Mavic 2 Pro Battery (All You Need to Know)

One of, if not the most important component to any drone is the battery, and this goes of course for the Mavic 2 Pro as much as for any drone.

**The Mavic 2 Pro intelligent flight battery boasts a ton of smart features to help you fly safely and maintain the battery’s longevity. The Mavic 2 Pro battery is a 4S LiPo (lithium polymer) battery with a 3850mAh capacity and 31 minutes of flight time. **

As a professional in the drone industry, the Mavic 2 Pro is my favorite beast in my arsenal and getting to know the very part that gives power to my drone was essential to make the most out of what it’s capable of. After all, the getting to know you part in any relationship is always the most fun.

Just like peeling back the layers of an onion, the smart features of the Mavic 2 Pro batteries are only just hitting the surface of what you need to know about them, so I’m diving deep to tell you all you need to know, including how to charge them, what they’re trying to tell you through secret codes (they’re actually not so secret), and how to maintain a strong and healthy life for your battery. 

And just when you thought you knew everything, we get down to the nitty-gritty: the problems. What is the most common issue real users are facing that’s killing their Mavic 2 Pro batteries? And is it actually simple to avoid? 

Well, the answer is yes, so let’s get into it. Here’s everything you need to know about the Mavic 2 Pro battery in order to keep your precious little buddy in the sky and have a long and lasting relationship.

Mavic 2 Pro battery smart safety features #

If safe is the new cool, then these batteries are the coolest. Let’s get into the safety features this intelligent flight battery has in order to protect itself from damage and, therefore, protect your drone in the sky. Sounds like music to my ears already!

1. Auto discharge #

The battery will automatically discharge to a safe storage level of around 60% based on the time to discharge set in your DJI Go 4 app. The default for auto discharge is 10 days. 

2. Temperature detection #

The battery will not charge if the temperature is below 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) or over 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) as a safety precaution to prevent permanent damage to the battery.

3. Balanced charging #

The battery cell voltage automatically balances when charging.

4. Overcharge and overcurrent protection  #

The batteries stop charging once they reach 100% so as to not allow overcharging, and they will also stop charging if an excessive current is detected.

5. Short circuit protection #

The batteries will stop charging if a short circuit is detected.

6. Hibernation Mode #

If the battery is left on for 20 minutes and left inactive, it will switch itself off. 

If the battery level is less than 10%, it will enter what is called hibernation mode to prevent damage to the battery cells and can only be taken out of this mode by charging. 

Mavic 2 Pro battery life #

The Mavic 2 Pro intelligent flight battery is a 3850mAh capacity LiPo (lithium polymer) 4S battery with 31 minutes of flight time. 

Now, this advertised 31 minutes is in perfectly ideal environmental conditions, which of course almost never happens, so expect a little less than that. For me, I’m usually up in the air for about 27 minutes. Some of the things that could affect your flight time and how hard your battery works are factors such as wind speed and temperature. 

It’s important to always monitor your remaining battery life because of these factors. The smart return to home feature (which allows your drone to return to its home point when it determines it has reached the mark of having only enough battery power to come back safely) is a great tool to have turned on in your settings. However, it’s important to take into consideration that it is not a foolproof system, especially in non-ideal weather conditions, such as wind. 

Consider setting your low battery warning to a number you feel comfortable manually turning the drone around in, so that you have an audible reminder to come back before your drone enters critical battery level. 

I have mine set at 25%, but if my drone is far away, I will turn around before I hear this sound to be safe. The battery is not meant to be drained to 0%, so keep in mind, your drone will auto-land if you bring your battery level to a critical point, which is at or below 10% for most DJI drones. 

And please, for the sake of your battery, never let it get to below 10%, unless you have absolutely no choice, as this can permanently damage it.

Charging the Mavic 2 Pro battery #

Charging your Mavic 2 Pro battery is simple and it takes about 90 minutes to fully charge one battery. You can charge your batteries using the standard charger, the car charger, or the charging hub, which can hold 4 batteries. 

The charging hub charges the batteries in sequence starting with the battery closest to full charge. Both the charging hub and the car charger come with the Mavic 2 Pro Fly More Combo and the standard charger comes with the regular package. 

The Mavic 2 Pro battery charger has 17.6V and 5V output modes, 60W total output power and can charge the remote controller at the same time with both a USB-A interface and USB-C. Be aware, charging the remote controller at the same time as the battery might increase the total charging time. 

Problems when charging the Mavic 2 Pro battery #

Now, what happens if your Mavic 2 Pro battery doesn’t charge when you plug it into the charger? Most of the time, it’s a sign that your battery is damaged and you should inspect it for physical imperfections, such as swelling, or damaged pins in the lining that connects the battery and charger. 

You can also check the health of your battery in the DJI Go 4 App by clicking the battery icon when the drone is powered on and connected. There, you can see each battery cell. A healthy battery should have four green indicators all at the same height which means no voltage differences between the cells. 

If you notice something wrong with your battery, the best course of action is to contact DJI, but there are a few other reasons your battery may not be charging, and a lot of them could actually be due to the safety features mentioned above, so let’s go over them more in detail.

1. Temperature of the battery is below 41°F (5°C) or above 104
   °F (40
   °C). As we just learned, these batteries will not charge unless within this range in order to prevent damage. 

