The fact is both drones have attributes that appeal to different pilots and surpass each other - image quality and portability is more important to me than flying 2 miles away. It’s what you need that counts but to say the MA is an improved Spark is not the reality of what that drone is and such statements are only made by those who don’t own it. I’d say a mini P4P that wipes the MP with the floor in important functions whilst the MP has capabilities that the MA can not achieve but you have to pay for it and those functions are not as important IMO.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-11 02:18
I'll add to that mate in that I believe the reason for the massive price drop in the MP is due to the product now being new-old-stock - Apple UK don't sell it anymore and a number of suppliers have 'limited stock left' with huge discounts. I actually believe the MP is discontinued behind closed doors in it's production and if you buy one 'brand new' now I suggest checking the serial number for it's production date - I strongly doubt your 'new MP' was even made in 2018...

My Mavic Pro has a manufactured date of Jan 2018.

Heh, I'm in the opposite boat of @SparksBird. See, I have the Air but cant compare it to the MP/MPP since I dont own one. To be quite honest, it seems like my spark, mind you a cheaper drone, has better range than my air. An example being that flying otg with both drones on the same device and same frequency in a wifi rich environment, I get about 10-20% better range and gimbal responsiveness vs the mavic air. That being said, the sparks otg is a lot more unreliable since I am on the current version of the app and have only tested spark otg 3 times vs the mavic air which clocks about 50 flights. For people who are considering the MP vs the MA, yes, wifi is tricky, sometimes drops out leaving you blind in the air. Occusync is a lot more superior in almost every environment and measurable factor. That being said, in open environments, such as fields and forests, it handles itself very well and, having not filmed anything with the pro, the quality on the air is really nice with the added bonus of threaded filters vs push on and having slightly better obstacle avoidance. So to all those debating between the two, I can't really provide a objective opinion on which one is better.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-11 10:49
The fact is both drones have attributes that appeal to different pilots and surpass each other - image quality and portability is more important to me than flying 2 miles away. It’s what you need that counts but to say the MA is an improved Spark is not the reality of what that drone is and such statements are only made by those who don’t own it. I’d say a mini P4P that wipes the MP with the floor in important functions whilst the MP has capabilities that the MA can not achieve but you have to pay for it and those functions are not as important IMO.

Totally agree and my thinking is we will have the best of both worlds of camera/functions/OcySync/portability/battery life with their next release and hopefully will be sooner than later

SparksBird Posted at 2018-6-11 11:12
Totally agree and my thinking is we will have the best of both worlds of camera/functions/OcySync/portability/battery life with their next release and hopefully will be sooner than later

I fully agree, but I like the competition, the king is dead long live the king. (;+)....

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-6-11 10:51
My Mavic Pro has a manufactured date of Jan 2018.

Didn't know you were that much of a noob Dave. we live and learn.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-6-11 11:16
I fully agree, but I like the competition, the king is dead long live the king. (;+)....

MP2 probably when we will expect a price drop/change on the mavic air as well.  

my hope is they launch MP2 for a sensible price, not the silly price that MP1 was launched at.  say $800-$1000 or $850-$1100 depending on everything on offer.  i think it would be dumb to start it at $1000+ again for the base package...

if they launch MP2 at very competitive unbeatable price of $800 -$1000 or $850-$1100,   i think the MA should drop to $600-$800 or $650-$850.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-6-11 02:07
1/ ocusync in Mavic Pro is no better than lightbridge in P4Pro and transmission is both excellent in both machines but many more complaints about MP transmission.
2/again MP doesn’t have a better controller that P4Pro , I think the mere fact that it is half the price of a P4 Pro controller , you should check this out you will find your a long way off with this.
3/P4Pro has exactly same range as Mavic Pro , but with larger receivers and antennas I believe it out preforms MP easily. It is also a lot faster both in sport mode and p mode, that’s why very few are lost to the wind in RTH mode.

I appreciate your feedback and there's validity in your points. My only point is the Phantom 4 Pro isn't the most ideal drone to set-up, carry and transport. The same can be said about the Inspires. Again, the major drawback to these drones is their size and lack of portability. Notwithstanding, both drones offer excellent overall use.

