Difference Between Mavic Mini And Mini 2
Samantha Figueredo
In-depth comparison between the DJI Mini 3 Pro, Mini 3, Mini 2 SE, Mini 2, and Mini SE. Find out the difference between the camera, flight performance and controllers, among other key features, and decide which Mini drone is best for you.
This impressive drone series has redefined what is possible in such compact airframes, with the Mini 3 platforms, in particular, featuring enhanced flight performance, upgraded camera and the addition of a supercool rotating gimbal to enable landscape and portrait content capture.
As for the others: The Mini 2 and the Mini SE are still worth a mention in this post, but it is likely that the three newest platforms - Mini 3 Pro, Mini 3, and Mini 2 SE - will be the stand-out options for most operators, depending on need and budget.
DJI says that the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3's new appearance is intended to optimise flight performance: With larger propellers, an aerodynamic body tilt, and a powerful obstacle sensing system, the streamlined design allows for increased flight time and safety.
In the UK, this means that operators can fly the DJI Mini drones (provided they remain sub 250g) in the A1 subcategory of the Open Category, which allows flights over uninvolved people, but not over crowds. These operations can be conducted without drone training, such as the A2 CofC or the GVC - although operators can take these courses if they wish to grow their drone programmes with heavier drones.
While the Mini 3 Pro has larger propellers, the Mini 2 SE, Mini 2 and Mini SE benefit from their own set of strong props - distinguished via the orange tips - to enhance their own flight performance, which help to enhance their flight performance.
Make no mistake, the 4K on the Mini 3 Pro, Mini 3, and Mini 2 yield gorgeous footage but, whether you actually need that quality is up to each operator. After all, 1080p is often enough for YouTube and posting videos on social sites like Facebook and Instagram - and all of the Mini drones can achieve 1080p (FHD) at 60fps.
The Mini 3 Pro also has D-Cinelike Colour mode, which provides more visual information to offer you richer colour possibilities and more flexibility when editing, and benefits from a generous 2.4μm pixel size. Incidentally, the Mini 3 also has 2.4μm 4-in-1 pixels to record clear details and capture quality imagery, even in low-light scenarios.
Interestingly, for all that the Mini drones are great beginner UAVs, the cameras are good enough to be used by some commercial operators for work such as basic rooftop inspection and real estate. Their sub 250g weight is also an advantage, as it means that drone training (A2 CofC/GVC) isn't required. Find out more in our guide to UK Drone Laws. It makes the DJI Mini Series a great platform to use to start a drone business, and build from there.
The Mini 3 Pro also has MasterShots. This cool feature is especially suited to new aerial content creators: Simply select your subject, and Mini 3 Pro will execute a sequence of pro manoeuvres, generating a short cinematic video afterward.
The other Mini drones don't have dedicated FocusTrack, however, Litchi - one of the most popular third-party flight apps for DJI drones - did bring out a firmware update (version 4.20.0) to enable things like tracking and follow me for the Mini 2 and Mini SE.
In terms of transmission distance, the Mini 3 Pro, Mini 3, Mini 2 SE, and Mini 2 utilise OcuSync, giving them stronger resistance against signal interference and automatic adjustments between two frequencies.
While the Mini 3 is a stripped-down, budget version of the Mini 3 Pro, it does actually have a longer flight time, with an impressive endurance of 38 minutes. In contrast, the Mini 3 Pro manages 34 minutes.
For the record, the flight time of the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3 can be extended thanks to the Intelligent Flight Batteries Plus (which make the drone heavier). Sadly, these are not being made available in the UK or the EU.
In addition, these sensors also enable the entire FocusTrack suite, which allows users to select a subject that the drone automatically keeps within the center of the frame during flight while automatically planning a safe flight route.
The Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3 can be used with the DJI RC smart controller, which is a lightweight device with a 5.5-inch built-in touchscreen. With the DJI Fly app pre-installed, you can focus on flying and save your phone's battery.
The Mini 3 Pro can also be used with the DJI RC Motion 2, which enables you to control the drone with your hand movements and can be used with DJI Goggles, such as the DJI Goggles 2 and DJI Goggles Integra.
In contrast, the Mini SE's controller feels more basic, with antennae at the top and fold-out arms beneath the joypad to grip the phone. It means that your phone live view screen is beneath the fold out antenna and body.
