Latest news with #Mini4Pro
Tom's Guide
23-05-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the best mini drone — and it's currently $319 off in Memorial Day sales
As Tom's Guide's in-house drones expert and the person responsible for the best drones buying guide, I'm always on the lookout for good deals on drones. These don't come by very often, but I've found a killer deal in this year's Memorial Day sales — and it's on the DJI Mini 4 Pro, the best mini drone money can buy. Currently, the Mini 4 Pro Fly More combo is $1,379 at Walmart. Not only are you getting the drone for $319 off, but you're also getting the RC-2 touchscreen controller, three batteries, a custom hard case, a portable landing pad, a 128GB microSD card, and other goodies. It's too good to be true! The DJI Mini 4 Pro gains iterative improvements that give this tiny drone a robust package that caters to beginners and experienced flyers. What makes the latest in the series outstanding is its improved low light performance, producing usable footage without the noise and grain other mini drones deliver. The Mini 4 Pro Fly More combo normally retails for $1,699 so there's no better time to save on it than now. The drone itself is packed with features catering to both enthusiast and pro flyers. First of all, you don't need to necessarily register the drone with the F.A.A. as it weighs less than 8.78 ounces / 249g. This means that any adult can fly the drone and also travel with it easily. What makes the Mini 4 Pro so easy to fly is the RC-2 controller, included in the discounted bundle. The RC-2 controller is rated at 700 nits of brightness so you can view it in nearly any environment. Its 5.5-inch 1080P touchscreen is highly responsive and provides a smooth, stable transmission feed. And the footage the Mini 4 Pro records is nothing short of stunning, thanks to 4K/60fps HDR capture, as you can see in the sample video above. The drone is equipped with a three-axis mechanical gimbal which ensures footage is stable. This also means that you can pan, tilt and roll as needed. I also love just how clever the Mini 4 Pro is. Featuring DJI's patented ActiveTrack 360° technology, the Mini 4 Pro accurately tracks subjects and powers several intelligent intelligent flight modes (QuickShots) for quick short content creation. And if you stand behind a tree, the drone will remember your last known location and quickly lock back onto you once you're back in the frame. Aerial photography is becoming more and more accessible every day, and mini drones like the Mini 4 Pro make it possible. I, personally, believe that drones can help you be more creative and give you a new perspective on the world when you see it from above. If I were you, I'd snap up this deal as soon as possible. The Mini 4 Pro is a popular drone and rightfully so. It can capture 12MP / 48MP stills, record 4K/60fps footage, and it boasts a respectable flight time of 34 minutes. $319 off the best mini drone is not something we see everyday. There really is no better quadcopter for those who want to take stunning photos and record beautiful scenery.
The Verge
06-05-2025
- The Verge
The company hasn't revealed what model it's announcing on May 13th, 2025, but a
DJI is teasing a spinning triple camera setup on its next drone. teaser video shared to its X account shows a drone with a triple camera array similar to what the DJI Mavic 3 Pro uses. Next week could see the debut of the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, as DroneDJ speculates, with an upgraded stabilized camera system that can roll to facilitate video capture in portrait mode like the DJI Mini 4 Pro.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Yahoo
DJI Flip review: A unique and useful creator drone with a few flaws
After creating a stir with the $200 Neo, DJI is back at it with another innovative drone, the Flip. It has a first-of-a-kind folding design and shrouded propellers to keep people safe. It also integrates 3D infrared obstacle detection to track subjects and has a long list of impressive features. With a camera borrowed from the Mini 4 Pro, the Flip can take high-quality 4K 60p video indoors or out with little risk. It comes with vlogger-friendly features like Direction Track and Quickshots for social media. And it can be flown with either DJI's controllers, a smartphone, voice control or the push of a button. DJI 82 100 Expert Score DJI Flip DJI's Flip drone has an innovative fold-down design with shrouded, people-safe propellers and a high-quality camera. Pros Sharp and smooth 4K video People-safe design Excellent battery life No license needed Cons Obstacle detection is very limited Bulkier than the competition Not great in wind $439 at Amazon There's no need for a permit to fly it, and best of all, it's priced at $439 with an RC-N3 controller included — making it one of the more affordable drones available. To see how well it serves creators, I flew it inside a castle, a 500-year-old house and out in nature. It's not perfect (hello, stiff winds and obstacles), and it has some stiff competition with the HoverAir X1 Pro, but it's one of the most useful creator drones yet. Design The Flip has a clever, user-friendly design. All four propellers fold down and stack below the body like some kind of Star Wars spacecraft. DJI chose this construction so that it could incorporate permanent (rather than detachable) shrouds that protect the props to limit damage or injury in case of a collision. The design also employs large propellers