One point I will disagree with you on has to do with the Remote Controller. Probably the single biggest luxury of flying the Mavic Pro is having real-time telemetry. There were a few times, but not many, when the Mavic Pro disconnected from DJI GO 4 Application and I was able to rely on the Remote Contoller's telemetry knowing how far, what speed, and how much battery remained.  

The Phantom 4, Inspire 2, and Mavic Pro all fly up to 4.3 miles, so that means even though the Inspire travels at speeds of 66 MPH, and Phantom 45 MPH, it doesn't matter because the battery is optimized only to fly out 4.3 miles same as the Mavic Pro, which travels at Speeds of 40 MPH.

The Mavic Pro RC has telemetry, Inspire and Phantom 4 do not as does not Mavic Air or Spark. As I said, Mavic Pro can travel as far as Phantom and Inspire at a distance of 4.3 miles, and has flight time the same 27/30 mins.

The Mavic Pro factually is quieter, OcuSync has better image transmission, folding arms makes better portability, and its discount price on DJI's website is much cheaper. Both Inspire and Phantom 4 Pro are quiet loud, Lightbridge does not stream at 1080p or offer wireless connectivity to DJI Goggles, inconvenient portability, expensive price.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-11 14:41
Didn't know you were that much of a noob Dave. we live and learn.

Yes I admit sometimes one can be quite ignorant. That's why some people have to learn the hard way.

AlphaFlightNW Posted at 2018-6-11 11:03
Heh, I'm in the opposite boat of @SparksBird. See, I have the Air but cant compare it to the MP/MPP since I dont own one. To be quite honest, it seems like my spark, mind you a cheaper drone, has better range than my air. An example being that flying otg with both drones on the same device and same frequency in a wifi rich environment, I get about 10-20% better range and gimbal responsiveness vs the mavic air. That being said, the sparks otg is a lot more unreliable since I am on the current version of the app and have only tested spark otg 3 times vs the mavic air which clocks about 50 flights. For people who are considering the MP vs the MA, yes, wifi is tricky, sometimes drops out leaving you blind in the air. Occusync is a lot more superior in almost every environment and measurable factor. That being said, in open environments, such as fields and forests, it handles itself very well and, having not filmed anything with the pro, the quality on the air is really nice with the added bonus of threaded filters vs push on and having slightly better obstacle avoidance. So to all those debating between the two, I can't really provide a objective opinion on which one is better.

Thank you for your post. I think you made one of the best points about the strengths and weaknesses of Enhanced WiFi drones that I've read on these boards.

I'm surprised the Spark has little bit better range than Mavic Air, especially since the frequency bands of the RC are almost double that for the Mavic Air. One positive note, I'm surprised DJI incorporated 720p video streaming from Mavic Air to connected smart devices. On the Spark, I don't even know what resolution DJI incorporated? Here we have Enhanced WiFi with both drones, but Mavic Air competes with the 720p Lightbridge technology, mind you not OcuSync with 1080p.

If I could, my Mavic Pro would lend you a flight to try out so that you can really see the difference. As Ferris Bueller said "If you have the means I highly suggest picking one up".

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-6-11 19:01
Yes I admit sometimes one can be quite ignorant. That's why some people have to learn the hard way.

They do but at least they learn (some anyway)... That's the important thing in this hobby.

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-6-11 15:47
I appreciate your feedback and there's validity in your points. My only point is the Phantom 4 Pro isn't the most ideal drone to set-up, carry and transport. The same can be said about the Inspires. Again, the major drawback to these drones is their size and lack of portability. Notwithstanding, both drones offer excellent overall use.

One point I will disagree with you on has to do with the Remote Controller. Probably the single biggest luxury of flying the Mavic Pro is having real-time telemetry. There were a few times, but not many, when the Mavic Pro disconnected from DJI GO 4 Application and I was able to rely on the Remote Contoller's telemetry knowing how far, what speed, and how much battery remained.  

