The DJI Mini 2 drone is the smallest and cheapest drone that DJI has launched on the market at the moment. This device is a renewal of the first DJI Mini and its main attractions are a price that does not exceed $599, 4K video recording, and all this having a size similar to that of a mobile phone and without exceeding 250 grams of weight.
On paper, these data seem quite promising and, after a few months marked by mobility restrictions in our country, we have finally been able to go out to test and analyze the new DJI Mini 2. How has our flight experience been? Let’s see it.
DJI Mini 2 Datasheet
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 245 × 289 × 56 mm 243 grams |
|---|---|
| OPERATING FREQUENCY | 2.400 – 2.4835 GHz; 5.725 – 5.850 GHz |
| DRUMS | 2,250 mAh – 20 min flight approx – 2 hours, 10 min charge approx |
| REMOTE CONTROL WEIGHT | 346 g |
| TRANSMISSION DISTANCE | 10km (FCC) – 6km (CE / SRRC / MIC) |
| MAXIMUM FLIGHT HEIGHT | 120m (although it depends on the legislation of each area) |
| MAXIMUM FLIGHT SPEED | 16 m / s (sport mode) |
| FLIGHT MODES | Cinema, normal and sport |
| CAMERA SENSOR | 1 / 2.3 ”12MP CMOS |
| TARGET | Field of view 83º Aperture f / 2.8 |
| IMAGE SIZE | 4K |
| VIDEO SIZE | 4K: 3840 × 2160 at 24/25/30 fps 2.7K: 2720 × 1530 at 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps FHD: 1920 × 1080 at 24/25/30/48/50/60 fps |
| APP | DJI Fly (iOS and Android) |
| PRICE | From $565 |
Design
One detail that characterizes this device is its small size. With all four propellers deployed, the DJI Mini 2 drone measures 245mm long, 289mm wide, and 56mm high. But if something catches our attention, it is that this aircraft does not exceed 250 grams in weight, still integrating its large battery, and a micro SD card to store the photos or videos that we are going to take with it.
And this data on its weight is more important than it may seem, because as we will see throughout the analysis, there are very strict regulations regarding the use of all types of drones, and according to their characteristics, it will have a series of rules that we must comply with.
In the case of the DJI Mini 2 drone, and by not exceeding 250 grams in weight, the current legislation is much more permissive than with other drones of greater size and weight, and therefore, this model is very suitable for all those beginner users, or who want to start in the world of drones.
Taking a closer look at this DJI Mini 2 drone, let’s dwell on its details. To begin with, the propellers have the ability to fold and unfold, something that greatly favors the transport and storage of the device.
In its front part we highlight the jewel in the crown, the small camera that integrates the drone and that will allow us to record video in 4K resolution, in addition to capturing photos thanks to its 12 MP sensor. In this sector, we also have these two air intakes, which will allow the DJI Mini 2 to cool down while we are using it, and with this LED light, whose colors or flashes will indicate different states of the drone.
Its rear sector is reserved for a USB Type-C port, which does double duty. That of charging the battery inside the drone, and that of transferring all our photo and video files to a computer. We also have a Micro SD card slot, and the compartment where the aircraft battery is inserted.
Finally, in its lower part, we find the button to turn the drone on and off, which also serves to check its battery thanks to a light point indicator, another air intake to keep the drone well cooled , and the only two sensors that this DJI Mini 2 integrates, which will help the aircraft to have a reference of its distance from the ground, to avoid possible accidents when landing.
The DJI Mini 2 drone controller
Before each flight, we also have to prepare the controller, which by the way has undergone a design change with respect to the one we saw in the DJI Mini 2 drone, being now much larger, with a similar shape to the one we use to control the Mavic Air 2, not to say that it is practically the same.
On the command note that it is robust and heavy. It has two joysticks that can be removed to store them in two compartments at the bottom. In this sector we also find a USB Type C charging port that allows us to charge the controller.
Speaking of its battery, we must point out the great autonomy it presents. In fact, in all the tests we have been doing with this little DJI drone, we have not had to carry it at any time yet, something that is certainly always positive.
With the remote, we can control the DJI Mini 2 drone completely , both the flight of the drone itself, its takeoff and landing, as well as everything related to the control of the camera, photo modes and the gimbal or stabilizer of the camera. camera.
