DJI Mavic Mini Review 2022 – Features, Specs, Pricing
Lightweight, fast and long-flying bird - excellent choice for beginners and intermediate level pilots.
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It is small, light and can fly up to 30 minutes: DJI Innovations has introduced the new DJI Mavic Mini. With a recommended retail price of only 399,- Euro, the DJI Mavic Mini is currently the cheapest Mavic drone by DJI. So the Mavic Mini from DJI could become a perfect drone for everyone and is especially suitable for spontaneous excursions and quick aerial shots for in between. We’ve tested the latest Mavic drone so continue reading to see pros and cons of Mavic Mini and I am sure you will like the overall conclusion of this DJI Mavic Mini review.
We did a bunch of comparisons of Mavic Mini against other drones, check them out below:
- Mavic Mini vs Parrot Anafi
- Mavic Mini vs Mavic Air vs DJI Spark
- DJI Mavic Mini alternatives
- DJI Mavic Mini vs Mavic Air 2
- DJI Mavic Mini vs DJI Tello
Also make sure to have all the needed gear for your Mavic Mini by checking out our recommendations in this article.
If you are eagerly awaiting the release of new Mavic Mini 2 – click here to read more about rumors and potential release date.
DJI Mavic Mini: Hands on Review
There is hardly another drone more compact and lighter than the new DJI Mavic Mini. Weighing only 249 grams (without propeller protection), the new DJI Mavic Mini does not even require a drone license plate or registration – for example in the USA.
Also important: With the upcoming EU regulations for drones from 2020 (more on this here) it is possible and likely that the DJI Mavic Mini meets the drones classification C0. The light weight is also praiseworthy considering its technical equipment.
The DJI Mavic Mini achieves a flight time of up to 30 minutes, comes with a 3-axis gimbal and a 12-megapixel photo resolution. The maximum video resolution is 2.7k at 30 fps or 1080p (FullHD) at a maximum of 60 frames per second. At the same time, GPS and hovering sensors are of course also included so that the DJI Mavic Mini stands out due to its remarkably stable flight characteristics and is an ideal drone for beginners.
Take a look at other Mavic Models:
The connection between the flight controller and the drone is established via WiFi – allowing for ranges of up to two kilometres (in CE mode or CE standard). The DJI Mavic Mini is ideally suited for recordings on the move and as an “always with you drone” – the DJI Mavic Mini is the perfect flight device for influencers, instagrammers and YouTubers. Within the DJI ecosystem, the DJI Mavic Mini is positioned between the Ryze Tello and the DJI Mavic Air.
Features DJI Mavic Mini
- foldable mini drone for beginners
- Weight: only 249 grams
- no license plate necessary!
- Dimensions: 130 x 80 x 60 mm
- Flight time: up to 30 minutes
- Range: 4 km (FCC) / 2 km (CE)
- with GPS and downward sensors
- Camera: 1/2.3 CMOS image sensor
- Image resolution max: 12 Megapixel
- Video resolution max: 2,7k
- App control with DJI Fly-App
- Offers: DJI Mavic Mini
- RRP: 399,- Euro (single version)
DJI Mavic Mini: delivery and unboxing
The DJI Mavic Mini is available in two versions, which differ from each other especially in the included equipment. On the one hand DJI offers a single version of the DJI Mavic Mini for 399,- USD.
This includes the drone, flight controller with detachable joysticks, three connecting cables to the smartphone with microUSB, USB-C and Lightning connections each, a battery, microUSB charging cable, a set of spare propellers, gimbal protection cap as well as a screwdriver and six spare screws for mounting and dismounting the propellers. Alternatively DJI offers a bundle version of the DJI Mavic Mini for 499,- Euro.
In addition to the standard package of the DJI Mavic Mini, a 2-way multi charger with QuickCharge function, two additional spare batteries (a total of three batteries), a practical storage bag and propeller protection are included in the combo delivery. If you want to use the DJI Mavic Mini even more flexibly and comfortably, you should therefore go for the DJI Mavic Mini Combo with all kinds of accessories.
Important: With the propeller protection mounted, the DJI Mavic Mini weighs 299 grams and therefore more than 250 grams – in this case the obligatory drone license plate or the drone registration would be necessary.
