Would You Buy The Mavic Mini?
DJI look to be one of the most innovative drone and gimble manufacturers on the market at the moment. They first introduced the folding drone, vastly improving portability and making the drones far more accessible to the general public. Now, they have made it smaller with the Mavic Mini.
What makes the Mavic Mini special?
With the Mavic Mini, DJI took the ‘mini’ part literally. Its small. Really small. Smaller then an iPhone small. DJI tagged the slogan ‘The Everyday Fly Cam’ for a reason. It looks like DJI brought out the Mini as a replacement for those looking at the Spark who do not want the price tag associated with the Mavic Air.
Another USP of the Mavic Mini is its weight. Coming in at 249g, it skirts passed weight limits imposed by the likes of the CAA and FAA, when it comes to registering drones. Does this mean the FAA and CAA will change their rules to incorporate lower weight class drones?
Possibly.
They will likely be concerned with unregistered drones flying around legally.
Mavic Mini Spec
As mentioned above, the Mavic Mini weighs 249g. Due to this light weight, DJI says the flight time is going to be up to 30 minutes. 30 Minutes on an ultra portable drone is an immense flight time. Combine that with additional batteries and your flight sessions can last far longer.
To put this in perspective, in our review of the Parrot Bebop 1.0, a drone at a similar price point, we mentioned the Bebop gets around 12 minutes of flight time, depending on how you use it.
The Mini also sports a 4km (2.48 miles) HD video transmission range. Whilst impressive, if you stick to the rules most countries impose, you should only fly within line of sight. Never the less, DJI have jammed a huge amount of spec into the Mini. The max flight height for the Mini is around 3km.
Unlike DJI’s more other recent drone, the Mavic 2 Pro which have a 20 megapixel camera , the Mavic Mini sports a 12 mega pixel camera. This is in line with the Mavic 2 Zoom’s megapixel. The main difference is which the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro both record video in 4k, the Mavic Mini records in 2.7k.
For photographers and videographers, the difference may be noticeable but to the layman, you may not notice much difference at all.
The Mini also supports UHS-I Speed Class 3 or above microSD cards.
To get an idea of footage shot on the Mavic Mini, you can watch this video from DJI’s Instagram page.
Mavic Mini VS DJI Spark
What is the difference between the Mavic Mini and DJI’s Spark?
Firstly, at 300g, the Spark weighs more than the 249g Mini. This weight, along with advances in technology, affect the overall flight time. As per above, the Mavic Mini flies for up to 30 minutes. To contract this, the Spark has a 16 minute flight time.
Flight distance is different as well. The Spark can fly up to 2km whilst the Mini can reach 4km.
Both the Spark and the Mini have a 12mp camera but only the Mini has the 2.7k video resolution. The Spark is limited to Full HD 1080p. The Spark does look like it has more still photo modes than the Mini. The Spark offers single shot, burst shooting, auto exposure bracketing, EV bias and interval shots. The Mini gives you single shot and interval shots.
Mavic Mini VS Mavic Air
What is the difference between the Mavic Air and the Mavic Mini?
The Mavic Air is the heavier of the two drones at 430g. As such, its flight time of 21 minutes, whilst good for a drone its size, is still less than the Mini’s 30 minutes.
Size wise, the Air is also larger than the Mini is.
The Mavic Air outclasses the Mavic Mini with its camera. Whilst both at 12mp, the Air can record in 4k Ultra HD. The Air also sports more still photograph shot modes. It gives you, single shot, HDR, burst shooting, auto exposure, interval shots, panoramic photos (180 degrees, sphere, 3×3 and 3×1). As per above, the Mini gives you single shot and interval shots.
To us, it looks like DJI is still pushing the Mavic Air as the drone for the travel photographer and the Mini for everyday use. But… would you buy both and use them differently?
Need help picking a DJI drone? DJI have a useful comparison page that you mind find useful!
Mavic Mini Accessories
The Mavic Mini has a plethora of accessories that can really make the drone your own.
The Mavic Mini Fly More Combo contains:
- the aircraft,
- a remote controller,
- 3 intelligent flight batteries,
- 3 pairs of spare propellers,
- 360 degree propeller guards,
- a two way charging hub,
- bag and more.
You can also pick up additional Mavic Mini Intelligent Flight Batteries for £45 each.
The Mini has a charging stand/display case that may be enticing to some people. Personally, we are not sure why you would use it but it is there.
What is really interesting is the Mavic Mini DIY Creative Kit. Essentially you can create your own shell stickers for the drone, giving it your own unique feel. We thing that this is a really nice touch from DJI.
Another interesting accessory is the Mavic Mini Snap Adaptor. As per the DJI website’s description of the Snap Adaptor, “Attach small accessories such as LED displays or building blocks on top of Mavic Mini with the Snap Adapter”. As per the charging stand, we are not sure about the logic behind this (unless you can attach a flash or a light) but it will be interesting to see how the DJI community and those who buy the Mini use it.
What are your views?
What do you think of the Mavic Mini? Would you get one? Let us know below.
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