best portable drone dji vs parrot

Parrot Anafi vs DJI Mavic Air

With the release of the new Parrot Anafi does the Mavic Air have some new competition? We expected Autel to be the one to challenge DJI but Parrot has decided to up their game first. The Anafi is a 4K folding drone like the Mavic Air, so how do they compare? Should you get an Anafi or the Mavic Air, or maybe even a Spark? Let’s take a look. If you want to see how the Anafi stacks up against the Spark we took a close look at that HERE.

We also dive into the details of the flight modes in our recent Anafi video, which also has some comparisons to the Mavic Air.

The DJI Mavic Air vs the Parrot Anafi.
The DJI Mavic Air vs the Parrot Anafi.

 

Learn more about the Parrot AnafiLearn more about the DJI Mavic Air
anafi vs mavic air
Measurements are approximate and prices are subject to change.

Anafi Camera vs Mavic Air Camera

parrot anafi camera looking up
Props to Parrot for letting the Anafi look up through the props.

Both the Mavic Air and the Anafi are capable of capturing 4K footage, so which one is better? The Anafi can capture 4K at 30 fps and 1080p at 60fps whereas the Mavic Air can film 4K at 30 fps and 1080p at 120 fps. The Anafi has a 21 MP camera compared to the 12 MP camera of the Mavic Air.  Both are capable of HDR (high dynamic range) and have a maximum bitrate of 100 Mbps. The Anafi camera is capable of lossless digital zoom of up to 2.8x but the Mavic Air has no zoom capability.

mavic air vs anafi
You can see both cameras peeking out in their folded state.

With all of these facts under consideration, it is just too soon to tell. The Mavic Air is one of our favorite flying cameras and early shots from the Anafi look really nice, but the video may be a little choppy.

Gimbal

Mavic Air vs Parrot anafi
The smaller Mavic Air gimbal is a mechanical 3-axis gimbal

The Anafi relies on a two-axis gimbal combined with electronic image stabilization to allow for smooth video. The Mavic Air uses a three-axis mechanical gimbal. Typically electronic image stabilization degrades the quality of the video by cropping out pixels, but the 21 MP camera of the Anafi ensures there is plenty to be able to do so without sacrificing quality. The Anafi is the first drone we have seen with the ability to look up a full 90 degrees. This allows for shots that the Mavic Air or really any other drone just can’t capture. Purists might scoff at only a two-axis gimbal, but Parrot has done their R&D for sure.

Parrot Anafi
The Parrot Anafi gimbal has 180-degrees of travel.

Size and Portability

folded anafi vs mavic
Both drones are compact when folded.

Both of these drones are compact and portable with folding arms. The Anafi is longer and skinnier when folded and the Mavic Air is shorter and thicker. The Anafi is lighter by 110 grams (320g vs 430g) but neither drone is heavy with both of them weighing less than one pound. It is quite an achievement that the Anafi is lighter than the already-lightweight Mavic Air.

Mavic Air DJI
The Mavic Air is a compact and portable drone that takes spectacular pictures and video.

Flight Modes

The Anafi has a handful of interesting new flight modes including Smart Dronies, Hyperlapse,  and Orbit, but the most exciting mode is probably the Dolly Zoom option. This will allow the user to get unique smooth Hollywood style footage. The Anafi will also fly using waypoints, as well as track and follow. In addition to these flight modes, the Anafi will add 3D mapping as well.

parrot vs dji
The Dolly Zoom is an exciting feature of the Parrot Anafi.

The Mavic Air has Rocket, Dronie, Helix, Boomerang, and Asteroid to go along with follow me and point of interest. You won’t be able to use waypoints or do 3D mapping unless you are using 3rd party software on the Mavic Air.

Our favorite unique mode on the Mavic Air is the Boomerang. Despite not having lookup capability, DJI has managed to stitch together some pretty good 360 images and we are surprised this capability isn’t there yet on the Anafi. We hope Parrot upgrades the firmware soon after release.

Anafi example 3D map
Parrot presumably got some help from Pix4D in developing 3D mapping for the Anafi

Flight Time and Range

Mavic Air
Take a look at the impressive DJI Mavic Air.

The Anafi has a maximum flight time of 25 minutes, whereas the Mavic Air tops out at only 20. Five minutes may not be a lot, but it can be enough to make a difference. It is amazing that Parrot has eeked out this much flight time in such a small drone. Both the Mavic Air and the Parrot Anafi have a range of 2.5 miles.

Which One Is Better?

anafi vs mavic
The Parrot Anafi is a quality option, but the Mavic Air is an excellent drone. You’ll have to make your own decision.

They are both solid drones. If you want to get something unique with the ability to take shots that no other drone can capture then pick up the Parrot Anafi. If you want something that already has a proven track record then go with the DJI Mavic Air. There really might not be a wrong answer here.

Buy the Parrot AnafiBuy the DJI Mavic Air

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Learn More…

If you want to learn more about taking great pictures or flying FPV then check out our comprehensive guides on those topics. Also take a look at our articles on how to choose the right drone for great aerial photos or for getting started flying race drones. Learn more about drones and how to get the most out of them in our Drone Academy. In the Academy we also detail some of the advanced testing we do, including our recent addition, drone thrust testing.

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4 thoughts on “Parrot Anafi vs DJI Mavic Air”

  1. Pingback: DJI Mavic Air vs Parrot Anafi vs DJI Spark: Which is the BEST Portable Drone? – RC Videos

  2. Pingback: Parrot Anafi vs DJI Spark: Which Drone is Better for You?

  3. Pingback: Parrot Anafi: Finally the Mavic Air Has a Worthy Competitor

  4. Pingback: DJI Mavic Air vs Parrot Anafi vs DJI Spark: Which is the BEST Portable Drone? | Dji Drone

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