Click here to bookmark the DJI Mavic Mini launch page!
It’s officially time to put all of the Mavic Mini drone rumors to bed. Over the weekend we were flooded with unprecedented leaked photos…more than any other product launch. And we know just about everything there is to know about the Mavic Mini drone.
DJI is releasing it’s new Mavic Mini micro-drone in 3 days and based on the chatter we’re seeing in the groups and forums, this drone is going to sell!
Drone enthusiasts are extremely proud of their Phantoms and Mavics, and usually they’re pretty critical of smaller, “noobie” drones. But the upcoming Mavic Mini has really struck a positive chord with serious drone pilots.
So much so, that think the Mavic Mini could set some serious sales records for DJI.
Leaks of the actual specs for the Mavic Mini have been lean. Actually, we haven’t seen anything as far as specs go that look legit. Details like that usually leak out about 24-48 hours before a release.
249 grams ‘Ultra Light’ Takeoff Weight
The lastest photo we encountered this morning shows an unpackaged Mavic Mini in it’s case beside the Mavic Mini box. If you look really closely at the lower right corner of the Mavic Mini box you’ll see it boasts a 249g takeoff weight.
As we’ve said before, this is a huge factor for drone buyers. Not only do you not need to register a drone below 250grams, in most countries the standard rules for flight do not apply as far as flight over people, controlled airspace, etc. (Be sure to check in your specific country to verify these facts.)
Yesterday we received the largest number of leaked photos to date of the Mavic Mini, and a close study of them reveals some really interesting and positive details.
Besides battery life, the most important criteria for the Mavic Mini is camera. More specifically, will it be able to shoot 4K?
We’ve Seen This Camera Before
So we took a very close look at the photo below, which we have called Photo 448, and it looks really promising.
If we zoom in on the actual camera gimbal you might notice that it looks really, really similar to an existing DJI product. Take a close look at this zoomed in image that we received ahead of the DJI Mavic Mini launch:
Yes, you would be correct if you see the obvious similarity between the Mavic Mini Camera and the DJI Osmo Pocket.
In fact, it’s very very likely that part of the DJI Osmo Pocket development program was to create components that are scaleable across multiple product lines. As far as specs are concerned, this is a huge positive. Could the new Mavic Mini record 4k??
If the new Mavic Mini is capable of recording 4K video, it will be a massive game changer in the micro drone universe.
The more we examine the Mavic Mini, the more it looks like the engineers at DJI said “Hey, let’s put wings on the Osmo Pocket”.
So how closely does the Mavic Mini camera resemble the Osmo Pocket? You be the judge:
Obviously the orientation of the gimbal is different, and DJI has made some modifications, but if you look at the actual lens and shape of the camera, the Mavic Mini is basically identical to the Osmo Pocket. And this is great news. A true three axis gimbal and control over the pan, tilt and roll axes. This image shows it best:
If you look closely at the DJI Mavic Mini you can see that the Osmo Pocket-like gimbal definitely has a physical Tilt axis. We expect that the drone body itself is the Pan axis, as controlled by the pilot. And the the roll axis is either mechanical in the drone or digitally managed by the aircraft.
If you look back to the launch of the DJI Spark, it was just a 2-axis gimbal, and the 3rd axis is managed electronically.
And because the DJI Osmo Pocket is a handheld camera it needs a strong, machined aluminum gimbal to protect it from bumps and drops. But DJI will be able to save significant weight by redesigning the Mavic Mini gimbal from lighter materials.
Compatibility
The Mavic Mini will be a complete game changer if DJI has finally made a fly from your palm, 4K stabilized camera drone that has at least 15 minutes of battery life. Imagine if the ND filters for your Osmo Pocket also fit the new Mavic Mini?
The second important feature we’ve noticed from the photos relates to sensors. Or the lack of sensors. From every angle that we’ve studied the new Mavic Mini, so far it looks like there are only downward sensors…which makes a lot of sense for a drone of this size. As an upgraded replacement for the DJI Spark drone, the ability to sense the ground (or a palm) will be critically important to be able to ‘fly from your pocket’ or as DJI is marketing it: ‘fly as you are‘.
Also, the additional weight of these sensors and related smart hardware would kill the Mavic Mini’s ability to step forward in it’s quest to define an entirely new category of 4K pro-sumer micro-drone.
Propeller Cage
If you don’t have omni-directional obstacle avoidance system, then you better have a physical alternative.
Enter the Mavic Mini Propeller Guards.
I mounts simply and quickly over to the Mavic Mini by clamping to the extended arms and helps to prevent the Mavic from damage should it encounter an obstacle. Made from ultra-light, flexible nylon plastic, the Propeller Cage is part of the complete Mavic Mini kit.
Also included is the remote controller, 3 batteries, a charging hub and a soft sided case.
Like the DJI Spark and the Mavic Air, the controller does not have a display screen.
Your smartphone connects to the controller with an enhanced WiFi signal and the controller then connects to the Mavic Mini with a separate Wifi signal just like the Spark.
Based on our experience with the Wifi only DJI Spark and Mavic Air, we would expect the Mavic Mini to have range with the remote controller of up to 2km (slightly more than 1 mile) and up to 100 meters using your smartphone only.
And we can confirm, thanks to these photos, that the Mavic Mini will be available as a “Fly More Combo”:
- 3 batteries
- aircraft
- charging hub
- carrying case
- propeller cage
This streamlines DJI’s packaging and logistics regime for greater efficiency.
Lastly, we wanted to show you side by side size comparisons of DJI’s 3 small drones so you can decide for yourself just how the Mavic Mini compares to both the Mavic Air and the Spark:
Click here to bookmark the DJI Mavic Mini launch page!