No matter all you’ve said and your entitled to your opinion, but did you just buy to fly considering most expensive part of your equipment is your camera and it doesn’t even match up to MavAir. But if you only bought for flying you make good points, but I would say that most users of lightbridge would say only difference with ocusync is you can use wireless goggles.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-6-11 15:44
MP2 probably when we will expect a price drop/change on the mavic air as well.  

my hope is they launch MP2 for a sensible price, not the silly price that MP1 was launched at.  say $800-$1000 or $850-$1100 depending on everything on offer.  i think it would be dumb to start it at $1000+ again for the base package...

While I’d love to agree with you, I think it might be nearer $1500, and released for Christmas when more money is spent, but who knows.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-12 00:14
They do but at least they learn (some anyway)... That's the important thing in this hobby.

Very true.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-6-12 00:36
While I’d love to agree with you, I think it might be nearer $1500, and released for Christmas when more money is spent, but who knows.

Brand new compact design that everyone will want to buy. If it has a 1" sensor, OcuSync HD and more bells and whistles that will actually make the Mavic Pro a true professional (albeit entry level) drone then yes, $/£1,500 is far more realistic as you say mate. Especially a fly more combo.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-12 00:53
Brand new compact design that everyone will want to buy. If it has a 1" sensor, OcuSync HD and more bells and whistles that will actually make the Mavic Pro a true professional (albeit entry level) drone then yes, $/£1,500 is far more realistic as you say mate. Especially a fly more combo.

Yeah I was thinking FMC.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-12 00:53
Brand new compact design that everyone will want to buy. If it has a 1" sensor, OcuSync HD and more bells and whistles that will actually make the Mavic Pro a true professional (albeit entry level) drone then yes, $/£1,500 is far more realistic as you say mate. Especially a fly more combo.

Yeah I was thinking FMC.

hallmark007 Posted at 2018-6-12 00:36
While I’d love to agree with you, I think it might be nearer $1500, and released for Christmas when more money is spent, but who knows.

This would be my guess as well.

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-6-11 19:12
Thank you for your post. I think you made one of the best points about the strengths and weaknesses of Enhanced WiFi drones that I've read on these boards.

I'm surprised the Spark has little bit better range than Mavic Air, especially since the frequency bands of the RC are almost double that for the Mavic Air. One positive note, I'm surprised DJI incorporated 720p video streaming from Mavic Air to connected smart devices. On the Spark, I don't even know what resolution DJI incorporated? Here we have Enhanced WiFi with both drones, but Mavic Air competes with the 720p Lightbridge technology, mind you not OcuSync with 1080p.

My Mavic Air has 10x better range than my spark had, I would get drop outs on my Spark at 100 to 150m, and I've flown my Air over 1000m still with strong signal.  This was in CE mode for both.

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-6-11 19:12
Thank you for your post. I think you made one of the best points about the strengths and weaknesses of Enhanced WiFi drones that I've read on these boards.

I'm surprised the Spark has little bit better range than Mavic Air, especially since the frequency bands of the RC are almost double that for the Mavic Air. One positive note, I'm surprised DJI incorporated 720p video streaming from Mavic Air to connected smart devices. On the Spark, I don't even know what resolution DJI incorporated? Here we have Enhanced WiFi with both drones, but Mavic Air competes with the 720p Lightbridge technology, mind you not OcuSync with 1080p.

Yeah I was kinda shocked by the results of my tests but one of the variables I could possibly not be accounting for is the fact that I am flying in a wifi rich area at different times of day, ie spark flight at 12:00 vs mavic at 21:00. With what little experience I have in Amateur radio, it might be due to the times I am flying at these times might have an effect on range, in addition to the fact I am using Spark OTG vs spark wifi which could explain the better range. Honestly, I might have jumped the gun on the spark vs mavic air range test as I will try to do more testing to confirm in the near future as I am able to get out more often now. I will bring more results within a few days.