DJI Mavic Mini Pros
- low price of only 399,- USD
- 249 grams light and very compact
- no drone license plate necessary
- highly beginner-friendly
- about 30 minutes flight time
- very precise flight behaviour
- with GPS and float sensors
- App control and 2.7k resolution
- up to 2 km range
DJI Mavic Mini Cons
- no 4K video recording
- no RAW-photo shot
- no DJI OcuSync signal transmission
- no display in the remote control
- no Quick Release propellers
- Battery without direct charge indicator
Of course the accessories are also optional and available separately in the official DJI Online Store. By the way: A USB power supply is not included with the DJI Mavic Mini. Only the DJI Mavic Mini Fly More Combo includes an 18 Watt power supply from DJI for the QuickCharge function of the DJI Mavic Mini. All equipment variants of the DJI Mavic Mini are delivered in the usual stylish and high-quality packaging – nothing indicates that the DJI Mavic Mini is in the lower price segment.
Visually, the DJI Mavic Mini makes an exceptionally attractive and high-quality impression. Despite its low weight of less than 250 grams, the DJI Mavic Mini is first-classly manufactured and does not have to hide in comparison to more expensive DJI models à la DJI Mavic Pro or DJI Mavic 2.
The folding mechanism of the DJI Mavic Mini looks mature and is once again exemplary of the unique processing quality of the Chinese drone market leader. To protect the delicate gimbal and the sensitive camera during transport, DJI also supplies a protective cap. This combines the well-known gimbal clip with a camera cover and can be removed and inserted extremely quickly with just one movement.
The DJI Mavic Mini does not have a Quick Release propeller. Instead of a quick-release fastener, there are now screws so that the foldable propellers can be mounted and dismounted using the screwdriver supplied. This is not necessarily practical, but functional when changing the propellers. Of course, it would have been nicer if DJI had continued to rely on quick-release propellers as with the DJI Mavic Air.
DJI Mavic Mini folded
The DJI Mavic Mini stands out from other DJI drones in colour thanks to its lighter grey. Measuring 130 x 80 x 60 millimetres, the folded drone is barely larger than a conventional smartphone.
It is noticeable that the DJI Mavic Mini, in contrast to more expensive DJI drones, does not have LED lights or position lights in the arms. In comparison to other current DJI drones, the battery of the DJI Mavic Mini is no longer part of the housing – instead, the battery pack is inserted behind a flap in the rear of the device, like in a digital camera.
Therefore, the flight batteries of the DJI Mavic Mini do not have an integrated charge indicator. The charge level of the battery can therefore only be checked if the battery has already been inserted into the drone and the on/off switch on the underside of the drone is pressed – here the corresponding LED lights indicate the charge level of the battery.
At the same time, the batteries of the DJI Mavic Mini are not directly connected to the charging cable or power supply unit. New juice can therefore be obtained either with the battery installed directly in the drone by connecting the drone to a USB power supply using the microUSB connection supplied and charging the batteries directly on the drone and internally.
However, this has the advantage that the DJI Mavic Mini can be supplied with fresh power with any conventional microUSB cable and USB power supply unit – for example in the car or with the help of a classic power bank. If you want to charge the batteries externally, you need the 2-way multi charger, which is only included in the DJI Mavic Mini Combo or can be ordered separately in the DJI accessories.
Up to three DJI Mavic Mini batteries can be used in the Charging Hub for the DJI Mavic Mini. These are charged sequentially, i.e. one after the other and depending on the state of charge. Practical: The multi-charger can be used as a storage case for the batteries or as a power bank. Mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets as well as the remote control of the DJI Mavic Mini can be connected to the multicharger and charged.
Remote control reduced to the essentials
The remote control of the DJI Mavic Mini is reduced to the essentials – function key and flight pause key are no longer on board compared to the DJI Mavic Air.
The included remote control of the DJI Mavic Mini is at first glance almost identical to the remote control of the DJI Mavic Air. However, the remote control on the front only has an on/off switch and a return button. Pressing and holding the RTH button initiates the return function. To cancel the return function, press the button again.
Shoulder buttons for photo and video recording are of course still there. In comparison to the remote control of the DJI Mavic Air, the DJI Mavic Mini does without the freely assignable function key as well as the flight pause key. The remote control also lacks the central mode button for setting the airspeed or selecting the flight modes.
