As is now tradition with DJI drone launches, the upcoming DJI Mini 4 Pro has now been fully leaked ahead of its official announcement – and as a Mini 3 Pro owner, I’m happy to stick with my drone, based on the evidence so far.
According to some new Mini 4 Pro retail packaging shared by @Quadro_News (below) there will be five key differences between DJI’s new sub-250g drone and the Mini 3 Pro, which launched in May 2022. And for me, none are big enough to handle the hassle and expense of upgrading the flying camera that tops our list of the world’s best drones.
Perhaps the biggest new feature of the Mini 4 Pro is omnidirectional obstacle avoidance (which we recently saw on the DJI Air 3). This will be an improvement as it will allow the drone to detect obstacles approaching from the side, rather than just in front, behind or below. That will come in handy for the automated QuickShot modes, but so far I’ve had no issues with my Mini 3 Pro crashing without the extra sensors.
Another new feature on the leaked Mini 4 Pro packaging is a 4K/100fps mode. Again, that’s another nice touch for video shooters who often want to slow down their shots for dramatic effect, but as a photographer that’s not high on my list of priorities. The leak also shows ‘HDR video’ on the box, but we’ll have to wait and see if that differs from the Mini 3 Pro, which only offers a limited form of on-sensor HDR.
👉And here’s the back of the box with the specs: Weight 249g✅Omnidirectional Active Obstacle Detection✅4K/10Ofps HDR Video✅48MP Photo✅True Vertical Shooting✅34 Minutes Flight✅20km FHD Video Transmission#dji #djimini4pro pic . twitter.com/vXmIessKGESeptember 4, 2023
The Mini 4 Pro’s third new feature (OcuSync 4.0 connectivity) is suggested by another specification on the leaked box: 20 km (or 12 miles) of FHD video transmission. That’s nice in theory, but in most regions it’s not possible to legally use that range because you have to maintain a visual line of sight with your drone. I’ve also found that the connection stability with my Mini 3 Pro is absolutely fine, so it’s unlikely to see a major improvement there.
OcuSync 4.0 also ensures the Mini 4 Pro is compatible with DJI’s new DJI RC 2 and RC-N2 controllers. Then again, these aren’t massive upgrades to the Mini 3 Pro’s pads, the main differences being the longer range, slightly more reliable OcuSync 4.0 connectivity and some emergency internal storage (in case you forget your microSD cards).
Perhaps the one Mini 4 Pro feature I’ll envy is its waypoint support. These let your drone fly through a predetermined path while recording video, and allow you to tell it where and when to take photos. At the moment my Mini 3 Pro strangely only offers this in Hyperlapse mode. Whether that’s down to my drone’s lack of side-obstacle sensors or something else, it seems unlikely that DJI will now add it to the Mini 3 Pro.
Still, I’ll certainly have to live without it – and most of the Mini 4 Pro’s other new features, when that drone lands sometime in September. It’ll probably replace the Mini 3 Pro in DJI’s lineup, but it might be worth looking for second-hand versions of the latter if you want to grab a bargain.
Analysis: DJI drones reach maximum altitude
When DJI first entered the compact drone scene with the Mavic Pro in 2016, the pace of innovation was pretty exciting – as well as devastating for its rivals, which have gradually fallen from the sky over the years. Most recently, it was Skydio that was forced to permanently ground its consumer drones.
But in recent years, DJI’s drone updates have become increasingly incremental. It’s no longer cannibalizing its own drones with an exciting new model just because it can. Today, new models will most likely bring minor improvements, such as longer range or marginally better obstacle avoidance.
In some ways, that’s more reassuring for drone buyers – you can feel pretty safe buying one of the best DJI drones without fearing that it’s going to be blown out of the sky in a few months by another technological leap. And that seems to be the case with the Mini 4 Pro – as someone who primarily uses their drone for photography, there simply aren’t enough compelling upgrades (at least from the leaks) to entice me to upgrade.
The most annoying part is the feeling that some features – such as waypoints – could technically be added to older drones like the Mini 3 Pro, rather than being saved for a successor. But luckily DJI is also releasing its SDK (Software Development Kit) that allows developers to unlock new features – and the Mini 3 Pro was added to the list of supported drones in April, even though it doesn’t include the DJI RC controller.
Based on the leaks so far, I’m pretty sure the DJI Mini 4 Pro will once again be one of the best drones money can buy – and most likely the best sub-250g compact drone of its kind. But the fact that the Mini 3 Pro is already a brilliant little drone with surprisingly impressive wind resistance (as I found out on a recent trip to the Devon coast, UK) means I’m almost certainly not looking to upgrade. And that could become a challenge for DJI in the future, even if it dominates the consumer landscape now more than ever.