When DJI announced the Mavic Pro in September 2016, it wowed the world with at least these three things – the smallness, portability, foldability of the drone, the range it can be controlled and the technologies built onto it. Never has the world seen a drone with such capabilities.
I have been wanting to get a drone for the longest time. When Parrot announced its first AR.Drone, I waited for it to become “better”. Finally, they started to produce Bebop which I thought was the best consumer drone then.
Then, when LILY was made available via pre-order, I thought it was the best drone around. I pre-ordered it immediately. However, after waiting for months to almost a year, it is still not delivered. When I heard that GoPro is going into the drone market, I patiently waited and they finally announced GoPro Karma. I almost wanted to order it as it is the best looking foldable drone at that moment. The only thing that stopped me is whether I should purchase it together with the Hero 5 or not.
And when I was still considering, DJI dropped the bomb a week later. They announced DJI Mavic Pro on the 27th September. I know that this is the drone I will get, and I pre-ordered it 2 days later (and cancelled my LILY pre-order). Fast forward to today, after complains of delay, DJI finally delivered my Mavic Pro on the 3rd of November (18 days from their promised date).
I was super elated to receive the DHL SMSes on the delivery date. Here is the short video I made on the unboxing and first impression of the DJI Mavic Pro.
I have not flown it yet. I wanted to make sure everything is ok before I fly it. I have seen footage of Mavic Pro missing during flight, Mavic Pro dropping from height and Mavic Pro crashed. This is my first drone and I have to stress again: This Mavic Pro is NOT A TOY. It is small but it is not a simple toy drone. It has complex sensors and software to control it. So, it takes some practice to fly it confidently.
Check out the pictures of the unboxing experience.
The Package
Front view of the box.
Back view of the box
Content in the box
It comes with the Mavic Pro (with 16GB MicroSD card inserted), the Remote Controller, The Power Adapter with charging cable. The propellers (2 extra), USB-C cable, Micro-USB cable (Lightning cable is fixed on the RC when it first arrives), Micro USB cable.
Mavic Pro
I think this is the best standing position of the Mavic Pro.
Here is the side views (folded)
Another side view (folded)
Back view
Front view (with rubber and plastic casing on camera)
Here is how it looks like with and without the casings.
Top view with propellers folded.
Notice that the Mavic Pro has only front stand with very minimum back stand.
Side view (arms extended)
Another side view (arms extended)
Bottom view
Close up of the sensors
Camera
Propellers
Motor on arm.
Propeller
Top side of the propeller with clear locking indication.
Back side of the propeller showing the grooves.
Accessories
Connection head to the connector on the remote controller. It is a Micro USB head.
Here is how it looks like when you unplug it from the RC.
Cable Accessory – USB-C
Cable Accessory – Micro USB
Note that the RC comes with Lightning Cable as the default connector.
Charging Adapter
It comes with 2 USB ports and quite portable.
Here is the connector to the Intelligent Battery.
Remote Controller (RC)
This is a very compact RC. I like it a lot.
I love the feel of the joysticks.
This is a 5-way switch.
Here is the RC with the “legs” extended.
It shows the recording buttons – Photo Shutter and Video Recording button. And also the dials.
On the back is 2 custom buttons.
Here is the slider to Sports Mode.
Here is how it looks like with a smartphone.
Charging the battery and the RC.
First Impression
My first impression of the Mavic Pro is “Wow”. “Wow” because the box is so small for a mighty drone. “Wow” because the size is so small but yet heavy (743gram). Built-wise, I am very happy with it. It feels solid and sturdy.
I will update again after I play around more with the Mavic Pro. If you need more information, just search Mavic Pro on the YouTube. You will see a lot of footage. I can say that 90% are positive views about the Mavic Pro.
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