The range of drones currently on the market has shrunk a bit, but there are still plenty of drones to choose from, and the question of which drone to choose is a constant one. The most asked question is – should I buy the DJI Air 2S or the DJI Mini 2?
Take the Air 2S if:
- If you want a professional-grade drone with a great price tag
- If you want to easily capture complex shots in a few minutes with Mastershots.
- If you want a larger camera sensor and better image quality.
Take the Mini 2 as:
- If you want to have less headache with drone flight regulations
- Want a super-lightweight/portable 4K drone that’s one of the best on the market?
- You have a small budget
DJI Air 2S and Mini 2 comparison chart
| DJI Air 2S | DJI Mini 2 | |
| Dimensions (Folded) | Folded: 180×97×77 mm (W×L×H) | Folded: 138×81×58 mm (L×W×H) |
| Weight | 595 grams | 249 grams |
| Max video transmission | 18.5 km | 10 km |
| Wind resistance | 13-16 m/s (Level 8) | 8-10.5 m/s (Level 5) |
| Battery life | up to 31 minutes | up to 31 minutes |
| Max speed (Sport mode) | 68.4 km/h | 57.6 km/h |
| Obstacle avoidance (sensors) | Front, top, rear, bottom | Alumni |
| Internal memory | 8GB internal memory | Not available from |
| SD card | Supports MicroSD memory cards up to 256 GB capacity | MicroSD UHS-I class 3 or higher |
| Sensor | 1″ CMOS | Sony 1/2.3″ CMOS |
| Camera | 20 MP | 12 MP |
| Video | 5.4K: 5472×3078 @ 24/25/30 fps4K Ultra HD: 3840×2160 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps2.7K: 2688×1512 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60 fpsFHD: 1920×1080 @ 24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps | 4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p, 2.7K: 2720×1530 24/25/30p, FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60p |
| Video format | MP4/MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.265/HEVC) | MP4 / MOV (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) |
| Lents | f/2.8 | f/2.8 |
| Suum | Yes4K/30fps: 4x;2.7K/60fps: 4x;2.7K/30fps: 6x;1080p/60fps: 6x;1080p/30fps: 8xVisual recording is not available when recording 10-bit video and 120fps video. | Yes4K: 2x 2.7K: 3x FHD: 4x |
| Max bitrate | 150 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| ISO | Video:100-6400 (Auto)100-12800 (Manual)10-Bit Dlog-M Video:100-1600 (Auto)100-3200 (Manual)Photo:100-6400 (Auto)100-12800 (Manual) | Video:100-3200 (Auto)100-3200 (Manual)Photos:100-3200 (Auto)100-3200 (Manual) |
| Gimbal | 3 axles | 3 axles |
| Delivery system | Ocusync 3.0 | Ocusync 2.0 |
| App | DJI Fly | DJI Fly |
| Registration | Yes | No |
| Price | From €999 | From 449€ |
DJI Air 2S Vs. DJI Mini 2
Price
First, let’s discuss the price difference. The DJI Air 2S costs €999, while the DJI Mini 2 is more than half the price at €449.
Size/weight
The DJI Air 2S weighs 595g, while the Mini 2 weighs just 249g.
The DJI Mini 2 measures just 138 × 81 × 58 mm when folded and 159 × 203 × 56 mm when unfolded, while the DJI Air 2S measures 180 × 97 × 77 mm when folded and 183 × 253 × 77 mm when unfolded, meaning the Air 2S is much larger than the Mini 2.
However, the Air 2S still packs easily into a small carry case and is smaller than the Mavic 2 and slightly smaller than the Mavic Air 2. If you’re looking to buy the lightest drone you can get without a huge loss in quality, the Mini 2 wins that race.
Camera
Of course, the DJI Mini 2 camera is much smaller than the DJI Air 2S camera. The DJI Air 2S has a 1-inch CMOS camera sensor, which allows it to capture high-quality images that retain a lot of data – images are much sharper, less noisy and a lot of information is stored in bright and shadowy areas. Dangerously teable, it’s great for post-processing when you want to spend time editing your shots in applications such as Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Premiere Pro.
The Mini 2 features the popular 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, which is the same size as the DJI Mavic Air 2 sensor.
The Air 2S can take 20 MP shots, while the Mini 2 can take 12 MP pictures.
In addition, the DJI Air 2S records video at 5.4K resolution at 30 frames per second, 4K resolution at 60 frames per second and FHD at 120 frames per second. The Mini 2, on the other hand, has a maximum video resolution of 4K at 30 frames per second. Nonetheless, for the size of the drone, this is impressive and would suit many drone pilots.
