- HanJin
DJI, a Chinese technology company, is a famous brand in the drone industry. They offer various drones catering to various needs and budgets. The DJI Mini 2 vs Phantom 4 Pro are two of the most popular drones offered by the company.
In this article, Lucidcam will discuss the main diffrence of DJI Mini 2 and Phantom 4 Pro
Table of Contents
DJI Phantom 4 Pro
PROS
- Long-distance control.
- Return-to-home.
- Forward and rear obstacle detection.
- Automated flight modes
- Mode for high-performance sport.
- 24mm lens.
- Subject recognition and tracking.
- 60fps 4K video.
- 20MP raw and JPG images
- 1-inch sensor camera.
CONS
- Pricey.
- Side sensors are limited in their functionality.
- Camera control requires a smartphone or tablet.
DJI MIni 2
PROS
- Shoot 4K video
- Controller upgraded, stronger, and easier to use
- For better communication, an upgraded transmission system
CONS
- It is more expensive than the original
- Night-time use not recommended
DJI Mini 2 vs Phantom 4 Pro
Design
DJI MIni 2
- Compact, foldable, and fits easily in your hand
- Standard DJI fold out arms
- Simple press buttons for a sturdy controller
The controller’s change made to the Mini 2 package is hard to emphasize enough. Mini’s original design was a fold-out plastic model with a videogame feel.
The Mini 2 design is heavier and more robust. The toggles are located on the front, along with the RTH/pause and three flight mode switches.
There are also two small function buttons. It is clean and resembles a drone, and gives the operator confidence.
With its fold-out arms, the drone is a copy of the Mavic Mini. DJI claims that this drone can last 31 minutes on a single battery. However, in practice, the return to home function kicks in at 25% power and allows for only 23 minutes of flight time per charge.
Fly More Combo is a great option as it includes three batteries, which allows for well over an hour of flight time.
The controller’s 5,20000mAh battery provides enough power. However, it can get some time to charge.
Another point is that the SD card is located at the rear of the drone. It is therefore easy to find.
A USB-C port can also be used to charge the drone on the hoof. The Mini 2 does not have forward or reverse obstacle avoidance sensors, but it has a few underneath that will detect the ground when it lands.
DJI Phantom 4 pro
The Phantom 4 Pro is a copy of the Phantom 4 Pro’s predecessor. It’s a large drone that has a distinctive curved body with landing legs.
The drone’s flying time has been greatly improved by the aerodynamic body. A fully charged battery can last the Phantom 4 Pro for 30 minutes. The assembly of the Phantom 4 Pro is identical to before, with a few modifications to the propeller installation.
The powerful brushless motors help you to stabilize and accelerate your aircraft. There are also LED lights under each arm that indicate flight status and flash in specific ways to assist with troubleshooting any problems.
The real improvements are made underneath the hood, however. DJI has added an internal measurement unit, sonar sensor and a downward-facing cam to improve the quadcopter’s hover stability and flight performance.
This is an amazing improvement on the Phantom 4, which was already known for its stability and quality of flight.
For better hovering and flight position accuracy, the drone can connect to up to 24 satellites using both GPS and GLONASS. These satellite connections combined with internal programming will enable the drone to be aware of its point-of-take and return safely home.
Another cool feature that is great for beginners is an automatic take-off and landing. If you’re a newbie, you may change the pace and distance the drone goes to prevent losing sight. This drone can be lost almost in an instant thanks to its smart return home mode.
All in all, When it comes to design, the Mini 2 and Phantom 4 Pro are quite different. The Phantom 4 Pro is bigger and more powerful, while the Mini 2 is considerably smaller and more compact.
Both drones have their own distinct features and advantages, so it all comes down to what you’re looking for in a drone.
The Mini 2 is an excellent choice if you want something tiny and lightweight. If you want greater power and longer flying periods, the Phantom 4 Pro is a superior option.
Size and Portability
Phantom 4 Pro
The Phantom 4 Pro is a medium-sized consumer drone. It measures just under 14 inches diagonally without propellers.
It measures 23.5 inches with the props. It’s super simple to put in and take out the props. All you have to do is press down and twist. It’s the perfect size and portability for my Inspire 1 Pro.
The Mavic Pro is smaller than it due to its larger body and the fact it doesn’t fold down, but it’s still portable and easy to use than the Inspire 1 Pro. Because the camera is always attached, it’s ready to go.
DJI mIni 2
The Mini 2 is, as its name implies, very small. The Mini 2 weighs in at 242 grams, including the battery, propellors and micro SD card.
You can carry it around in your purse, jacket pocket or on the water bottle sleeves of a backpack. If you need extra protection, you can purchase a separate case.
Battery Life
You’re likely to have experienced flying a drone before and know how important battery life is. You want your drone can fly as long as possible without needing to recharge the batteries.
The maximum flight time for the Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian is 30 minutes. This is quite long. To extend your flight time, I recommend buying at least one additional battery for any drone you purchase. I always have extra batteries for my Mavic and Inspire 1 Pro because I don’t want to miss a shot due to low batteries.
DJI also uses an advanced battery management system to prevent the battery from draining and overcharging. The batteries will also discharge power if they are stored for a long time.
You might consider buying a charging hub if you have multiple batteries. This will allow you to place all your batteries on it, and the hub will automatically charge the next one once it is fully charged.
According to DJI’s website, the Intelligent Flight Battery in Mini2 lasts for 31 minutes
Camera
Phantom 4 Pro
This is where the Phantom 4 Pro truly stands out from the competition and its predecessor. DJI also improved the camera, making professional photographers swoon.
