DJI Mavic 2 Pro vs GoPro Karma Drone
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Review & Comparison of DJI Mavic Pro 2 VS GoPro Karma Drone
Drones are yet to fully cross over into the mainstream, but GoPro and DJI have both helped push things in that direction with their latest offerings.
GoPro’s Karma and DJI’s Mavic Pro are both compact, portable drones, but while the latter has a built-in camera, the former is designed to work with several GoPro cameras.
It seems the battle is on for the best portable camera drone, then, but which of these two is looking like the best offering at this early stage? Read on to find out.
Size and folding
The obvious point of having a folding drone is that you can easily take it on adventures. Then, when you’re on a remote trail or a distant beach and want to grab some quick footage of that stunning sunset, you pull the drone out of your bag and get it aloft before the perfect moment has passed. Imagining this kind of scenario, you’ll realise that there are two components to any drone’s portability: how easy it is to carry around and how easy it is to get in the air quickly.
Between the DJI and the GoPro folding drone models, there’s a very clear winner here: the Mavic Pro. The Mavic Pro folds down to a tight compact block that’s roughly the size of a hearty Italian sandwich and the weight of a thick novel. The propellers also feature a clever design that lets them fold up too, so that you don’t have to install them and uninstall them every time you move locations. Consequently it takes just 86 seconds to get the Mavic Pro ready to be in the air.
Maximum Speed
The Mavic Pro can fly 40 mph (65 kph) while in Sport mode. The Karma has a maximum speed of 35 mph (56.3 kph).
Winner: DJI Mavic Pro.
Max Flight Time
When it comes to flight time, the Karma will stay airborne for 20 minutes, which isn’t all that great in the grand scheme of things. And, once again, the Mavic has it beat, although only very slightly, with a max flight time of 21 minutes. It can, however, last up to 27 minutes according to DJI. Of course, you can bring extra batteries along for both of these drones, which looks like it’s going to be a necessity given the paltry flying times.
Winner: DJI Mavic Pro.
Max Distance
The Karma will top out at 35mph and has a maximum range of 3km. It’s also capable of flying at an altitude of 4,500m. The Mavic Pro, on the other hand, has the edge on the Karma in this respect, as it can hit 40mph and can travel up to a rather impressive 7km before it loses transmission. That’s 6km further than the GoPro.
The Mavic can also reach a height of 5,000m, beating the Karma by 500m. DJI says this is 5,000m above sea level, however, while GoPro simply states a max flight altitude of 4,500m.
The Karma is not fun to fly. As the large size and weight would suggest, it’s sluggish in the air and not graceful when avoiding obstacles. That’s because it doesn’t have any obstacle avoidance technology, so you’re probably going to crash it at some point, and when you do, every single one of those hard-to-install rotors will break. God, and as if it couldn’t get any worse, the Karma’s GPS doesn’t work as well as the Mavic’s does. That means if you lose a GPS signal, the drone will float around the air aimlessly.
GoPro Karma vs DJI Mavic Pro – Controllers
So how do you control these beasts? Well, the Karma comes with its own controller, which looks a tad outdated if you ask us. It takes the form of a clamshell-style remote control with a 5-inch touchscreen that shows real-time views from the drone’s camera in 720p resolution.
DJI also has another trick up its sleeve. It’s offering a pair of goggles that look much like a VR headset and allow you to see what the drone’s camera sees. When wearing the goggles, your head movements will control the drone’s movements, which may or may not land you in a spot of legal trouble when it comes to laws that require you to keep the drone within sight, etc.
Intelligent Flight Modes
The Mavic Pro uses a host of sensors and cameras for its FlightAutonomy obstacle avoidance system, object tracking system, and gesture control system. The Karma lacks obstacle avoidance and “Follow Me” features.
Mavic Pro’s auto-flight features are geared towards people who want to operate a drone without necessarily having the skills to fly a drone. Karma has some automated features, including the ability to travel between two points, but it’s geared much more towards manual controlled flight.
Winner: DJI Mavic Pro.
The Winner: DJi Mavic Pro 2
CAMERA
Real Time Switching
Obstacle Sensing
High Speed
Latest User Reviews
Check the Reviews from Verified Purchases
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Just a possibly important point for anybody thinking of buying one. As a drone I use it for both social and business use for surveying properties. Its been a fine piece of equipment and unlike others I haven’t experienced any issues / problems etc. However, today (17/01/18) I have learned that about a week ago GoPro announced that the Karma drone will no longer be manufactured and GoPro are in the midst of laying off their Karma workforce. I guess ultimately this means that spare parts and their service department will also wane.Hence as a drone I’ve been happy and would give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, due to the likely issue with service, spare parts and continuity I’ve put it down to 3 stars.
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Firstly the delivery from amazon was excellent, I ordered it on the 21st December, and it arrived on the 22nd. Next day delivery of course, but WOW for the time of year. 👍🏻Secondly, the Karma drone, GoPro 6 and basically the whole package is excellent. If you watch these videos on YouTube, which I did before I bought it, then they generally put it down. Don’t believe them, if you take your time, read just the quick set up instructions, then it does what it says on the tin. Most of these videos are made by Americans, and while I have no grievance against our friends from across the pond, they tend to just open it up and expect it to fly!The remote control itself basically takes you through the steps you need to do before you go flying. All you really need to do is make sure everything is charged, switch the remote control on and follow what it tells you to do. Most important thing is to download all the updates, do the calibration settings of the drone and off you go.ENJOY! 😉
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I bought this re-furbished for £379 and got a few accessories which was good.
It’s a good starter drone, I purchased this to get into them with a work colleague.
He had a drone which was much better than mine, but was also 5x the cost.There’s a few things that this Drone was actually better with, such as the fantastic GoPro camera… Happy buyer.
+ PROS: Great Starter Drone Trusted GoPro Brand- CONS: Not very fast
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DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review - £1,342.50
The drone is so much more compact than others such as the phantom series, however, it comes packed with tech to make flying it fun, simple and safer.. along with a great camera for shots and really stunning video.. I’m really happy having upgraded from a phantom 3 advance
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review - £1,342.50
Fantastic aircraft, superb to fly and excellent image. Sometimes buying a refurb feels like a bit of a gamble, but I’m very happy that I decided to do so this time. Prompt delivery.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review - £1,342.50
Oh wow, this is awesome, I can fly hahahahahahaha.So simple to use and idiot proof almost. Yes you could still stack it but you have to be sensible as it costs so much.Really really recommend this drone. its my first ever drone and i am over the moon.You will need 2 extra batteries, you think you wont but you will, just to keep flying whilst other charges.1/2 hour battery life goes quick if your learning.Im still learning controls but have picked up speed now, next to master the camera.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review - £1,342.50
The only reason this doesn’t get 5 stars is because amazon support in replacing the item was non-existent.There is an issue with this drone that does not allow the update work.Dji were great and said sent it to amazon for replacement. Amazon said fine. We’ll let you know in 48 hours regarding the replacement. After waiting and then chasing they said no we can’t replace just return.But having used this drone. When it works it’s awesome.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Review - £1,342.50
Great Drone. The distance this thing is operational at amazes me. I can handle around 2.5 miles with ease, but haven’t had the space to try any further.
It’s also crystal clear at this range. Not the cheapest drone, but you definitely get what you pay for.
The Tracking technology is flawless.
I’ve put high price as the only con but it’s actually pretty good value for what you get.