I don't see anything about this? I wonder if you can charge it via USB-C possibly using power delivery?

IMO one of the best things about the air is having USB-C and getting rid of that microUSB.

According to TechCrunchs article here, the Air does support charging via USB-C. The article is littered with typos though, and I haven't seen it anywhere else. I would also really love confirmation.

Apologies for the double post, but I was able to confirm with a Customer Service Rep that USB-C charging will be available!

Finally, no need for that bulky charger when packing light, truly a pocket drone after all!

Flyrmyr Posted at 2018-1-23 15:01
Apologies for the double post, but I was able to confirm with a Customer Service Rep that USB-C charging will be available!

Finally, no need for that bulky charger when packing light, truly a pocket drone after all!

thank you. I hope all mobile phone usb-c chargers will be compatible. also usb-c power bank with qualcomm auick charge 3.0 technology should work too.

Flyrmyr Posted at 2018-1-23 15:01
Apologies for the double post, but I was able to confirm with a Customer Service Rep that USB-C charging will be available!

Finally, no need for that bulky charger when packing light, truly a pocket drone after all!

Thanks for clarifying it

Are you able to ask them (I don't know if they will be able to, or in fact aware) which charging profiles they support over the USB-C connection?

Reason being is that QC3.0 is different from the normal 5V @ 2A charing banks as QC3.0 delivers 12V @ 1.5A to the device that negotiates with it, on connection .  When it comes to buying a power bank, they are not all equal and few will specify which charing rates they can deliver when a QC3.0 compatible or USB-PD device is connected

Figure it is worth pulling this information out of DJI, so when people buy powerbanks, specifically for off grid travel, they have a bank that can charge the device in a reasonable amount of time.

The spark was my choice due to the microUSB, however the reviews and google searches were not able to detail which power profiles the Spark could negotiate.
Now this has USB-C, I am sold, but now I have to make sure any powerbanks I now buy, can support the correct charging profile to charge this puppy up, on the go.

After reading from both TechRadar and PCMag that this was not possible, I reached out to another support rep for more solid confirmation. Initially, I received the same answer, but after asking again in a couple different ways, we got to this:



So, now it looks like a no... But I don't think anybody there really knows the answer, sadly.

A Techradar review of the drone states USB charging is not possible.

"The Mavic Air is the first DJI drone to introduce USB-C for content transfer. Sadly, we found out that it can't be used to charge the drone. You'll still have to lug around the proprietary DJI charger for this drone."

Source: http://www.techradar.com/reviews/dji-mavic-air

EDIT: Sorry, I have seen this has already been posted.

Wow, this is a pretty big mistake by DJI.

USB-C Portable charging is one of the reasons why I'm getting this drone.....Even the A7R3 is capable of USB C charging.

I wonder if this is a hardware limitation or software.........

fansa6b0fb5c Posted at 2018-1-25 06:16
Wow, this is a pretty big mistake by DJI.

USB-C Portable charging is one of the reasons why I'm getting this drone.....Even the A7R3 is capable of USB C charging.

On the chat with DJI and asking them specifically about USB-PD and QC3.0 protocols.  Seems to start the same way with canned responses, but I am getting somewhere.  The rep says he checked with "another dept" but is checking with HQ, will keep you posted.

PUMMY Posted at 2018-1-25 08:33
On the chat with DJI and asking them specifically about USB-PD and QC3.0 protocols.  Seems to start the same way with canned responses, but I am getting somewhere.  The rep says he checked with "another dept" but is checking with HQ, will keep you posted.

Looks like a no, but will drop them an email and push them on it, specifically
1) does the hardware simply not support it, or not present
2) Is the firmware / code not setup to allow charging
3) Is this planned for the future, but not released yet for "some" reason

PUMMY Posted at 2018-1-25 08:47
Looks like a no, but will drop them an email and push them on it, specifically
1) does the hardware simply not support it, or not present
2) Is the firmware / code not setup to allow charging

Thanks for reaching out, I'm sure we'd all love to hear what you're able to find out from further up the chain! I agree, thats one of the most valuable features personally, and weighed heavily in my decision to sell my Mavic Pro for the Air.

Flyrmyr Posted at 2018-1-25 10:08
Thanks for reaching out, I'm sure we'd all love to hear what you're able to find out from further up the chain! I agree, thats one of the most valuable features personally, and weighed heavily in my decision to sell my Mavic Pro for the Air.

If you guys want to get behind the case, the ID is 957103 on the DJI Support forum, you can flag that as the one.  Questions asked were...

Hi

Can you please advise if USB-C charging will be possible on the Mavic Air. There is some interest in this, given USB-C protocols have the means to allow upto 100W of power, however we are getting conflicting information from DJI about this, when pressed. The thread on the support forums is below...

https://forum.dji.com/thread-130913-1-1.html

and my questions are...

1) Do you have the hardware to support this in the Air?
2) Is the limitation due to missing hardware or a firmware / driver issue?
3) If the hardware IS present, do you have plans to unlock this feature for users?

This would bring a LOT of potential buyers into the fold, as this would allow true portability.

Also, if you do release this, can you please specify in the manual the power protocol (USB-PD / QC3.0) and the profile that is supported for the protocol

Regards

I'm also very interested in finding out if I can use a portable powerbank to charge the drone without the included power supply brick. I hike in backcountry areas so being able to charge the Air with a portable battery through the UBS-C port on the drone would be a huge help.

I'm not sure why people are talking about QC3.0, etc.  Can we establish whether the battery gets charged AT ALL when plugged into usb-c?   I'm more interested in overnight charging, so the speed is pretty much irrelevant for me.

USB C is for data xfer only

Airwater Posted at 2018-1-26 17:07
USB C is for data xfer only

Sure but the question is, does the hardware support charging as well?