Above the remote, we find the antenna that will connect with the drone, which we can raise to have this support in which we will integrate our smartphone, which we will connect directly through a small cable that DJI includes with the drone.
And here we have good news, since DJI has thought of all kinds of users and in the packaging of the DJI Mini 2 drone we have a Lighting cable, a micro USB cable and a USB Type C cable, so that we can use our phone regardless of the model that let’s have.
Due to its large size, the control is comfortable when handling the drone, practically for any type of hand. In fact, it almost resembles the command of a game console, with all the buttons at our fingertips, and without having to make strange movements to be able to press them.
We would like to highlight the great sensitivity and the optimal degree of hardness that both the joysticks and the wheel that controls the gymbal present. This will allow us to control the drone and the elevation level of the camera with quite remarkable precision, a detail that we appreciate and that will come in handy, especially when recording smooth and stable shots, without being jerky.
Factors to consider before flying
We know that you are wanting to know our experience of flying with the drone, but before going out to fly, we must take into account certain factors, which are very important, and that we must know at all times.
You have to know the regulations very well and know in which areas we can and cannot fly, if we do not want to have problems. We are not going to stop long in this section, but it is important, especially if we have decided to buy a drone. At the time we are publishing this article, there is a European drone regulation that came into force on December 31, 2020 that affects all drones regardless of their use and size. In it, all the rules that must be followed to fly any aircraft are explained, legally and safely.
In addition to knowing the regulations, it is also very important to be aware of the restrictions of all those areas and locations in which we have planned to record.
In addition to knowing the regulations, it is also very important to be aware of the restrictions of all those areas and locations where we have planned to record. Fortunately for this, there are quite a few websites on the Internet that allow us to know all this data.
Thanks to its map, we can zoom in and out and see all those areas where flight is allowed. We have flown this DJI Mini 2 drone in the province of Albacete, and within the city, there are quite a few restricted areas, since this city is within a CTR zone or protected airspace, so in order to test the drone we had We have to travel by car until we reach an area where the flight of this type of aircraft is allowed.
We must take into account the environmental conditions to be able to fly. According to its manufacturer, the DJI Mini 2 drone, it is capable of withstanding winds of up to 38.5 km/h. From our personal experience, we must emphasize that in some locations where we recorded and used this small DJI model, it was moderately windy, and despite its size since it does not remain totally static in place when it is windy, it does achieve offer a static recording, thanks to its stabilizer.
Finally, we must download the official DJI Fly application to adjust different settings of the drone, as well as its camera. This software is available on both Android and iOS and it should be noted that it is a fairly intuitive application, even if you use it for the first time. Through it we can configure many parameters of the drone itself, such as the maximum height or the maximum distance at which we want it to fly, its flight modes, and many values of the camera itself such as exposure, photo quality and video, ISO …
During the flight, the application will be very useful, either to see everything that the drone camera is capturing, as well as to know at the speed it is flying, the spatial position of the aircraft with respect to the take-off place, and even if the area in which we are flying is suitable for flight or not.
Flight experience
Once we have our gift set up, batteries charged, memory card inserted, controller and app paired, and we are in a suitable zone to fly… it ‘s time to have fun.
Speaking of the experience of flight and control of the drone, note that it is a fairly simple process, both its takeoff, as the flight, as well as landing. To take off, and with the drone and the controller turned on, all you have to do is press the takeoff button that will appear on the interface of our mobile phone application, or if we prefer, we can also perform a command to take it off from the controller.
Once suspended in the air, the first thing we notice is that the DJI Mini 2 drone remains quite static in the initial position, and unless it is very windy, it will practically not move from the site. If this is our first flight, it is the perfect time to familiarize ourselves with the controls of the controller.
The left stick is used to control the height of the drone, and the horizontal rotation. According to DJI this model is capable of climbing up to a maximum of 120 meters above sea level. We have not wanted to risk climbing it so much, but we have managed to raise it about 80 meters above our heads, being almost imperceptible to the eye.
The right joystick allows us to control the movement of the drone’s position, forward and backward, as well as its lateral movement, to the left and to the right. These are the controls that we will use the most throughout our flight experience with the DJI Mini 2 drone. Their use is quite intuitive, and it will not take us long to get hold of them. In fact, it’s almost like playing a ships video game.
