it did for the Mini 2 last year. Whatever the truth, a shopper walked into Best Buy in the US and discovered an Air 2S Fly More Combo locked in a glass display cabinet.
While rumours about the Mavic Air 2’s replacement have been around for a while, this is the proof drone enthusiasts have been waiting for.
DJI has also (at 9am EDT / 1pm BST) and while the Chinese company hasn’t said it will specifically launch the Air 2S, only that we should “Get Ready for the ONE”, it doesn’t take much to put two and two together and figure out what’s going on.
What’s the DJI Air 2S price?
As reported by DroneXL, pilot institute student Keith Wells spied the box and the $1299 price, but was unable to purchase the Air 2S. He was told by staff that they couldn’t sell it to him until next week.
He wasn’t successful, but someone else was, posting an unboxing video of the drone on YouTube on 12 April and listing the full specs, and leaving DJI with very little to announce on the 15th.
So we know how much the Fly More Combo costs, but not the price of the Air 2S without the extra batteries, propellers, shoulder bag, multi-charging hub and ND filters for the camera.
The Mavic Air 2 cost $799 (£769), and $999 (£949) for the Fly More Combo. You can still and other retailers.
The Air 2S Fly More Combo, then, is $300 more – a pretty significant hike – and we estimate that the cheaper package will cost $999, and probably £949 in the UK.
Given that it’s the ‘2S’ and not the Air 3, the hardware changes won’t be too drastic despite the much higher cost.
What new features will the Air 2S have?
5.4K30p, 4K60p, FHD 120p
12km range
31min flight time
Interesting— OsitaLV (@OsitaLV)
April 11, 2021
Thanks to prolific DJI leaker OsitaLV, and the YouTube video above it seems that the Air 2S will have these features:
- 20Mp camera with 1-inch sensor
- f/2.8 lens with 88° FOV
- 4K video at 30fps
- 4K video at 60fps
- 1080p video at 120fps
- Max transmission distance 12km (FCC), 8km (CE)
- 3500mAh battery
- 31 minute flight time
- Takeoff weight 595g
Flight time is down a few minutes compared to the Mavic Air 2 (at 34 minutes) and that drone could also take 48Mp photos. However, don’t get caught up with megapixels: the 1-inch sensor will make a huge difference in the Air 2S.
Unconfirmed rumours suggest that the Air 2S will be compatible with DJI’s v2 Goggles and that it’s using Ocucync 3.0 for video transmission.
The unboxing video also clearly shows upward-facing cameras which are presumably for better obstacle avoidance: the Mavic Air 2 didn’t have those: only front, rear and down-facing.
We’ll have to wait a couple of days to find out about these and other software features which DJI can keep hidden as even the guy who managed to buy the Air 2S can’t use it or fly it as the app won’t support it until it’s officially on sale.
