DJI Mini SE Drone Now Available, But Should You Buy It?
Our inbox was flooded this morning with news from partner retailers inside the USA announcing DJI’s “up-cycled” sub-250 gram drone: the DJI Mini SE drone.
Mini SE is a re-boot of the original Mavic Mini drone at a new, and more attractive price point. Inside, the Mini SE is entirely an original Mavic MIni. On the outside it has the shell Mini 2. We think DJI created the Mini SE to either use up all of the remaining Mavic Mini stock and/or to own the title “Best Drone Under $300”.
The Mini SE was given a soft-release earlier this year and was originally only available to select international markets. Release of the Mini SE follows on the heels of the Mini 2, a major upgrade from the Mini that added 4 key improvements incluiding 4K video, RAW photos, OcuSync 2.0. Level 5 Wind Resitance, and more pre-programmed QuickShots.
Mini SE is $100 less than the original Mavic Mini, and $150 less than the current Mini 2. At $299 it’s hard to resist adding one to your kit.
While the Mini SE uses a Wifi based signal between the controller and drone that gives just 4KM of signal transmission compared to the Mini 2’s distance of 10KM, it still stands out for it’s weight, performance and quality.
If you’re a beginner to drones and are chosing a sub-250 gram model to start with, do consider getting the Mini 2 if it’s in your budget. But if you don’t want to pay up for the Mini 2 we can assure you there’s absolutely nothing to regret about picking up the Mini SE.
Based on our experience with the original Mavic Mini, we had nothing but great things to say about it. DJI shipped one to us a couple of months before CES2020 in Las Vegas, so we took it along with is to get some drone shots at Red Rock Canyon.
The funny thing is that we also took the Mavic 2 Pro with us, and once we started flying the Mini we put the Mavic 2 Pro back in the bag. It was just that much fun to fly….and this was before the Mini had manual camera settings enabled.
Now that it’s fully released we are adding the Mini SE to our 2021 Drone Buyers Guide with an “OK to Buy” recommendation. With it’s low price, proven software and advanced features you will be hard pressed to find anything comparable in the price category.
Mini SE is available at B&H Photo and Adorama for $299. Mini 2 is $449, also at B&H Photo and Adorama.
