#DroneTechie

The new DJI Mini 2 is the pocketable 4K drone you want to buy

There’s not much to dislike about this offering.

by
Joe Rice-Jones
November 5, 2020

Image: DJI

DJI looks to have done it again, with the release of the $449 DJI Mini 2. It might have dropped the “Mavic” branding from its name, but that’s about the only thing missing from the diminutive drone.

Most of the criticism leveled at the prior Mini has been addressed, with the camera being upgraded to 4K at 30fps, with a bitrate of 100Mbps, and you can grab RAW images instead of being limited to JPG. The Mini 2 also gets DJI’s OcuSync 2 wireless, extending the controllable range to 10km (that’s 6.21 in freedom miles). Yes, no more flaky WiFi connection, which is exactly what you don’t want if you’re controlling something with spinning blades above your head.

The best thing about the Mini 2 however is that it’s still only 249 grams, so it comes under the weight limit for registering your drone with the FAA. With the regulations around flight getting ever tighter, that might be the main thing that drives your buying decision.

You get the same controller used for the larger Mavic Air 2, which is again a huge improvement over the older DJI controllers. The Mini 2 is also faster, with a new 35.8 mph top speed (from 29 mph), faster acceleration, and an extra minute of battery life, now at 31 minutes of air time. It’s even more stable, with the ability to shrug off 24 mph gusts of wind, up from the previous 18 mph.

Yes, you have to pay another $50 over the original Mini’s price tag. The better wireless connection is worth that cost just on its own though, to say nothing about the rest of the improvements.

What do you think? Are you interested in this new drone from DJI? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.