Review: DJI Avata 2 Drone

With their origins in the world of drone racing, FPV drones (that's first-person view for the uninitiated) offer a faster, smoother, and more exciting flying experience than the camera drones we've typically covered in the Gear section.

To use a gross oversimplification, if standard drones, like the new WIRED Recommended DJI Air 3, fly like helicopters, FPV drones behave more like airplanes. While most drones are designed to remain as steady and level as possible in the air—all the better to provide a stable platform for photography and videography—FPV drones can bank, drift, climb, and plunge acrobatically, and even pull off loops, flips, and barrel rolls in the hands of a skilled pilot. Go to YouTube and have a look if you want to see how incredibly agile these things can be.

DJI’s Avata 2 aims to bring the skill requirements needed for FPV flight down, while still offering an exhilarating first-person experience. And I’m delighted to say it succeeds, turning me from a nervy novice into a gleeful, gap-threading adrenaline junkie in a matter of minutes.

A Complete Package

The Avata 2 is currently only purchasable in a Fly More bundle with the DJI Goggles 3 ($499) and DJI RC Motion 3 ($99), two new accessories launching at the same time. The former is a new headset with twin Full HD OLED panels beaming a live feed from the drone’s front-mounted camera directly to the wearer’s eyes. The latter is a one-handed controller used to steer and power the drone via tilting motions and a couple of control buttons. When it does become available, you'll be able to buy just the Avata 2 for $489.

Depending on which of the two Fly More bundles you choose, you also get either one ($999) or three batteries ($1,199), each good for about 23 minutes of flight on a full charge . The pricier bundle also comes with a cradle that can fast-charge three batteries sequentially, plus a well-made sling bag with capacity for drone, controller, cradle, batteries, and headset, plus cables, extra propellers, and memory cards.

When I turned the Avata 2, Goggles 3, and RC Motion 3 on, they immediately paired with each other, and, thankfully, as a glasses wearer I found the headset refreshingly accommodating. Its eyepieces adjust for inter-pupillary distance, and it has a diopter for correcting vision, so I was able to get a clear view of the displays, while the twist-to-adjust strap and weight distribution made it comfortable for extended periods.

The image quality from the micro OLED screens is sharp and bright, with no discernible lag from the drone cam. It can also be used to stand in for your eyes too. A double tap on the side of the headset switches from the drone to a front camera feed, allowing you to quickly check out your surroundings between flights without removing the goggles.

A quick note for UK residents: While lighter than the original DJI Avata, the 377-gram weight of the Avata 2 restricts where it can be legally flown. Like any drone of 250 grams or above, it must be kept 150 meters from residential, recreational, commercial, or industrial sites, and 50 meters away from uninvolved people. So if you buy one in the UK, be aware that you can’t just stroll down to your local park and fly it around.

Quality Controller

The RC Motion 3 may be the perfect controller for an FPV beginner like me. Once the drone is hovering—which requires only a couple of button presses—the controller can be tilted to adjust its orientation, with the trigger used to adjust speed. I basically point the onscreen cursor at where I want the drone to go, and it’ll go there. Point it toward a gap between the railings of a fence, and the Avata 2 will glide right through. It’s much easier than it has any right to be.

If I need to stop suddenly, I can tap the brake button and it’ll bring the drone back to a safe hover. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to crash, and I managed to bring the drone down once by steering it directly into the post of the aforementioned fence. It dropped about 8 feet onto the stones of a beach, but was fine to resume flying, without a visible mark on it. This thing is impeccably built, and while I don’t doubt repeated high-speed crashes will damage it eventually, it’s clearly designed to withstand some punishment.

But what of those mind-bending aerial stunts on YouTube? Sadly, you can’t really pull them off with the motion controller. The drawback to its user-friendly simplicity is that it doesn’t work in the same way as a twin-stick controller. Think of it as a controller with training wheels. If you stop flying—to dive for instance—it will eventually stop moving and hover in place. Clever, but limiting.

For those that want to graduate to trickier manual flight, DJI sells the $199 console-style Remote Controller 3, which allows you to fly the drone in manual mode. Here, the training wheels are off and the slightest error can result in an embarrassing and potentially costly crash. You can also perform incredible tricks, if you know how.

For me, who's keen to return the Avata 2 sample back to DJI in one piece, the RC Motion 3 feels like enough for now. It’s allowed me to capture some wonderful footage using the Avata 2’s electronically stabilized camera, which records video at 4K/60 fps or 2.7K/120 fps. There's also the option to use a 10-bit D Log M color profile for more postproduction color grading too. The drone comes with 46 GB of built-in storage for videos and 12 MP photos, plus a microSD slot for those requiring more space.

My First FPV

Ultimately, the Avata 2 is the latest in a long line of DJI drones that makes it easy for amateurs to achieve great results. In this case, it makes FPV flying incredibly simple and intuitive, and its camera allows you to create some thrilling, smoothly cinematic sequences with very little effort.

There's also very little in the way of comparable products on the market, with most FPV drones being kits built by enthusiasts, rather than consumer-friendly designs. As a result, the main alternative to the Avata 2 is the original DJI Avata. And for those who own the first-generation model, I’d say, aside from the Goggles 3, which aren't retro-compatible, the improvements here don’t really warrant an upgrade.

But if you're new to the FPV game, I strongly advise you to choose the latest version. It is only $179 more, but there are improvements across the board, with enhanced flight performance, longer flight time, intelligent flight modes, and advanced safety features. If you're looking for a gateway to FPV fun, they don’t come any more accessible than the Avata 2.