that aid performance and reduce noise. By comparison, DJI's Neo has tiny, fast-spinning propellers that make a high-pitched shrieking noise. Advertisement DJI kept the takeoff weight including battery and microSD card under 250 grams by using carbon fiber and other lightweight materials. This means the Flip can be flown without special permits. It's still rather bulky though, especially compared to the sleek HoverAir X1 Pro. The Flip has far better battery life than its rival, however. DJI promises up to 34 minutes max flight time (about 27 minutes in real-world conditions), compared to just 16 minutes for the X1 Pro. The batteries can be charged up quickly as well, taking about 35 minutes each with the optional four-battery charger. You'll need a memory card, though, as the Flip only has 2GB of internal storage. The Flip is DJI's first lightweight drone with a 3D infrared sensor for forward obstacle avoidance and it also has a downward vision sensor for landing spot detection and stability. However, unlike the Mini 4 Pro and other DJI drones, it has no side or rear obstacle sensors. One small issue is that the Flip's propellers don't have much clearance, so they can snag even in short grass on takeoffs. Like the Neo, though, it's designed more for takeoffs and landings from your hand. To that end, it has a button on the opposite side of the power switch to select a flight mode and takeoff automatically, just like the Neo. It can also be flown with the app, voice control or manually with a controller — either the DJI RC-N3 controller (which requires a smartphone) or the RC 2 controller with a built-in 5.5-inch display. Features and performance DJI Flip drone review: A folding, user-friendly marvel for content creators The Flip can hum along at up to 26 mph in sport mode, which isn't bad for a light drone, but a good bit slower than the Mini 4 Pro (37 mph). However, the reduced weight and large surface area means it's not the best in high winds. When it flew over the roof of a castle, for example, it got hit by a gust that pushed it nearly backwards. Advertisement However, the Flip can do things that you'd never attempt with a Mini 4 Pro. The full propeller protection, stability and relatively low noise make it well-suited for flying inside large rooms full of fragile objects and people. That, along with the excellent picture quality, means it's a great choice for event professionals and content creators working in public spaces. It's also perfect for beginners, because like the Neo, you can launch the Flip off your hand at the push of a button. It will then fly a pre-programmed mode and land back where it started. One of those modes, Direction Track, allows the drone to fly backwards and follow you for vlogging. There's also a follow mode for activities like running and hiking, along with social media-friendly flight modes like Dronie, Rocket, Circle, Helix and Boomerang. Note that video in these automatic modes is limited to 4K 30 fps. At the same time, the Flip is easy to fly manually either with a smartphone or the supported controllers. Though not as maneuverable as the Mini 4 Pro, it's easier for novices to fly and makes a stable camera platform. You do need to be careful in areas with untextured floors (painted concrete, for instance), as it can throw off the Flip's sensors and make it unstable. When that happens, your best bet is to switch it into sport mode to disable the vision-based flight stability sensors (and then fly carefully because obstacle detection will also be disabled). DJI's Flip drone is a folding, user-friendly marvel for content creators Oddly, the Flip doesn't work with DJI's Goggles N3 and Motion 3 controller, unlike the much cheaper Neo. That's because DJI sees it predominantly as a camera drone rather than an acrobatic device. Advertisement If you're hoping to use the Flip to track yourself or others, there's a big issue: It lacks obstacle detection in any direction except forward or down. If you're flying the drone backwards, for instance, you have to make sure there's nothing behind it can crash into. And automatic obstacle avoidance doesn't work at all when you use the Flip's smart features like Direction Track or ActiveTrack, though the drone will stop 10 feet before hitting anything it detects. The lack of that feature is odd, since obstacle avoidance is an important part of subject tracking, and DJI didn't say if it had plans to rectify that issue via a future update. None of this is an issue with the HoverAir X1 Pro, which can track forwards, backwards and even sideways with full obstacle detection enabled. The Flip has excellent range for such a tiny drone at up to eight miles, thanks to DJI's O4 transmission system. At the same time, it can send a high quality 1080p 60 fps video signal that can be recorded to the controller as a backup. However, if you're flying using your smartphone with a Wi-Fi connection, range is limited to just 165 feet. Camera DJI's Flip drone is a folding, user-friendly marvel for content creators Advertisement The cameras are the biggest difference between the Flip and the Neo. The Flip comes with a much larger 1/1.3-inch 48-megapixel sensor and a 24mm-equivalent wide angle F/1.7 lens. It's the same as the one on the Mini 4 Pro and provides sharp, noise-free video in good light. You can shoot 4K video at up to 60 fps (100 fps in slow-mo mode), rather than just 30 fps like the Neo. In addition, the Flip supports 10-bit D-LogM video that allows for improved dynamic range in bright