Ed Ricker Vlogs

The Mavic Pro is discontinued. Here's what replaced it.

The original Mavic Pro (2016) folded to the size of a VHS tape, flew half an hour, and made every other drone on the shelf look enormous. DJI retired it long ago — but the lineup that succeeded it is better in every way that matters, and cheaper in real terms.

If you're arriving here from an old video about the Mavic Pro: the short answer is that the folding-drone promise didn't go away, it got smaller, longer-running and safer. Below is the 2026 field, tier by tier.

The lineup at a glance

TierModel classWeightWho it's for
Travel / beginner-plusSub-249 g folding (DJI Mini series)<249 gFirst serious drone; skips most registration regimes; fits in a jacket pocket
EnthusiastMid folding (DJI Air series)~700 gBetter sensor, longer lens options, still travel-friendly
Prosumer / proFlagship folding (DJI Mavic 4 class)~1 kg+Client work, big sensor, no compromises — at a flagship price

Pick 1 — the successor most people actually want

DJI Mini 4 ProThe spiritual successor to the Mavic Pro: folding, sub-249 g, obstacle sensing in every direction, and footage that would have been unthinkable from a 2016 flagship. If you buy one drone and one drone only, it's this class.
Check price →

Why it wins for most pilots: the sub-249 g weight class avoids registration in many jurisdictions, battery packs are cheap enough to actually own three, and the video is more than any hobbyist needs. The trade-off is wind — in genuinely gusty coastal weather, the heavier tier below holds position better.

Pick 2 — the step up when image quality is the point

DJI Air 3S classDual cameras (wide + 3× tele), bigger sensor, serious flight time. The "pro-sumer" sweet spot if the Mini's small sensor bothers you and the flagship price doesn't make sense yet.
Check price →

Pick 3 — the flagship replacement

DJI Mavic 4 Pro classThe direct heir to the Mavic name: large sensor, telephoto stack, all-direction sensing. This is what the Mavic Pro grew up to be — and priced accordingly.
Check price →

Accessories that earn their price

Order of importance, learned the hard way:

  1. Two extra batteries minimum. One battery is a demo; three is an afternoon. Battery finder →
  2. A fast microSD card. 4K/60 to 10-bit eats slow cards alive; buy the right speed class once. microSD shortlist →
  3. ND filter set. The difference between jittery, strobing footage and filmic motion blur is a $30 set of ND8/16/32. ND filter sets →
  4. A landing pad. Cheap insurance for grass, dust and gravel in one foldable disc. Landing pads →
Check before you fly: weight-class rules, registration and remote-ID requirements changed in most countries since the Mavic Pro era. Five minutes on your regulator's site beats a fine — and sub-249 g aircraft are exempt from several of those rules, which is a large part of why Pick 1 wins.

The honest summary

Most pilots coming back after a Mavic Pro should buy the Mini 4 Pro class, three batteries and the ND set, and pocket the difference. Step up to the Air 3S class only if you know you need the telephoto lens; go Mavic 4 class if the drone earns money. That's the whole decision tree.