Verdict
The good ultralight drone receives a passel of improvements in its latest looping , the DJI Mini 4 Pro , cementing its spot as a go - anywhere , fly - anywhere modeling for demanding hobbyists and professionals likewise .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is a new looping of the sub-250 g Mini line , offer a number of small but important improvements at a slightly eminent price than theDJI Mini 3 Pro .
One central point to consider here , particularly for potential buyer based in the UK , is that the Mini 4 Pro maintains the 249 gramme take - off weight , preserve it within the category of drone subject to the fewest trajectory restriction under UK police force .
Anything above 250 g ca n’t legally be flown within 50 m of detached people or above crowds , and must be kept at least 150 mebibyte away from ‘ residential , recreational , commercial and industrial site ’ – which when you think about it is almost all the places you might require to fly a drone . Because of its low weight , however , the Mini 4 Pro does n’t have to adapt to those jurisprudence , and can be flown in parks , on beaches and over construction and the great unwashed ( but still not over heavy crowds ) .
Do the DJI Mini 4 Pro improvements make it the best diminished drone around ? I take on it to the sky of southeast England in a pursuance for the answer .
Design and build quality
Like its Mini predecessors , the DJI Mini 4 Pro give down to a tiny size . With its arms and propellor fully fold in , it ’s just 148 x 94 x 64 mm – small enough to jibe into a declamatory coat sac .
It come with one charge plate concealment to protect the delicate camera and gimbal , and another to keep all the propellor pucker off and out of trouble . The whole thing is constructed of lightweight credit card to achieve that said sub-250 g weight but feels knotty enough to withstand the rigours of frequent role and rapture .
That ’ll be especially true if you plump for the £ 979/$1159 Fly More Combo software package , which includes a well - padded berm bag for acquit around the included drone pipe , three stamp battery , a charging hub and the DJI RC 2 controller . This is the version that I was send , and I find the RC 2 controller ’s 5.5 - inch 1080p touchscreen to be excellent in footing of brightness , clarity and size .
you may also purchase the DJI Mini 4 Pro with the older , screenless RC - N2 controller for £ 689/$759 ( using your smartphone as the filmdom and ascendency software ) , or with just the RC 2 controller for £ 869/$959 . Even the cheapest choice is quite a passel to pay for a humble , lightweight drone , but the build quality is telling .
For those on a tighter budget who require a sub-250 g DJI trailer , the DJI Mini 3 Pro stay on on sale ( from £ 639/$599 ) , as does the DJI Mini SE ( £ 285 for the Fly More Combo ) , DJI Mini 2 SE ( from £ 309/$300 ) andDJI Mini 3(from £ 429/$449 ) .
If you do n’t buy the charging hub , batteries can be charge through the drone’sUSB - Cport , which is also used for data transfer . There ’s a MicroSD card one-armed bandit too , and you ’ll need to use one to pad the 2 GB of built - in computer memory – it ’s not enough room for more than a few scant minutes of 4 K TV .
Features and flight performance
The escape apparatus , app and ascendance will be familiar to anyone who ’s fly a DJI folding drone in recent years , but even freshman will have lilliputian fuss cull things up within a couple of trial flight of stairs .
DJI has expend years assembling a really robust , user - favorable and rubber - first flying and ascendency system , with take - off and landing fundamentally automate and a gaggle of sensors to keep track of your bourdon ’s apparent motion , location , stay flight time and more .
A full bombardment will give the DJI Mini 4 Pro up to 34 minutes of flight time , which I cogitate is impressive – albeit the same as the Mini 3 Pro . The Mini 4 Pro can travel quick ( up to 16 m/s in S modality ) but the uncomplicated twin - stick control frame-up is responsive and allows for accurate movement , while the four motor are potent enough to keep the drone steady in winds of up to 10.7 m/s ( or about 22 mph ) . So despite its lightweight material body , it ’ll provide a stable platform for photos and video in all but very bullying conditions .
Like the Mini 3 Pro , it has obstacle avoidance via vision sensors , but here they get across more angles and directions , with upward added to front , back , sideways and downwards . They all seem to work well from my examination , but DJI warn that they ’re not as effective in low - light precondition and I suggest that you exercise care when flying around trees , overhead cables and the comparable ; little obstacles like telegram and twigs will be dodgy for the sensor to pick up , but can still send your lagger set down to the ground like a rock candy .
As a upshot of its boosted anti - obstacle technical school , the DJI Mini 4 Pro offer a slenderly improved version of the ActiveTrack feature included on the Mini 3 Pro . ActiveTrack lets you drag on a box around an on - screen subject ; the trailer then maintain the tv camera trained on that national even if you move the drone in a different direction .
ActiveTrack 360 allows the drone to mechanically circle around the subject area while moving up and back or forward ; the sensors help it to avoid crashing while doing so . It ’s great for enchant impressive solo barb while you ’re cycle , hiking or driving .
Video and photo quality
The DJI Mini 4 Pro has the same gimbal - stabilise 12MP , 1/1.3 - in CMOS television camera sensing element as the Mini 3 Pro , but image timber is definitely superior on this Modern good example .
In term of resolve and frame of reference rate , both framework immortalise regular 4 super acid video at up to 60fps , but in its dull - apparent motion mode the DJI Mini 4 Pro can also capture 4 kilobyte at 100fps ( or 1080p at 200fps ) , allow for smoother dull playback .
The new imaging processor now supports 10 - bit colour rather than the 8 - bit offered by the Mini 3 Pro through the D - Log M profile ( an option that sits alongside Normal and HLG profiles ) , which means a wider gamut of colours and greater dynamic range for users willing to colour grade and correct their own footage . Recorded footage looks fantastic for a small-scale poke . Footage shot in Normal and take straight from the camera is fine , however – and I do n’t doubt most users will encounter it perfectly acceptable .
Photos can be captured at 12MP or 48MP resolution due to the Quad Bayer sensor , but when scoot in DNG RAW and processing our files in Lightroom I found the difference is n’t really noticeable . Images are of a in force quality in general , kindred to a high - close smartphone , and I like the fact you’re able to rotate the camera 90º to shoot ‘ tall ’ 9:16 exposure ( and videos ) for societal medium use .
Image timber in low light is still a bit hit and omit , specially when compare to results from the big detector cameras on DJI ’s Mavic models , but the new dual native ISO and Night Mode offer slightly expert lucidity and lower dissonance for fall , twilight and after - dark shooting .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the full sub-250 g laggard around in term of icon quality and obstruction avoidance , and particularly attractive to UK users .
With their larger sensors and telephotograph television camera , theDJI Air 3,Mavic 3andMavic 3 Prodrone mannikin stay on higher-ranking choices for persona quality .
Final Thoughts
The quality jump from theDJI Mini 3 Proto the Mini 4 Pro might not find huge – but then neither is the Mary Leontyne Price tag . What DJI has done here is take the best sub-250 g droning around and make it even better , improving its obstruction perception and image character in meaningful ways .
For user looking for an ultralight drone that can be flown almost anywhere without making big compromises on camera or flight execution , this is the top model we ’ve take in to date . Check out ourBest Droneguide for more options .
Trusted Score
How we test
We exhaustively test camera drones with hours of flying fourth dimension , as well as capturing sample photos and videos . We ’ll always tell you what we find and we never , ever take money to review a ware .
FAQs
The DJI Mini 4 Pro can reportedly vanish up to a 500 - metre elevation , although some countries have restrictions on how high you may fly a drone .
No , the DJI Mini 4 Pro is not rainproof , so it ’s good to deflect water .
Full Specs
