DJI Mavic Air 2 Teardown: A Look Inside DJI’s “Best Drone EVER”

Despite the fact that they dominate the consumer videography drone market, DJI continues to innovate at just about every price point. Case in point: the new Mavic Air 2, an update to the popular Mavic Air first released in 2018. This quadcopter boasts impressively long flight times, a new 48 MP CMOS sensor, a new controller, and DJI’s OcuSync 2.0 and AirSense technologies. It’s been a while since we took a look inside a drone, so we’re going to dismantle this thing to see how it works and how easy repairs will be.
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00:00 Introduction
00:31 Creative Electron X-Rays
00:53 Battery Removal
01:08 Plastic Sensor Cover Removal
01:25 Gimbal Removal
02:01 Vision Sensor/First Circuit Board Removal
02:30 Chips On Board
02:41 Upper Case Removal
03:04 Front Facing Sensor Removal
03:11 Rear Facing Obstacle Detection Sensor Removal
03:18 Motor Investigation
03:51 Analysis
04:10 Controller Overview
04:17 Score
#DJIMavicAir2Teardown, #iFixit, #iFixitTeardown
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[@jvmauricio107]

That xray shoot of the drone looks like a scary post apocalyptic cyborg.

[@iFixitYourself]

💯can't unsee it now!

[@DobermannJeff]

:D

[@ray-charc3131]

No use. What is for?

[@slevinshafel9395]

@@ray-charc3131 to see where metals are like wires and screw drive. So you dont have to guess where is still locked(like hide screw drive) or dont cut it accidentaly. It is nice tool.

[@marnickbar4794]

First drone teardown Ive ever seen. Im exited Ifixit!

[@iFixitYourself]

Now we're excited!

[@marnickbar4794]

@@iFixitYourself awww 😝

[@bruhdabones]

“Exited”

[@meganwyatt1607]

Qaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[@GastoNet]

How this guys can make a teardown video in 4 minutes??? It's insane, that's why they are the best.

[@iFixitYourself]

We appreciate that!

[@hugodeandres1497]

Because it’s not a step by step video

[@JAKOB1977]

You gonna have a field day when you someday get familiar with an editing program.. get real they could make it in 10 seconds.. it all depends what you will include.

[@a4andrei]

This is a 7 or 8 out of 10, any day! And compared to a phone, it's an 11/10. Nice video but background music was a bit too loud and drowned the already fairly quiet voice.

[@chiefdenis]

Exactly, i was going to say an easy 7 that looks really repairable, something extremely rare with modern tech, still respect their rating though

[@theopee1]

That was awesome I would love to see more drone tear downs

[@RTRRey]

I've seen a lot of drone teardowns but yours is top notch, showing the x-ray... Wow awesome.

[@rumamukherjee1738]

Nice to see the teardown video. Keep making more of this.

[@radioknowledge0]

helpful teardown 😍

[@LeicaCat]

6/10 seems awfully low for such an easy disassembly.

[@ddegn]

I was thinking the same thing. I think iFixit gets too hung up on solder and glue. Both are viable assembly options. Anyone adventurous enough to try to fix their own drone should learn how to solder.

[@idontcare7961]

@@ddegn Exactly and its not like soldering irons are expensive, you can literally buy them for less than 10 bucks. And its not that difficult either just a clean surface and good temperature setup and anyone could do the basics.

[@kunstbanause]

I agree, this drone is easily a 7. Should it disassemble itself for a 10, wtf?!

[@dennisvanmierlo]

I also agree. A 6 is way to low. 8 out of 10 is much better. Look at how accessible these solder points are.

[@savejeff15]

@@kunstbanause it repeares itself at 10/10

[@jordansharwood]

Definitely do more drone teardowns! This one was great!

[@6LNew]

Another great tutorial from you. Thank you so much for taking your time and expertise to do all this stuff. I'm still pretty new at this, so it's a real help for me.

[@glennmiller394]

Please do more. These videos are helpful. Maybe not today, but at some point in time.

