This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. After 45 hours of research and test flying 14 models, we think the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the best drone for aspiring aerial photographers and videographers thanks to its high-end camera, autonomous obstacle avoidance, long battery life, and portability. Pilots of all skill levels will find it to be exceptionally reliable and easy to fly. The Mavic 2 Pro features a Hasselblad-branded camera (DJI bought a majority stake in the camera brand in 2017), which captures 20-megapixel photographs and 4K videos that look more colorful than those captured by the competition. Its ability to sense and avoid obstacles in all directions and steadily hold its position even in moderate winds lets you focus on your cinematography instead of worrying about keeping the drone steady. It also features DJI's smart-flight modes like ActiveTrack, which directs the drone to autonomously follow and film a subject while still avoiding obstacles. Its 31-minute battery life means you don't have to land for a battery swap as often as other drones, and at 8.4 by 3.6 by 3.3 inches folded and 2 pounds, you can take the Mavic 2 Pro almost anywhere--it fits exceptionally well in our top pick for drone backpacks. It's also compatible with the DJI Goggles FPV headset we recommend. The Mavic 2 Zoom looks and flies identical to the Mavic 2 Pro, but it trades out the Hasselblad camera in favor of a different camera that can zoom 2 times optically and 2 times digitally (with software that avoids losing detail), for up to 4x usable "lossless" zoom.

If you are a fan of DJI's Mavic Pro, today is a good day. Why? Because, as rumored, the drone behemoth didn't just reveal the Mavic Pro 2, it also introduced a second option in the line: the Mavic 2 Zoom (note: no "Pro"). As the name suggests, the latter comes with a 2X optical zoom (24-48mm and 2X digital to 96mm), meaning there's no "greedy boy" option here, each has its own unique selling points -- so you'll need to think long and hard about which one you really want Before we get to the differences, let's talk about what the two models share. Bar the camera, the two new Mavics are the same. The key upgrades include up to 31 minutes of flight time (up from the original Mavic Pro's 27) and there are now more sensors on the drone (10 total) so that Mavic now has obstacle avoidance in all directions (including above/below).

Since the advent of the consumer drone (not so long ago, really), making a purchasing decision around new flying machine has involved weighing a list of compromises. You're going to have a big drone that's tough to maneuver. Your footage will look like garbage. Want something easy to fly? You're getting a glorified toy that will fall apart in a light breeze. DJI, the world's leading manufacturer of consumer drones, tried to solve this last year with the Mavic Pro.

Drones come in many shapes and sizes. At their most affordable, drones are fun flying toys. And for industrial uses or professional filmmakers, you've got specialist machines that can run well into tens of thousands of dollars. Parrot's new $700 Anafi falls somewhere in between, balancing a decent camera and plenty of features with a price tag that isn't prohibitively expensive. DJI is the dominant player in drones right now.

Parrot may have scaled back its drone division and shifted some of its focus toward workers, but that doesn't mean it's downplaying the consumer side of things. The company has unveiled the Anafi, a folding drone that takes some not-so-subtle potshots at DJI's Mavic Air. It's not just the portability -- the Anafi touts a 21-megapixel camera that promises 4K HDR video at 100Mbps, including 2.8X lossless zoom. The camera isn't good as the Mavic Air's in some respects, as it's only using two-axis mechanical stabilization (software and a wide lens handle the third axis). Still, it represents a big improvement over the 1080p video and no-gimbal design of Parrot's Bebop drones. The flight time is a solid but unspectacular 25 minutes (extendable by charging from a USB-C battery bank) with a 2.5-mile range, although Parrot is promising "super quiet flights."

In a park, perched on San Francisco's east bay, I set down Skydio's R1 drone, open an app on my phone, click "launch" and do something I would normally never do. I walk straight under a tree, knowing full well that the R1 will follow me and that the branches are directly in its flight path; I am trying to make it crash. I repeat this task a few more times, even with the drone flying backward but, try as I might, the R1 slips right under (and sometimes over) the tree's canopy. I am doing nothing but walking, no controller or phone in my hand; the R1 is figuring this all out by itself. Should I be surprised at this?

If you have a checklist for a camera drone, it probably includes things like portability, image quality, battery life and cost. DJI has been in the game long enough to know the things you want, and the result is the Mavic Air. Not to give you any spoilers, but the Mavic Air does well on all the above, and offers a whole lot more to boot. It's not all up-sides though (okay, it is mostly upsides, but you'll probably want to watch our "pros and cons" video above all the same).

Thanks to their ever-improving camera specs, ever-shrinking size, and ever-expanding roster of aerial abilities, they're a blessing for tech fans bored of the same-old, same-old in the smartphone world. And no dronemaker is as interesting as DJI, the Shenzhen-based firm that's quickly earning the "Apple of drones" moniker. DJI's latest effort is the $799 Mavic Air, a foldable drone designed to be stuffed into a backpack and taken on all manner of adventures without sacrificing image and video quality. Unlike the cheaper and smaller DJI Spark, the Mavic Air can shoot 4K video and RAW images, stabilized by a three-axis gimbal. It's also more portable than the Mavic Pro, making it an ideal choice for hikers, travelers and others who want top-notch results without a cumbersome setup.

When DJI revealed the Mavic Pro in late 2016, it ended up being a turning point for the company. DJI was already the dominant name in consumer drones thanks to the Phantom series, but the Mavic Pro was cheaper, smaller and downright meaner looking. The combination of price, features and cool-factor made it an instant success. Then there was the Spark, which was smaller, but less powerful and lacked some of the basic features that a budding aerial photographer wants. Enter the Mavic Air, a quadcopter that slots between the Mavic Pro and Spark on DJI's roster.

DJI has announced a new drone that combines some of the best features of the Mavic Pro and the DJI Spark. Called the DJI Mavic Air, the new $799 drone is super portable and is also capable of shooting 4K video. The DJI Mavic Air will be available in onyx black, arctic white and flame red color options. At first glance, the drone looks similar to the DJI Spark. When folded up, the Mavic Air can still fit in a large pocket.