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Easily tucked into a jacket pocket, the DJI Mini 2 can fly up to 6 miles from your controller, although in most configurations the practical range will be much less. Using an improved communications technology called OcuSync that DJI invented, communications will be much more reliable in places with cell towers and other competing signals.
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DJI on Wednesday unveiled a revamped version of the Mavic Mini, the Mini 2, its smallest, lightest, most pocket-sized drone, with improved cameras and the ability to travel much further, up to 6.2 miles versus a maximum range of 2.5 miles earlier.
To achieve greater range, DJI added its proprietary wireless control network, called OcuSync, to the Mini 2, which communicates over 2.4 to 2.48 gigahertz links. The link can communicate between the portable control unit and the drone from a distance of up to 10 kilometers. The original Mini uses standard 5 gigahertz WiFi technology and maxes out at 4 kilometers.
OcuSync has anti-interference technology, among capabilities that make it a more reliable communications system.
Plus: DJI’s small and lightweight Mavic Mini brings us closer to an era of drone-filled skies
Keep in mind, in practical terms, you cannot fly six miles in the United States. The real advantage is having better control within a limited range.
“Imagine you are in Brooklyn, you are in an area where there are cell phone towers everywhere, the true testament to the technology will be a reliable signal even when surrounded by a ton of competing signals,” said DJI executive Patrick Santucci. ZDNet in a telephone interview.
The Mini 2 increases the price by $ 50, to $ 449. The original Mini, introduced a year ago, is still for sale. A combined backup with extra batteries and a carrying case retails for $ 599.
The Mini 2 is the same compact size and shape, just over half a pound in weight, and five inches long from front to back. The wings fold up to allow the thing to be stored in a pocket.
In addition to communications, the Mini 2 has an improved engine system that makes it much faster to accelerate than the first version. The Mini 2 will climb up to five meters per second and descend three meters per second, compared to four and three meters in the previous version.
Stronger engines mean greater wind resistance, up to 24 miles per hour.
“Once you have this in the air, you will notice that it is much, much more responsive and much faster,” Santucci said.
DJI has increased the on-board camera video resolution format to 4K (3840 pixels by 2160) at 24 or 25 or 30 frames per second, up from 2.7K (2720 by 1530 pixels) for the original.
The drone now also supports still photo files in RAW format, compared to the unique JPEG option of the original model. The camera itself is the same 1 / 2.3-inch 12-megapixel CMOS sensor.
DJI has also upgraded the Mini 2’s engines to withstand winds of up to 24 miles per hour.
There have also been some software enhancements, including the addition of what DJI calls QuickShot, which is a way to automatically create certain drone video movements with the push of a button. For example, Boomerang is an option that will make the Mini 2 fly a certain distance and then return to the controller, to create the effect of zooming out and back in one motion.
Physically, the Mini 2 has the same compact shape as the original, 5.5 inches long by 3.2 inches wide by 2.2 inches high. The drone’s takeoff weight has been slightly reduced to less than 249 grams (0.6 pounds) from the previous 249 grams. When folded, the device easily fits in a jacket pocket.
The Mini 2 is considered a beginner drone. It lacks some of the video options and flight capabilities of more expensive models like the Mavic Air 2. It also doesn’t have front-facing sensors, meaning it can’t do things like Active Track, the feature where the drone is fixed on a person and moves automatically when you do.
However, the Mini 2 has the same security technologies that the company offers in the other models, including the geofence, where the drone is automatically prevented from entering sensitive areas such as airports; and a return home button on the controller that will force the device to return to its point of origin.
More specs on the Mini 2 and the original Mini on the DJI site.
