DJI Mavic 4 Pro review – I tried the new DJI flagship for over a month and this is what I discovered

As a long-time drone expert, I was lucky enough to be trusted with a pre-production version of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro. To be clear, DJI get no editorial control over what I write in my review, but I have had the advantage of spending a lot more time taking the new flagship drone out on missions before the official release date.

It's been a longer wait since the Mavic 3 Pro, which I reviewed in April 2023, but this is a more serious tool than most folding drones and so the line isn't replaced with the frequency of the consumer models. This new version brings some significant upgrades to the camera, including 6K video from the main camera, and the ability to tilt the camera for some very different creative effects.

In fact a combination of powerful creative control and telephoto distance are the order of the day here – this is a drone with professional operation in mind. It is the flagship of DJI's consumer-friendly (but in practice effectively professional) camera drones, sporting all the high-end features like collision sensing.

Think the iPhone Pro Max of the drone world, but in a space where 'Pro' actually means something (who, seriously, is a 'pro' when it comes to playing games on thier phones?)

Pricing

The Mavic 4 Pro launches at a surprisingly similar price to the Mavic 3 Pro it replaces. I'll break the prices down according to three key versions of the drone.

However, in the USA, potential customers will need to be more patient (or creative). Between laws targeting DJI and rapidly varying tarifs it seems DJI has taked the decision to pause the release in the country. The company has only said: "Like many global companies, we have to adjust our market strategy as local conditions and the industry environment have evolved. While we do not have a timeline for when we can introduce the product to the U.S. market, we are closely monitoring the situation and actively exploring every possible situation ."

(It's worth noting that the 512GB version of the drone doesn't just bring more storage, it is capable of recording better quality video from a movie editor's perspective).

DJI Mavic 4 Pro: Specs

DJI Mavic 4 Pro: Build and handling

Unsurprisingly, the Mavic 4 Pro looks and feels refined and pretty robust. There is no need for any corner-cutting when it comes to weight because this is a professional-quality drone, and the take-off weight is more than four times the 250g threshold for the lightest-touch regulations. It feels it; but not too heavy, and certainly not inconveniently big (like its sibling the Inspire 3, for example). Just dependable.

The drone sports an EU 'C2' category mark, and 83db mark, and, to be fair, it does seem quiet enough to meet this standard. Where the Cat 2 mark is relevant, that means you can fly near people when using the slow flight modes.

Visually the design is sleeker than its predecessor, the Mavic 3 Pro, too. The new near-spherical gimbal has a purpose but also manages to look a little less angular, combining well with the mid to dark gray airframe's hull. Aesthetics give way to the presence of six fish-eye lenses for the omnidirectional vision system (three on top, three on the bottom).

In the base of the drone, the three 'eyes' are accompanied by the optical flow sensors and a LED light, as well as the markings, landing feet (and small protectors for the fish eye lenses). These are all surrounded by the grille-like design seen on other recent DJI drones which does add a touch of class and, presumably, serves to dissipate thermals from the shady underside of the craft since this element is metallic while the rest is quality plastics.

The main camera housing boasts an upgraded system over the Mavic 3 Pro in many respects (though the main tele is 6x rather than 7x, which might disappoint some, but that is explained more by the fact the main camera is 28mm EFL rather than 24mm – not as wide. Personally I prefer this, as the distortion is rarely worth is and I'd rather have a very useful main camera.

Folding out the arms causes this drone to power up automatically, which came as a bit of a surprise to me, a long-time DJI user who has grown very used to the double-press. It's immensely logical to have a switch on the arms, but any extra weight, even such a switch, must have felt like an extravagance in the past! Not so now.

Similarly because my test drone was the Creator Combo, with the 512GB version, I also had the new RC 2 remote which also springs to life with a simple pulling of the screen away from the

For a geeky tech fan like me, there is also something very magical about the way the hinged control sticks fold themsleves out of the remote's body as the screen reveals them. Even better, they neatly get out the the way as you fold the screen back.

To be fair, this controller is not a cheap upgrade, so this kind of elegance is something you are paying for, but it still feels luxurious.

DJI Mavic 4 Pro: Performance

In terms of flight dynamics, there aren't any huge surprises for those who have been flying quadcopters for some time. Subject tracking seems to have steadily improved, which I'll get to, but that does mean that one-person drone operation seems very feasible these days and, given the optical quality, makes the Inspire look like a very niche proposition indeed.

The improved battery life makes operation amazingly worry-free. It is nominally past 50 minutes, though I wasn't able to use the drone for much more than 40 in a single flight, allowing a comfortable return time.

