DJI Mavic Air, Fly More Combo, Arctic White

At this time I am a relative newbie with drone flying. It was a bit of a process to sort out all the different options on product, configurations (base unit vs. Fly More Combo vs. non-DJI combos) and useful accessories. Hopefully, my experience will help others making the same decisions I faced.A great deal of what can be done with a drone like the Air is dependent upon software like the DJI Go 4 and third party software like Litchi (https://amzn.to/2F9Xza2). If you are going to get a product like the Mavic Air, you will find there is a lot to learn (for safe and responsible flying), and that the technology/features of the drone make it a good experience when flying.I'll offer some thoughts:* If you're going to get the Mavic Air, you should opt for the Fly More Combo option, as opposed to the bare bones unit. You will want to have the extra batteries. My suggestion is to avoid purchasing any third party batteries other than DJA. Similarly, stick with the propellers from DJI.* On Amazon, you will find many combo offerings with the Mavic Air from different vendors. Just stay with the Fly More Combo (make sure it is item model number CP.PT.00000165.01).* Although many vendors on Amazon offer the Fly More Combo, this vendor (https://amzn.to/2FaBXu2) was one of the few that had offered it at a significantly lower price [suggested retail is $999, most vendors on Amazon charge very close to $900, and this was one of the few vendors that had a price of $842]. I never ordered from this vendor before. I read the reviews. Once of the factors in purchasing from this vendor over similarly priced ones is that the orders are fulfilled from Amazon. Whichever product you choose, look for the link on the page that says "Used and New" which identify the various specific vendors. The one I purchased from had "Fulfillment by Amazon". That way, if there was a problem with the purchase, I could deal directly with Amazon Customer Service.* When you get your drone, at the time you register an account on DJI, I suggest you opt for the "Refresh" servicing plan that DJI offers. I believe its $89 and covers a 3 year period. Apparently, you will have to opt for it within a 48 hour period of when you first register your product.* The one drawback on the Fly More Combo product is that it has two cases- one for the drone by itself and another for everything else. That in itself is not a big deal, but the nicely made larger carrying case for everything else but the drone is clumsy to unpack and repack the batteries, charger, remote control, spare propellers, and cables. This would be a mess if I were to venture out into the field with this. A more practical option was to get a case designed for the Fly More Combo. The one I chose is a hardcase made by Smatree (https://amzn.to/2FaKXPU). It comfortably fits everything (including an iPad Mini to use with the Remote Controller) but the propeller guards and the international AC adapter (the AC Charger comes with both a regular 120 volt plug for the US, and also a 240 volt adapter which is standard throughout Europe). The propeller guards are good for indoor use, so it may not be an essential piece to take with you when you're out and about.* Happily, the remote controller works with both Android and IOS (phones and iPad Mini). I like using the iPad Mini with the RC, because the screen is not tiny, while the combined Remote Control/iPad is easy to handle. If you are going to use the iPad Mini, there's just one slight frustration - it requires an extra cable having a lightning connector on one end with a micro-usb connector on the other end. I had to do a little searching on Amazon. The one I found is: https://amzn.to/2Fabvko and I am sure there are others you'll find on Amazon (roughly about $8).* One last thing... As the Mavic Air is over 0.55 lbs, don't forget to register the device with the FAA.Apologies for the lengthy review. Houpelly there's some useful information here to make a more informed purchase.

*Not a paid review*Here’s my honest feedback on this item:First off, this drone is authentic & is the real deal. It is made out of high quality & is extremely portable & easy to fold and unfold.Despite the higher price on DJI's official website, I feel as though this is a better price point for the Mavic Air which is why I went with the Artic White. If I wanted the Black, which costs more money, then I could buy a Black Skin for $25 & save myself the extra $100 that DJI is asking for.That being said, this drone has everything you would want. It has a buttery smooth 4K at an amazing 100 Mbps along with a 3 axis gimbal, in which the playback videos are out of this world. It has unbelievable picture & video quality for a drone this size. I have shot videos in winds as high as 25mph & this drone still produces stabilized videos as if it was a calm day. This drone can also shoot 2.7k at 60FPS which not many drones can support, which is an added bonus for me. It also shoots 1080HD at 120FPS.This drone also comes with obstacle avoidance which makes this drone great to fly for beginners & also experienced fliers. Personally I love this feature because it's always there if I want obstacle avoidance turned on. I have the option to turn obstacle avoidance off in the settings if I need to take a close up picture or video of an object or I'll turn it off if I'm flying in an open field with no objects around, that way I know a have full control of the drone at my fingertips. At the same time, if I am flying in an environment which has a lot of trees, houses, poles, and etc, then I have the option to turn on obstacle avoidance. Basically the sensors around the drone are there, but I don't have the use them if I feel as though I am comfortable enough to fly my drone and careful enough to watch out for my surroundings, which is what makes this drone an all around great machine for any type of drone enthusiast. Weather you have experience or you are a beginner, It's a win-win.Some other things I love about this drone are the features. It has rocket, boomerang, asteroid, active track, smart capture and true 32MP Sphere panoramas. I have tried each and every one of these features on the DJI Go 4 app & they work great. I haven't had an issue with any of these features, nor the app itself. The app works great, just make sure you update the app when the updates become available to get the best user friendly experience.The battery is fairly decent for this drone. The advertised time is 21 minutes. However, that is in perfect conditions. On average I get about 16 - 18 minutes, but for a drone packed with so many great features that most drones don't have, I can't complain. Soon I'll buy more batteries to extend my flying experience.Other great things about this drone include a built in 8GB storage, which is great because there were times where I forgot to put my own SanDisk micro SD adapter into the drone, so the footage $ pictures I took with my drone actually got stored internally inside the drone & I was able to pull the footage on my computer via USB cable from the drone which has been a life saver for me.Overall, this is a solid drone for the price. I am extremely happy with my purchase & I will be buying other DJI drones in the future.