It has been a little over a year since DJI introduced the Mini Mavic. Version 2 promises improved video performance and marginally increased flight time. We take a look at the new announcement, announcing its price and availability in the UK.
Mini 2 at a glance
Brand new consumer-orientated folding drone
Ultra-Light <249g takeoff weight
Occusync 2 with 6km (10km FCC) video transmission distance
31 minute maximum flight time, GPS enabled with ‘level 5’ wind resistance
4k Video and 12MP stills from a 3-axis actively stabilised camera
4x digital zoom
Measures just 138mm x 81 x 58mm when folded
What is it and who is it aimed at?
The latest lightweight folding quadcopter from aerial experts DJI. First-time pilots and casual users looking for a compact, easy to fly drone that is capable of taking good quality photos and videos.
What does it cost?
The base drone (with controller, battery and cables) is £50 more than the original at £419, but budget for a MicroSD card on-top of that. As ever we recommend opting for the ‘Fly More Combo’ which includes an extra two drone batteries, a battery charging hub, mains adapter, another 2 spare pairs of propellers, other spares and a shoulder bag to carry it all in, for just £130 extra.
We’ve come a long way
Compared to the original Mavic Pro, released some 4 years ago, this latest drone has dropped the ‘Mavic’ moniker but is a fantastic example of just how far technology has come. Despite weighing just a fraction of its grandfather, it can fly for longer, at a greater distance from the pilot and shoot expertly stabilised video footage at a higher bitrate.
Our take on it
The original Mini was popular with infrequent flyers who were looking to sidestep registration requirements and we think this drone will continue to be popular with casual users. They will find the new wifi link direct to your mobile phone invaluable for transferring media.
The drone retains the popular quickshot features which most pilots are likely to spend the majority of their time utilising. With these intelligent flight modes, you get an inkling of just what the drone’s processors are capable of, keeping the subject in the centre via image processing. DJI purposely nerf its full active track capabilities, but with the drone lacking sensors for obstacle avoidance this was likely decided upon for safety reasons.
Aimed at beginners, the drone only supports the standard picture profile, however it does offer manual exposure adjustments right out of the box instead of waiting or a firmware update like the original. The bump from 40mbps to 100mbps should manifest as more detail in your videos. The digital zoom can be activated by the gimbal dial by holding the function button or by switching between presets on the app. The ‘full’ 4x digital zoom length is reliant on shooting in 1080p, not a true ‘mechanical’ zoom as found on the Mavic 2 Zoom.
Whilst we were impressed with how stable the featherweight original was, we are interested to see what level 5 wind resistance really means in real life. Little seems to have changed to the frame besides some functional air intakes at the front (they were blanks on the original drone) framing the new power LED strip. This will mean that many of the original aftermarket accessories such as landing gear extensions and flight cages will be compatible.
We welcome the Occusync 2.0 tech which brings it in line with the Mavic Air 2 and Mavic 2 Pro, providing superior transmission reliability and extended range. As a result we hope that the drone can be used with the DJI goggles and the smart controllers.
Where can I buy a Mini 2?
The DJI Mini 2 is available on the Dji store alongside the Mini 2 Fly more combo. Here
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