This camera features a new 1-inch image sensor, almost four times larger than the Phantom 4’s sensor. This will result in sharper and more detailed photos and videos. This camera can record RAW and JPG images at 20 megapixels and 4k videos at 60 frames per second.
For still images, the ISO range is 100-12800, and for videos, it’s 100-6400. This means that recording in poor light or with fast-moving objects shouldn’t be an issue when taking photos.
A mechanical shutter is also included on the camera to reduce the jello effect caused by fast-moving objects. The aperture control ranges from f/2.8 up to f/11, which gives you more options to capture better images in low-light environments.
DJI is a leader in videography. You can capture 4k footage at 60 frames per second using a bitrate of 100mbps. This allows for high-quality slow-motion footage.
There are many options for recording, and you can choose to downgrade to the 2.7k format if 4k files seem too large. All these settings can be recorded in both h.264 or h.265 codecs.
It is impossible to list all possible frame rates and resolutions, but it is a vast amount. The quality is comparable to Hollywood.
The 3 Axial Gimbals offer exceptional stability for recording footage, even when the sports mode is on. This is quite impressive. It uses the most recent stabilization technology, and with its own dampers, it produces smooth, distortion-free images.
Mini 2
The Mini 2’s 1/2.3 inch sensor captures 12Mp photos at 30fps and 4K video at 40fps. Pilots now have the option to save their photos in JPG or RAW formats.
Zoom can be used to enhance your photos. Zooming at 1080p resolution allows you to zoom 2X losslessly and then up to 4X with lossy digital zoom.
You can capture 2X lossy zoom when shooting in 4K. This is a basic shot in fully automatic mode. (Sorry, no edits. You can shrink/crop the image to 1920×1080.
In short, The Mini 2 and Phantom 4 Pro both have great cameras, but there are some differences to consider.
The Mini 2 has a 12-megapixel camera, while the Phantom 4 Pro has a 20-megapixel camera. The Phantom 4 Pro also has a longer flight time and a higher top speed.
Flight Performance & Range
The Phantom 4 Plus’s flight performance is excellent. It is responsive and easy to use. It can travel 45 miles an hour, but that assumes there is no wind.
You can fly faster if it is windy and you follow the wind’s direction.
This should be enough speed for most people’s needs. While shooting video, I rarely find myself wanting to go faster with my drones.
It would be difficult to see if I was following a car or anything else. I have also been able to follow boats with my Inspire 1 before, but 45 MPH is quite fast.
I find it more important than the drone can fly at 31 MPH and avoid all obstacles. This means that the drone can still avoid obstacles even when you fly at high speed. This is a huge plus for me!
The Phantom 4 Pro’s HD Lightbridge video transmission system is the best for range. The system uses Time Division Multiplexing, which allows us to send and receive controller signals at the same frequency.
The Phantom 4 Pro continuously evaluates local signal levels to determine the frequency that will transmit the least interference.
Although this may seem like a lot of technical information, it allows the Phantom 4 Pro a maximum video transmission range (4.3 miles, 7km).
There are no extenders or modifications required for the connection. This range assumes the best flight conditions and line of sight.
While I don’t fly the drone very far from me, I am a safe and conservative pilot. You should always follow the flight rules in the area where you fly.
DJI Mini 2’s maximum transmission range is 10[2] km[3], a 150% increase over the original Mavic Mini. The upgraded motors offer 31 minutes of flight, faster acceleration, speed, and the ability to withstand winds as high as 24 mph.
Intelligent Flying Modes
Phantom 4 Pro
There are many intelligent flight modes available on the Phantom 4 Pro. The draw can be used to draw a path on your screen. The drone will then follow the path with its altitude locked. ActiveTrack allows you to select a subject, and the Phantom 4 Pro will follow that path.
However, I want to highlight the new Return to Home feature. It records and tracks your flight path so that it can return home safely.
Mini 2
The drone can capture beautiful footage using a pre-programmed intelligent mode. This allows the drone to do the hard work with preset movements and imaging features. These pre-set modes will make your content stand out in just one tap.
- QuickShots: Preprogrammed images and movements.
- Dronie: DJI Mini 2 flies backward and upwards while the camera tracks your subject. You can set a height limit of 40 to 60 feet, 80 to 100 feet, or 120 feet.
- Helix: DJI Mini 2 flies up and away, spiraling around you. You can set a height limit of 40 to 60 feet, 80 to 100 feet, or 120 feet.
- Rocket: DJI Mini 2 takes off straight into the air, with the camera pointed downwards, following your subject. You can set a maximum height limit of 40, 60 or 80 feet.
- Circle: DJI Mini 2 will circle your subject at constant altitude and distance.
- Boomerang: DJI Mini 2 flies an oval-shaped boomerang-shaped flight path around your subject. It also starts and stops the video at the same spot.
- Pano Modes: Get a better view with selected pano modes.
- Sphere: DJI Mini 2 automatically captures 26 images and stitches them together to create a crystal clear image.
- 180deg: Captures seven photos for sweeping landscape images.
- Wide-Angle: This captures a wide 3×3 image that consists of nine images.
- Image modes: Different photo modes for different scenarios.
- A Triple Shot: Auto Exposure bracketing (AEB) takes three images with varying exposures and merges them to create a vivid image. You can edit this image to create a High Dynamic Range HDR image in post-processing.
- Timed shots: Take a few extra seconds to take that shot with timed shots.
Conclusion
After evaluating both the Mini 2 and the Phantom 4 Pro, we’ve concluded that the Phantom 4 Pro is the superior drone. It is more expensive, but the extra money is well worth it for the things it provides. The Phantom 4 Pro has a better camera, longer flight time, and is easier to fly.
Lucidcam hopes this blog will be useful for you when choosing a suitable drone for yourself.