[@TheFlaffyDaffy35]

It’s nice about a small intro, and detailed short video. not the first 10 minutes of a youtuber bragging, sob story, ad campaign, then random bs and ends it with 3 seconds of the actual video topic. He gets straight to the point, love it

[@rayvit8155]

flying things made beautifully

[@SpudinatorYOW]

I guess all I have to say is thank you. Thank you for making an amazing drone teardown video when it's so frustrating to get DJI to do it.

[@Geotubest]

Interesting. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@Adrian-jn9ov]

The Music should be quieter

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

The music shouldn't be there at all (I'm not a fan of background music).

[@pierrick1705]

yeah i hate music cause it prevents me from watching at a faster speed!

[@KhanjanYT]

Everytime

[@massimiliano1306]

@@SlartiMarvinbartfast just use rtx voice.

[@jgurtz]

Sounded fine to me 🤷‍♂️

[@dismuke73]

Cool video. Thanks.

[@sohanmondal7095]

I JUST LOVE IT

[@ahyonvlogs]

Thats outstanding tech.. !!

[@estevanulian]

AWESOME!

[@BrianClunie]

Very cool thank you!

[@_i.m.dragon]

Amazing disassemble of a drone ❤️

[@originalmianos]

6 out of 10 for a drone sure but that thing looks super simple compared to a phone.

[@rileywags]

6/10?? 11/10...

[@jgurtz]

yup, soldered motor connectors pretty bad. Immediately makes repair into a "techie" thing vs. connectors.

[@originalmianos]

Except no one would ever just use a connector for the motor connections for a quadcopter. There is too much current combined with the vibration at the motor. Maybe connectors on the end of the cable for the board, away from the motors, which they do do. It's common for these toy quadcopters to provide spare motors with the cable pre soldered to a wire with a connector that you have to thread through the arm.

[@motorsportislife9598]

Soldering a so easy connection only require a soldering tool (20 in ebay) and a bit of tin... nothing special in ma mind

[@Kayshots]

Jason Gurtz-Cayla my 30$ drone had connectors. Trust me it’s not that great. After 1 hard Landing (Stuck in a tree and fell 6 meter) the connectors broke and there was no way to connect them without replacing the wires with new ones. So soldering is stronger and will last longer as these drones will last up to 7 years

Super cool, thanks!

[@JosephActivate]

This is a really relieving information!

[@DroneNYC24]

Bro, that’s really cool! You made it look relatively easy!

[@LouisDallara]

Great one I look forward to one on gimbal repair

[@brokensword2621]

wow I didn't know drones have so much technology inside them. this is so great

[@mavic5149]

loved it

[@syamsularifinmohamadyunus8144]

Great sharing

[@ponticelli]

Very cool video! It's amazing seeing how the Mavic Air 2 is done...! Now I know I could change the gimbal in case I need a replacement!

[@heydonray]

Subbed. I like the quick and dirty format.

[@MinhAnh]

Nice video

[@sinaj1510]

Great disassembly

[@fermindanieles]

Nice did assemble. Good to know nice tips

[@note2tee]

Wow it have a fan inside

[@asadansari7183]

Thanks for information and video. I really enjoy watching it. A A from Karachi Pakistan. 👍

[@g.king.]

love it thank u

[@akizer0]

a 6/10 score. This is much more easier to repair than an iphone 11 (which also 6/10 ifixit score)

[@oliviergoggins]

Comparing a drone to a phone might be not a great option?

[@oaka_yt3650]

well, that s intresting

[@gmax876]

How was I not subscribed to this excellent content!?

[@lbgstzockt8493]

More Xray images would be amazing to see in the future!

[@benjaminrennicke]

This video made me hold my breath. It was so fast, I was worrying if i could remember where all the parts go, assembling it again xD

[@LeeKobe1]

Excellent video! I'll be disassembling my MA2 soon. Replacing the front sensor module. Hope that clears my "Front Sensor Failure" error. I like the drone but when parts fail for know good reason, you have to wonder about low quality components. Love how it manually flies though.