Or is it blocked to sell more car chargers....

I've used that feature on the Spark, i hope that this really useful feature would be implemented, i've used it on the spark all the time...and i hate to downgrade features.

This would be a very cool feature on the Mavic Air. So DJI... GO ON, please. As Pummy wrote.. this would increase portability enormous.

Guys you can moan but it's not going to happen. Being realistic I would be happy if DJI released one of these for the Mavic Air:

https://store.dji.com/product/spark-portable-charging-station

Any word DJI on this?

I realize that this is not the optimal solution, but if charging the Mavic Air over USB-C is not an option, then this should be:
Buy the Mavic Air Car Charger: https://store.dji.com/product/mavic-air-car-charger
Get one of these usb to 12v converters: https://www.amazon.com/ARECORD-C ... erter/dp/B01J67JIOQ

It will take a long time to charge the battery though... but if you charge overnight or something like that, then who cares...
If you want faster changing, then bring a 12v battery, or make a diy step-up-conveter to be used with multiple usb-powerbanks at a time.

This has been on the Mavic Air FAQ since launch.

It’s not the same text as the Spark, so not a copy and paste error.

I suspect at one point USB charging WAS a feature of the air, even if it has since been removed...

Carrying another charger is not an option. Already own a USB-C phone and I will not buy mavic Air until it is truly portable. No way I will buy a car charger from DJI. Done with mavic air. Long life to spark

Hi all, Mavic Air doesn't support type C charging the battery, you can charge the battery via the charger and the battery hub. Thank you.

Flyrmyr Posted at 2018-1-23 15:01
Apologies for the double post, but I was able to confirm with a Customer Service Rep that USB-C charging will be available!

Finally, no need for that bulky charger when packing light, truly a pocket drone after all!

Hi there, we are sorry for the misunderstanding. Could you please provide me with the email address that you used for contacting our support? Is it the same as the address on the forum? I would like to forward the case to the designated team to learn the details and enhance the training.

darcyperkins Posted at 2018-1-27 20:45
[view_image]

This has been on the Mavic Air FAQ since launch.

Hi Darcy, sorry for the misleading, I had forwarded this to our engineers to confirm and correct it. Thank you for your report.

Ouch, that hurts. I enjoy the ability to top up my Spark without needing to remove a battery, lug around yet another charger. What a disappointment! But hopefully the only one...

The ultra annoying part about this for the MA is that you have to unfold it to remove the battery.  This is frustrating when you just want to charge a single battery without having to spend time unfolding the drone first. Definitely doesn’t fit with the marketing message of a “go anywhere” adventure drone.

Can the DJI admins please explain why the questions on ticket..

https://dji.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/957103

have NOT been answered?

It is clear that the message is no USB-C charging, however the questions about the hardware and if it is possible to enable this or not, would still allow prospective buyers to buy a MA, if you will enable this in a later update.  People who want to minimise the equipment to carry, me included, are keen to know if you simply don't have the hardware installed in the MA to allow USB-C charging

^^ Exactly........

I wouldn't feel so bad if the hardware USB C didn't support charging but data only........HOWEVER I would be pretty mad if the hardware COULD support it, but they disable it to sell more portable car chargers......

We must know.

This is a pretty big bummer. I actually ordered the Mavic Air once the first two reps told me USB-C charging was possible. Major oversight by DJI here, I don't think I'll be selling my Mavic Pro after all.

Quite disappointing the tech support team isn't able to gather correct information internally.

I almost hit the buy button, but than read this. Not going to buy it if i can't charge via USB-C. Where should i charge it off grid?

smfoo Posted at 2018-2-4 03:19
I almost hit the buy button, but than read this. Not going to buy it if i can't charge via USB-C. Where should i charge it off grid?

Buy a PowerStation, like the RAVpower one I have. 100W AC outlet means I can charge anywhere.

I'd like to add my voice to those requesting this feature.

I don't understand why it hasn't been implemented already. Presumably, a tonne of circuitry is missing from the drone, that is present in the charging dock? Or else, maybe it's just a simple oversight. Which would not be all that confidence-inspiring.

Adding my vote here too. I was looking forward to this drone because I do a lot of backpacking and hiking, but not being able to charge via USB  would require me to carry additional electronics which means additional cost and weight. Guess I will hold off until DJI can come up with a solution.

I was so looking forward to this drone, and usb charging is on my must-have feature list. Extremely disappointed this feature was disabled for some odd reason! Give it back please!

This is shocking news, guys! I could not even imagine that charging via ubs-c would not be possible. It reminds me of the days when compact cameras were competing in size, but after unboxing, the REQUIRED charger was as big as the camera itself. Now many yeas later, with a common usb charging standard, I have a faboulous mini drone useless without the SPECIFIC and BIG REQUIRED charger?! I bought the mavic air to take it with me on a 6 month bicycle tour, where evrery gram and packing volume really counts. I can charge all gadgets with my usb power booster, except the mavic air because it requires an additional charger. This is extremly dissapointing. Sorry for writing only another complaint. How about at least a compromise solution? VERY  SMALL external usb powered charging adaptor for instance.

I received my mavic air 2 day ago. Now I'm dissapointed to miss such a self evident feature...

After looking here in this thread I've ordered the Air. Now the Air is in my house and I must read that USB-C charging is not supported.
Now I'm looking forward to sell the drone because the USB-C charging was a major point for me to buy this drone.
Very sad

Or DJI will announce an USB Charger for 40 bucks

Notice how the Spark had USB charging and no car charger accessory? Notice how the Mavic Air has no USB charging but has a car charger accessory?

Yeah....$

This feature needs to be implemented in a future firmware update. This is a travel drone, missing usb charging feature is such a major letdown.