After extensive research of three months and after obtaining my drone license, I concluded that I should buy the DJI Air 2S (Fly More Combo), after comparing and researching all the drones from this specific company (as I only wanted theirs). It is the first drone I own, but I have read a lot about it and I can give you a comprehensive overview.

Firstly, I believe (and it is proven) that this particular drone is the best drone for its price range (up to €1,350). But why? Read on.

1) First of all, does a drone require a license to fly?
Do not listen to the misinformation that many people spread, saying that if the drone weighs up to 250g, it does not require a license. This is incorrect. The truth is that any drone with a recording camera (it doesn't matter if it weighs only 2 grams) requires the operator to have a license. Furthermore, there are different types of licenses corresponding to different purposes of use and drone weights. You can learn more about this in the Regulations Support for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

2) Why didn't I choose one from the "mini" series (mini 2 or mini 3 pro)?
I wasn't too concerned about the camera (especially the one on the mini 3 pro, which is somewhat similar in quality to the AIR 2S), but I was bothered by the fact that it doesn't have as much resistance to wind as the Air 2/2S, etc. The Air 2S can withstand up to 5 Beaufort, unlike the mini drones that can withstand only 2-3 Beaufort.

3) Why did I choose the "Fly More Combo" version?
Initially, I was considering not getting it and just sticking with one battery. The price difference was around €200. However, I researched and found out that buying a second battery costs €110 for just one battery. Whereas the "Fly More Combo" version gives you 2 extra batteries (a total of 3), 4 ND filters (which normally cost €70), extra propellers for replacements, extra USB cables, and a charger that can charge all three batteries simultaneously (which is a big advantage, as each battery takes about 1-1.5 hours to fully charge individually). So, the extra €200 for the "Fly More Combo" is not a significant cost.

4) How is it in terms of construction?
In terms of construction, from the moment I received it, from the packaging, the way everything is placed inside the carrying bag, and the material and method of construction of the drone itself, I was very impressed. It may be made of plastic parts, but they have done an excellent job (extremely professional).

5) How does it look?
It is very nice and more unique compared to other drones. The top sensors give it a different appearance as it is the only one in this price range that has top sensors. It weighs 595g, although it feels slightly heavier when holding it in your hand. It is much smaller than it appears in photos or videos you have seen. After watching so many videos, I imagined it to be much larger. So, if this is considered small, imagine how much smaller the mini drones are. With the arms folded, the Air 2S is about the size of your open palm.

6) Is it easy to use for the first time (settings, updates, connectivity)?
It is quite easy. The DJI app, "DJI FLY," is fantastic in terms of design and responsiveness, and it helps you a lot by guiding you step by step to connect the drone to your controller. As for the Updates, it notifies you every time an update is needed and it's a piece of cake. It is good to connect the drone to the controller before your first flight and make the necessary adjustments before you go to fly it.

7) Is it easy to fly???
I have only flown once with the Air 2S a few days after I bought it. I had the misfortune to encounter bad weather with gusts of 44km/h, which is about 6 Beaufort. I would like to remind you that the manufacturer recommends a maximum wind resistance of 5 Beaufort for the Air 2S during flight. Although I was initially afraid to fly it, I wanted to make sure that the drone is okay in terms of its propellers, motors, etc. Let me tell you this: Not only did it fly, but it flew with such ease that I was amazed! It made me trust it during the flight and the anxiety disappeared. The maximum height I reached was 50 meters and at a distance of 250 meters, the drone didn't feel a thing! It was stable in all shots, although it sometimes resisted the wind in order to stay in its exact position (which is normal). The drone returned to its initial position with the "Return To Home" function on its own, with a maximum deviation of 1-2 meters (almost zero deviation). The handling is easy, but in order to achieve great shots and nice movements, you will need hours of flight experience (practice, guys) :-)

8) How long does the battery last???
With the 6 Beaufort wind in the area, the battery lasted about 21 to 25 minutes, and sometimes I had to quickly bring it back, so I can say that I slightly drained the battery.

