The DJI Mavic Mini (not to be confused with the DJI Mini 2) is the world’s smallest and most portable smart camera drone. It is also the most packed camera drone with tons of features designed to provide exceptional flight performance and best flight experience for beginners and first time flyers.
If you have been looking around for a small smart camera drone compared to Holy Stone HS720E, Potensic D68 and Xiaomi FIMI X8SE. Then look no further because the DJI Mavic Mini could be the drone you have been waiting for.
The DJI Mavic Mini is designed as the most friendly and compact drone, which aims towards beginners and recreational remote pilots who wants a drone that does not require to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration weight limit.
I created an in-depth DJI Mavic Mini review to help guide you through all the details and basics that you need to know about first. That being said, is the DJI Mavic Mini the right camera drone for you? Stick around with us to learn more about this miniature camera drone.
DJI Mavic Mini: Package Contents
Before you get your hands on a brand new DJI Mavic Mini, it is important to know what comes inside the package. Sometimes, you will need to purchase extra accessories to complete your experience. In this case, you will need to purchase a 128GB MicroSD card to go with the Mavic Mini. I also recommended purchasing an extra battery (or two batteries) to extend this drone’s total flight time.
Inside the package, you should expect to get these following items:
- 1 x DJI Mavic Mini
- 1 x Remote Controller
- 1 x Battery
- 4 x Propellers
- 1 x Gimbal Protector
- 1 x Screwdriver
- 6 x Screws
- 1 x Lighting Cable
- 3 x Cables
- User Manual
DJI Mavic Mini: Design and Build Quality
My first impression with the DJI Mavic Mini drone was how professional and compact it is. This camera drone has a total size dimension of 5.5 × 3.2 × 2.2 inches when folded. Which makes it incredibly easy to store inside a travel case, your backpack and even in a jacket pocket that you can start flying right away anytime you want to.
The DJI Mavic Mini comes with a 4K UHD camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal stabilizer. Each motor arms are outfitted with brushless motors which use magnetic force to deliver higher revolution per minute (RPM). Furthermore, it provides a design improvement to the drone for better control and reliability compared to brushed drones such as Snaptain SP500 and Sanrock U52.
The LED lights are located at both front and back as well as sides that provide visual assistance for positioning. This mini camera drone weights only 0.54 Lbs, making it one of the most lightweight smart camera drones in the electronics market.
Each battery gives up to 30 minutes of flight time, though it’s recommended that you purchase an extra or two batteries to extend its total flight time. The material that is used to design DJI Mavic Mini is made with durable and high-quality aluminum. Which makes it crash resistant. Overall, the design and build quality of DJI Mavic Mini is really good.
DJI Mavic Mini: Flight Performance
In the next part of DJI Mavic Mini review, we are going to talk about how well this camera drone performs. As you know, the bigger a drone is, the better they perform outdoors. Because the DJI Mavic Mini weighs only 0.54 Lbs and doesn’t come packed with impressive flight speed. It’s flight performance is somewhat hindered when flying outside with heavy wind conditions.
The DJI Mavic Mini is designed for beginners and recreational remote pilots who want to be able to fly a smart camera drone. It is not intended to be substantial for professional-graded camera drones like Mavic 2 Pro and Phantom 4 Pro.
That being said, the DJI Mavic Mini has a maximum flight speed of 29 miles per hour. Unlike other DJI drones that are outfitted with OcuSync transmission system, the DJI Mavic Mini is equipped with enhanced Wi-Fi signals. Which allows it to be flown up to 2.5 miles away or 4,000 meters without any signal interference. It is still far better than most of the smart camera drones in the same price range.
A flight battery provides up to 30 minutes for this camera drone. But your actual flight time will be between 26 to 27 minutes to account in the time for landing, takeoff and powering on the drone. It’s always a good idea to grab two extra batteries so that you can fly DJI Mavic Mini for at least an hour with plenty of opportunities to capture aerial footage.
Because of this camera drone’s small weight, it is definitely a factor when it comes to flying outdoors. In some regions where there are high winds compared to other areas can impact your ability to pilot the DJI Mavic Mini unlike other camera drones. Therefore, I only recommend you to fly this mini drone when the wind is calm or gentle for best flight experience.
DJI Mavic Mini: Remote Controller
Oftentimes, we wonder how easy it is to control a smart camera drone. The DJI Mavic Mini is marketed as an entry-level camera drone for beginners and first-time flyers. It is no wonder that it comes with simple flight controls and built-in intelligent system for optimal experience.
In fact, the Mavic Mini is equipped with a GPS module which uses the data that the drone collects from satellites to provide precise positioning. This eliminates the need to stabilize the drone manually and allows you to focus more on flying the drone — a big win for beginners.
