DJI Avata Pro-View Combo Review

The DJI Avata Pro-View Combo offers a less intimidating way to get into FPV drone piloting, and with protected propellers you're less likely to damage the drone, yourself, or your flying environment. Historically, switching from a standard to first-person-view drone has been a significant leap, but this model offers effective self-stabilization and intuitive flight controls, allowing you to enjoy the immersive flight experience of FPV without stressing as much about crashing.

Performance Comparison

Video Quality

Video quality is arguably the most crucial criterion of any drone purchase, so we weighted it at 45% of the total score of the DJI Avata Pro-View Combo. We tested this metric by capturing nearly identical photos and video with every drone, comparing them side-by-side on identical monitors indoors. We examined each camera's detail, highlight retention, dynamic range, and low light performance to objectively score each drone. Overall, the Avata landed in the lower-middle of the pack, offering good, but not great, metric scores.

The DJI Avata Pro-View Combo offers excellent resolution, performing similarly to our other award-winning drones. This is particularly impressive given that the camera is the same one transmitting the live video feed to your headset. We loved the high level of detail we got to experience in real-time, but we especially appreciated it when we got to the editing booth.

The highlight retention and dynamic range of the Avata Pro-View Combo left something to be desired in testing. When shooting scenes with diverse lighting, it handled the clouds well, but the shadows were extremely dark, lacking detail. With the high level of noise and graininess in low light conditions, the time of day you're shooting a scene with this drone is more crucial than normal, but well-lit scenes will turn out beautifully.

Many FPV drones don't have a gimbal, but the Avata Pro-View Combo offers a pitch gimbal, offering more flexibility with shot composition. The built-in "Rock Steady" stabilization offers smoother footage, but post-processed image stabilization works even better. As with any FPV drone, the footage quality will rely on your piloting skills, though the effective horizon steady mode is a great tool if you don't mind the video getting cropped.

Flight Performance

Coming in as our second most important metric, flight performance is worth 35% of the total score of the Avata Pro-View Combo. We tested this category by going on flights of all shapes and sizes, examining take-off/landing, responsiveness, flight modes, hover stabilization, and features such as return home. We took extensive notes every step of the way, staying as objective as possible in a category that frequently comes down to the pilot's preferences. This drone offers decent flight performance, but most of the competition posted top-notch scores in this metric.

The Avata Pro-View Combo gifted smooth take-offs and landings with stability that inspired confidence in more complex settings. While there aren't intelligent flight modes available, this drone does offer multiple flight settings including "Normal, Sport, Acro, and Full Manual". This allows for very different piloting experiences depending on your needs and ability level, with the normal setting being the most friendly option and the fully manual setting offering serving up the greatest challenge. We were also impressed with the return home function of this drone, smoothly returning home within two feet of its take-off location.

When testing the ride quality itself, we loved the hover stability of the Avata Pro-View Combo, though such a small drone is easily impacted by windy days. In addition to stability, the propeller guards allowed us to fly indoors, which we weren't comfortable doing with many of our other drones. Initially, the responsiveness felt very touchy, but after we adjusted the control rate, we got the exact feel we wanted from our remote control, allowing us to fully enjoy the flying experience this FPV gifts. Our tested max flight time came in at only 18 minutes, so extra batteries are recommended depending on the number of flights you need in a session.

Portability

Portability is worth 10% of the total score of the Avata Pro-View Combo, examining its weight, diagonal dimensions, and case. This drone came in near the top, making for an excellent option if transport capability is a priority, especially for a FPV drone.

Weighing only 14.5 ounces, the Avata Pro-View Combo is one of the lighter drones we tested, making for a great companion on long days traveling or shooting. While this drone doesn't fold, its diagonal size comes in at 8.25 inches and should fit in most packs or camera bags. This option doesn't include a case, but with built-in propeller guards, you won't need to worry as much about how it's stored in your pack.

Ease of Use

How easy a drone is to use can make or break a purchase, so we included this metric in our review, weighing it at 10% of the total of the Avata Pro-View Combo. The scoring of this metric was based on several factors, such as out of box setup, remote control intuition, flight learning curve, and video quality on your headset. This drone didn't score the best in this metric, but for an FPV drone, we found this to be one of the easiest models to use.

The best part of the Avata Pro-View Combo in this metric is its beginner-friendly learning curve for flying in FPV. In normal mode, its GPS positioning works like a standard drone, so you can let go of the sticks and it'll just hover in place, whereas a typical FPV drone would need your constant piloting. As a new first-person view drone flyer, you might get disoriented initially, but the pause button allows you to take a breather if you become disoriented.

The Avata Pro-View Combo has a complicated setup out of the box, with a new menu structure requiring at least a half hour to adjust settings on your headset, and you even have to tether your phone to it. The DJI Fly App also isn't the most friendly device app and further lengthened the binding process. Having said this, once you're up and running, you won't have to go back into any of the set up processes unless you're changing out the remote.

The remote that comes with the Avata Pro-View Combo is the Motion 2 controller, which is a unique pistol grip design where your hand and wrist movements/position steer the drone. Unfortunately, this fun and interesting remote doesn't offer the same control or performance as a more classic, gamepad-style controller such as the DJI remote 2, so you may need to buy another controller depending on your needs.

Should You Buy the DJI Avata Pro-View Combo?

This model is an excellent option for those seeking a friendly way to learn how to fly an FPV drone. It's also a great choice for indoor drone use, though you should practice piloting it outside beforehand. There are many standard drones that are easier to use or offer better video quality, but FPV offers an unparalleled, immersive experience.

What Other Drone Should You Consider?