Article from the Mundo Drone archive, published 17 March 2020 and updated 13 July 2020. Text merged on 28 October 2026 from all its 2020 versions; specifications, availability and regulations may have changed since.
Trademark warfare by 4K in small format
Compared to any other light and economical drone, the DJI Mavic Air, Since its launch, it has been far above its rivals.
Its compact frame, robust 4K camera and impeccable AI to avoid obstacles make it an almost perfect choice for drone enthusiasts and newcomers.
However, the French manufacturer of Parrot drones decided to attack the throne of DJI. The new Parrot Anafi We were dazzled with an equally thin body, a dynamic 4K HDR camera and excellent battery life.
If you're trying to decide whether to preorder the promising newcomer Anafi or buy the tried Mavic Air, you're facing a tough decision.
Let's analyze these two drones, to see how they adapt to specifications like speed, camera, class, artificial intelligence tricks and more.
Both Mavic Air and Anafi have powerful cameras that are placed in 3-axis mechanical gimbals.
While Mavic Air defeats Anafi in a couple of key areas, in general, Anafi's new innovative camera defeats DJI's camera in design and power.
Both drones have a Sony CMOS camera sensor for photo and video, but the Mavic Air uses a 1 / 2.3" fixed 12MP image sensor, while Anafi employs a 1 / 2.4" higher sensor that triggers 21MP.
By comparing lenses, the Anafi has a higher aperture (F2.4 vs F2.8) and can reach faster shutter speeds (1 / 10000s vs 1 / 8000s).
In addition, Parrot implemented a new dynamic feature on its lens that no other drone, including the Mavic Air, has today: digital zoom without losses. You can expand up to 2.8x without a reduction in image or video quality, which makes it easier to film your subject without having to get so close. Still, Mavic Air only wins for the camera's FOV, 85 degrees versus 84 degrees.
While Anafi wins as an option for photographers, filmmakers have it more complicated.
Both drones can shoot in 4K Ultra HD (3,840 x 2,160) up to 30 FPS, good enough to make stunning amateur videos.
The Parrot Anafi can even go a step further and film in 4K Cinema mode (4.096 x 2.160), but only up to 24 FPS. DJI Mavic Air can't do that, but can film up to 120 FPS in Full HD or HD. Thus, while Anafi wins for image quality, Mavic Air could win by filming objects that move quickly.
The Mavic Air also has a slightly more stable camera holder for stabilized filming. Both have a 3-axis gimbal, but Anafi's is a hybrid: swinging and tilting are mechanically controlled, but the wink (left and right panoramic) is digitally controlled, making it potentially less stable.
The Parrot Anafi camera compensates for its less stable mechanics with an incredible vertical tilt range: it can aim downwards (-90o) and upwards (90o), while Mavic varies from -90o to only 17o upwards. For pilots looking for creativity in their shots, this is a factor to consider.
Both drones have the same maximum bit rate, 100 Mbps, but only the Mavic Air comes with internal storage (8 GB). The Anafi comes with a 16GB microSD card in the box, good enough for about 20 minutes of 4K filming. Therefore, for any of the drones, you probably want to update your micro storage.
We know that Mavic Air supports up to a 128GB card; An engineer from Anafi told us that the drone could also support 128GB, but we don't know if it can go up any further.
If you are looking for a portable, lightweight drone to keep in the pocket of your jacket or backpack without feeling the weight, then you can't make a mistake with any of the options.
The Parrot Anafi weighs only 320 g (11.3 oz), while the Mavic Air rises to 430 g (15.2 oz), noticeably heavier to transport, but even lighter than most other competitors.
Both drones have folding propeller arms, although with different configurations. With the Mavic Air, bend the front arms backwards along with the body of the drone, then the rear arms fold forward over the front arms.
With Anafi, all arms are flattened outwards and can be removed or pushed independently of each other.
Because of this, the Anafi is much longer, but less wide, than the Mavic Air. The Parrot Anafi measures 244 x 66 x 63.5 mm, while DJI Mavic Air scales 168 x 83 x 49 mm. For the real world context, Anafi is shaped like a high water bottle, while Mavic Air is about the size of a really thick iPhone X.
While Mavic Air is easier to transport, Anafi's unique design could compensate for some buyers. Both drones mount their cameras at the front, but Mavic Air's camera, like most drones, is built into the frame to free up space. On the contrary, the Anafi camera is ahead, like an insect head.
This allows for its 180 degrees of vertical filming mentioned above, as nothing blocks your FOV. Even better, its location ensures that rotors never enter your photo or movie, as they hover around the edges of your Mavic Air shots.
Despite its lighter frame, the Anafi comes with a battery designed to beat the Mavic Air. But, beyond pure specifications, Mavic Air benefits from DJI AI technology that Parrot has possibly not yet achieved.
In sports mode, the DJI drone can reach a maximum speed of 68 km/h, while the Parrot drone can only reach a maximum of 55 km/h. Still, keep in mind that Mavic Air only reaches 29 km/h in Normal mode, which you would mainly use to film and take pictures.
However, Parrot Anafi beats Mavic Air in wind resistance. While Anafi can stay floating in place with winds up to 50 km/h, Mavic Air loses stability when the winds reach the range of 29-38 km/h. Keep in mind that, while Anafi can handle bad weather better, none of the drones are water resistant, so don't try any of the drones in the middle of a storm.
As for the battery life, Mavic Air's 2,375 mAh battery allows 21 minutes per flight declared by the brand, although the actual average is about 18 minutes. Parrot claims that the Anafi reaches 25 minutes in the factory configuration, which is closer to what they are able to do high-end drones like DJI Mavic Pro.
If you plan to blow your drone out of visual range, neither of us should cause you any control problems. Both record commands up to 4 km from their remote control, via Wi-Fi frequencies at 2.4 Ghz or 5.8 Ghz, and both can also be handled via an App on a smartphone.
Once we get into the subject of intelligent flight modes and artificial intelligence functions, Anafi presents a brave struggle, but Mavic Air seems to be clearly the best option.
Using its sensors, the Mavic Air can also detect and avoid obstacles in three directions: forward, backward and downward. When performing intelligent flight modes such as circles, you will automatically dodge objects at your pace without manual control. On the contrary, Anafi is not capable of any of these sophisticated functions. You should be careful with possible collisions before starting any automated flight mode.
Finally, the Anafi supports the FPV glasses that were compatible with the Parrot Bebop 2. We know that the FPV DJI Goggles are compatible with the Mavic Air.
In conclusion, we were not being overstated when we said that Parrot Anafi is a legitimate competitor to challenge the domain of DJI Mavic Air. Its superior camera and battery, comparable compact design, speed and level, and fun features make it a worthy choice for any first time drone buyer.
If you want to reach the next level of drone photography and filming, then Anafi could be the drone for you. But, for a potentially safer and smarter option (in terms of AI), you can't go wrong with our current favorite that is Mavic Air.