DJI Mavic Air 2 – On the big screen

The DJI Mavic Air 2 includes a new controller with a mounting system capable of extending 86mm (about 3.4 inches) tall. That’s fine for grabbing a smartphone, but the mount won’t fit a tablet, which is a bummer. Tablets have large screens that are often brighter, making them easier to see when you are out flying a drone.

Fortunately, there is a workaround: third-party adapters that extend the ability of the controller to hold a much larger screen.

The DJI Mavic Air 2 includes a new controller with a mounting system capable of extending 86mm (about 3.4 inches) tall. That’s fine for grabbing a smartphone, but the mount won’t fit a tablet, which is a bummer. Tablets have large screens that are often brighter, making them easier to see when you are out flying a drone.

The Mavic Air 2’s controller has been redesigned, with the phone mount moved to the top of the controller. It’s not the first controller to limit devices that can be attached. DJI’s previous controller, with the mount on the bottom, had the same limitation. They also have the same workaround. Third-party adapters anchor into the phone-sized mounts on the controller and extend an arm out that can fit an iPad or other large tablet.

Living at the bottom of the World, in South Africa, we don’t always get a large range of products to choose from so we have to make a plan…

In my search for a device to prop up my mighty Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, I came across Lifthor. It’s a Norwegian company that specialises in DJI controller tablet holders. I found good old Takealot.com selling them but nothing for the newly released Mavic Air 2. They do have a good returns policy so I decided to splash out on the LifThor Sif Tablet Mount: The best tablet holder for Mavic is now collapsible for easy transportation and reinforced with aluminum brackets for extra strength.
Suitable for tablets 7.9″ up to 13″.

After a bit of fiddling, I unscrewed one of the plates and assembled the tablet holder around the controller. Low and behold, it works great. I can even see the buttons and joysticks as the tablet is positioned over and above the controller.

There is a bit of assembly whenever I need to use it but it just involves putting it together and screwing in a couple of grip screws.

So if you are in South Africa and you can only get hold of a LifThor Sif Tablet Mount and not the LifThor Baldur which has since been forged for the DJI Mavic 2, go for it! Just remember with a tablet, you will also need a longer cable. I got the Baseus 3A P.D. Cafule USB Type-C 2.0 to Type-C Cable which works beautifully.

Why I chose the DJI Mavic Air 2