What micro-SD card and which download option should I use?

Simplicity · Jul 31, 2024

Hi there!

I bought a Mavic Mini just a few days ago and until now I accumulated a couple of questions that I couldn't find an answer to on the DJI website:

Like mentioned on this page on the DJI website (Drone Photo or Video Files Export Guide), you can download the files from the micro-SD card in the Mavic Mini by downloading them from the album, connecting the drone via the port on the back or by plugging the micro-SD into your computer.

Which method is the best and do they have differences in speed and quality?
The port mentioned in the article is a USB-C port, but the Mavic Mini has a micro-USB port. Does this fact influence the second download option?
What requirements should the micro-SD card meet (capacity, read/write speeds, …)?

Thank you very much in advance for your help, I hope my questions aren’t all too trivial to even ask

.

GFields · Jul 31, 2024

I always remove the SD card and using a card reader transfer them to my PC

Capt KO · Aug 1, 2024

SD card should say U3, that fast enough for most digital cameras, size is up to you. I mostly use 64G cards as they're usually priced right, can switch out as needed. I use a card reader to PC for downloads and formatting.

Simplicity · Aug 1, 2024

Capt KO said:
SD card should say U3, that fast enough for most digital cameras, size is up to you. I mostly use 64G cards as they're usually priced right, can switch out as needed. I use a card reader to PC for downloads and formatting.

Thanks for the advice!

anotherlab · Aug 2, 2024

Simplicity said:
Hi there!

I bought a Mavic Mini just a few days ago and until now I accumulated a couple of questions that I couldn't find an answer to on the DJI website:

Like mentioned on this page on the DJI website (Drone Photo or Video Files Export Guide), you can download the files from the micro-SD card in the Mavic Mini by downloading them from the album, connecting the drone via the port on the back or by plugging the micro-SD into your computer.

Which method is the best and do they have differences in speed and quality?

The port mentioned in the article is a USB-C port, but the Mavic Mini has a micro-USB port. Does this fact influence the second download option?

What requirements should the micro-SD card meet (capacity, read/write speeds, …)?

Thank you very much in advance for your help, I hope my questions aren’t all too trivial to even ask .

I would go with cards with the U3 rating, 64 to 128 GB. U3 means it's rated for a write speed of 30MB/s. I always pop them out of the drone and read them directly by the PC. It's faster that way and you don't need to have the drone powered up.

One thing to remember with flash memory devices like SD cards is they have a finite number of times that they can be written to. The better the card, the longer it lasts. For most people, they can last for years, but it's something to be aware of. You always want to keep at least one extra card in your drone (or camera) bang.

You get something like the Samsung Pro Endurance 128GB MicroSDXC, Class 10, U3, for $15 from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WB1857W). That would be faster enough for a Mavic series drone.