Mavic Mini Reviews--- Why aren't they comparing to the Mavic Air? .. and.... strange marketing.

[mrwagdog]

There are still honest YouTube reviewers out there. They’re just not getting free drones prior to product launch. I’m sure there will be more critical (and I mean that in a positive/honest way) reviews once the mini is in the hands of the general public.

I don’t begrudge people the ability to make money or get free stuff. Good for them.

My take on the mini is it’s more of a spark refresh than an air replacement. I’m sure folks who have the spark or air are still happy with them. I still fly a Mavic Pro and am still happy with it.

 

[treygeiger]

Hmm, lots of haters on the new mini. I have an original Mavic Pro - which I love - but the form factor of the mini is really appealing for me (I'm not a professional user - most of my stuff ends up on Instagram or sharing vacation videos with friends/family). I'm a big believer of the old saying about the best camera being the one that's in your pocket. In this case, I can see me literally throwing the mini in my daily bag (going to work etc.) and it will be with me pretty much at all times. If there happens to be a glorious sunset or some other random thing that is worthy of seeing from the sky, having continual access to a decent drone is a huge win for me. Just my $0.02.

 

[crosswired]

But the Hubsan Zino is double the weight of the Mini, every dron that is over 250gr get different regulations on most of countries.

In Spain in example you cannot fly on cities or over places with people if the drone is more than 250gr.

The point of the mini are the 249gr.

Well, I've flown Air in Canaries and before that, I've checked exact drone laws in Spain and didn't find anything about drones under 250g mate, there was something about heavier drones but for professional use. Yes, most of countries got different regulations in regards of heavy drones but as far as I know, you can fly Air everywhere under 120m VLOS, avoid populated areas and local no-fly zones: that's aply to almost every country

 

[crosswired]

Hmm, lots of haters on the new mini. I have an original Mavic Pro - which I love - but the form factor of the mini is really appealing for me (I'm not a professional user - most of my stuff ends up on Instagram or sharing vacation videos with friends/family). I'm a big believer of the old saying about the best camera being the one that's in your pocket. In this case, I can see me literally throwing the mini in my daily bag (going to work etc.) and it will be with me pretty much at all times. If there happens to be a glorious sunset or some other random thing that is worthy of seeing from the sky, having continual access to a decent drone is a huge win for me. Just my $0.02.

Absolutely agree with that just one thing bugs me badly: price, MM seem to be badly overpriced

 

[DanMan32]

I might have bit as an alternate if it was $100-200 less expensive. Last year I decided to upgrade from my P3A. For me, best value cost to features desired seemed to be M2Z. Perhaps Spark would have been for a low end but opted for Tello for price, stability and crash tolerance. However Tello downfall is it is very susceptible to any wind, even from central HVAC. Per current reviews Mini seems to fly well in wind but $300 more than Tello with comparable accessories.

 

[ThorDar]

A lot of commenters are completely missing the point of the Mini. 249 grams!! A half decent sub 250 gram GPS camera drone has been the holy grail since that became the upper weight limit for non-regulated drones in many countries. This isn't just another Dji drone, it's a game changer. To get it down to 249 grams, there was no way to include all the features of heavier drones. It was a fine balancing act deciding which features and functions to include and which to leave out.

It's aimed at beginners but it has enough features that pilots with more full featured drones will want to add then to their tool boxes.

It's not a replacement for any current drones. It's essentially a new category. So dissing it based on comparisons to heavier drones is pointless. It meets its primary purpose, being a half decent GPS camera drone under 250 grams. If that doesn't matter to you, then don't buy it.

 

[paulatkin73]

A lot of commenters are completely missing the point of the Mini. 249 grams!! A half decent sub 250 gram GPS camera drone has been the holy grail since that became the upper weight limit for non-regulated drones in many countries. This isn't just another Dji drone, it's a game changer. To get it down to 249 grams, there was no way to include all the features of heavier drones. It was a fine balancing act deciding which features and functions to include and which to leave out.

It's aimed at beginners but it has enough features that pilots with more full featured drones will want to add then to their tool boxes.

It's not a replacement for any current drones. It's essentially a new category. So dissing it based on comparisons to heavier drones is pointless. It meets its primary purpose, being a half decent GPS camera drone under 250 grams. If that doesn't matter to you, then don't buy it.

a skeptic in me thinks that now after we finally got a decent sub-250g model for travel, all those regulations will be promptly updated to set new minimal 'allowed' weight of the drone to, say, 150g, or about. but, who knows, will see.
in practical reality all will depend upon how reliable its gimbal will be, how well will it tolerate abuse and, if DJI will add a panorama and raw image photo modes to it. heck with on-board JPG stitching, if it at least could do a basic 3 shots or 9 shots pano and save it as DNG files - it is all what is needed.