Price can be a big factor in a purchasing decision and the DJI Mini series offers a broad spectrum of pricing offers, as the table below shows. Please note that pricing is correct as of March 15, 2023, but is subject to change.
It means that anyone who wants that bit extra from their drone can do so with slightly more investment. And let's face it, the Mini 3 Pro is seriously impressive, so you are getting plenty of bang for your buck.
However, the recently-released Mini 3 is also worth plenty of consideration. Sure, it has some watered-down features compared to the Mini 3 Pro, but it is still a quality mini drone - and superior to the Mini 2, Mini SE and Mavic Mini - and available at a much more cost-effective price tag than the Mini 3 Pro.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Mini 2 SE offers incredibly good value for money. A cross between the Mini 2 and Mini SE, the Mini 2 SE does make some sacrifices, but for a beginner and/or for those on a budget, it is a stellar little aircraft, balancing performance, price, and portability.
The Mini 3 has five options: Drone only; Drone with RC-N1; Drone with DJI RC; and then Fly More Combos, which feature either controller and additional accessories, like extra batteries, bag and charging hub, and work out cheaper than buying these accessories separately.
In the case of the Mini 2 SE, Mini 2, and Mini SE, the standard versions feature more than enough to get you started, ie the drone, controller, battery, spare props and ancillaries, while the Fly More Combo comes with extra batteries, a greater number of additional props, and also accessories like the two-way charging hub and carrying bag.
The Mini 3 Pro does not have a Fly More Combo in the same way as the other Mini drones. However, a separate Fly More Kit - featuring extra batteries, bag, charging hub and props - is available to make more of your missions.
The original Mavic Mini was groundbreaking, and the Mini 2 built upon this solid foundation to provide a hugely impressive upgrade. The Mini SE is a combination of the two, essentially housing the Mavic Mini's features inside the Mini 2's body.
The Mini 3 Pro has upped the level again, redefining what is possible for a drone of this size. Stand-out features like enhanced safety, great camera specs and the awesome rotating gimbal make it a seriously attractive proposition.
The Mini 3 follows on the heels of the Mini 3 Pro, and while it lacks certain qualities of its more powerful counterpart, it is a top-quality mini drone - superior to the Mini 2 SE, Mini 2, Mini SE, and Mavic Mini - at a very attractive price point.
I usually use theese small drones. Have to have bigger drones for area calculation with Pix4dReact. Either have support directly or have an example of a XML-file discribing the cameras cold be very helpful.
Glad to be in contact with you. Do you any a good dataset acquired by the Mavic Mini 2? We can test with the XML file. I think we should be able to process images from this drone. If you have a good dataset please send it to us. For Mavic Air 2 we currently have this XML file Please do not delete the file. You can import the XML following the steps at the end of this article -us/articles/360039273312. If you have a good dataset of this camera, then please also share it with us. This will help us to add the cameras to our database, and calibrate the values, so you can get the best results.
Since I wrote this message a Norwegian dealer have sent me a Cameradef-file exported from Mapper. I may attach this file as well if you will see it. This file also seem til work good but I will test the file from you as well.
I tried to attach a fileset from my Mavic mini but I was told that I could only have one attachement . I have covered the same forestarea at the same time with Mini 2, Air 2 and 2 Pro and may compare this. Very thankful if you could create a file for mini 2.
Hi guys, I just got a mavic mini 2, and am unsure how to proceed, since this is my first drone, and my first software trial.
Can you please help me? I would like to map out an area with the drone and be able to fly the drone on the area automatically after.
Thanks.
The last time we tried to capture some data with the Mavic mini 2. DJI fly did not support automatic mission planning and execution. However, there are some other applications that you can use. But maybe this has changed, and someone else can share with us their experience. Though the camera is not in our Pix4Dreact camera database, once you get the images, those can be processed with an XML file. For any camera that is not in our database, I would recommend testing it with our trial version.
Hope you are doing well. Do you have a good dataset from the Mavic Mini2? If yes, would it be possible for you to share it with us? Above I mentioned the characteristics of a good dataset plus another from an homogeneous area.
Hello Fernanda,
I could not get the MavicAir2 xml file to work, so I made a copy and edited the imageWidth and imageHeight variables and the camera name, in the xml file based on the camera settings in the imported images and it worked great!
These minimal physical differences certainly explain the small weight difference of less than 3 grams between the two drones, with the Mini 2 SE weighing in at 246 grams on the scales, compared with less than 249 grams for its predecessor.
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