The flying experience is hilarious once we learn to control the drone. The aircraft responds very well to all the commands and signals that we send from the command, and also to the video or photo options that we select from our mobile phone.
Speaking of transmission, at no time have we had connection problems, lag or response time when we send an order and the drone executes it. In fact, in none of our tests have we lost the signal with the drone , nor with the image, nor even with the image quality that we see on our mobile phone at the time of recording, so in this section, DJI seems having done your homework well.
All this is due to the OcuSync transmission system, which is one of the great pillars that DJI has been including in its drones since the Mavic Pro model. Currently, the DJI Mini 2 includes version 2.0 of OcuSync, whose specifications improve The latency, which will be approximately 130 ms, allows the transmission of high-definition video with a resolution of 1080p at a distance of up to eight kilometers, in addition to allowing the drone to use the 2.4 GHz bands such as 5 GHz, which Gives you more connection flexibility when there is a lot of interference in the transmission.
In this process we ask you to be very careful, that you fly in a clear place if possible, and that you have the DJI Mini 2 in view at all times, because the moment you move it several hundred meters away, the aircraft is lost on the horizon, and the only reference we will have that the drone is fine, will be thanks to the vision that its camera gives us.
Speaking of the flight control of the DJI Mini 2, we highlight three default flight modes, which will affect the speed and control of the aircraft itself. These modes are cinema mode, normal mode, and sport mode.
The cinema mode is used for the drone to move at a reduced speed, both in its movement and in the turns it makes. Thanks to him, we will be able to take much slower video shots. In fact, it is the way we have tested the most to perform the analysis, since its control is easier to record video.
Normal mode raises the drone’s control speed a bit, being a more traditional flight mode. And finally we have the sport mode, which raises the speed of the DJI Mini 2 drone to the maximum, to obtain much more fluid and faster shots.
On the other hand, the DJI Mini 2 drone offers several fast flight modes, or as DJI calls them: quick shots, which are already predetermined and configured, so that we simply select them in the application so that the drone executes them automatically. In this way we can select that the drone makes a complete turn around us, that it moves away from us in a stable way, that it rises in a vertical direction like a rocket or that it even takes spiral shots, which in my opinion are quite cinematic.
Autonomy
Probably one of the questions you are asking yourself now is: How much autonomy does the DJI Mini 2 have? Well, the battery or batteries of this drone have a capacity of 2,250 mAh, a value that on paper may seem quite high, but it must be borne in mind that we are talking about a drone, which integrates motors, propellers and records on top 4K video.
With this, I mean that according to the manufacturer its autonomy is approximately 30 minutes. In the tests we have carried out, I have been flying practically in its entirety with the cinema mode activated and recording practically without stopping, and the autonomy stayed in about 20 or 25 minutes approximately, something that may seem like a short time, but in the end it You can get a lot out of it.
One fact that you should know is that when we are in windy conditions, the drone tries to correct its position most of the time to stay stable. In these conditions, the drone makes a greater effort with its motors, so its autonomy time will be reduced a little more.
To charge the battery of the DJI Mini 2, from 0 to 100, it will take an approximate time of 2 hours and 15 minutes, a value that we would like to see improved for the future.
When buying this DJI Mini 2 we have two options. Buy the DJI Mini 2 that includes the drone, controller, cables, a set of propellers and a single battery, for a price of $565. Or, the DJI Mini 2 Vuela más pack, also known as Fly More Combo, which in addition to all the above, includes two extra batteries, and a bidirectional charging center, in which we can charge all three batteries at the same time, and that will even allow us to charge another device through it. The price of this pack is higher, staying at $599.
Whatever your choice, and as a personal opinion, we think that going to fly this drone with a single battery is an experience that, although you can enjoy a lot, you may know us little by little, since 25 minutes after flying the aircraft we will have to go home to carry it. On the other hand, if we carry more batteries, we can always expand this experience and make the most of the day and the recordings
DJI Mini 2 drone, Our opinion
In conclusion, it should be noted that the DJI Mini 2 is a very suitable drone for all those users who want to start in the world of drones, or for those veteran users who want a much more comfortable and manageable experience for specific moments.
The flight and recording experience is very simple and satisfactory, being able to have some spectacular photographs and video shots, without having to spend a lot of money. Without a doubt, DJI’s commitment to bringing the world of drones to all kinds of audiences seems to work thanks to this miniature model.