 

[crosswired]

Well, guess one most important thing we're missing in here:
Even is less than 250g it still have to be used accordingly to the same laws as any other 'small' drone - max altitude 120m VLOS ... and all excitement gone [emoji16][emoji16]

 

[nn666]

So I've watched a dozen Mini reviews so far. Only one has even mentioned the Mavic Air and they keep comparing it to the Mavic Pro. Almost gives me the impression that DJI has given the reviewers directions to not compare the two so the Air isn't promoted anymore. (ie discontinuing the air).

I've also noticed that all the reviewers are promoting the quick settings like Orbit and all as some new big thing... but the air has had them all along.

AND it appears that DJI is anticipating even more regulations as 1/2 the reviewers stressed the fact that it can be flown anywhere and is not required to be registered with the FAA. I can see more entry level people causing problems for the responsible people.


Thoughts on all/any of the above?

The Air is twice the cost with many more features. This isn't the target market. It's for entry level consumers. It also can't be flown anywhere. It has geo fencing and the same flight restrictions as other drones. All it doesn't need is registration.

 

[ThorDar]

a skeptic in me thinks that now after we finally got a decent sub-250g model for travel, all those regulations will be promptly updated to set new minimal 'allowed' weight of the drone to, say, 150g, or about. but, who knows, will see.
in practical reality all will depend upon how reliable its gimbal will be, how well will it tolerate abuse and, if DJI will add a panorama and raw image photo modes to it. heck with on-board JPG stitching, if it at least could do a basic 3 shots or 9 shots pano and save it as DNG files - it is all what is needed.

Few people who use drones recreationally are aware that drone regulations are being developed internationally now. The 250 gram number was arrived at from testing for damage and injury risk and accepted as an international standard. Dji wouldn't have invested the time and money in the R&D for the Mini if there were any chance of that standard changing anytime soon.

As for more functionality, hard to say. Could be there are some firmware upgrades in the pipe that add more features but I suspect Dji doesn't want to take away too much from the sales of their larger, more profitable drones so the Mini could remain pretty much as it is.

Time will tell.

Personally, I'm going to get one. I already have a Mavic Pro and another larger drone (not Dji) but the Mini looks like it's fun to fly and small enough to always have with me. Easy to charge the batteries virtually anywhere too. I'm also hoping the SDK will allow it to be added to Litchi. But if not, no biggy.

 

[nerkaid]

Well, I've flown Air in Canaries and before that, I've checked exact drone laws in Spain and didn't find anything about drones under 250g mate, there was something about heavier drones but for professional use. Yes, most of countries got different regulations in regards of heavy drones but as far as I know, you can fly Air everywhere under 120m VLOS, avoid populated areas and local no-fly zones: that's aply to almost every country

Here you can check the spanish normative: Normas básicas para volar drones where it's explained you cannot fly over buildings or people with a more than 250gr drone.

And here is the map to know where you can fly your dron created by the official air regulator (ENAIRE) and one of the configs you have to set is if your dron is less or more than 250 gr: ENAIRE Drones

 

[philh24]

I seem to remember when the air came out people kicked of about it being called a mavic air,the mavic bit offended them greatly. They said it was a spark replacement not a mavic. Now the mini has come out again it’s a spark replacement.My take on the mini is it’s just that,a smaller version of a mavic with less features to entice people to upgrade to a full mavic in the future. I don’t think it’s trying to be anything else other than what it’s being marketed as.

 

[CrouchyUK]

As others have said- this first batch of reviews is from those who DJI consider to be "influencers" and thus got a freebie drone weeks ahead of launch to "review". They are on the DJI payroll.

The more critical and unbiased reviewers quite noticeably got left out. When these guys get their hands on the Mavic Mini we will see more unbiased opinions. I still think its a great drone- but the buttery smooth DJI fanboys do grate on me a bit....

 

[crosswired]

Here you can check the spanish normative: Normas básicas para volar drones where it's explained you cannot fly over buildings or people with a more than 250gr drone.

And here is the map to know where you can fly your dron created by the official air regulator (ENAIRE) and one of the configs you have to set is if your dron is less or more than 250 gr: ENAIRE Drones

Thanks, I know these websites, very helpful