DJI’s line of drones under 250 grams just got a little boost with the pre-release today of the DJI Mini 2 SE drone.
We’re not entirely sure why DJI produced another model in the Mini series, when the Mini 3 Pro has captured such a wide audience, so let’s take a look at this budget friendly, entry-level drone.
DJI already had the flagship Mini 3 Pro micro-drone that was followed by the Mini 3 micro-drone that pared back some of the specs in favor of a lower price point. Mini 2 SE does the same.
Key Features of Mini 2 SE:
- 6.2 mile/10km range
- OcuSync 2.0
- 249gram take off weight
- up to 36 mph speed
- up to 24 mph wind resistance
- 3-axis gimbal
- 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor
- up to 2.7K30 video
- 12MP still photos
- up to 31 minutes of flight time
- up to 3x digital zoom at 2.7K, 4x zoom at 1080p
- on touch takeoff and RTH
- Quickshots (Dronie, Helix, Rocket, Circle, Boomerang)
- Panorama stills (Sphere, Wide Angle, 180°)
- DJI Fly App
Hundreds less than Mini 3/Mini 3 Pro
The best part of the Mini 2 SE is the savings. Compared to the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3 you can save hundreds that you can put towards more flight batteries or accessories for very little trade-off in camera specs. Mini 2 SE starts at $339 for the basic kit, and $489 for the Fly More Combo. That saves you up to $400 versus the Mini 3 Pro!
O2 Transmission
Like the Mini 3, the new Mini 2 SE uses the older O2 transmission for communication between the controller and drone. Range is up to 6miles or 10km.
2.7K Video
Mini 2 SE video capture tops out at 2.7K30, a notch below the Mini 3 (4K30) and the Mini 3 Pro (4K60).
31 Minute Flight Time
Mini 2 SE is tested to fly for 31 minutes on a full battery, just 7 minutes less than the new Mini 3 and and 3 minutes less than the Mini 3Pro.
Summary
It’s interesting that DJI would add yet another version to it’s already crowded micro-drone shelf space. Mini 3 Pro was a fan favorite from day one with 4K60 video, 48MP stills and 34 minutes of flight time. Mini 3 dropped the video to 4K30 and stills to 12MP but gave us 3 more minutes of battery life.
With the Mini 2 SE it looks like DJI is paring back video and image capture (like it did with the Mini 3 version) to lower the price point and increase flight time.
The basic Mini 2 SE kit with one battery and the DJI RC-N1 is about $130 less than the Mini 3 and a whopping $420 less than the similarly equipped Mini 3 Pro. That’s significant savings for very little sacrifice in optics.
Should you buy the new Mini 2 SE?
The recreational drone flyer looking to creatively capture their travels and scenery could do a lot worse than the new Mini 2 SE. The vast majority of video consumed online today is watched on small devices like phones and tablets, making 4K video mostly unnecessary for the average viewer.
With AI driven photo enhancement even 12MP stills (which was the standard for years!) can’t be distinguished from those taken by higher quality sensors.
At the end of the day the Mini 2 SE is ultimately here to replace the Mini 2 drone so DJI can keep a toe in the very-entry-level micro-drone price category. Mini 2 has been on sale for the last month, a tell-tale sign that DJI is dumping inventory ahead of the drone being dropped altogether.
If you’re looking for a fun drone under 250grams that takes great photos and videos then you can go wrong with the Mini 2SE…especially given it’s budget price.
If you’re having second thoughts about the image quality, consider this: when the original Mavic Mini came out in 2018 even serious drone pilots using higher end gear like the Mavic 2 Pro declared the Mavic Mini their new “favorite drone” and even went so far as making it their go-to drone because of the ease of light, lack of licensing and features. Mini 2 SE is a significant upgrade from the original Mavic Mini in almost every way, so you can be confident it will do just about everything you could want in a recreational drone.
DJI Mini 2 SE is available for pre-order from B&H Photo.
