DJI introduced the launch of the DJI Mini 4 Professional in the present day, and it lastly provides rookies probably the most vital security options — most notably omnidirectional impediment avoidance. The Mini 4 Professional is simple to fly and attainable to get your palms on given its reasonably priced worth level beginning at about $750.
When the DJI Mini 3 Professional dropped final yr, we referred to as it the most effective drone for rookies but. The brand new DJI Mini 4 Professional isn’t any completely different: sharp picture high quality, extremely small and light-weight, straightforward to get arrange and within the air, and, now, even safer to fly.
Most crucial is the truth that it has what’s arguably the No. 1 security characteristic each drone pilot ought to have: omnidirectional impediment avoidance–a primary for the Mini Sequence. (Extra on why this is a superb new addition later).
Some extra upgrades are in video capturing, clever options, automated flight, and video transmission.
Among the many different highlights of the DJI Mini 4 Professional:
- Weights lower than 249 grams
- 4k/60fps, 4k/100fps, Evening Mode
- True Vertical Capturing
- ActiveTrack 360°
- 34-minute flight time (or extra)
- 20km max transmission
Study extra concerning the latest drone within the Mini Sequence, extra of those standout options in my evaluation, and guided to the DJI Mini 4 Professional right here:
Omnidirectional impediment sensing on the DJI Mini 4 Professional
One of many largest upgrades from the earlier Mini line is Omnidirectional Impediment Sensing, that means it’s extra ‘crashproof’ than any of its predecessors. (The Mini 3 has Tri-Directional Impediment Sensing).
Beforehand, the dearth of omnidirectional sensing was a significant distinction between the Mini and Air sequence. The Mini 4 Professional now not has any blindspots, and whereas DJI received’t outright name it crash-proof, that is just about as shut as you will get.
The Mini 4 Professional provides consciousness detections in all instructions. With omnidirectional impediment sensing, you possibly can plan your flight route and bypass obstacles, attaining smoother and extra secure monitoring.
DJI Mini 4 Professional’s impediment avoidance system isn’t just about seeing objects; it additionally actively avoids them. That is performed by utilizing APAS 5.0, which mechanically generates a brand new path to bypass obstacles easily.
Moreover, superior RTH (return to residence) means that you can ship the drone residence safely, providing you with peace of thoughts realizing that your drone will return safely even in case you are not actively flying it.
Because the Mini sequence is good for rookies, the addition of omnidirectional impediment sensing is big. I do know if I used to be planning to put money into my first drone, I’d need the piece of thoughts that I’d have a really onerous time crashing the drone.
The DJI Mini 4 Professional provides you peace of thoughts each time you fly.
O4 video transmission and slow-motion
One other large cause to improve to the Mini 4 Professional over the Mini 3 is O4 Video Transmission, the next-generation O4 video transmission system that provides a transmission distance of as much as 20 km. O4 Video Transmission was an epic addition to the DJI Air 3 drone, which launched in August 2024 — albeit at a far greater worth level than what we’ve got on the Mini 4 Professional.
It’s fairly beneficiant to see DJI’s O4 tech being carried out in DJI’s most entry-level drone. The sooner fashions throughout the Mini line had been far much less highly effective. The DJI Mini 3 was geared up with an O2 transmission, which delivered a 720p/30fps reside feed from as much as simply 10 km away. The DJI Mini 3 Professional did one higher by offering upgraded O3 transmission, however it’s spectacular that DJI would put its latest tech into its most entry-level drone.
With the clever characteristic, Waypoint Flight, you possibly can set an automated route whereas minimizing operation fatigue with Cruise Management for long-distance, steady-state flights.
In case you are an motion photographer trying to decelerate the motion for dramatic impact, the DJI Mini 4 Professional has an improve you’re positive to like: the digicam now permits for 4K video capturing at as much as 100fps. That’s a pleasant improve from its predecessor, the Mini 3 Professional, which supplied 4K at simply 60fps.