9) Does it capture nice footage???
In the "D-log" mode, it captures footage with muted colors as it is intended for cinematic purposes. However, in normal mode, it captures fantastic footage and emphasizes the colors so beautifully that when combined with a 4K TV, they look incredible. It also captures footage in 5.4K, but here you need to be very careful: In 5.4K, it uses H.265 encoding, which is still "experimental". H.265 compresses the video quality less compared to H.264, making the footage look closer to reality. However, there is a big "but" here. Because it is an "experimental" encoding, in order to process (and sometimes play) it on a device (e.g., a computer), the graphics card needs to support this video format and the computer needs to have exceptional characteristics = a very expensive machine. When my computer, which cost around 1,000 euros two years ago, cannot handle this video format, imagine what is needed, not only to handle it but also to process it comfortably. So essentially, one could say that the 5.4K mode is useless on the one hand (it is too advanced for our time). I now continue to capture footage in 4K, which has H.264 encoding (but also H.265 for those who want it). Also, be careful: The automatic functions it has (Focustrack) only record videos up to 1080p (so for those who want 4K footage, they will have to shoot manually).

10) Are the files it captures large???
In 4K and 5.4K, the files are quite large. A 1.5-minute video in 5.4K took up 2GB on the SD card. Also, you shouldn't use just any random micro SD card. You need at least a U3 class micro SD card. I bought this and I am very satisfied with the recording/transfer speed: https://www.skroutz.gr/s/32100748/Samsung-Pro-Plus-2021-microSDXC-128GB-U3-V30-A2-UHS-I-%CE%BC%CE%B5-%CE%B1%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%AC%CF%80%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%B1.html?from=featured&product_id=104468348 .

I will provide more information after the next flights.

Follow me on my page @ActiveDroneTrack on social media (Instagram, Youtube, Facebook) where I will soon upload my shots and videos.

I bought the Air 2s in the fly More Combo version during the Black Friday sales week. So far, I have been using it for almost a week. Despite having experience in handling it since I used the same controller (RC-N1) with the DJI Mini 2, I have done all the test flights/captures that I wanted and can comment on them.

Pros:
1. Amazing photo and video quality. Comparing it to the Mini 2, it's like night and day. The 1'' sensor with a fixed aperture of f/2.8 on the Air 2s is impressive. It produces incredible images even in very low light conditions. The videos, with the D-LOG option at 5.4K/30 fps, provide a stunning crystal-clear image. The colors are fantastic! Truly high-quality video footage with the potential for further improvement in post-editing (which I haven't tried yet). The photos, even when the sun is completely hidden, are flawless with very little noise. Excellent sensor performance. As expected... CMOS 1'' / 20 MB ;-)
2. Using the SMART PHOTO option (which is essentially HDR photo), the images are impeccable and require very little post-editing. The AEB option is still available (capturing 3 or 5 photos with different settings and merging them later), but the SMART PHOTO option provides better quality and is much faster without the need for post-editing.
3. Very stable during flight. This is expected since it is not as lightweight as the Mini series. However, I haven't tested it in strong winds yet. I will provide an update when I do.
4. MASTER SHOTS. If you liked the quickshots feature of the Mini series, you will be amazed by the mastershots. You select your subject (not moving) and the drone takes a series of different shots, creating a 2 to 3-minute video (depending on your settings) that you can immediately edit (add music, etc.) and share! Perfect!!!! :-) Just be careful because while it is capturing the shots, it may collide with an obstacle on its side since it doesn't have side sensors.
5. Sensors on top, bottom, front, and back, but none on the sides. I haven't tested their capabilities, but based on several videos I saw online, they seem to do an excellent job, especially in tracking/following objects. I will try it out.
6. Advanced object follow/track options (following the object from behind, from the side, etc.).

