The DJI Air 2S is the successor to the Mavic Air 2. Both drones are supported in the DroneDeploy flight app and function similarly. Under the hood, we would like to highlight some differences and cross-functional capabilities here.
What's the difference?
Cameras
The Air 2S comes equipped with a 1-inch CMOS Sensor, allowing more light to enter the lens and produce crisp 20-megapixel images and up to 5.4K 30 fps video. Better resolution equals better maps!
Its predecessor, the Mavic Air 2, has a 1/2-inch sensor that produces around 12 megapixels for most images and 4K UHD video. Though it states that the Mavic Air 2 can produce 48-megapixel photos, this is an up-conversion and not an accurate 48-megapixel capture.
Both are extremely capable of mapping, but if you're looking for a better camera quality to align with the Mavic 2 Pro or other 20-megapixel cameras, the 2S is the best option.
Battery Life
As you can see from the image above, you do sacrifice a little bit of flight time with the Air 2S. This is mainly because of the additional weight and technology under the hood. Operationally, you can expect under 30 minutes with both platforms and around 27 minutes of flight time for both.
(If you previously owned or own a Mavic Air 2, DJI uses the same battery for both platforms)
Range
The Air 2S improved the range of the connection between the controller and drone, allowing you to have a little more operational distance and connectivity. The video transmission system was upgraded from OcuSync 2.0 to OcuSync 3.0, which will allow for better connection at a distance for your larger mapping areas.
Obstacle Avoidance
Crashing your drone is never fun! DJI upgraded the 2S in the obstacle avoidance sensor area. You are adding sensors in all directions of the drone's travel. Forward, backward, downward, and upward. This is an upgrade from the Mavic Air 2, which lacks upward-facing sensors.
The additional sensors allow for greater peace of mind while conducting mapping operations and increase the safety of your project.
Conclusion
Both platforms are great drones and offer an excellent price for almost all operations. They are fully functional in the flight app on DroneDeploy. Are you supplementing equipment in your current drone program or creating a new program from scratch? Either of these drones or both would be great additions to your fleet.
Note: The capability to fly the DJI Mavic Air 2 and Air 2S is only available for all paid and trial subscriptions and is currently only compatible with iOS devices.
(At this time, there is no Android capability for this platform)
Additional Information:
Recommended and Supported Drones
For more information, you can compare the two drones in depth here!
If you still need to answer your question here, please get in touch with support@dronedeploy.com.