In addition to that, the remote controller which DJI Mavic Mini uses is straightforward, simple and easy to understand. It also includes a mount holder that lets you insert your smartphone and transform into a real-time video through the eyes of Mavic Mini’s camera.
Flying the DJI Mavic Mini is responsive, smooth, and easy. This camera drone flies in the sky with absolute precision. Beginners who have never flown a drone before will be happy to learn that this drone is equipped with speed settings. By default, it will be at the slowest speed setting so that you can learn the basics. Afterwards, you can adjust the speed settings to develop your piloting skill.
DJI Mavic Mini: Features
Believe it or not, the DJI Mavic Mini is packed with overflowing features. Despite how small this camera drone is, it can perform intelligent flight modes such as Follow Me Mode, Orbit Mode, TapFly Mode, Gesture Mode and even more. Plus, it is capable of performing safety flight functions such as Smart Return to Home and even notifies you when it reaches maximum range.
The DJI Mavic Mini is almost light as a smartphone. Basically, you are flying a smartphone but with propellers, a smart flight system that automatically tells the drone what to do and more. As I mentioned previously, you can adjust the speed setting for this camera drone from normal to sports mode. If it’s your first time flying, I recommend you to select Headless Mode which will reorient the controls to be more simple.
The remote controller gives what you need to fly this camera drone. But more advanced features like intelligent flight modes, adjusting camera settings, and performing calibration is all accessible via DJI Go App — which can be connected to the DJI Mavic Mini remote controller.
DJI Mavic Mini: Camera Quality
In the next part of our in-depth DJI Mavic Mini review, we are going to talk about this drone camera quality and specifications. If you enjoy traveling around the world and likes to take picture to capture special moments.. You will definitely want to have DJI Mavic Mini in your pocket. With a smart camera drone, you can take advantage of the beautiful aerial stills and videos that this flycam quadcopter has to offer.
Featuring a 1.2/3″ CMOS sensor that captures 12MP stills in 4K UHD resolution quality. Though, when it comes to recording videos, it is able to do so in 2.7K HD resolution quality at 30 FPS and 1080P HD resolution at 60 FPS. Unlike the DJI Mini 2 drone, the Mavic Mini has a video bitrate of 40MB/S and only can generate JPEG file format.
Additionally, the camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal stabilizer that eliminates shakiness and delivers smooth, leveled footage that goes easy on your audience. Professionals who are looking for a smart camera drone that can produce killer stills and videos probably won’t be happy with the level of quality that the DJI Mavic Mini drone has to offer. However, if you are on a tight budget and isn’t too serious about having the best camera quality, you might want to consider DJI Mavic Mini drone.
DJI Mavic Mini and DJI Mini 2: What’s The Differences?
As of November 4th, 2020 DJI has launched an upgraded version of DJI Mavic Mini called the Mini 2 drone. It comes with major upgrades such as improved 4K UHD camera that can record 4K UHD videos at 60 FPS up to 100MB/S bitrate. Plus, it also feature OcuSync 2.0 transmission system which extends it maximum flight to 6.2 miles (at least two and half times compared to the original DJI Mavic Mini drone).
The DJI Mini 2 drone also comes with longer flight time up to 31 minutes. It also have the ability to generate both JPEG + RAW file format which is a much needed feature for avid drone photographers. Best of all? The DJI Mini 2 drone still weights less than 0.55 lbs. Which means you do not have to register this drone at all, either.
Of course, there’s a catch though. The DJI Mini 2 drone is slightly expensive compared to the original Mavic Mini. Although, it is like $50 more which isn’t that much at all to be honest. If you are willing to invest a bit more for major upgrades like faster maximum flight speed up to 36 miles per hour, more flight time, better camera quality, faster video bitrate and more. I think you will be happy with the DJI Mini 2 drone in the long run. Though, the Mavic Mini is still a great pick if you prefer to stay on the budget and don’t really care that much about camera quality.
DJI Mavic Mini Review: Conclusion
To wrap our in-depth DJI Mavic Mini review, this is definitely one of the best entry-level camera drones for beginners. It is compact, foldable and doesn’t require to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. If you want the ability to fly the drone anywhere you want to without having to go through the process of registering your drone, the DJI Mavic Mini is the best pick.
This camera drone is awesome for travelers, tourists, beginners and recreational remote pilots. While it doesn’t have superior camera quality compared to professional-graded camera drones, the Mavic Mini is a great quadcopter for learning how to fly as well as producing aerial photography.
But if you are looking for world-class photography and videography with drones, I recommended either Mavic 2 Pro or Phantom 4 Pro. Let us know if you have any questions or want to share your experience about DJI Mavic Mini in the comment section below. Happy flying and stay tuned for more drone news at Dronesfy!
