The DJI Mini 2, which was previously rumored to be called the DJI Mavic Mini 2, has been almost completely revealed following a huge leak in the US.
A YouTuber walked into a Best Buy store and saw what appeared to be the unannounced DJI Mini 2, the rumored follow-up to DJI’s smallest and cheapest drone.
After buying it, he discovered that it was indeed the not-yet-official DJI Mini 2, and posted two videos that reveal pretty everything about the Mavic Mini successor. This includes the fact that the Mini 2 will, as expected, be able to shoot 4K video and (more unexpectedly) have OcuSync 2.0 transmission.
The latter will give the DJI Mini 2 a range of around 10km, which is a lot for a beginner-friendly drone that still needs to be flown in the line of sight.
Still, it’s another big upgrade for the genre-blurring drone, and the big leak has revealed a lot of other features about the Mini 2, including the features it won’t have.
Let’s take an in-depth at how DJI’s new contender for best beginner drone is shaping up.
Cut to the chase
- What is it likely to be? A small, 4K successor to the DJI Mavic Mini
- When is it out? Sometime in November
- What will it cost? Likely in the region of $550 / £515 / AU$840.
DJI Mavic Mini 2 release date and price
DJI hasn’t yet announced a launch date for the Mini 2, but the recent leaks and rumors all suggest that it’s going to be imminent – most likely early November.
The original DJI Mavic Mini launched on October 30 2019, so this would fit an annual release cycle. Towards the end of the leaked video from Our Beatific World below (at around the 5:30 mark), he also discovers that the drone won’t connect to its controller as it’s not due to launch until November 5.
It’s not clear exactly where that date comes from or if it’s mentioned in the firmware, but that is a possible launch date for the drone.
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The leaked video above also gives us an idea of the DJI Mini 2’s likely price tag. The YouTuber Our Beatific World says he paid $699 for his DJI Mini 2 ‘Fly More Combo’, which includes accessories like spare props, an additional battery and a DJI Mini bag.
If true, this suggests that earlier rumors predicting the Mini 2 would be pricier than its predecessor are correct. The DJI Mavic Mini’s Fly More Combo costs $499 / £459 / AU$799, so this would mean the DJI Mini 2’s equivalent bundle will cost $699 / £650 / AU$1,150.
Applying the same increase to the DJI Mavic Mini’s base price of $399 / £369 / AU$599 suggests the DJI Mini 2’s basic price will be $550 / £515 / AU$840.
That’s a fairly big hike for an entry-level drone, so we think this means that the original DJI Mavic Mini will remain on sale as DJI’s truly entry-level option, with the DJI Mini 2 slotting in above it for those who want 4K video from a sub-250g drone.
DJI Mavic Mini 2 news and rumors
That recent leak from YouTuber Our Beatific World provided pretty much all of the Mini 2’s specs and features. While it’s not clear exactly what led to the Best Buy incident, it’s one of the biggest tech leaks we’ve seen in recent years.
So what does it tell us about the DJI Mini 2? As earlier rumors predicted, the Mini 2 will be a 4K-shooting drone with a three-axis gimbal. According to the manual of the drone bought in the leaked video, it will be able to shoot 4K at 30p/25p/24p but the 2.7K mode will still top out at 30p, with no 60p option.
We also don’t yet know the bit-rate of the video or whether this has been increased from the Mavic Mini’s maximum of 40Mbps. That is likely one of the few details that will remain a mystery until the full launch.
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Among the many other things we do know from the second Our Beatific World video above, though, is the fact that the Mini 2 has the same, 249g design as its predecessor (which means no obstacle-avoidance sensors) and that it will come with the same controller as the DJI Mavic Air 2.
The latter is significant because it means the the DJI Mini 2 will apparently have OcuSync 2.0 transmission. This is system is an upgrade on the Mavic Mini’s ‘Enhanced Wi-Fi’, which ensured you could only fly it within 1.5km. With OcuSync 2.0 on board the Mini 2, that range should extend to 10km.
According to the mistakenly sold Mini 2’s box, the drone’s flight time will also be 31 minutes (a minute more than its predecessor) and it will have the same sensor-lens combo as the Mavic Mini. This means you’ll get a 1/2.3-inch 12MP sensor and with a 24mm equivalent focal length and an f/2.8 aperture.
As expected, there’s also now a USB-C port on the Mini 2, which replaces the dated microUSB on its predecessor, while the battery is apparently a 2,250 mAh affair. That’s actually slightly smaller in capacity than the 2,600mAh battery in the Mavic Mini, but presumably some optimization has helped improve the real-world flight time.
One slight disappointment, which appears to have been confirmed by Our Beatific World in the comments of his video, is that the DJI Mini 2 won’t have ActiveTrack subject tracking, which is a feature we’ve seen on higher-end drones like the DJI Mavic Air 2. That is a slight shame if true, though it’s perhaps a processing limitation of such a small drone.
Prior to this incredible YouTube leak, the main clue that a DJI Mavic Mini successor was coming was via an FCC (Federal Communications Commission) filing in the US, which was picked up by DJI drone pilot @OsitaLV on October 6.
So this is so called Mavic Mini 2, they share the same design.Oh, it has Bluetooth, 2.4/5.8G WiFi and 2.4/5.8G without the WiFi sign.P.S. the model name of original Mavic mini is MT1SS5 and MT1SD25 (sales in Europe and Japan). pic.twitter.com/nRm3ZwfxyLOctober 6, 2020
The filing revealed a model number that is very similar to the original Mavic Mini’s. But the bigger clue was a wireframe drawing showing the device’s battery, along with a placeholder name “Camera Drone”.
If you compared this drawing to the existing Mavic Mini (below), there was a strong similarity. The position of the ports, including a microSD slot, were identical. But these hints now pale into comparison when you consider the full reveal of the YouTube leak.
DJI Mini 2 early verdict
That spectacular Best Buy leak means there’s now very little we don’t know about the DJI Mini 2, apart from its exact release date, pricing and availability. Given how comprehensive the leak is, we’d expect DJI to officially respond with a launch date pretty soon.
So how exciting is the DJI Mini 2? It appears to fix two of our main criticisms of the DJI Mavic Mini, thanks to the inclusion of 4K video shooting and a USB-C port. The combination of 4K video and the DJI Mini 2’s sub-250g design, which means it doesn’t need to be registered with civil aviation authorities, is certainly an enticing one that should make this a very popular drone indeed.
Our main disappointments, if the leaks are correct, are the lack of ActiveTrack subject tracking, which is really handy for keeping focal points in your frame, and the higher price tag. We expected a slight price bump, but a 40% increase would push the DJI Mini 2 towards the mid-range sector that’s owned by the superior DJI Mavic Air 2. Still, the latter is nowhere near as compact as the tiny Mini 2.
We’ll bring you all of the official info on the few remaining question marks about the Mini 2, including whether or not it shoots raw photos, as soon as we get them from DJI.