so ive had the Air 2S for about 8 months now and lately the batteries feel like they drain way faster than they used to. i know DJI says 31 minutes but i never really hit that, usually get somewhere around 22-24 which i thought was normal. but lately im barely getting 18-19 minutes even in calm conditions and the batteries arent that old.

i store them at storage charge when im not flying which i thought was the right thing to do. not sure if its the cold weather thats messing with them (im in the midwest, been pretty cold lately) or if the cells are actually degrading. one of them is showing a small capacity drop in the DJI fly app but the other two look fine.

anyone dealt with this? do these batteries just have a shorter lifespan than advertised or is there something i can do

cold weather will absolutely kill your flight time, thats probably most of what youre seeing. lithium batteries hate the cold and even if the air temp is like 40F the cells are operating below their optimal range the whole flight. i always keep mine in an inside pocket or a small insulated pouch until right before i fly, makes a noticeable difference. the one battery showing reduced capacity in the app is a different story though, those cells do degrade and once one starts going the others usually follow within a season or two depending on how many cycles youve put on them.

also worth checking ? are you letting them fully discharge occasionally? i know DJI recommends storage mode but some people swear that doing a full drain and recharge every 20 cycles or so helps keep calibration accurate. not sure how much science there is behind it but it hasnt hurt mine.

yeah the 31 minute figure is basically a best case marketing number, flying in still air at low altitude with a fresh battery at room temp. real world is always going to be less. 22-24 is pretty typical in my experience. the drop to 18 minutes does sound like cold weather compounding with some normal cell wear. honestly after 8 months of regular flying its not surprising one battery is starting to fade, i usually figure on replacing a set every year or so if im flying a lot.