DJI Mavic Air 2 user manual leak reveals new details about upcoming drone

DJI may be on the verge of releasing a sequel to the much-loved Mavic Air, two years after the popular drone was announced. The clues of a Mavic Air 2 landing soon came after images leaked online in March, with an FCC filing arriving soon after. And now DJI has teased us with a launch event set for April 27 (April 28 for Australia and New Zealand).

The possibility of the Mavic Air 2 being announced on that day have been made higher still with Brazilian publication DroneFriendly and Brazilian YouTuber Dronemodelismo revealing images and a Portuguese language quick-start manual (with some basic specs of the device), giving us our best look at the upcoming quadcopter.

The leak appears to have originated from Brazil's ANATEL, the country's national telecommunications organization and FCC equivalent. Whether this was an accidental reveal is unclear but the cat is now out of the bag.

Frequent flyer

According to a translation of the leaked quick-start manual, the Mavic Air 2 will have a top flight time of 34 minutes – a decent 13-minute boost over the Mavic Air. This is going to made possible by a larger 3,500mAh battery (as compared to the 2,375mAh on used in the original Mavic Air).

The new drone's top flying speed seems to have been inherited from the Mavic Air, maxing out at 68.4km/h (42.5mph).

On board will be a "48MP camera" but whether that is total pixel count or effective is unclear. What is also not yet known is whether the high resolution sensor will be a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor from the Mavic Air or a larger one-inch sensor. Either way, that seems to be a massive leap over the 12MP effective pixel count of the Mavic Air and the 20MP sensor onboard the Mavic 2 Pro.

And, of course, 4K video capability at up to 60fps will reportedly make its way to the Mavic Air 2.

Another major improvement the Mavic Air 2 will have over its predecessor is the controller's range – according to the user manual, the controller will work over a distance of 8km, which is a massive leap over the Mavic Air's range of just 2km.

DJI's obstacle sensors and intelligent flight modes will also be available on board.

Not much else of import can be gleaned from the quick-start manual, but between the previous leaks and this one, it appears the Mavic Air 2 will compete for the Mavic 2 Pro for supremacy in the skies, particularly if DJI keeps with the Mavic Air's mid-range pricing.