Just over two years since the announcement of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, DJI has officially revealed its latest flagship drone, the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, and it’s apparent that this is a very different drone from anything that DJI has launched in the past. While the basics of the Mavic 4 Pro might look much the same, as you’ll have seen in the teaser picture released by DJI last week there look and styling of the DJI Mavic series has evolved and not only that this is the first DJI drone to have taken such a large leap since the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ intergrated it’s own camera and gimbal system. However, it was with the emergence of the Phantom 3 Professional that things really started to get interesting. You can check out my review of that drone on techradar.com, which was quickly followed by the Apple-friendly Phantom 4 – both at the time outstanding drones.
However, while the Mavic and Phantom ranges Co-exsisted for a while it wasn’t long before the Mavic Pro series really started to become serious and while the Mavic Pro was an interesting drone it was the Mavic 2 pro that introduced the partnershiop with Hasselblad and essentially overturned the entire market and the abilities of these smaller drones.
Now, with the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, DJI has gone back to the drawing board and developed the most outstanding drone to date. I can actually say this with some confidence, having spent the last month flying one around at great length.
Drone with 100mp 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad sensor
This new DJI drone has a feature set that is aimed squarely at professional content creators, with the main highlight being the all-new 100mp 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad sensor that has been mounted on an Infinity Gimbal capable of a full 360° rotation. What this new gimbal essentially does is enable new video angles and a potential cinematic boost for drone videography. Visually, what’s most notable is that the camera is no longer suspended from the drone, but now feels like a far more integrated part of the design.
There’s no doubt that the Mavic 4 Pro has been designed to build on the success of the Mavic 3 Pro (https://camerajabber.com/reviews/dji-mavic-3-pro/)—which as you can see in my review brought the first triple-camera system to consumer drones—the Mavic 4 Pro now evolves the concept with a new gimbal system, 4/3 camera and other upgrades across the board.
Most notable is the introduction of the CMOS dual telephoto cameras, giving a versatile range of focal lengths (28mm, 70mm, and 168mm) to switch perspectives mid-flight, once again enabling plenty of flexibility over your creativity. The new design also includes a few major camera quality upgrades with DJI’s signature colour science and flight safety technology, including even more sensors, superb flight times, and video transmission distance.
The one feature that has already leapt out at me is the heart of this new drone, which is the redesigned Hasselblad main camera. This iteration is capable of capturing 100mp stills and 6K/60fps HDR video. It also features Dual Native ISO Fusion that enables better low-light performance, while the adjustable f/2.0–f/11 aperture makes it versatile across lighting conditions. The new medium telephoto (70mm, 48mp) and long telephoto (168mm, 50mp) cameras use larger sensors and improved gimbal algorithms for clearer, more stable results, even when zoomed in.
DJI’s all new 360º gimbal system
While the improved camera is impressive, you could argue that’s all part of the natural progression for these cameras and really where the new focus should be is on the new Infinity Gimbal. This complete redesign and the first break from the standard gimbal system since the DJI Phatpm 2 Vision+ sees the new gimbal more intergrated into the body of the drone so that it enables a 360° rotation and the ability to tilt upward 70°, ewhich should help to open up creative shot options that would have been tricky or imppossible before.
It’s been a couple of years since the last release, and battery technology has leapt forward. As such, a maximum flight time of 51 minutes is now possible per battery, which makes it one of the longest flying drobes available. The video transmission system also takes a major upgrade and now transmits up to 30km and offers 10-bit HDR video, as well as improved low-light navigation aided by a 0.1-lux capable omnidirectional obstacle sensing system.
DJI’s new ActiveTrack 360° helps to keep subjects in frame even when partially obscured—ideal for follow shots of people, vehicles, or boats.
Alongside the new drone is the new DJI RC Pro 2 controller, which again sees a significant design change over previous itterayions with a 7-inch high-bright rotatable Mini-LED display (Landscape to portrait), collapsible design, HDMI output, and up to four hours of use on a single charge, which considering the Combo comes with three batteries each offering a max of 51 minutes and usable 40 minutes of flight time is needed. It also supports quick file transfers via Wi-Fi 6 and can record on-device audio for synced commentary.
Battery management is improved via the DJI Mavic 240w Power Adapter and Parallel Charging Hub, which fully charges a single battery in about 50 minutes or three simultaneously in 90 minutes. The hub can also double as a 100-watt power bank, which is a useful feature. You can also use this with the DJI Power 1000 for fast charging https://camerajabber.com/reviews/dji-power-1000-review/
A quick glance through what’s on offer, and with two years to enhance and redesign the Mavic 4 Pro, there was never any doubt that it was going to be good, especially considering just how good the Mavic 3 Pro was and still is. As I mentioned in the review, I’ve been running a Mavic 4 Pro for the last month, and it’s exceptional – if you want to find out more, then check out the review here.
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is available in multiple bundles, including a Creator Combo with 512GB of internal storage and the RC Pro 2, making it an all-in-one solution for serious aerial cinematography.
Specifications
Main camera: 4/3-inch CMOS, 100MP, Hasselblad Natural Color Solution
Medium tele camera: 1/1.3-inch CMOS, 48MP, 70mm focal length
Tele camera: 1/1.5-inch CMOS, 50MP, 168mm focal length
Aperture: f/2.0–f/11 (main), f/2.8 (tele cameras)
Video: Up to 6K/60fps HDR (main), 4K/60fps HDR (all cameras), 4K/120fps slo-mo
Dynamic range: 16 stops (main), 14 (medium tele), 13 (tele)
Gimbal: Infinity Gimbal with 360° yaw and 70° upward tilt
Flight time: Up to 51 minutes
Obstacle sensing: Omnidirectional, 0.1-lux low-light capable
Transmission: DJI O4+, 30km 10-bit HDR video
Storage: 64GB (standard), 512GB (Creator Combo)
Controller: DJI RC 2 or RC Pro 2 with 7″ Mini-LED display (Combo-specific)
Price and Availability
The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is now available to order from DJI’s official store and authorised retailers in the following configurations:
DJI Mavic 4 Pro (DJI RC 2): £1,879 / approx. $2,350
Fly More Combo: £2,459 / approx. $3,075 (adds 2 extra batteries, bag, 100w charger)
512GB Creator Combo: £3,209 / approx. $4,015 (adds 512GB storage, RC Pro 2, 240w charger, mic support)
Each package includes the drone and essential accessories, with the Creator Combo delivering the most comprehensive setup for professionals.