The new DJI Mini 4 Pro replaces the relatively new Mini 3 Pro and brings a lot of exciting new features.
- Sub-249g
- 10-bit videos (D-Log and HLG)
- Omnidirectional Sensors
- 4K@60 or 4K@100fps
- Vertical video
- Improved battery life (up to 34min)
- Dual native ISO
- Waypoints
The Mini 4 Pro’s biggest improvement is most certainly the omnidirectional sensors, with 4 wideangle and a pair of downward sensors helping you in every direction. Recording near trees is going to be much easier.
There’s also APAS 5.0 (automatic braking) so if you get in a crash, you’re more likely to blame yourself than the drone now. It’s as safe as DJI’s more expensive models, like the Air 3 etc.
It still manages to weigh below 249g, so you technically don’t have to register the drone in order to fly it. Depending on where you live, you should always double-check this, just to be safe.
Quality wise, it features the same 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, but now we have Dual Native ISO so your low light videos will look much cleaner. Not familiar with this feature? It’s similar to what cameras offer, at some point when raising the ISO, your image gets clean and noise-free again, hence the “dual” in the name.
What about video and photo resolution?
For photography, you’ve got the same 48MP resolution.
Video is where it gets much better, especially if you like to color grade. The Mini 4 Pro now comes with 10-bit D-log and HLG profiles. If you don’t edit/color grade then these 2 profiles are not for you, but for anyone looking to step up their quality game, this is an important feature.
When recoring in D-Log M, ISO can only go up to 1600. In normal modes, you’re free to go to 6,400 or even 12,800 in night mode. Max video bitrate is 150Mbps.
Like the model before it, you can shoot 4K in vertical mode as well as 60fps/HDR, but now there’s also 4K@100fps for slow motion clips.
With all these extra features, it manages to slightly extend the battery life (same battery as Mini 3 Pro) by 3-6 minutes. Total time of flying is up to 34 minutes in perfect conditions, and in real world this usually results to ~30 minutes.
If you’re upgrading from the Mini 3 Pro you don’t have to buy new batteries.
There are 2 new features for smarter recording:
The first is Waypoints. It’s like creating a route of GPS points that the drone will always remember, and it can fly the same route whenever you wish. Perfect for timelapses!
And then there’s Active 360 Track. You simply highlight your subject on your phone/controller and DJI will track it. Once you’ve selected it, there are a couple of pre-programmed moves you can tell the Mini 4 Pro to do.
Some other less exciting, but still important facts; operating temperature is between -10 and 40 degrees celsius (14° to 104° F), it’s got a 2GB internal storage (if you forget your SD) and
Video transmission has been improved up to 20 kilometers, which is probably far more than you will ever need it to go. Regardless, this makes your transmission much more secure and gives you less stress that something will go wrong.
Pricing & Availability
The Mini 4 Pro is available at DJI’s official store in 4 different packages, starting at $759. The cheapest gets you the drone and a remote controller (needs a smartphone) while the more expensive options come with a dedicated RC2 display (700 nits and 5.5″) so you never need any additional devices.
It will be available from early October.