The Air 2S has a little less cropping for 4K filming than the Mini 2. The DJI Air 2S shoots at a focal length of 22mm and the Mini 2 is equivalent at 24mm.
Both the DJI Air 2S and Mini 2 have an aperture of f2.8, which provides a reasonable focus when the subject is about 1m away. The background is a little blurry, but it’s not really noticeable unless you zoom in.
However, the difference in colour profiles is quite significant. The DJI Air 2S drone offers 10-bit Dlogi colour profiles and HDR video, in addition to the standard colour profile, while the Mini 2 only offers the standard colour profile. Nonetheless, the price still offers one of the best images I’ve seen for a drone in this price range, even if it doesn’t meet the high standards of the Air 2S.
Flight time
Flight times for both the Mini 2 and Air 2S are around 31 minutes. However, there is a notable difference in the size of the batteries, with the Mini 2 on the left in the picture below and the Air 2S on the right.
Speed
One of the things we wanted to discuss in this article is how well the Mini 2 actually keeps up with the Air 2S. Obviously it has less wind resistance due to its lighter weight, but I still think it’s impressive and makes flying a bit more fun.
The maximum speed of the Mini 2 Sport mode is 16 m/s. In normal mode it is a much slower 10 m/s . The DJI Air 2S is faster at 19 m/s in sport mode and 15 m/s in normal mode.
Video transmission from the spread
The DJI Air 2S features the new Occusync 3.0 technology and 4 antennas, giving you a potential live image transmission range of 12 km under ideal conditions. There’s no confusing live image transmission and drone control performance, and there’s no equating the two. The reality in Europe is that OcuSync 3.0 coverage is in the range of 3-4 kilometres under good conditions. If you’re lucky, you can go further, but it’s more likely to be a matter of battery life – chances are that after a 3-4 kilometre straight flight, your drone will say it wants to come back home because the battery capacity has already been halved. In any case, 3-4 kilometres is a pretty impressive result.
In terms of altitude, the Mini 2’s specs suggest it can go up to 400m above your seat, and the DJI Air 2S offers 500m, which may better suit your needs. However, it has become more of a rule of thumb that it is rarely necessary to go higher than 100 metres when flying drones. In addition, due to drone regulation, you can’t always fly your drone that high in certain airspace. First-time pilots are always interested in getting as high as possible in the first attempt, but in reality, at high altitudes, the detail is lost and the same general picture can be seen on Google Earth, for example.
Intelligent flight modes
The DJI Air 2S’s new intelligent flight feature is Mastershots, which is currently unique to the Air 2S. This simple software allows you to select a specific object and the drone automatically captures a series of shots for you and then adds them to the video. The videos generated by Mastershots are of truly high quality and are perfect for beginners who haven’t yet mastered the art of setting up perfect angles for shots.
Although the Mini 2 doesn’t have a Mastershoot, it does have a number of smart shooting features such as Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle and Boomerang. The Mini 2 lacks the Active Track feature that is present on the Air 2S and other DJI consumer drones – understandably, this may be a deal breaker for some of you. Especially if you use drones to capture adventure shots.
Obstacle avoidance and safety
When it comes to obstacle avoidance, the DJI Air 2S includes up, down, forward and backward sensors that allow you to sense the environment in four directions. Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS 4.0) allows avoiding obstacles in more complex scenarios.
The DJI Mini 2 only has sensors pointing downwards, and there are no sensors in other directions.
DJI Air 2S Vs DJI Mini 2: a summary
These two drones suit two very different clientele in my opinion, and while the above shows that there are areas where the DJI Mini 2 is inferior to the DJI Air 2S, it should be remembered that the Mini 2 is also half the price and smaller.
I don’t think there is a rival to the Mini 2 in its price range – there really is so much capability packed into a small drone. It’s one of the best mini drones on the market today, as many mini drones only offer 1080p video quality with just a few minutes flight time. The Mini 2 is a great choice for the first time pilot and for those on a smaller budget.
But if you’re more demanding, the Air 2S offers and combines the best of both the Mavic Air 2 and Mavic 2 Pro, and if you’ve got the spare cash, it’s well worth the investment.
Take the Air 2S if:
- If you want a professional-grade drone with a great price tag
- If you want to easily capture complex shots in a few minutes with Mastershots.
- If you want a larger camera sensor and better image quality.
Take the Mini 2 as:
- If you want to have less headache with drone flight regulations
- Want a super-lightweight/portable 4K drone that’s one of the best on the market?
- You have a small budget