The capturing in gradual movement was once more one thing that set aside the Mini from the Air sequence, however not any longer. Now you can straight report a 4x slow-motion video. For folk who’d in any other case attempt to edit their video into slow-mo in post-production, it is a large time saver.
Given the mix of gradual movement and ActiveTrack 360°, you possibly can observe a fast-moving object, say a jetski, and movie in gradual movement. That would make for some fairly epic video popping out of what’s in any other case a fairly entry-level drone.
Sensible capturing modes
The Mini 4 Professional provides three intuitive strategies for capturing pictures which DJI calls Highlight, Level of Curiosity, and ActiveTrack 360°. These are all good capturing modes we’ve got seen earlier than within the Mini Sequence — however this time round they’ve gotten efficiency upgrades.
ActiveTrack 360° permits customers to bypass obstacles and obtain smoother, extra secure monitoring.
You’ll be capable to decide a topic and the drone will comply with it round. The system has significantly improved accuracy and might rapidly auto-recognize and re-plan the monitoring route after shedding the topic.
With the omnidirectional impediment sensing and the upgrades to ActiveTrack 360°, one thing tells me we are going to quickly discover the DJI Mini 4 Professional on Drone Lady’s checklist of the most effective follow-me drones.
Different Clever options on the DJI Mini 4 Professional embrace:
- MasterShots: Delivers dynamic digicam motion templates tailor-made for portrait, close-up, and long-range pictures, making certain you nail each shot
- QuickShots: Supplies Dronie, Circle, Helix, Rocket, Boomerang, and Asteroid strikes for extra type outcomes
- Hyperlapse: Supplies Free, Waypoint, Circle, and Course Lock modes with limitless capturing time and helps compositing whereas capturing
- Panorama: Helps capturing 180, Vast Angle, Vertical, and Sphere panoramic images to seize landscapes
Tremendous mild and small design (below 249 grams!)
The Mini 4 Professional stays true to its identify, as it’s really mini. The Mini 4 Professional shares the identical compact smooth design because the Mini 3 Professional. And there are fairly a couple of benefits to smaller-size drones.
Drones below 250 grams are an enormous deal. Weighing below 249 grams exempts drones from many types of regulation, notably, they don’t must be registered with the FAA for leisure operations and don’t must be Distant ID compliant.
Many international locations classify drones based mostly on their weight and construct extra rules or restrictions based mostly on that. Usually, the bigger the drone, the extra regulation it’s topic to. In lots of international locations, together with the U.S., drones weighing below 249g don’t must be registered.
Additionally, smaller drones are generally safer. Most consultants agree that smaller drones are usually safer for a easy cause: the influence generated by a tiny drone is inherently a lot smaller than an even bigger drone, ought to it crash.
And eventually, as any frequent traveler is aware of, smaller means extra space for all of your journey necessities and fewer want for a checked bag. The smooth foldable design makes the Mini 4 Professional a superb journey companion.
34 minutes of flight time (and 45 minutes, sort of)
This drone provides a powerful 34 minutes of flight time with a single cost. Just like the Mini 3 Professional, the arms and propellers have considerably enhanced the drone’s aerodynamic efficiency setting it other than different Mini drones when it comes to flight length.
However why have 34 minutes of flight time when you possibly can have 45? DJI has launched a specialised battery, the “Clever Flight Battery Plus” out there at an additional value. This superior battery extends the flight time to a most of 45 minutes on a single cost.
Remember that the improved batteries are heavier. Choosing the “Plus” model will push the drone’s weight past 249 grams. In case you’re in an space the place rules apply to drones weighing 250 grams or extra, compliance with the legislation is important, which incorporates drone registration within the U.S.
A better have a look at the Mini 4 Professional digicam system
The Mini 4 Professional shares lots of the similar digicam specs because the Mini 3 Professional, with a view of notable upgrades. Listed here are some extra DJI Mini 4 digicam specs:
- A 1/1.3-inch CMOS digicam sensor with twin native ISO: This implies footage from both digicam will be full of wealthy coloring and pure lighting transitions.