[@samgab]

Thank you. But I wish you’d shown more of, or even done a full video on, the new design controller tear down. I’m interested to see more of the insides of that. I’ve seen the X-ray picture of it, but it’s not easy to make out everything without more angles.

[@DroneManAerialPhotography]

Guys your channel is very usefull. I recently buy my dji mavic air 2. Hope to connect woth your channel forever!!!

[@Infarlock]

Damn, this x-ray Every little piece has a role in this drone, like in everything

[@jc8973]

Dji = No.1!

[@MrTufoz]

Good

[@3Dcut]

this video feels like an ad, but is still great

[@2redballs]

Great video on the teardown, I was wondering where in can the tools you are using for the teardown. Because it’s all about the right tools for right job. Ty…

[@phillipmarnik]

To answer your question. More of these tear downs please 🙂

[@EverythingDigital5779]

“Even though they dominate the market they continue to innovate at every price point” *Apple has left the chat*

[@eyeofthetiger6002]

Can Apple get into the drone market now or is it too late? I wish they would as it would certainly provide DJI some healthy competition!

[@jgurtz]

So true 🤣 Paging the Rossmann group!

[@johnricang8791]

At least they dont release half bake products. Im talking about Samsung's ultrasonic fingerprint.

[@krismurphy7822]

@@johnricang8791 it works well lol apple is known from releasing beta-products

[@nasseralkhelaifi1853]

First laptops to totally use USB-C, afterburner cards, cases that are totally silent even on full load, iPhone cameras are one of the best phone cameras, iPhone SE2, Retina Displays, Mac Pro Display, Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, etc... They don't innovate at litteraly every price point, but they still manage to do better than others.

[@dgretlein]

More quad tear downs, plz. Specifically, the Mavic Mini.....and maybe a comment on whether the Mini image sensors and firmware can be upgraded.😊

[@gorbunovalex]

Являюсь владельцем данного чуда... спасибо, за подробный разбор dji mavic air 2

[@theasin_old]

собираюсь потом купить. попрошу у родителей сначала Mavic mini.

[@shadyhill1476]

Always love seeing things when they’re taken apart . Solid video

[@NunukRagangSabah]

nice

[@yoanaerodrone3043]

yes thanks

[@michaelgoode9555]

I'd like to see a Mavic Mini teardown as this is the drone where I am probably going to start my drone life.

[@JAKOB1977]

Well done Ifixit that you completely jump over the main entry consumer drone of them all. Mavic Mini. whatever, logic has newer been this channels guidance.

[@kpdelaney6460]

X-ray is so cool! Do that for more vids 👍

[@iFixitYourself]

Can do! Thanks for the feedback :)

[@tandrov]

Bruh that drone cam is even better than the camera I have on my phone.

[@alishanmao]

were you able to put it back together? :D hahahah good job there

[@captureboom]

nice video :=)

[@shmookins]

2:10 That's the cutest heat-skin and fan ever.

[@hankus253]

More more!

[@PVivekmca]

I ❤️ ifixit

[@Ormodius3751]

0:55 so true

[@bourdon845]

Intéressant

[@selener_sense]

would love to see a mavic mini tear down if there isn’t one yet

[@giffardjustin]

Can we have a full tear down video of the controller? Also maybe a teardown of the mini 2?

[@saiprateekpatnaik7973]

Could you please make a detailed video explaining all the parts of a drone. would help me a lot .

[@TheFlyingBusman]

I like it. Looks most repairable. For those without a soldering iron, go buy one, a decent iron is cheap enough so get learning to solder on a few scrap boards. About time more people learned to fix things anyhow instead of throw it away.

[@MisterSoul2008]

Very interesting! Ever thought of unscrewing the new Mini 2? It would also be very interesting what is installed, also in comparison to the Mavic Mini.

