Disappointed with Mini 4 Pro / Battery Plus flight time

[solidhouse]

Today was my first flight with the Mini 4 Pro. I used the battery plus, fully charge, with only 9 charge cycles on it.

It only got 24 minutes of flight time when I landed at 15% battery. It seemed to suck the battery a lot faster compared to the Mini 3 Pro. I’m a bit disappointed.

Has anyone else here flown with the battery plus? If so, how much flight time did you get?

 

[davedrone 178]

I just experienced the same thing (with the battery plus). I flew my new Mini 4 and my Mini 3 Pro at the same time. The 4 sucked down the battery WAAYY faster. My UAV forecast said "good to fly" against a 10 mph constant wind with gusts up to 16 mph. The 4 was an ABSOLUTE DOG against the wind. My 3, same time, same path travelled about 4 mph faster. Top speed in normal is about 26 mph and the 4 could barely reach 17 mph. AND.. I got the dreaded "battery overcurrent" warning the second I put the 4 in "sport" mode. VERY DISAPPOINTING! I think she's getting returned.

 

[pinballwiz86]

I just experienced the same thing (with the battery plus). I flew my new Mini 4 and my Mini 3 Pro at the same time. The 4 sucked down the battery WAAYY faster. My UAV forecast said "good to fly" against a 10 mph constant wind with gusts up to 16 mph. The 4 was an ABSOLUTE DOG against the wind. My 3, same time, same path travelled about 4 mph faster. Top speed in normal is about 26 mph and the 4 could barely reach 17 mph. AND.. I got the dreaded "battery overcurrent" warning the second I put the 4 in "sport" mode. VERY DISAPPOINTING! I think she's getting returned.

16 MPH wind? Lol. Try again with no wind, and you should see much better performance.

 

[davedrone 178]

16 MPH wind? Lol. Try again with no wind, and you should see much better performance.

Reread my post. LOL. My Mini 3 Pro was going 4-5 mph faster UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES

 

[old man mavic]

what you were experiencing was an inevitability ,flying in windy conditions with the heavier battery ,mainly because it is pretty obvious that the added weight ,plus the battery power needed to activate all the new OA the drone now has ,is going to drain the battery much quicker
having all the bells and whistles , in such a small drone, unfortunately has a large affect on battery life ,another thing about the plus batteries ,is the fact that they only have a larger capacity
that does not equate to more power ,i am sure that if you were to go out on a calm day ,switch off all the OA, dont take any video ,and fly around at a steady average speed at 50ft up ,then you might start to get to about 75% of the quoted maximum flight time ,

 

[davedrone 178]

I'm just very surprised about the differences between the 3 and 4. The DJI website shows the same flight time for the standard battery and a 2 minute difference for the plus battery. I've only tested for a few hours, and will test more today, but I'm seeing a much bigger advantage with the 3 when it comes to speed against a light wind and battery flight time. And when I slip the 4 into "sport" mode I instantly get a "battery overcurrent" warning so, as of now, "sport" mode is unusable. The 4 flies like an Autel Nano, weak against any wind.

 

[old man mavic]

it will be interesting to wait and see if , as with the Mini 3 pro ,DJI bring out a basic Mini 4 ,without all the bells and whistles ,for those who dont need them
personally for me the Mini 4 pro is going to be the last ,feature laden drone ,in its present configuration ,as it has reached the pinacle, of what such a drone can achieve,in the sub 250g class

 

[akdrone]

The landing legs account for at least some of that difference. The airflow on the Mini 4 is not nearly as clean. There is also more cooling holes to prevent over heating and those also disrupt the airflow. There may be more issues but those are, at least, involved to some degree.

 

[Pacefast]

I'm just very surprised about the differences between the 3 and 4. The DJI website shows the same flight time for the standard battery and a 2 minute difference for the plus battery. I've only tested for a few hours, and will test more today, but I'm seeing a much bigger advantage with the 3 when it comes to speed against a light wind and battery flight time. And when I slip the 4 into "sport" mode I instantly get a "battery overcurrent" warning so, as of now, "sport" mode is unusable. The 4 flies like an Autel Nano, weak against any wind.

Just get the Air 3 its like a ballistics missile up, down or along and with the bigger nat mini 4 is in same cat

 

[pinballwiz86]

Reread my post. LOL. My Mini 3 Pro was going 4-5 mph faster UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES

Wind speed is variable. Your post is an observation based off just one day's flying. It doesn't mean anything.