Therefore the flight modes can only be selected in the deeper control settings. Here the DJI Mavic Mini offers the flight modes Sport, Position and CineSmooth. A gimbal wheel for controlling the camera tilt is of course still available and ensures a precise tilt of the camera.
The drone itself is almost as big as the remote control. The joysticks of the controller are removable – making transport easy and safe.
In addition, the remote control does not have an integrated LCD or telemetry display compared to professional models such as the DJI Mavic Pro or DJI Mavic 2.
In this respect, the functionalities of the remote control are reduced to the essentials, but this does not compromise the general functionality of a beginner drone. All in all, the remote control offers the well-known DJI advantages and also stands out for its good joystick feedback, low weight and excellent ergonomics.
Flight behaviour and flight time of the DJI Mavic Mini
The DJI Mavic Mini must be activated before it can be used for the first time. To do this, a mobile device – i.e. an iOS smartphone or Android smartphone – must be connected to the remote control and start the new DJI Fly App.
The DJI Mavic Mini is like a bird in the air thanks to GPS and VPS – nothing lets the mini drone get out of control. This makes the DJI Mavic Mini more user-friendly and ideal for beginners.
However, better not fly it in windy conditions – it struggles big time and this thing really hates wind – and gusts throw it off quickly
DJI provides three different connection cables for connecting to the remote control – each with microUSB, USB-C and Lightning connectors. Then you log in with the DJI user account or you register with a new DJI user account. The drone and remote control are then started and you select the DJI Mavic Mini. The DJI Mavic Mini has no obstacle detection – the displayed obstacle sensors on the front are only an optical element and have no function. Therefore the DJI Mavic Mini cannot avoid obstacles.
Vision Positioning System DJI Mavic Mini
On the underside of the DJI Mavic Mini are not only the charging status display and on/off switches, but also the vision positioning system for stable flight settings. The ToF sensors of the DJI Mavic Mini ensure a very precise hovering behaviour by continuous measurements of the distance to the ground.
Nevertheless, the beginner drone is equipped with GPS as well. This ensures an extremely stable flight behaviour. The downward pointing view and 3D camera sensors in ToF construction ensure extremely stable take-off and landing maneuvers as well as a remarkably stable hovering behaviour by continuously measuring the distance to the ground and adjusting the position accordingly.
Compared to the DJI Mavic Air, there are no ultrasonic sensors installed. Nevertheless, the DJI Mavic Mini can hardly be disturbed, especially indoors. Once again, this confirms that the latest Mavic drone is the ideal beginner’s device.
According to the manufacturer, the flight time of the DJI Mavic Mini is about 30 minutes. Through our practical tests we can confirm the comparatively high flight time – on average the DJI Mavic Mini stays in the air for about 28 to 30 minutes without any problems.
Also interesting: DJI Mavic Mini – Technical data
DJI Fly App: neat and user-friendly
DJI has developed a new app especially for the new DJI Mavic Mini. Instead of the DJI GO 4 app, the DJI Mavic Mini is now controlled by the DJI Fly app. Compared to the app of professional drones, this one convinces with a better user-friendliness by simply removing some functions and introducing a new, more user-friendly layout.
In addition, the app now offers all kinds of tutorials and videos for piloting a drone, so beginners and novices can get to grips with the control of a drone before the first flight. The app also features a 20% larger Live View screen. The DJI app still comes with all kinds of telemetry data, which are displayed directly in the live image of the camera. These include flight speed, flight altitude and flight distance. In addition, signal strength or battery status are displayed transparently and intuitively.
Not a bad videography tool either
On the video side, the DJI Mavic Mini offers either FullHD recording at 60 fps or 2.7k recording at 30 fps.
The app also features a Return To Home mode selection button, which automatically returns the DJI Mavic Mini to the original departure point based on GPS coordinates. On the right side, the app offers corresponding selection keys for setting the video resolution or photo settings, a trigger as well as a menu item for the already recorded recordings within the media gallery. On the resolution side, the DJI Mavic Mini offers 1080p shooting at 25, 30, 50 or 60 fps and a maximum of 2.7k shooting at up to 30 fps.
Therefore, despite the 1/2.3 image sensor with a photo resolution of 12 megapixels, a 4K function is not available. In the manual photo mode, the DJI Fly App offers various setting options around ISO, exposure or shutter speed. There is also a new editor with various templates, so that beginners can quickly create a breathtaking aerial film with music, filters and text from the individual aerial shots. Important to know: On the photo side, the DJI Mavic Mini only offers the JPG format.
