I am very close to buying a Mini but there are two things that are still bothering me.
1) What kind of "real-world" range are we getting with the Mini? I will do most of my flying in rural areas or remote locations.
2) My second concern is Uncommanded Descents. Do we think that the latest firmware update as well as better prop placement while storing the Mini will address the dreaded "U.D." problem?
Really liking the Mini but these issues make me wonder if I should keep saving for an
Air2.
Thanks, Steve
I have been flying DJI drones over three years. I started with a
Phantom 4, then bought a Mavic Pro, then was flying an Inspire 1,
Phantom 4 Pro, and both versions of the Mavic Enterprise regularly at work. I ordered a Mavic Mini for work as soon as they were available.
For the cost, I was blown away by the Mavic Mini. After flying one at work for a month, I ordered one for myself, and not long after, one for my wife, who had her own
Phantom 4.
I took my own Mavic Mini to the Dominican Republic while on holidays in Feb. 2020 and was very happy with the video and photo quality.
I checked my Airdata account, the farthest I have had my MM out is about 2.5 kms. It is rated at 4 kms. If you are flying in remote areas, you should have no problem getting 2+ kms. I have found that flying over built up areas, you generally get about 1.5 kms before you start to get video breakup and lose signal. It is wi-fi based, so I suspect interference from other networks cause it more grief than some of the higher end drones.
I have no issue at all with any of the Mavic Minis I have flown and have about 20 hours flying time total. No prop strikes, no uncommanded descents, and no other issues.
I have done a lot of research on the
Air 2, and think it is a good drone for the price. If money is not an issue, you may be better off with the
Air 2. I do not think you would go wrong with either the MM or
Air 2. One of the things I consider with the MM is that %$%^# happens. Should a bird take down your drone, you will be out a lot less $$ with a MM than most drones, and the pics and video are impressive.
Despite having access to just about every consumer drone DJI has produced in the past two years, my favorite two drones to fly area the Mavic Enterprise Zoom and the Mavic Mini.
I was out for a drive in February and took this video with the Mavic Mini.