Cons:
1. RANGE. As strange as it may sound, the range is terrible. Much worse than the Mini 2 in an urban environment. At around 400-500m within the city, the image starts to freeze. It didn't disconnect, but the signal was weak with only 2 bars, and it would soon disconnect if I continued. With the Mini 2, I had reached 2 km within the city without any disconnection or freezing of the image. This issue is related to the transmission and the CE protocol used in Greece (and Europe) compared to the FCC protocol used in the US. SOLUTION: You can run a patch through an Android device (it doesn't work with iOS) and activate the FCC Mode as long as the controller is on. If you turn it off (the controller, not the drone), you will need to apply the patch again. The process takes 5 seconds. After that, you can use your iOS device (which is what I do). By applying this trick, the range is significantly increased. For more information on how to do it, etc., search the internet, as there is plenty of information available.
2. The battery seems to drain somewhat quickly. It's definitely not comparable to the 31 minutes provided by DJI. I would say it lasts around 23-25 minutes, at most. So the 3 batteries are a must.
3. In iOS (again) there is a bug that does not allow you to access the gimbal settings and enable movement above 0 degrees. By default, it moves from -90 to 0 degrees. While you can enable movement from -90 to +23 degrees, unfortunately you cannot do it through an iOS device. You have to connect an Android device to do it. I haven't tried it, but I think it can be done.

Conclusions:
An amazing drone for both amateur and professional use. Impressive photos (now with great printing capabilities due to the 1'' sensor and 20 MP). It has some flaws, as I mentioned, but they can be satisfactorily corrected or improved, and even with them, the drone remains at a very high level.
I will come back with additions to my review as I gradually test new capabilities of the drone.
I am satisfied so far and of course, I would buy it again! ;-)

UPDATE 12/9/2022.
- Finally, I connected an Android device and adjusted the gimbal to move from -90 to +23 degrees. This setting remains and now I can use it normally with my iPhone.
- I activated the FCC mode to increase the range as I mentioned earlier. It works perfectly and I reached a range of 800-900 meters in an urban environment without any signal loss or interference (around 900 meters, the last line of the signal would flicker, but it was not a problem). Without activating the FCC, the video transmission would noticeably freeze after 300-400 meters. As I mentioned before, activating the FCC is not permanent and it remains active as long as the remote controller is on. However, it only takes 5 seconds to reactivate it, so it's not an issue.
- I took some more night photos and they are truly impressive. Zero noise and great quality. Even at 70% zoom, you can see stunning details. Amazing!

Flawless in everything. Flight quality stability, what can I say, amazing!
But...
After a firmware update, it showed incompatible gimbal data (error 40012), which is a software bug. It was sent to the authorized service center in Greece, but nothing happened. After contacting DJI, they said it needs to be sent to Hungary for replacement, and from what I learned, they send back refurbished units, not new ones. Disappointing!

The problem is not unique to me, so don't consider it an isolated incident. After June 17, 2022, I found 4 people in the DJI Mavic Air 2S group on Facebook who had the same issue. It's not just a few people, and it's not due to user error or accidents. I don't know why it affects some people and not others, but if DJI tells you to send it to them, it probably means something.

If you search for "incompatible gimbal data" or "DJI gimbal stuck IMU GPS issue" on YouTube, you will find reports. They get stuck even if you don't do anything. If you're unlucky, you're unlucky.

So I sent it to DJI for replacement. However, DJI doesn't repair it, as far as I know, for quick handling, they send a different unit and yours goes to the repair department for someone else to receive. Of course, they send you a unit that works perfectly, etc., but it's refurbished... ugh!

Attention to those who want to use the drone for work, update it during a period of inactivity because you might be without a drone for 2-3 weeks. Sneaky software...
DJI is the best out there for me, but I was disappointed with the refurbished unit since mine was in perfect condition...

Amazing drone and performance, but many people have software issues, and most of them, if they can't solve it with calibration configuration, send it for repair. Yes, I would buy it again without hesitation because I don't have a better option for what it does.
I'm not rating it poorly, I'm just adding information for others. And still, I would choose DJI. They are there for you and treat you well. They don't ignore you!

