After several online leaks and rumours, DJI has officially lifted up the curtains on its latest drone, the Mavic Mini. Just as the rumours had suggested, the Mavic Mini is the lightest and smallest drone the brand has made to date.
As per the Mavic Mini’s official product page, the drone weighs just 249g, which is nearly half the weight of DJI’s Mavic Air. The weight of the drone is quite possibly of the most enticing factors, especially for first-time drone owners in the US. For context, drone weighing in at 250g or more must be registered under the country’s FAA regulations.
On that note, we should point out that Malaysia’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) only requires a drone to be registered if it weighs more than 20kg. Further, the drone cannot be flown higher than 120m.
Getting back on point: regarding its dimensions, the Mavic Mini measures out at 140 x 82 x 57mm when folded, and 245 x 290 x 55 unfolded with its propellers attached. Unfortunately, due to its size, the drone is only equipped with a 2.7K resolution camera instead of a 4K resolution camera typically found on its bigger brothers, the Mavic Air and Mavic Pro. Specifically, the camera sensor allows it to shoot 2.7K videos at 30 fps, Full HD at 60 fps, and capture 12MP photos.
Moreover, it also comes with less sensors than the other DJI drones, which definitely makes it more prone to crashing and accidents.
There is, however, a silver lining amidst the clouds for the Mavic Mini. With its lightweight and 2600mAh battery, DJI reckons that the drone will get approximately 30 minutes of flight time on a single charge.
The DJI Mavic Mini is already available for pre-order in the US and is expected to ship out on 11 November. The drone will cost US$399 (~RM1667), and ship out with a remote controller, one battery, and a set of extra propellers. There’s also DJI’s “Fly More” combo packs that, at US$499 (~RM2085), gives consumers propellor guards, three batteries, one charging hub, a carrying case, a controller, and three sets of extra propellers.
At the time of writing, DJI Malaysia did not announce a local availability date or pricing for the Mavic Mini. On that note, check this space again as we’ll update it once we get more information.
(Source: DJI)