lighting, like on ski slopes. You can also capture 12MP or 48MP RAW (DNG) photos. Video quality is noticeably sharper than on the Neo and the Flip is a far better drone for night shoots or dimly lit indoor settings thanks to the lower noise levels. Though the DJI Air 3S and Mavic 4 offer higher quality due to the larger sensors, there isn't a large difference in good light. Since the Flip has just a single camera, video is noticeably more noisy when using the 2x zoom. Note that when shooting in the automated modes (Direction Track, Dronie, etc.) there is no manual control of the camera to adjust exposure, shutter speed and ISO. The HoverAir X1 Pro has the same-sized 1/1.3-inch sensor and offers very similar video quality (with a log mode as well), though I find DJI's colors to be a touch more accurate. The HoverAir has slightly inferior 4K 60p video unless you spend an extra $200 for the Pro Max version to get 8K 30fps and 4K 120fps. Advertisement With a three-axis gimbal, the Flip shoots silky smooth video even if it's being buffeted by winds. You can choose Follow mode to keep the camera level even when the drone banks, or FPV mode that allows the camera to tilt for a more exciting first-person perspective. Generally, video remains smooth even with sudden maneuvers, while footage from the HoverAir X1 Pro exhibits occasional jolts and janky movements. The Flip's camera doesn't rotate 90 degrees like the one on the Mini 4 Pro, so maximum resolution for vertical video is 2.7K — a step backwards from the 4K 60 fps 9:16 vertical video on the Mini 4 Pro. Wrap-up DJI's Flip drone is a folding, user-friendly marvel for content creators The Flip represents a bold change in direction (and design) for DJI. Unlike open prop drones, it gives creators the ability to shoot indoors and around people with relatively high video quality. And it does this for just $439 — much less than the $759 Mini 4 Pro. However, the Flip isn't perfect, with its main flaws being the reduced maneuverability, problems in wind and lack of obstacle avoidance when using smart modes like ActiveTrack. As I mentioned, DJI also has some serious competition in this category, namely the $500 HoverAir X1 Pro. Both offer features like palm takeoff, intelligent flight modes and subject tracking and have similar quality, but the HoverAir X1 Pro offers rear-side active collision detection, a wider lens and more internal storage. It's also about half the size of the Flip. For its part, the Flip has double the flight time and a much longer transmission range. The choice then depends on what you want. If portability, subject tracking and obstacle avoidance are key, the HoverAir X1 Pro is a better option. Others who prioritize battery life, smoother video and a more established company should choose the Flip. In any case, DJI usually dominates all drone categories, so it's nice to see multiple products facing off in this creator-centric space.
WIRED
28-01-2025
- WIRED
The DJI Flip Drone Is Small, Collapsible, and Impressively Capable
The Fly More Combo also comes with three batteries (each of which gives the Flip up to 31 minutes of flight time) rather than one, a hub able to hold four batteries at once (recharging them consecutively). and a robust shoulder bag able to accommodate itself and all of the above. I think it's well worth the extra outlay if you plan on using the Flip regularly, but those who want a simple, affordable gateway to the world of camera drones can stick with the base package, which includes the Flip, an RC-N3 controller (which attaches to your smartphone), and a single battery. Camera Quality The camera is built around a 48-MP 1/1.3-inch Quad Bayer CMOS sensor capable of recording 4K/60p video in standard modes and 4K/100p video for slow-motion playback. It's mounted on a three-axis gimbal for stability and smooth movement. It can capture still photos in JPEG and/or DNG RAW format at 12-MP or 48-MP resolution, and for video supports HDR, 10-bit D-Log M, and HLG color profiles. Photograph: Sam Kieldsen default That's virtually identical to the camera on the DJI Mini 4 Pro, with the one key difference being the Mini 4 Pro's ability to rotate the camera through 90 degrees to shoot native 4K 16:9 footage for social media and the like; the Flip can shoot 4K 9:16 footage, but only by cropping, which reduces the maximum resolution to 2.7K. The Mini 4 Pro's omnidirectional obstacle avoidance also boosts its camera functionality by supporting better, more responsive subject tracking, including for faster-moving subjects like cars and motorcycles. That's just not possible on the Flip. In terms of video and photo quality, however, it's hard to see much difference between the two models. In comparison to the much pricier DJI Air 3S, sure, the Flip's detail and dynamic range can seem lacking, but for a tiny drone in this price range I have no major complaints about its camera performance. The sample footage I've shot demonstrates its aptitude for strong dynamic range, sharp detail, and engaging, accurate colors; and compared to the DJI Neo the Flip's images are far, far better. People who already own a DJI Mini 3 Pro or Mini 4 Pro probably won't see any advantage in swapping for the Flip. However, it might be the perfect choice for beginners looking to get into drone photography and videography, but who want a bit more quality and versatility than the ultra-affordable DJI Neo offers. In short, the Flip is the best new entry-level drone on the market, and it comes highly recommended.