AlphaFlightNW Posted at 2018-6-16 11:03
Yeah I was kinda shocked by the results of my tests but one of the variables I could possibly not be accounting for is the fact that I am flying in a wifi rich area at different times of day, ie spark flight at 12:00 vs mavic at 21:00. With what little experience I have in Amateur radio, it might be due to the times I am flying at these times might have an effect on range, in addition to the fact I am using Spark OTG vs spark wifi which could explain the better range. Honestly, I might have jumped the gun on the spark vs mavic air range test as I will try to do more testing to confirm in the near future as I am able to get out more often now. I will bring more results within a few days.

both spark and mavic air use wifi, the only difference seems to be power output (from board to the ant leads)  for the mavic air is about 2x that of the spark, but the gain is roughly the same.  

but since you know some stuff about HAM radios i bet you can also make the connection that 2x power doesn't = 2x range or 2x quality of signal.  

RF theory is basically trying to demystify magic really... still a lot of counterintuitive things that can in fact make a weaker signal, say the spark go further than stronger signal, say mavic air on same channel in the same conditions.

Meh,  We need a Mavic II Pro fast to distance it against the Mavic Air, that will end the discussions.

At least until a Mavic II Air arrives, then we'll see the same discussions again.

LoSBoL Posted at 2018-6-16 11:24
Meh,  We need a Mavic II Pro fast to distance it against the Mavic Air, that will end the discussions.

At least until a Mavic II Air arrives, then we'll see the same discussions again.

ya haha.  

here's what i think, they need to keep the mavic pro II at the price or close to the price that is now established and to reduce the mavic air cost a bit.  then drop the current mavic pro series. so less conflict with pricing...   

optimal price i think:  MA: $600 base - $800 fly more.  Mavic pro II: $800 base-$1000 flymore  and maybe $1200 for a flymore SE or whatever with maybe special color or pattern and maybe extra feature.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-6-16 12:07
ya haha.  

here's what i think, they need to keep the mavic pro II at the price or close to the price that is now established and to reduce the mavic air cost a bit.  then drop the current mavic pro series. so less conflict with pricing...   

I wouldn't count on any pricecuts for the Air, I would love to pay 400, but what "I would like to pay", doesn't really have any merrit in economics.
The Mavic Pro prices have been going down basically because it's been on the market quite some time, and lately because off the introduction of the Air, which could canabalize the sales of the Pro to much.
Prices of a Mavic II Pro will probably be high again because of the newer tech and capabilities, definately a lot higher then current Mavic Pro prices.
The Mavic Pro will probably get another pricecut again when the Mavic II Pro hits the streets, maybe even hit the same level as the Air. But I think its pretty unlikely the Air will drop hugely in price. The price differentiation between Spark, Mavic Air and the Mavic II Pro will be sustained.



Mavic Pro price development

LoSBoL Posted at 2018-6-16 12:22
I wouldn't count on any pricecuts for the Air, I would love to pay 400, but what "I would like to pay", doesn't really have any merrit in economics.
The Mavic Pro prices have been going down basically because it's been on the market quite some time, and lately because off the introduction of the Air, which could canabalize the sales of the Pro to much.
Prices of a Mavic II Pro will probably be high again because of the newer tech and capabilities, definately a lot higher then current Mavic Pro prices.

(i know your chart is euro)

i think the mavic pro here was $1500/$1600 USD..  if they do $1200 USD i dont mind nearly as much as i would at $1500/$1600 USD, they have to reinvent the wheel to compel me to pay $1500/$1600 on a mavic pro 2nd gen.  because i been following the camera tech that would likely get used, its unlikely mavic pro 2 is going to use a 1 inch sensor, more likely going to utilize a similar sensors and lens array that the galaxy S9 uses for more pro like features like variable aptature in a small sensor body.  price wouldn't change dramatically either for the sensor/lens array, surprisingly cheap buying these units in bulk from sony.

the sensor is likely going to be a Sony Exmor RS IMX345.  which is a huge upgrade over the Sony Exmor R IMX377 in many ways.  like dual pixel focusing (contrast + phase detection), wider color gamut, variable aptature, cleaner signal, more sensitive with less noise,  supports signaling up to 960fps since on back of the sensor it has small amount of DDR4 sdram, fully optical stabilized unit which can be additionally stabilized without causing wobble. all at a price that is only a few dollars per unit higher than old sensor.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-6-16 13:07
(i know your chart is euro)

i think the mavic pro here was $1500/$1600 USD..  if they do $1200 USD i dont mind nearly as much as i would at $1500/$1600 USD, they have to reinvent the wheel to compel me to pay $1500/$1600 on a mavic pro 2nd gen.  because i been following the camera tech that would likely get used, its unlikely mavic pro 2 is going to use a 1 inch sensor, more likely going to utilize a similar sensors and lens array that the galaxy S9 uses for more pro like features like variable aptature in a small sensor body.  price wouldn't change dramatically either for the sensor/lens array, surprisingly cheap buying these units in bulk from sony.