- Aperture: f/1.7, which is good for low-light and nighttime efficiency
- Excessive-quality seize: It shoots photos at as much as 48MP and video at as much as 4k/60fps
- Digital video zoom: It’s out there as much as 2x in 4k, as much as 4x
- HDR Video recording: Out there in 4k/60fps
- Evening Pictures video: Delivers clear, cleaner footage in low-light situations
The Mini 4 Professional provides superior management by way of 10-bit D-Log M recording, offering entry to a variety of colours. HLG maintains pure colours and brightness throughout varied platforms resulting from its excessive dynamic vary. Seize superb particulars with 48 RAW and SmartPhoto expertise, a mix of HDR imaging and scene recognition, leading to compelling photos.
The gimbal redesign for TikTok stays
Between the interval after DJI launched its personal built-in, brushless gimbals till the time of the DJI Mini 3 Professional, gimbals didn’t are likely to obtain a ton of consideration. However with the Mini 3 Professional, we noticed an entire redesign that allowed for not simply conventional horizontal video however enabled tilt-up pictures and vertical capturing. The DJI Mini 4 Professional retains the identical redesign.
Vertical capturing is the kind of capturing that most individuals are acquainted with taking through their smartphones –and what you see on the TikTok and Instagram reels.
To movie vertically together with your DJI Mini 4 Professional, merely press a button to rotate the digicam 90 levels for True Vertical Capturing. This offers you images and movies in portrait orientation while not having to zoom in or crop your authentic picture, as you beforehand needed to.
In case you are a TikTok or Reels content material creator wanting so as to add a drone to your filming repertoire, the true vertical capturing characteristic on the Mini 3 Professional — and now the Mini 4 Professional — is a should.
Is the DJI Mini 4 Professional price it?
The addition of Omnidirectional Impediment Sensing and O4 Video Transmission are main additions to the Mini Sequence. With the Mini 4, it seems like DJI curated the options and specs good for individuals trying to buy their first drone (though I like to recommend working towards on a low-cost toy drone when you’re model new).
Certain, you’ll make some tradeoffs in choosing this drone over a higher-end Mavic 3. And also you’ll pay greater than you’ll for the Mini 2 or Mini 3 — however you’re getting a considerably safer drone and significantly better video footage.
At below $1,000 and principally crash-free, the Mini 4 Professional is certainly price it for comparatively new drone pilots, social media content material creators, vacationers, and extra. And now with the addition of O4 tech, the DJI Mini 4 Professional is even a wide variety for a lot of varieties of skilled photographers who don’t want all of the options of the DJI Mavic 3.
DJI continues to pack so many options into such a small measurement and a powerful worth.
The Mini 4 Professional provides varied completely different configurations when it comes to pricing and packages. Here’s a nearer have a look at what every bundle contains:
DJI Mini 4 Professional (DJI RC-N2) ($759): one drone, a DJI RC-N2 Distant Controller, an Clever Flight Battery, a pair of Propellers (Screws Included), a Screwdriver, a Gimbal Protector, and a Propeller Holder
DJI Mini 4 Professional (DJI RC 2) ($959): one drone, a DJI RC 2 Distant Controller, a Clever Flight Battery, a pair of Propellers (Screws Included), a Screwdriver, a Gimbal Protector, and a Propeller Holder
DJI Mini 4 Professional Fly Extra Combo (DJI RC 2) ($1,099): one drone, a DJI RC 2 Distant Controller, three Clever Flight Battery, three pairs of Propellers (Screws Included), a Screwdriver, a Gimbal Protector, a Propeller Holder, a DJI Mini Shoulder Bag, and the Two-Manner Charging Hub.
DJI Mini 4 Professional Fly Extra Combo Plus (DJI RC 2) ($1,159): one drone, a DJI RC 2 Distant Controller, three Clever Flight Battery Plus, three pairs of Professional Propellers (Screws Included), a Screwdriver, a Gimbal Protector, a Propeller Holder, a Shoulder Bag, and the Two-Manner Charging Hub.