The best drone for most people, the Mavic Air 2 is a significant upgrade on its predecessor and our new favorite flying camera. It offers improved range, a noticeably longer battery life, excellent 4K/60p video and a whole host of new shooting features, all for the same launch price as its predecessor. Minor niggles aside, it's a superb choice for both stills photographers and filmmakers.

Very easy to fly; Compact, folding design; Greatly improved battery life; Excellent stills and video quality;

Camera feed sometimes stutters; No screen on the controller

The Mavic Air 2 ($799.99) is DJI's mid-tier entry in its small, folding drone series. Thanks to its design, it can be stowed in most camera bags, and it doesn't skimp on safety features. Its camera uses a Quad Bayer design for crisp, detailed photos and 4K HDR video, and footage is silky smooth. If you're looking to spend less than $1,000 on a new drone, the Mavic Air 2 is our Editors' Choice.Small Enough The Mavic Air 2 is a bit bigger all around than its predecessor, the Mavic Air, but you probably won't care. At  3.3 by 3.8 by 7.1 inches (HWD) and 1.3 pounds, it's slim enough to find a space inside most photographer's gear bags. The footprint is larger when the arms are extended and the drone is ready to fly, but the profile is still pretty low. You may not be able to take off from a lawn if the grass isn't freshly cut, but you can typically find an appropriately flat patch of dirt or asphalt to launch. It's heavy enough to require registration for use in the US—the fee is a n...

With a compelling mix of imaging, stability, and safety features, DJI's Mavic Air 2 is the best drone you can buy for under $1,000.

Superlative battery life; Strong image and video quality; Obstacle detection and avoidance; Automated shots; HDR video and Raw imaging; AirSense transponder

Video profiles limited to standard and flat; App-based editing limited to 1080p output; Remote omits EV control wheel; Not easy to get Raw images to your tablet or smartphone

Being excited about owning a new drone, I mixed the propellers up on first assembly not realising. As a result I crashed it on the very first takeoff and damaged the propellers. Since learning my mistake the drone ultimately is very high quality. Excellent control and stability, and the images are fantastic.

So much to learn about flying.

Tiny but crammed with features; QuickShot modes work brilliantly;

Legislation requires you to register any drone over 250g with the CAA;

Tiny but crammed with features; QuickShot modes work brilliantly;

Legislation requires you to register any drone over 250g with the CAA;

The DJI Mavic Air is the king of mid-range drones, packing in incredible portability and fantastic image quality.

Incredibly compact and convenient to carry around, Easy to fly with intelligent flight modes, Great video quality, HDR and panoramic still images, Includes built-in storage

Need to opt for the Fly More Combo to get the most out of it, Switching between control methods can be fiddly

While not perfect, the Mavic Air is easily one of the most impressive drones to date. It's portable, powerful and packed with features. What's more, its batteries last far longer than the smaller Spark.

Portable design means it's easy to carry around, Full of features, Quick Shot modes are a highlight, Battery life is decent for a drone this size

ActiveTrack tracking didn't work reliably, Video was often oversaturated, Auto exposure slow to play catch-up, App menu system is still quite complex