DJI could be about to launch a sequel to its smallest and cheapest drone, with strong hints pointing towards the imminent arrival of the DJI Mavic Mini 2.
If you're not familiar with the original DJI Mavic Mini, it arrived in November 2019 and quickly became one of the best drones for beginners, thanks to its smart design and the fact that its 249g body cheekily dipped 1g below the weight required for registration with civil aviation authorities.
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Given that drone arrived less than a year ago, it'd be something of a surprise to see a DJI Mavic Mini 2 so soon, but that's what a new FCC (Federal Communications Commission) filing in the US strongly suggests.
The new filing, picked up by DJI drone pilot @OsitaLV on Twitter, shows a new device's battery with the placeholder name "Camera Drone" and a model number that is very similar to the original Mavic Mini.
That isn't the only clue the filing gives us either – on the FCC site, a document contains the battery information and a basic look at the back of the drone. If you compare this with the current Mavic Mini, there's certainly a strong similarity (as you can see in the comparison further down).
So this is so called Mavic Mini 2, they share the same design.Oh, it has Bluetooth, 2.4/5.8G WiFi and 2.4/5.8G without the WiFi sign.P.S. the model name of original Mavic mini is MT1SS5 and MT1SD25 (sales in Europe and Japan). pic.twitter.com/nRm3ZwfxyLOctober 6, 2020
The filing suggests the Mavic Mini 2's battery will be a similar size to its predecessor's and the new drone will also likely use Enhanced Wi-Fi for connectivity. We found the Mavic Mini disconnected from its controller at around 60 meters away, so it'll be interesting to see if this range can be improved on the new model.
So what new features might the DJI Mavic Mini 2 bring? DJI is probably going to be slightly hamstrung by the need to keep the drone's weight at 249g (or below) due to legislation in countries like the US and UK. The latter states that drones weighing 250g or more need to be registered with civil aviation authorities.
This means the Mavic Mini 2 could well be a minor upgrade, though one obvious improvement would be the inclusion of 4K video shooting. One of the biggest limitations of the current Mavic Mini is that it lacks the ability to shoot 4K or 2.7K/60p video, so a boost in that department seems highly likely.
We'd also love to see it get the object tracking powers seen in more powerful drones like the DJI Mavic Air 2. This would be a good fit for such a beginner-friendly drone, though whether it's a step too far for a $399 / £369 / AU$599 model (assuming it has a similar price tag to the Mavic Mini) isn't yet clear. Judging by the FCC filing, which normally points to an imminent launch, we won't have to wait long to find out.
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