At the Beach with the Parrot Anafi

With the Anafi, Parrot appears to have succeeded in creating the first true rival to the DJI Mavic Air. Featuring a powerful 4K camera, similar folding style, and sophisticated autonomous tracking, it’s not hard to see the resemblance. But the Anafi is no mere challenger to the Air, nor is it any kind of DJI derivative. Like its manufacturer, Parrot, the Anafi is weird and wonderful and it’s probably the next drone you should buy. Here’s why.

Odd Bird

When I say, Parrot is weird, I mean that in the best possible sense. Weird as in different. Weird as in fun. It takes boldness to be weird, to chart your own path. While other companies were busy giving their drones very serious, pro-wrestler-sounding names like Phantom and Typhoon, Parrot went with objectively more fun and silly monikers like Bebop and Disco. Those call signs speak to Parrot’s willingness to eschew convention and do its own thing. Just don’t make the mistake of confusing weird or silly with substandard, because Parrot’s drones—especially the Anafi—are anything but.

Lighter than Air

One of the things you should know about the Anafi is it’s probably the most portable drone in its class. The arms fold up, allowing you to zip the Anafi inside its pill-shaped case. You could make the argument the Mavic Air is just as portable and I wouldn’t push back, but for my money, I prefer the elongated design of the Anafi—it fits better in my bag and is easier to locate.

Another thing you notice about the Anafi’s design is that it’s incredibly light. Checking in at 320g, the Anafi weighs less than Mavic Air. While this was nice for carrying it around, the ultra-lightweight design meant that Anafi was more susceptible to wind buffeting.

The Anafi’s camera, which we’ll talk about below, sits in front of the drone and the battery snaps onto the back, above an oddly designed—but otherwise effective—micro-SD card tray.

Peak Performer

So, the Anafi might be one of the easiest drones in its class to just start up and go. Part of that is the FreeFlight 6 app, which is straightforward and intuitive and makes the whole setup process a breeze. Compare that to the DJI app, where there’s so much happening on screen it can be a little disorienting—especially if you’ve got multiple flight warnings and reminders screaming at you.

You can pilot the Anafi using the included controller and your smartphone, or just your smartphone. Both methods work well enough, though in our test, functionality when using only our smartphone was limited. There are two flying modes, Film and Sport, which are designed to give you the best settings for either aerial filming or fast flight. If either mode is not to your liking, you can tweak the settings to fit your personal preference and flying style.

With the default Film mode settings, the Anafi handles well but is a little hesitant, which makes sense, considering it’s intended to help you shoot steadier footage. In Sport mode, you can really open it up, especially on your forward vertical climb. Parrot claims the Anafi can hit a horizontal speed of 33 mph, which seems about right. I flew on mostly windy days, so I never cracked 30 mph, but I feel confident it could. Also, something I noticed—the controller response in Sport mode felt more precise than in Film mode, especially during high-speed banks and maneuvers.

Returning to DJI’s app: One of the reasons it hits you with so many warnings is because DJI drones are capable of detecting so many potential hazards, which is owed to DJI drones having so many measures and sensors for obstacle avoidance. The Anafi doesn’t have obstacle avoidance, which is why the app doesn’t warn you about them.

Now, you might be asking: “But, Brett, aren’t flight warnings and obstacle avoidance a good thing?”

As it turns out, I was thinking the very same thing, so I went looking for an answer. And that’s when I found this very nice Dronelife interview with Parrot’s International PR Manager, Fabien Laxague, who explained that the Anafi didn’t have obstacle avoidance because obstacle avoidance made pilots irresponsible and complacent.

Now, when I first read this, I was like, “Wow, that is some galaxy-brain-level BS right there.”

But the funny thing is, after flying the Anafi around for a couple hours. I think he might be right—at least to an extent. Not having much in the way of obstacle avoidance really did have me exercising a lot more caution than I typically would. If I’m being honest, I am one of those pilots who sometimes behaves a bit too cavalier when flying, in part because I rely on obstacle avoidance to stop me from doing anything too foolish. This same attitude has resulted in multiple crashes and mishaps. But with the Anafi, I never crashed once. Knowing there was nothing to save me from myself had me flying a lot more safely than I normally would. I’m not saying I totally buy Laxague’s explanation, but it’s tough to argue with the results.

Last, regarding battery performance: Parrot states the Anafi offers up to 25 minutes of flight time. This checked out, because we either hit or were very near to hitting 25 minutes of flight every time. Something else about the battery: It charges via USB-C, which is handy if you have a powerful enough source. Using a MacBook charger, we could juice it up from zero to full in about 90 minutes.

Camera

On paper, the Anafi’s camera appears to be one of the best in class. Its specs include a 2-axis gimbal-stabilized camera that can shoot 4K video and capture 21MP stills in JPEG and DNG formats. For the most part, the video looked great; our footage came out sharp and smooth. However, because the Anafi only has a 2-axis gimbal and uses digital stabilization to smooth out footage on the third axis, some pan shots weren’t quite as stable as what you get with the Mavic Air. Overall, the stills, too, were very solid. Shots coming straight from the lens looked great. However, we did notice that when we opened the raw files, there was a noticeable magenta color cast.

One of the most interesting features of the camera is that it can tilt 180 degrees, which opens a whole new set of filming possibilities. Some of the Anafi’s automated flight modes—called CineShots—take advantage of this unique camera feature to make some cool footage.

Subsonic

Critics of drones often site them as nuisance. And if we’re being honest—they kind of are. Not because of the physical space they occupy or their flight patterns, but because so many are so obnoxiously loud. Drone manufacturers know this—that’s why companies like DJI are moving toward quieter prop technology. Drone owners know this—because we have ears. That’s why it is no small feat what Parrot has done with the Anafi. It’s not hyperbole to say the Anafi might be the quietest drone in its class. We flew it in a conference room in our office and you couldn’t even hear it outside the room.

Final Thoughts

While I understand the impulse to compare the Anafi to the Mavic Air, I think it’s a disservice to both. Yes, they share some of the same features, but what makes each drone great is how those features are uniquely their own. For the Anafi, it’s the innovative 4K camera, the ultra-quiet, travel-friendly design, and ease of use that make it well worth it’s surprisingly low price.