The DJI Mic Mini is fantastic, but there’s one big reason I’d choose the Rode Wireless Micro instead for smartphone content creation
I recently reviewed the DJI Mic Mini and Rode Wireless Micro – both are excellent quality wireless microphones for content creation, designed to be ultra-simple for capturing better audio with smartphones.
I would generally recommend both, but if I were to pick one for myself it would hands down be the tiny DJI Mic Mini. Overall, it’s a more versatile package for smartphones And cameras, with reliable connectivity via the receiver or Bluetooth, and the price difference between the two kits is negligible.
If you shoot with DJI cameras like the Osmo Pocket 3 or Osmo Action 5 Pro, it’s an even easier choice as these cameras feature built-in receivers for streamlined pairing with DJI’s microphones, including the more expensive DJI Mic 2 – our camera accessories product of the year.
Plus, you can buy Mic Mini components separately, meaning you can save yourself a package by picking up just a microphone for those DJI cameras, rather than the full kit with receiver.
That said, more and more people are shooting video solely with smartphones, and for those people the simpler Rode Wireless Micro takes the DJI by storm.
The winning one-trick pony
DJI’s Mic Mini works for cameras And smartphones, while the Rode Wireless Micro is only for smartphones. I shoot with both so the choice is clear. But for smartphone-only makers, I think Rode’s microphone makes more sense.
The best method to connect the microphones to your phone is via a receiver. That’s the only method for Rode’s microphone, and the receiver fits neatly on the bottom of your phone, plugged into your USB-C (or Lightning) charging port (see gallery below). It is slim and also simple: there are no controls or microphones.
You plug the receiver into your phone, follow the onscreen prompts (which may include selecting the wired microphone option in favor of your phone’s built-in microphone in the camera app menu), and you’re up and running in seconds. stroke. Everything is automated.
The receiver of the Mic Mini is bulkier. Every time I used it with a phone I was afraid I was going to break it off – it sticks out, is a bit awkward, and fits better with cameras, like in the hotshoe/coldshoe port. However, DJI’s offer has another trick up its sleeve that bypasses the recipient.
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You can also connect the DJI Mic Mini to your phone via Bluetooth, without any receiver. However, I wouldn’t trust a Bluetooth connection for video recording in the same way as a purpose-made receiver, and the audio quality drops from 24-bit depth to 16-bit depth when Bluetooth is used instead of the receiver.
Bluetooth connectivity is fine and still exceeds the audio quality of your phone’s built-in microphones, even when armed with voice-enhanced audio like the latest Google Pixel handsets.
The Mic Mini also has a few manual controls to play with. There’s a one-touch noise cancellation mode, plus ±12db audio level control on the receiver. These are great tools to have, but for phone users I think Rode’s simpler approach – an automated ‘Intelligent GainAssist technology’ – again makes more sense.
And while the DJI Mic Mini outshines the Rode Wireless Micro in most respects, it’s the downright simplicity of the Rode microphone that will win the day for smartphone makers. I just hope that Rode makes the Wireless Micro components available separately in the future – some of us could save a few cents that way, especially if replacement parts are needed.