DJI Mavic Mini

6owners with an opinion

40%of verdicts positive

0/1positive/negative since 2024

0happy after 3+ years

Praised for ease of use and value; criticized for reliability and support.

What people wrote

Doesn’t like it

Back in the old days (Phantom 1), it was all IP. The "range extender" box that you could buy for the controller was literally a MIPS box running OpenWRT. I took one apart and used a debug interface to jailbreak it, then connected my own RPi to its network and used it for some degree of autonomous control. I assume things have advanced substantially since then. I was very disappointed that my Mavic Mini 1 could not be controlled through the DJI SDK so I couldn't use any external apps to drive it. I assume that has also improved, but for a minute at least, the cheaper DJI drones were essentially unusable for my use cases. To some extent, the availability of cheap commercial gimbal camera drones really set the OSS side of the hobby back. Eventually most of that energy moved to FPV acro drones, but definitely something was lost, as nobody really tries to build a DIY DJI competitor anymore. Of course, DJI drones are absurdly performance limited compared to what is possible with similar sized platforms.

Neutral

I wouldn’t describe myself as a photographer so take with a grain of salt. A combination of iCloud and self hosted PhotoPrism [1] is perfect for me. My phone automatically backs up everything to both locations so I’m not worried about loosing anything and both do a good job of organizing by date/location/event. I can happily take photos without worrying that I’ll need to sift through them all at a later date. When I happen to use a camera that isn’t my phone (Mavic Mini being the most frequent), I can add the photos to both locations from my laptop. Apple does a great job of packaging and presenting ‘memories’ at a later date. [1] https://www.photoprism.app/

Likes it

This looks just like my Mavic Mini (similar weight/size) which is no longer in production. I do like how the new DJI drones have their own integrated controller/screen. One of the biggest pain points with my Mavic is using my phone.

Doesn’t like it

I used to have a mavic mini, that is, up until it disconnected 500 ft from me, never to return again. I tried chasing it down to where I believed it was, but I was never able to reconnect. There is a return to home feature, where the drone is supposed to fly back to its launch spot, in case something like this happens, but that never happened. Well I contacted DJI to see if they would replace it, due to clearly a software error on their side, and they basically told me to pound sand. I sent them a video recording of the drone’s final moments (it synced to my phone), and they wanted me to pay for their “free data analysis” because the drone was out of warranty; even though I had only flown it a handful of times. (This is data I know they can see, along with the rest of the flight data). They ended up offering me a 40% coupon, which is just a joke, and I told them I will keep publicly shaming them unless they can offer a replacement. (So here I am). They also randomly called me at 11am on a workday, twice in a row, and didn’t leave a message; about a week after my emails with cs. Just a really weird experience. Highly don’t recommend DJI.

Recommends it

I fly an Autel Evo 2 Pro, and love it - but I still recommend people new to drones pick up a used DJI Mavic Mini (or Mini2) when just getting into aerial photography. You can pick them up barely used, with three batteries, charger, and carrying case for ~$250 if you shop around. I've had five of the things at this point. I keep buying them when I find them cheap, and passing them on to people who are entering the hobby/field. It's always a good idea to have a backup when I'm working a job, and the Mini series is small and light enough that I can throw it in my camera bag even when I'm not planning on flying.

Doesn’t like it

I’m not well-versed in the UAS laws globally, but in Canada you basically need to have a spotter if the PIC doesn’t have unaided line of sight to the aircraft[1]. DJI tends to go above and beyond the actual legal limitations when it comes to aviation safety, so this doesn’t surprise me a whole lot. It’s often frustrating; my Mavic Mini 1 often prevents me from doing perfectly legal things in my own yard because I live pretty close to an airport. I can unlock it, but last I checked it required using a laptop to fill out some forms and was quite a bit more complicated than the usual 30-second setup that I love. [1] Aircraft less than 250g do not have the same regulations, which is why the TinyWhoop family of aircraft are super popular here for FPV racing.