The ideal charging temperature is between 71°F and 82°F (22°C and 28°C). Make sure to store and charge your batteries within this safe range to avoid permanently damaging them.

2. Inconsistent battery firmware. Although not a common charging problem, it is possible that this may be an issue. Update your aircraft’s firmware while the battery is powering the drone to solve this issue.

3. High amperage or short circuit. It may not be a problem with your battery at all, but the outlet you plugged it into or the charger itself. 

Because these smart batteries stop charging if they detect a short circuit or excessive current, this could be the problem. Unplug the charger and try a different outlet or different power supply altogether. 

Also, never use a third-party charger as this may lead to problems that will not be covered under DJI’s warranty.

Mavic 2 Pro battery light codes #

Just when you thought these batteries couldn’t get any smarter, it turns out that the battery has light codes to warn you of some of the problems mentioned above. On each intelligent flight battery are 4 LED lights around the circular power button in clockwise order. 

The way these lights flash are actually communicating something to you, so here are what the light codes mean:

– LED 2 blinks twice per second = over current detected.

– LED 2 blinks three times per second = short circuit detected.

– LED 3 blinks twice per second = overcharge detected.

– LED 3 blinks three times per second = charger over-voltage detected

– LED 4 blinks twice per second = charging temperature is too low.

– LED 4 blinks three times per second = charging temperature is too high.

Maintaining the Mavic 2 Pro battery  #

A battery this intelligent basically only needs your help to make sure it has the proper environment so it can keep doing its job to the best of its capacity. It is very important to maintain your batteries properly to ensure longevity. 

Here are the steps you need to take to make sure your Mavic 2 Pro batteries are in tip-top shape:

1. Store your batteries at room temperature and never leave your batteries in your car. As we have learned, both temperatures that are too cold or too hot can damage your battery. 

2.  If you’re not going to be flying your drone for a couple of days, charge your batteries to optimal storage level (around 60% or when LED 3 is flashing). 

3. Be aware of the automatic discharge feature on these intelligent flight batteries. A fully charged battery will automatically discharge to its safe storage level of about 60% if left unused, so you don’t need to discharge them yourself. You can set the time to discharge for each battery on the DJI Go 4 app. I have mine set to 2 days.

4. Avoid extreme temperature changes and try to stay within the temperature range as advertised by DJI. For the Mavic 2 Pro, this temperature range is 14 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 to 40 degrees celsius). 

When flying in the cold, keep your batteries warm before the flight and do not put your batteries directly in a hot place after the flight. This extreme temperature change can cause condensation. 

My trick, as I’m often flying in very cold temperatures in Canada, is to place a bunch of silica gel packets in my drone bag and, after a flight, place the drone with the bag open in the car as the heater slowly heats the car. This is to ensure the temperature change is gradual and the excess moisture is absorbed by the silica gel.

5. Keep an eye on the number of times your battery has been charged in your DJI Go 4 app. Most of the time, around 200 cycles is when the battery may start to be less reliable, but always check the health of the cells in your app and make sure the battery status is normal before flying.

6. It may be worthwhile to purchase a LiPo battery bag to store your batteries (see our pick on Amazon) in if you are often traveling by airplane or simply to reduce the risk of explosion in the case of a fire. 

The most common problem with the Mavic 2 Pro battery #

We’ve gone over the intelligent flight battery’s life, the cool safety features, how to charge, the possible problems encountered when trying to charge, and how to maintain the battery, but I wanted to know what the most common problem users of the Mavic 2 Pro battery faced, because let’s face it, nothing is perfect. 

The most common problem people seem to be facing with these batteries is swelling. This is a huge issue and you should never fly with a swollen battery. So why does this happen?

This is a common occurrence with LiPo batteries (lithium polymer) because these batteries are created with a substance that contains lithium and when lithium is exposed to oxygen, it becomes a volatile chemical. This is also why these batteries pose a fire hazard and why getting a LiPo battery bag might be worthwhile – just saying!

When the electrolytes of a LiPo battery decompose, they produce gases like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which expand within the casing of the battery. This is why you can see your battery swell! 

The most common cause for this decomposition is heat. There are other things that can cause this, like draining your battery too low or aggressively flying on a hot day or in high winds, which will overwork your battery and cause its temperature to increase. 

Always monitor your battery’s temperature by clicking the battery icon in the DJI Go 4 App. You should also pay attention to any warnings that pop up while flying as, most of the time, DJI Go 4 will alert you of any problems arising in the battery during flight.

So what should you do if you find your battery swollen? Well, I’m sorry to say, but it’s out of commission. You need to properly dispose of it as it is a hazardous material. My best advice to avoid this swelling is to maintain and monitor your batteries, so basically, follow all the guidelines mentioned in this article and your Mavic 2 Pro battery should live a long, healthy, and happy life!

So, I hope you broke the ice with the Mavic 2 Pro Intelligent Flight Battery by reading this article. Now that you’ve gotten to know the ins and outs of this little tool, your drone flying experience can be a little more worry-free! 

Most drone battery mishaps come from not educating yourself on proper use and maintenance, so look at you, you’ve already got that checked off by simply researching it. Now you know the simple steps you can take to avoid potential problems and it should be smooth sailing (or should I say flying?) from here on out if you apply the knowledge you just learned. I’m glad you’ve gotten to know your battery and I wish you happy flying!