 

[solidhouse]

Another thing that I’ve been thinking. Maybe DJI needs to get a few kinks worked out with the firmware. Also, it may be helpful if the released a new battery plus for the Mini 4 Pro with an increased mAh while keeping the weight the same.

 

[davedrone 178]

Wind speed is variable. Your post is an observation based off just one day's flying. It doesn't mean anything.

I'm flying my Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro within minutes of the Mini 4. About 10 flights so far and its no comparison. Mini 4 can't hang with the other two in speed and flight time. Flight time is being affected by any kind wind which the Mini 4 can't handle nearly as well as the other two. "Battery Overcurrent" warnings on the 4 even in "normal" mode. Buy the those drones, replicate my tests, then get back to me. This junk drone is going back.

 

[pinballwiz86]

I'm flying my Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro within minutes of the Mini 4. About 10 flights so far and it’s no comparison. Mini 4 can't hang with the other two in speed and flight time. Flight time is being affected by any kind wind which the Mini 4 can't handle nearly as well as the other two. "Battery Overcurrent" warnings on the 4 even in "normal" mode. Buy the those drones, replicate my tests, then get back to me. This junk drone is going back.

Sounds to me like maybe you got a lemon. Who knows how much QC is put into these but surely some lemons leave the factory.

 

[JordanAT]

Three test flights on mini so far. Longest was 19 minutes in the air and the Plus battery went from 87% to 26% (61% usage, with moderate winds at 120m. Felt like forever since my og mini only has like 14 minutes in the air from 95%-15% battery LOL.

 

[tlyons]

I'm flying my Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro within minutes of the Mini 4. About 10 flights so far and its no comparison. Mini 4 can't hang with the other two in speed and flight time. Flight time is being affected by any kind wind which the Mini 4 can't handle nearly as well as the other two. "Battery Overcurrent" warnings on the 4 even in "normal" mode. Buy the those drones, replicate my tests, then get back to me. This junk drone is going back.

Who you gonna believe? DJI marketing or your lying eyes?

In case you haven't noticed, criticizing DJI bring out the trolls. The funny thing is, this thread actually *admires* a different DJI drone in preference to the Mini 4 Pro. It's not like when I pointed out that my very old Parrot Anafi could actually get to the rated 25 minutes when the batteries were new and my brand new standard battery Mini 4 Pro was struggling to beat 25 minutes.

In the past, DJI drones get better with firmware releases. For example, my Mini 3 Pro early on would get over current warnings and that has been fixed. The difficulty is that DJI has so many reviewers in their pocket that truth is difficult to discern; I didn't see a single hover time test for the Mini 4 Pro on Youtube and that is usually the first thing anyone tests on a new drone. That's pretty sus.

Good luck! Maybe give the 4 Pro a try again after a few firmware updates.

 

[Cltmte]

Interesting read. I will follow this as I’m thinking of moving to the 4 from a 3pro. Primarily for the obstacle avoidance, ease (or appears to be) of using waypoint. Battery life is obviously important

 

[stikflote]

Well my Harley is up for sale ,and if i get a sale. i was thinking of buying the Mini 4 pro
brand new, seeing its the latest aircraft from DJI,

But after reading all these post, i will not buy one now

iI will take a closer look at the Mini 3 or 3 pro,
i will be able to take it out easy with all that under seat storage.
on my new scooter take both with me and find some nice scenery to practice videos

The Harley is now far to heavy for me and ive spent thousands on it tarting it up.

My Triumph Street Triple does not have for form of storage, its by far the best motorcycle ive owned
and ive had a lot, just part exchanged my Kawasaki 250 ninja for new a Kymco DTX 320 scooter
get it on Monday

keith

 

[KB4MTO]

Today was my maiden flight with my M4P. It was a clear day, a few clouds, but perfect for flying. During the flight, the wind picked up a bit, and continued building as I was heading back. It got bad, and I was fighting the wind. With high-end warnings, I couldn't hit RTH until I was about 200 yards away, then a low battery alarm kicked off and the drone returned home. When the flight ended, I had flown 27 minutes. That's pretty good with the winds as bad as they were.

 

[Daytona500]

i get 24 + and for what I do thats plenty

 

[Sp1k3]

Guys, there is something else that you may not be aware of.
With the battery plus, the 4 is unstable in the pitch axis at some speeds. I noticed it for the first time when I was flying with the goggles. This never happened with the 3. Oscillations make the drone consume a LOT more.
I wish we could change the pitch PIDs, but thats not an option at the moment...