DJI Avata review: A maneuverable cinewhoop drone for FPV novices
The Avata is a solid, maneuverable little drone that produces great footage, but it has some weird flaws and limitations. The Googles 2 aren’t ideal if you wear glasses and the microSD card placement sucks. Plus the motion controller isn’t ideal for precise FPV flying. Still, there aren’t many other ready-to-fly drones that can do what it does.
Video Transcript
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STEVE DENT: The Avata is here and it's one of DJI's most interesting drones yet. While technically an FPV drone, it's far different from DJI's speedy FPV. Instead, the Avata is more about agility with propeller guards that make it safe to fly around people. It comes with the new Goggles 2 that are smaller and lighter with improved clarity. You also get an updated motion controller that lets you steer the Avata by moving your wrists.
It looks like an ideal setup for cinematic video, but isn't cheap at $1,368 with the Goggles 2 and motion controller. And while testing it with my drone pilot friend, we discovered some other issues too.
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With prop guards and a square form, the Avata doesn't look like any other DJI drone. It's much lighter than the FPV at 410 grams. And it's just 7 inches square and 3.1 inches high. So it can fly into tight spaces. The batteries use a flexible connector designed to limit crash damage. DJI claims up to 18 minutes of flight time but we got less than 12 or 13 minutes, which is still good for an FPV drone. Batteries charge in about 45 minutes and you can get two extra batteries and a charger with the $279 fly more kit.
The micro SD slot tucked underneath is very awkward to access. The USB-C port for transfers and charging is equally difficult to get to. These are honestly serious design flaws. On the plus side, the Avata does have 20 gigabytes of internal storage. Underneath are two time of flight sensors that map the terrain for safety. However, the Avata doesn't have any forward facing sensors. So its main protection is the prop guards and its high durability. Oops.
With the Avata proview combo, you get the DJI motion controller as the only way to fly. You can also use the FPV Remote Controller 2, but it's sold separately for $200. Also, included in that bundle are the new Goggles 2, not to be confused with the Goggles V2. They're smaller, and lighter, and use micro-OLED panels with 1080p resolution for each eye compared to 810p on the Goggles V2.
You can use the V2 with the Avata and FPV. But the Goggles 2 only work with the Avata. The extra sharpness and small size are nice, but you can't wear glasses underneath the Goggles 2. Instead, they have built in diopters to correct your eyesight. If you have astigmatism, DJI includes lens mountings that you can send back to have your prescription made.
The extra resolution is nice, but Samuel wasn't crazy about the diopter. He often had to remove the headset to see the drone, which meant he had to put his glasses back on. He found the Goggles V2 easier as he could wear his glasses underneath. The Goggles 2 let you fly the Avata with no mobile phone, as they have a mini version of the DJI fly app built in. You can connect a mobile phone to the goggles though so that others can get a view.
Meanwhile, the Goggles 2 connect to the drone via DJI's OcuSync 03, providing a 50 megabit per second video feed from up to 6.2 miles away.
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The Avata is a blast to fly, but it's not as fast as some FPV drones. It tops out at 60 miles per hour in manual mode well under the 87 miles per hour of DJI's FPV. And that's in manual mode. Sport and Normal Modes are considerably slower. It has awesome maneuverability though, letting you fly in places you'd never take another drone. We took it around handball players during a practice, between our legs, around a castle rooftop, and indoors with plenty of fragile things around. It's also tough.
We had a number of crashes that would have killed an open prop drone. In addition, it can bounce off a person without doing them any harm. It's easy to fly with a motion controller, especially for beginners. You simply point it to where you want to fly and pull the trigger to speed up. To climb, tilt the controller upward and apply power. And reverse that for descents.
A large button on top brings it to a hover. It has some limitations though. You can't transition vertically, or fly backwards with a motion controller. So you have to use a button to land. It also lacks precision, especially indoors. In fact, we found that without a GPS lock inside, the Avata was sometimes unfliable with a motion controller. If you have some experience, you can use the FPV Remote Controller 2 instead. It allows you to go faster in Manual Mode and cruise low to the ground or zag between trees and rooftops.
Inside, you can maneuver between rooms and around objects if you have the skill. In Manual Mode, you can do flips, dives, climbs, rolls, and other tricks while flying fast and turning on a dime. However, there are few safeguards. And it's far more unstable. It is a ton of fun though. And the adrenaline really kicks in when any wrong move could kill your drone.
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Most so-called city whoop FPV drones use external cameras like the GoPro HERO Bones. But the Avata has one built in. It uses the same size, 1 over 1.7 inch, sensor as the new action three camera with 64% more sensor area than the FPV. Like the action three, it has normal, wide, and ultra wide options with up to a 155 degree field of view. And on top of the built-in gimbal and rock steady smoothing, it has the horizon view option to keep things level, even if the drone is tilting heavily.
It supports 4K video at up to 60 frames per second, or 1080p and a 2.7K at 120 frames per second with the Goggles V2 but only 100 frames per second with the Goggles 2, oddly enough. Considering the camera's small size, image quality is very good. Video is sharp and colors are accurate, though they can be a bit oversaturated. If you need a bit more dynamic range, it has DJI's D-CineLike Mode. It's not bad in low light for shooting cityscapes or well-lit interiors with an iso range up to 12,800 in Expanded Mode.
You still need a decent amount of light though, or video will get blocky and grainy. The gimbal and rock steady stabilization keep videos smooth despite wind or abrupt maneuvers. Overall, it's a good camera, though not up to say GoPro's standards. Combined with the small size and maneuverability though, the Avata gets shots no other off the shelf drone can.
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Overall, the Nevada is a tough maneuverable little drone that produces great footage. But it has a few weird flaws and limitations. The Goggles 2 aren't ideal if you wear glasses. And the micro SD card placement sucks. Plus, the motion controller isn't ideal for precise FPV flying, particularly indoors. It's also fairly costly. Though the base drone is $629, it's $1,388 with the Goggles 2 and motion controller, plus another $279 with the fly more kit.
If you add the FPV Remote Controller 2, that's $199 more. Still, there aren't many other ready to fly drones that can do what it does. If you want a highly maneuverable and relatively safe city whoop style drone, without building one yourself, it's really in a class by itself. Thanks for watching. And if you enjoyed this video, please hit Like and Subscribe. And for more on technology, check out engadget.com.
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