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

Something I dont think was mentioned. The Motor // Arm soldering points are actually spaced pretty far apart, making it easy for even a novice at soldering to be able to do it easily. Most DIY focused FPV drone electronics arent done in such a way. You are lucky to get a mm or two between pads, here we see like 1/4 inch. Dont like that they didnt put a plug for the arm motor combo, but I get that it adds weight and they wanted to save every 0.1 gram here.

[@SirRichardofkent]

I have to replace a front arm in mine. Thanks for the breakdown. Waiting on tools and part. what is the fixed blade driver please?

[@nasim3269]

I am watching this after building my own drone.

[@yt1234567100]

Good VDO, love it. 5 stars How about Mavic Mini disassembly?

[@KenNewberry]

Nice! Sort of reminds me of a Sandy Munro tear down.

[@brightymcbrightface]

I suggest using a cut-crimp to field repair a leg -- this creates a severable link with zero volt drop, zero resistance instead of the problems of putting heat to solder points, which opens a can of worms.

[@ThePolymath1]

I'm interested in the Transmitter teardown also for the MA2, if you and your team have time. Aloha

[@pengw4955]

very helpful video! can you please point me to the location of IMU sensor? I need to replace it soon...

[@burkietaa6998]

Do the gimbal teardown please, as i need to replace the gimbal cable on my air 2 pleaseeeeeee 🙏

[@jackdaniels7913]

Absolutely! More drone tech pleas! Your format and style are a welcome change to what is a daunting task at times and far from the bench work of most with terrible camera angles useless voice overs... DJI is one of the biggest brands on the market and there's little on the repair front that I'd trust as much as what I've just seen here I hope to see the rest of DJI's fleet come across the bench so we have a simple to fallow no bs video to fallow so we can at least attempt are own repairs. 🥃cheers🍻

[@stefangherman8408]

Teardow new MS Surface Buds.

[@iFixitYourself]

We’ve got a pair on their way!

[@smallbizconnection5628]

Great video. Would be great, however, if you could actually find the parts. Cannot locate a replacement gimbal assembly for this. Any ideas where to look?

[@willwright8066]

Any links or guides to acquiring spair parts would be nice to see. Somthing like the availability of official or non official parts eg Ebay, amazon, chinese etailers. That sort of thing. Could also be apart of the scale. From apple parts to pc parts.

[@ShahZahid]

that board to which the motors r connected to is an ESC so if u ruin it a replacement will be expensive

[@muzikmon2267]

WHAT SIZE HEX SCREW TO TAKE OUT THE SMALL 2 SCREWS AT THE FRONT OF THE GIMBAL.. Those screws are smaller than the 1.5 mm Thank you great video!!

[@Ranjithvp77]

Plz do mavic mini 2 teardown

[@mylotunnicliff493]

please do one on the Mavic mini

[@RDroneUY]

Hi, where is the ADS-B receiver module located? You didn´t mentioned it. BTW, Thanks for the video!!!

[@orac229]

nice to see something other than phone tear down, but compared to phones it should get a 9/10

[@fahimhossain761]

wow.....supper vedio..making.... this fly time?

[@agspram]

Recently drone is becoming populair especially DJI product in the world as a hobby or other purpose. There are many trouble due to pilot error. Would you please to more posting how to repair or fix generally drone trouble such as broken gimbal camera, broken arm and motor repair, and others. Thank you for your helping.

[@MikoMuru]

I wonder if I disassembled it and repasted the cooling solution if It would increase battery life and keep the processor cooler.

[@stevenreilly7169]

Are you able to show where the ADS-B sensor is? UK version didn't get Airsense due to supply shortage. Keen to see if it's a clip in module we could add at later date or if it's a chip on main board - curious to see if I just have a big space where it should be.

[@Kayshots]

Best drone yet* Excited about the MP3. Anybody with me?

[@Neslekkim]

How do one get spare parts?, some small parts on the gimbal is broken after a crash, the gimbal itself works still after snapping it together, but would be nice to replace some of the broken plastic covers.