Adobe’s DNG raw data format is unfortunately not available. Nevertheless, the DJI Mavic Mini offers a surprisingly good image quality, which is absolutely sufficient for aerial photography on the go as well as uploading and sharing on social platforms such as Facebook or Instagram.
Four QuickShot modes: Dronie, Rocket, Circle and Helix
Of course, you can also activate smart recording modes for the DJI Mavic Mini in the DJI Fly App. With QuickShot video modes called Dronie, Rocket, Circle and Helix, the DJI Mavic Mini offers a total of four user-friendly recording modes for creative aerial photography. Depending on the desired mode, the DJI Fly App also offers various settings for flight altitudes and distances. In addition, the subject or object to be recorded can be manually selected for each mode – similar to the familiar ActiveTrack function. The DJI Mavic Mini doesn’t feature the recording modes Asteroid and Boomerang – well-known from the DJI Mavic Air.
In the pure flight modes, the DJI Mavic Mini offers three adjustment options in the deeper control settings Sport, Position and CineSmooth, each of them differing in control intensity and braking behaviour of the drone. In sports mode, the DJI Mavic Mini is particularly aggressive and agile, while in CineSmooth mode it produces particularly smooth and gentle movements. There are also two different gimbal modes in the control settings: follow mode and FPV mode. In FPV mode, the gimbal remains horizontally fixed while the drone is in motion. The video recordings in FPV mode give the impression of looking out of an aircraft cockpit and operating a fixed-wing aircraft.
DJI Mavic Mini Flight Modes
With Sport, Position and CineSmooth, the DJI Mavic Mini offers three different flight modes. The gimbal modes also have a follow mode and an FPV mode.
Beginners and novices can of course also define the maximum flight altitude, the maximum flight distance and the altitude for the Return To Home mode (Automatic Return Altitude) with the help of sliders in the Safety menu option and adapt them to individual requirements and needs. The maximum flight altitude of the DJI Mavic Mini is 500 meters. The maximum distance is two kilometres (CE standard). Therefore the DJI Mavic Mini offers – also in view of the visual flight rule – adequate and completely sufficient ranges for steering. The Live View image remains remarkably stable and has a short and hardly noticeable delay time even at long distances.
Is Mavic Mini Safe For Beginners?
Beginners and beginners can individually define the maximum flight altitude, the maximum flight distance as well as the flight altitude in Return to Home mode.
DJI Mavic Mini: Info, Prices and Technical Data
So, is Mavic Mini worth buying?
The fact that the DJI Mavic Mini is extremely light and compact, but still delivers high image quality, makes the mini drone interesting not only for hobby users.
The DJI Mavic Mini is an eye-catching object and not only for hobby pilots.
Professional users also get their money’s worth with the DJI Mavic Mini and can look forward to an unpretentious and at the same time powerful machine. With the Mavic Mini, DJI has generally focused on compactness and portability, functionality, user and beginner friendliness as well as an affordable price of less than 500 euros. At the same time the low weight allows easy use within the framework of the legislation, so that the motto “Flying for everyone” is fulfilled in every case. The DJI Mavic Mini thus sets a new benchmark in its class and is likely to become the bestseller due to its attractive price-performance ratio. Whoever wants to buy the DJI Mavic Mini will therefore be able to enjoy a great mini drone with traditional DJI quality.
FAQs
A: Mavic Mini is fine if it is a little windy, say up to about 15mph. But when it gets to 20mph, you notice a little shake. As a general rule I wouldn’t advise using the Mavic Mini on a day with winds above 15mph, especially with strong wind gusts.
Yes, you can use a chord about 1 foot long that costs less than $10. It will allow you to easily use your Mini with a tablet and tablet holder, and also will last longer because it doesn’t get pinched on the side when the controller folds up.
There are chords like this one available for different types of devices.
I highly recommend a longer chord.
It depends which country you live in. The laws could change in the upcoming future, but for now, in the United States, you don’t have to register the Mavic Mini if you fly it out of the box like it is because it is under 250 grams at takeoff. If you add the propeller cage, a light, or a filter, however, it will have to be registered since it is 250 or more grams at takeoff.