UPDATE 29/7/22: I received the new Air 2S as a replacement in a tremendous timeframe. Within 2 weeks, it went from the province where I live to Hungary, then back to my home in Athens. It's like new, actually better than mine. However, I was unlucky. 2nd issue: While hovering, it has a tolerance of +-0.5m vertical and approximately +-0.3m horizontal. The test was done indoors to eliminate wind interference, and then I tried it outdoors. Yes, it works indoors with vision sensors, not always needing GPS. The 1st drone didn't have this issue. It surprised me because I don't trust that it won't crash into a wall. First, I would move it to the adjacent room. It was great in its movements, but it ruins all my shots when I'm working... damn it. Outdoors, at long distances, everything is fine, but this particular issue seems to have passed the so-called balancing, although it passed the approval for customer delivery as a replacement. Calibration doesn't fix it, I tried everything. It works normally for flights that have a long distance, but if, for example, you want to capture a straight line path like a tunnel road, etc., have a spare battery for testing. And if you have a wedding or something, what will you tell them... let's go back to dancing? The company states a vertical tolerance of 0.1m in the specs, but for me, it fluctuates around +-0.5m... both indoors and outdoors, not just indoors. It was tested in both indoor and outdoor environments with no difference. I have videos in the group on Facebook.

UPDATE 4/8/2022: Finally, the REFURBISHED unit I received is going back to Hungary. I had to send it again because if the problem is due to the product, why should I keep something with a problem. Attention to deliveries from DJI, make sure to check many things before keeping it. Who would expect that my hover is not normal and who would notice it if it doesn't make precise flights.

UPDATE 28/8/2022 It came back like new, so much that I really think it is new. FLAWLESS, absolutely no problem (except for the first change which I was just unlucky I believe) DJI is top in service.

I have had the drone for less than a month, I also got the combo package with gift vouchers from my job and it turned out to be relatively affordable based on the original price.

The positives are many but there are also negatives.

Positives:
- Incredible resolution in videos and photos. For 4K videos at 60fps, 5 minutes take up 8gb, so make sure to get a large memory card (I got a Samsung 256gb for €33) to have enough space.
- Very stable, great range. I haven't tested it beyond 1.8 km because I'm afraid something might go wrong and it gets lost. It also has many video functions that I haven't discovered yet.
- It seems to be very well built and has sensors almost everywhere (I wish it had one on the side since it's the S series and not the regular one).

Negatives:
- The battery doesn't last even 30 minutes (I believe everyone has noticed this). I have tested it at home in the countryside with no wind, and it didn't last more than 25 minutes with the Cine mode on, making smooth movements to avoid unnecessary battery consumption.
- The bag is quite small and it's a tight fit for everything. With the amount of money spent, I would have liked the bag to be more spacious because when you put the drone in its case, it feels like the propellers might break.

Overall, I believe it is one of the best drones on the market with a relatively good price. It's better to get the combo package that includes extra batteries and a charging kit for all 3 batteries and the remote control. It also comes with extra propellers, a carrying bag, and lens filters.

First drone and unfortunately I haven't had the chance to take photos or videos yet.
Purchased at a relatively good price [the combo] [1245€ with coupon].
In terms of specs, we have the following:
- 1" sensor [same as phantom 4 pro v2.0/mavic 2 pro], with the difference that it has a 2.4μm Pixel Size,
- 5.4K 30fps, 10-bit video with 1.07 billion colors compared to the 8-bit that can capture 16.7 million [tremendous difference especially if you 'play' with LR-photoshop etc.],
- Slightly worse battery life than the air 2 due to increased weight due to the sensors logically,
- 12km range [in open space] compared to the 10km of the air 2/phantom 4,
- Very good new technologies such as SmartPhoto-Wide-Max Video Bitrate 150mbps [air 2 had 120mbps/phantom 4 100mbps], Shooting Range: 0.6 m to ∞ compared to 1m to ∞ that all other dji drones have-OcuSync 3.0.
As a negative compared to mavic 2 pro-phantom 4 v2.0 is the absence of the variable aperture, although with photoshop etc. you can adjust the brightness of a photo or video, otherwise the nd filters that the combo provides will help.
Overall, it is worth giving something extra and getting the combo instead of the regular for the following reasons:
- 2 extra batteries [115€ each = 230€]
- Nd filters [79€]
- Carrying bag [75€]
- +3 propellers as spare parts [30€] [total of 6 while the regular only has 3]
- Battery to Power Bank Adapter [19€]
- Battery Charging Hub [55€]
Total 488€ while the regular with the combo [on the official dji site] has a difference of only 300€, so prefer it if you can afford it financially.
I will come back with footage from the drone because unfortunately we only stayed in words