I actually allowed my 9-year-old son to have a little go on the drone (closely supervised) after testing the collision sensing system. He also served as the subject for some tests of the subject tracking system. The drone was able to follow him down a woodland path (or ill-maintained road) and avoid tree branches intelligently while keeping the camera on him.

It was just my impression, but this seemed to be somewhat more convincingly smart and reliable than on previous models and, in Cine and Normal speed modes, the drone proved impossible to crash, even into trees and branches (which are usually what fool this kind of tech).

DAJI Mavic 4 Pro: Still images

For the first time ever, we tested this drone using our camera lab testing system. It's not ideal, because lab testing benefits from lenses which can focus closer and we found the Mavic 4 Pro liked to be about a meter (3 feet) from a subject to hold a focus, so not all of the 100 megapixels were playing their part, but we still have some factual data to compare against other cameras.

The key finding was that the camera in the DJI Mavic 4 Pro resolves more detail than the Sony A7R V.

Image 1 of 5

The drone produces whopping 126MB Raw files in the .DNG format which leave a lot of room for dynamic range extraction – up to 16-stops say DJI and I have little reason to question them having seen the images.

A problem I did have with the sample drone (which, to be fair, I had over a month before release, so was on early software) was that occasionally the files weren't readable by my Mac.

The images produced by the camera are striking.

DJI Mavic 4 Pro: Video

DJI Mavic 4 Pro introduction and sample clips - YouTube

Watch On

Video quality is impressive – very much so – again because the lens quality is so devoid of irritations like fringing.

If I were to complain (it's sort of my job here!) then I'd point out that, in auto mode, the camera seemed to nudge itself toward higher exposure settings than I'd choose, but all of this is easily solved for a photographer.

DJI Mavic 4 Pro Lab Test results

The Mavic 4 Pro is the first drone we've ever lab tested, hence we don't have any other drones with which to compare it. Instead we've included a selection of the best, most high-resolution conventional cameras to see whether the still image quality from a drone can actually rival that of a 'proper' camera.

Image 1 of 3

Resolution

Dynamic range (EV)

Signal to noise ratio (decibels)

We were expecting the combination of a small sensor and high megapixel count to make the Mavic 4 Pro susceptible to image noise, but that's not the case. Amazingly, the drone manages to more-a-less equal the low noise levels from the mighty medium-format GFX100RF!

DJI Mavic 4 Pro Overall Verdict

Heavily trailed by product leakers, there aren't a lot of surprises here, except, perhaps where you can actually buy the drone.

This is an excellent drone, with the only significant concerns I experienced being things I imagine will be resolved by firmware updates – namely a few files not seeming to download properly. It's not cheap – especially in the Creator Combo that I tested – so I think customers have a right to expect that quality, but at least it is there.

In terms of use everything feels thoroughly thought through and professional, even if that means things like high-wattage connectors on the fast charger for the batteries. Sure, it's another new standard to cope with, but it's optional and it's worth it for the speed. The option to rotate the gimbal might not be essential to everyone, but it's nice to have (though on reflection, I only tried it pre-release because it was in the AI shots mode!)

The fact that this drone performed so well in our lab tests compared to cameras which cost a similar amount and can't fly says all you really need to know about the drone. In or near this price bracket, I've got to say that DJI have this space sewn up, at least for now.

(If I was American and not able to get this on day 1, I'd be very frustrated!)

DJI Mavic 4 Pro Alternatives

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro remains the only choice approved and available in the US market – there is also the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine option if you're looking for on-board storage and uncompressed video. You still get a three-camera system, though the maximum video resolution is a lower 5.1K.

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The DJI Air 3S offers two cameras for a significantly lower budget and weight (the main camera and a medium tele lens). That might be all you need to open up some creative possibilities without going the whole hog and getting the Mavic 4 Pro.

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Why you can trust me

Before I took a full-time job at Digital Camera World, I was a professional drone operator, taking on commercial jobs, so I have a lot of experience flying drones. I also ran a business offering 'drone experiences' (which meant, among other things, teaching drunk business people to fly drones in safety cages!)

Before turning pro, drones were a hobby while I was a professional book publisher (yes, print media, those were the days). I used to build drones and program them, so I've got over 15 years and thousands of hours of experience with drones, and have flown over 100 different models (before you even count the tweaks).

I also know and keep in touch with a lot of the world's leading experts, many who helped my write my own bestselling books on drones.

These days I've taken the most recent UK professional exams and I still help others fly – including my 9-year-old son, who has also become quite a drone enthusiast. That means I get a very broad perspective on using drones – not just from an experienced photographer and videographer with clients in mind, but from