Pricey 249g drone with a 1-inch sensor, rotating camera, 4K video up to 120fps and slow motion recording, plus omnidirectional object sensing and subject tracking.
Cheap sub-250g drone with 1/2.3-inch sensor, 4K video up to 30fps, no object sensing or subject tracking skills.
DJI raised the bar for beginner drones this week with the launch of the Mini 5 Pro. It’s the best sub-250g drone I’ve flown, with a class-leading camera and flight features.
With larger 1-inch sensor and refined safety features and flight modes, it is a solid upgrade over its successor, the Mini 4 Pro. It comes in at the same price, too, so if you’re a first time buyer there’s no contest between those Mini Pro models.
If you compare the capabilities of DJI’s latest flagship mini drone to other current models, especially the Mini 4K, it’s a slam dunk for the Mini 5 Pro, too.
That said, the Mini 5 Pro costs around 3x the price of the Mini 4K, and when I reviewed the entry-level model I called it ‘your best first drone’.
Do I stand by those words now that the Mini 5 Pro is on the scene? Which sub-250g makes the most sense? Let’s unpack the key points.
1. Price and availability
- DJI Mini 5 Pro starts at £689 / AU$1,119 (currently not available in the US)
- DJI Mini 4K starts at $299 / £240 / AU$499
If you’re on a limited budget, the entry-level Mini 4K is seemingly the obvious pick at around just 35% the price of the Mini 5 Pro.
Both models are available in a standard kit or a Fly More Combo kit. The Mini 4K costs $299 / £269 / AU$499 while the Fly More Combo with RC-N1C controller costs $449 / £399 / AU$699 (it’s currently on sale with around 10-15% off).
Meanwhile, the Mini 5 Pro costs £689 / AU$1,119 standalone, or you can pay £869 / AU$1,419 for the Fly More Combo with RC-N3 controller or £979 / AU$1,699 for the Fly More Combo RC 2.
There’s no typo above regarding US pricing – if you’re in the US you currently don’t have a choice, because, as with other recent DJI products such as the Mavic 4 Pro, the Mini 5 Pro is not available at DJI’s US store.
Regardless of availability, does the Mini 4K being the cheaper drone make it the better value? From experience I would say not necessarily.
I own a Mini 4K and it has got into some serious scrapes because it misses certain safety features which the Mini 5 Pro possesses – the pricier drone is more likely to offer you years of service and I reckon it’s worth the extra outlay. Let’s unpack why…
2. Safety features
- DJI Mini 5 Pro: class-leading omni-directional object sensing and LiDAR
- DJI Mini 4K: downward facing sensors for take off and landing only
A big difference between the Mini 5 Pro and Mini 4K is the flight safety features that one possesses and the other lacks.
The Mini 5 Pro includes omni-directional object sensing which will detect nearby hazards and prevent the drone from colliding with them. I’ve taken several flights with the ‘Pro’ model and its object sensing works extremely well, even with subject tracking in play.
Furthermore, it now features front-facing LiDAR, which improves the drone’s sensing in low light – that’s an upgrade from the Mini 4 Pro.
The Mini 4K, on the other hand, has no such feature: the only sensors it includes are downward facing and function for safe take off and landing.
I’ve been using the Mini 4K for a long time now, and it’s collided with tree branches and other obstacles on several occasions. It has shown a remarkable ruggedness to continue working, but I feel there’s a ticking clock on how long it will last.
The lack of safety features also impacts how brave I am in piloting the Mini 4K. I avoid getting too close to objects, which certainly affects where I fly and how dynamic the videos I make are.
Conversely, with the Mini 5 Pro I can be more confident in flight and I enjoy piloting it more – and it shows in the videos I make. Talking of videos…
3. Video recording
- DJI Mini 5 Pro: 1-inch sensor with 4K recording up to 120fps, slow motion 1080p, D Log M color profile
- DJI Mini 4K: 1/2.3-inch sensor with 4K 30fps video, standard color profile only
Both drones shoot 4K video, but the similarity ends there. The Mini 5 Pro has a much larger 1-inch sensor for better quality video in daylight and low light – and the same can be said versus the Mini 4 Pro.
It also shoots video in 10-bit color depth, which has 13x more colors than the 8-bit color depth that the Mini 4K has. There’s also a greater choice of color profiles with the Mini 5 Pro – both have a good-to-go standard color profile, while the Pro model also has the flat D Log M profile (which needs grading, but holds more detail in highlights).
You’ll also get a better choice of frame rates with the Mini 5 Pro – it can shoot 4K 10-bit video up to 60fps and also offers slow motion 120fps recording, which can be upped to 240fps if you lower resolution to 1080p.
The Mini 4K only shoots 4K video up to 30fps, while it can double that rate for 2.7K video.
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4. The camera
- DJI Mini 5 Pro: 3-axis gimbal and 225 degree roll rotation, 50MP stills
- DJI Mini 4K: 3 axis gimbal, 12MP stills
Both drones feature a 3-axis mechanical gimbal to stabilize their respective cameras, making for a smooth live view experience and video capture. However, the Mini 5 Pro’s gimbal is the more versatile of the two because it has a 225-degree roll rotation range.
The upshot of roll rotation is that you can switch between horizontal and vertical orientation at the push of a button. That means it’s much easier to shoot vertical photos and video for socials with the Mini 5 Pro.
As for still images, the Mini 5 Pro can shoot 50MP stills while the Mini 4K is limited to 12MP. Both offer an inferior-quality digital zoom, but on the Mini 5 Pro at least you can get better results by cropping those larger photos instead, if you need a tighter perspective.
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5. Flight
- DJI Mini 5 Pro: 2,788mAh battery and 36 minute flight time, 19m/s top speed, up to 20km transmission, 360° ActiveTrack, QuickShots
- DJI Mini 4K: 2,250mAh battery and 31 minute flight time, up to 10km transmission, QuickShots
There’s not a huge difference between the two drones regarding flight performance, but the Mini 5 Pro edges the Mini 4K in all the key areas. Its larger battery delivers a 10-15% longer flight time, its top speed is slightly quicker, plus it features DJI’s 04+ video transmission for twice the range.
Both drones feature DJI’s array of QuickShots flight moves – a selection of beginner-friendly automatic movements which can create dynamic videos, usually around a selected subject.
However, the Mini 5 Pro is the only drone here which features DJI’s 360° ActiveTrack mode. It’ll track your subject, keeping them in the center of the frame. Combined with object sensing, you’ll be able to follow subjects even in tricky scenes such as woodlands.
DJI Mini 5 Pro vs DJI Mini 4K: early verdict
If you want the most capable sub-250g drone there’s no contest – the DJI Mini 5 Pro wins in every area over the Mini 4K.
The only thing going for the entry-level Mini 4K is its significantly lower price. However, given it lacks the advanced safety features that the advanced Mini 5 Pro has, I don’t think it’s better value – as the saying has it, ‘buy cheap, buy twice’.
I already own a Mini 4K, but if I had the Mini 5 Pro I know which drone I’d use every time. The pricier model flies better, you can push it closer to the action without fearing collisions, plus it makes better-quality aerial images.
A nice little Mini 5 Pro bonus is the 42GB of on board storage, meaning you can still record video should you forget a memory card. Want my advice? If you can, I’d spend the extra cash on the Pro model.
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