You could be right, I really don't see DJI fitting a 1" sensor on to a Mavic II Pro yet, not only because it may be interfering to much with the Phantom, but also because there are no compact foldable drones yet that do have a 1" sensor to compete with, and why give away all the eggs in their basket already? planned obsolescence when still viable is a route for any company to keep selling products in the future, especially as market leader.

What is happening, is that the near future of the European consumer drone market is going to be in the <900 gram category, and DJI has been a big spokes partner in comming to these regulations. You can already see that the Mavic Air is built in full compliance of all those regulations, and I'm wandering if DJI could even built a <900 gram Mavic II Pro in this category with a 1" sensor at this point, if not, its definately not going to be fitted if it would exceed 900 grams. The FCC also was a spokes partner in the proposed European regulations, and they are watching closely. It's not unthinkable they will follow in categorization.

As for future pricing, We'll have to see. what 'still sells' is going to be the factor, and will probably be affected by competition, but the price differentations between the scope of DJI products will absolutely remain. A drone in every market pricecategory and spec range will stay DJI's motto.

HereForTheBeer Posted at 2018-6-16 11:18
both spark and mavic air use wifi, the only difference seems to be power output (from board to the ant leads)  for the mavic air is about 2x that of the spark, but the gain is roughly the same.  

but since you know some stuff about HAM radios i bet you can also make the connection that 2x power doesn't = 2x range or 2x quality of signal.  

Exactly, and I plan on trying that hopefully tonight or tommarow since I just got the batteries charged, and the weather decided not to pretend to be a hurricane with 40+ mph winds. I will probably be sticking to 159 or 165 since those are the best channels since 2.4ghz is carpet bombed by nearby routers, and that I want to create an environment that puts the signals through its paces through the introduction of other frequiencies interference as some people might be planning to fly in the city, which this will provide a better idea of max distance, ie the distance you can go and still have control, vs the ideal max, which is where lag is minimal. I imagine that with the mavic pro there is no issues with this regard since it uses occusync vs just wifi.

A CW Posted at 2018-6-11 10:49
The fact is both drones have attributes that appeal to different pilots and surpass each other - image quality and portability is more important to me than flying 2 miles away. It’s what you need that counts but to say the MA is an improved Spark is not the reality of what that drone is and such statements are only made by those who don’t own it. I’d say a mini P4P that wipes the MP with the floor in important functions whilst the MP has capabilities that the MA can not achieve but you have to pay for it and those functions are not as important IMO.

The exact reason I chose the MA over the MP.

Vlas Posted at 2018-6-18 17:01
The exact reason I chose the MA over the MP.

not to beat a dead horse anymore but:

the range and signal of occusync thing isn't all about how purely far the device can go, its also about how well it stays connected when the going gets tough. occusync is amazing wireless connection.   like the example i gave.. say 100 meters away is a little forest about 500 Meters thick.. and you want to explore what's just beyond that forest, well, wifi will probably disconnect or turn to junk signal, occusync will stay clean and clear and be less risky to fly out of direct line of sight because if something is solid blocking the signal of occusync its still usually very strong, if something solid blocks wifi signal usually takes a total dump.

You made a wise choice Vlas. The range is great isn’t it - I got 1.3 miles in a CE area on Friday with no signal loss. I also flew in 30MPH winds yesterday with no horizon tilt issues - the gimbal is so much better than the old and dated MP. So pleased I sold the MP to make way for the new tech.

Vlas Posted at 2018-6-18 17:01
The exact reason I chose the MA over the MP.

Have you posted any footage or stills on here yet? Would be cool to see some of Japan.