Yesterday, DJI launched the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom during a special live event, “See the Bigger Picture,” in Brooklyn, New York. The event garnered over 1 million virtual viewers via live stream across multiple platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and the DJI website.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend or view the hour-long event, don’t worry. We recap everything that went down during “See the Bigger Picture,” including a few surprise announcements. Read on for the event highlights, or scroll to the bottom of this post to watch a recording of the live stream.

DJI Highlights How Mavic Pro Save Lives

Michael Oldenburg, Product Communication Lead at DJI was the event spokesperson, and delivered the exciting details millions of drone enthusiasts have been waiting for. Before diving into the specs, Oldenburg first drew our attention to the tremendous good DJI drones are doing around the world.

We’ve been keeping track of how many people have been rescued with the help of a drone. We’re at 144 with more being added every month.

— Michael Oldenburg, Product Communication Lead, DJI

One life was that of Rick Allen, a famous mountaineer who went missing on Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world. Allen had fallen approximately 100 feet down the mountain, and his fellow climbers feared him dead. Thankfully, Allen was spotted by a DJI Mavic Pro piloted by the Polish brothers Andrzej Bargiel and Bartek Bargiel. The live feed from the drone determined Allen was still alive and aided in his rescue, helping to save his life.

Oldenburg expressed how stories like these fuel the DJI team’s passion for innovation when designing new drone technology like the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom.

How Consumer Feedback Helped Shape the Mavic 2 Series

Another driving factor Oldenburg discussed was consumer feedback. When it came time to reimagine what the Mavic Pro could be, DJI looked to their consumers for guidance.

We asked content creators what they wanted most: a more versatile camera that broadens the variety of creative shots that can be captured, better flight performance to fly faster and longer, and an improved obstacle sensing system to let you focus more on capturing the perfect shot.

— Michael Oldenburg, Product Communication Lead, DJI

Over the course of two years, DJI’s team worked diligently to deliver what content creators asked for.

Revealing the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom

After an extensive introduction, Oldenburg finally got into the nitty gritty, revealing a slew of new features on the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. The audience cheered as the drones hovered onto the stage and landed on the display platform.

Each model delivers (big) improvements from the first-generation Mavic Pro—most notably the professional grade, 1” CMOS, 20 megapixel camera (Mavic 2 Pro) and a 2x optical zoom (Mavic 2 Zoom). We’ve created a separate guide to the specs and features of the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom here.

The Mavic 2 Pro is available now for $1,449 and the Mavic 2 Zoom for $1,249. You can purchase the Mavic 2 Pro or Mavic 2 Zoom here.

Jimmy Chin Provides an End User Perspective on the Mavic 2 Series

Jimmy Chin, renowned photographer and filmmaker, took the stage to share his thoughts on the Mavic 2 from an end users point of view. Chin has traversed all seven continents as a professional climber while capturing breathtaking photography and video of his expeditions for publications such as National Geographic, Time, and Vanity Fair.

Chin took the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom with him on his latest expedition to Greenland to test out its features and reliability.

I need reliable equipment. These are places that I can’t go back to and reshoot. It has to happen at that time and it has to happen when I’m there.

— Jimmy Chen, Photographer and Filmmaker

Through Chin’s expedition, the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom were able to withstand extremely cold and windy conditions so he could capture images like this:

DJI Makes a Few Surprise Announcements

The event concluded with a few bonus reveals. Oldenburg returned to the stage and gave viewers the details on five new/improved offers from DJI.

• The fly more combo has been unbundled and is now the fly more kit. Priced at $319, the kit comes with: two additional batteries, multi-battery charging hub, car charger, extra propellers, and a travel bag.
• DJI Care Refresh — a comprehensive warranty program that provides up to two replacements for a small additional charge.
• Camera and gimbal replacement service — so you can switch the camera on the drone without having to buy an entirely new one.
• DJI Trade Up — a technology trade-in program that lets you exchange used DJI gear and other electronics to receive credit in the DJI online store toward a new purchase.
• DJI Annual AirWorks Conference — set for October 30 – November 1, 2018, the conference will focus on the growing commercial drone ecosystem.

You can watch the event from start to finish below: