While being stuck at home during the COVID19 crisis, I decided to treat myself for another travel gadget that I’ve been itching to buy for a long time. Lately, I’ve been doing lots of travel videos and ground cameras just don’t feel enough anymore. After doing some research and comparing different models, my choice fell on DJI Mavic mini – small and very portable drone that should be an ideal travel companion on my future trips.
Why DJI Mavic Mini?
This little drone has a ton of advantages over its larger and heavier rivals:
- Very lightweight – this drone only weighs 249 grams!
- Portable size – it literally fits in my pocket!
- Good battery capacity – around 25 minutes of flight time on one battery.
- Competitive price – basic version starts at 400€, fly more combo from 500€.
- Beginner-friendly – flying this drone is made really easy for beginners.
I decided to go with the Fly More combo – a package, that includes 2 extra batteries, hard case for transporting the drone, propeller guards, battery charger case and extra blades.
First impression
My first impression was very good. Having flown with a cheap toy drone before, the Mavic controls felt very easy and precise. This drone is not a toy at all – its very high tech and intelligent. For example, it has a function “return home” in case you lost it in the skies (which is easy to do considering its small size). The drone is capable of landing on its own. The camera is spotless and shoots amazing quality videos, the gimbal does its job perfectly. On day one we had some windy conditions, but you could hardly tell as the stabilization is just amazing.
I took the drone to the woods and tried to fly among trees, but realized very soon it was a bit tricky for a beginner. On a sunny day, it gets difficult spotting obstacles on the small phone screen, so better always keeping an eye on the drone itself. Despite its small size, this mini drone can fly quite far – up to 2km!
Is Mavic Mini a good travel drone?
Yes, absolutely! I am going to take it to all my future trips, as it’s so small and portable, fits in the pocket and is very quiet while airborne. Also, another great advantage is being able to charge it off a power bank, which can be handy while hiking. I also recommend getting a fly more combo, as all the extras are totally worth it, alone the battery costs 45€ already!
The drone weights only 249 grams, which is less than is usually regulated and doesn’t require flight license in some countries (make sure to check in the country you are flying).
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