I have gotten over 400 questions about the DJI Mavic Mini from you guys.
I read through all of them and narrowed it down to what I believe are the most important
questions, along with questions that are rarely answered on YouTube, if at all.
So let’s get to it!
Question #1: How is the Mavic Mini in wind?
Is it stable?
Mavic Mini is fine if it is a little windy, say up to about 15mph.
But when it gets to 20mph, you notice a little shake.
For me, shaky footage doesn’t cut it, so as a general rule I wouldn’t advise using
the Mavic Mini on a day with winds above 15mph, especially with strong wind gusts.
Question #2: Is there a better chord than the chords that comes with the Mini so I could
connect to my phone or iPad more easily?
Yes, the chord I use is about 1 foot long and is less than $10.
It will allow you to easily use your Mini with a tablet and tablet holder, and also
will last longer because it doesn’t get pinched on the side when the controller folds
up.
There are chords like this one available for different types of devices.
I highly recommend a longer chord.
And I have provided links to these chords in the description below.
Question #3: Do I have to register the Mavic Mini?
It depends which country you live in.
Now the laws could change in the upcoming future, but for now, in the United States,
you don’t have to register the Mavic Mini if you fly it out of the box like it is because
it is under 250 grams at takeoff.
If you add the propeller cage, a light, or a filter, however, it will have to be registered
since it is 250 or more grams at takeoff.
Question #4: Can I fly the Mavic Mini anywhere?
You still have to abide by the laws in your country and location where you are flying
your Mavic Mini.
Question #5: Can the Mavic Mini follow me?
Will it get Active Track with a firmware update?
The Mavic Mini can sort of follow you.
As of this video, there are 4 Quickshot modes, or intelligent flight modes.
Two of these quickshots are Circle and Helix, which allows the drone to lock in on you and
go around you.
You can move around and the drone will stay locked on you, however, any fast or abrupt
movements causes the drone to lose you.
So it is nowhere near as good as Active Track or Follow Me on other DJI drones.
I doubt DJI will add Active Track to the Mavic Mini with a firmware update because the Mavic
Mini doesn’t have obstacle avoidance sensors.
Therefore, this would present too many potential problems when using Active Track.
And DJI doesn’t want to deal with thousands of insurance claims from crashed drones using
Active Track.
Question #6: Do you think a firmware update will allow the Mavic Mini to shoot 4K or RAW
or other features?
No, I don’t think we will see 4K video or RAW photos with the Mavic Mini.
It would hurt DJI’s sales with the Mavic Air and it also
would be hard to justify the low price.
Question #7: How durable is the Mavic Mini?
If it hits an object, like a tree, do I have to repair it or buy a new drone?
If you hit a tree or hard object, there is a good chance you will break an arm or damage
the Mavic Mini’s gimbal.
For this reason, I would advise buying DJI Care Refresh insurance when you activate your
drone.
It will save you money and a headache if you ever crash your drone since repairs will most
likely cost much more than the insurance and deductible.
With that said, if you use the propeller cage, you can fly the Mavic Mini freely and not
have to worry about crashing into anything.
When using the propeller cage, I’ve crashed my Mini into trees, causing it to fall to
the ground.
Just turn off the drone and turn it on and it should work fine.
If you think you might hit something, use the propeller cage, and I would recommend
always using the propeller cage when flying indoors.
Question #8: Should I get the Mavic Mini or Mavic Air?
If you can afford it, get the Mavic Air.
It has much better video quality shooting 4K at 100Mbps rather than the Mavic Mini’s
2.7K at 40Mbps.
The Air handles wind better than the Mini, has obstacle avoidance sensors in the front
and back, and has more intelligent flight modes.
However, if you’re on a budget, I would recommend the Mavic Mini combo rather than
the Mavic Mini by itself because the combo comes with three batteries and a propeller
cage, which you will likely need.
Question #9: How accurate is the Return to Home Point function?
And does it return automatically when the drone loses connection or battery gets low?
The Return to Home button works very well and is similar to other DJI drones.
It will rise to the altitude set and return to home, landing
within a couple meters of the takeoff point.
And yes, when the battery is low, the Mavic Mini will return to home.
But when the Mavic Mini loses connection, it will not come home automatically.
For that, I use the controller, bringing the Mini toward me until it gains signal again.
This is one reason why you should make sure to always keep the Mavic Mini in a line of
sight.
And just to be clear, you can fly the Mavic Mini with just the controller and no device.
Question #10: Because it doesn’t have landing gear, is there a problem landing the Mini
in grass?
Or is it better to hand land it?
I would recommend landing the Mavic Mini in your hand.
Make sure your arm is stretched out and the Mini is directly above
your hand when landing.
Also make sure your hand and fingers make a straight, flat landing surface for the Mini.
This is much easier and safer for landing the Mini than trying to catch it with your
hand.
If you take off in grass or sand, however, I recommend using the PGYTech Landing Gear
Extensions for the DJI Mavic Mini, so your gimbal and camera aren’t damaged during
takeoff or landing.
A link to this inexpensive landing gear is in the description below.
Question #11: Is the Mavic Mini kid friendly?
At what age could a kid fly a Mavic Mini?
Yes, the Mavic Mini is kid friendly.
However, it depends on the age and maturity of your
child.
If your drone is .55 pounds or more at takeoff, meaning you fly with a propeller cage or other
accessory, the person who registers the drone must be at least 13 years old.
So if your child is younger than 13, I would advise being with them every time they fly
the drone.
If they are 13 years or older, I would use your best judgement.
You know your child best.
If you bought your son or daughter my DJI Drone Pro video course, and they followed
the safety precautions in my course, they will be able to fly without crashing or running
into other problems.
With that said, at the very least, I would recommend watching your child fly the first
few times before allowing them to fly on their own.
Question #12: How is the signal strength?
How far can you realistically fly the Mavic Mini in the city?
Country?
Since the Mavic Mini runs on enhanced wifi, it can’t go as far as other DJI drones that
use Occusync or Lightbridge.
I have noticed that when flying my Mavic Mini, I can go a lot farther when I use the Mini
by itself than when I fly with the propeller cage on.
Leave a comment below if you’ve had a similar or different experience.
I recommend always doing a compass calibration before flying the Mavic Mini, and make sure
there are no obstacles, such as big buildings or trees between you and the drone.
This will help ensure you have the best signal strength possible where you are flying.
In a city or in the countryside with lots of trees, I usually get about a quarter mile
or so and then the drone starts getting a weak signal.
Question #13: Can I fly the Mavic Mini at high altitudes?
While it is snowing?
I have flown my Mavic Mini in the mountains of Vermont, which are a few thousand feet
above sea level, and I haven’t had much of a problem.
I tried flying in snow for a few minutes and a warning popped up on my screen in the DJI
Fly app.
When I landed the drone, I noticed the snow moisture had accumulated on the drone, motors
and propellers.
In the same conditions, with my Mavic 2, the propellers whisked away the moisture because
they were strong and fast enough to do so.
Thus, I wouldn’t recommend flying the Mavic Mini if there is any snow or precipitation
outside.
Question #14: How good is the Mavic Mini flying over water?
I’ve flown low over water at least a dozen times with my Mavic Mini and I haven’t had
a problem.
This has included all sorts of weather.
With that said, I would always keep the drone in close sight when flying over water, and
wouldn’t do so on a windy day.