DJI Mini 5 Pro just dropped—bigger sensor, longer battery, and features that will blow your mind! Discover how this powerful compact drone gives stunning photos, smart navigation, and unbeatable flight time.
DJI is back with another winner! After the huge success of OSMO Pocket 3 earlier this year, a pocket-shaped camera with a huge sensor that took the quality of mobile video to the next level, DJI is now bringing similar innovation for its best-selling portable drone lineup.
Meet the DJI Mini 5 Pro, which packs the brand’s first compact drone with a 50-megapixel one-inch-type sensor, a big step from the 1/1.3-inch sensor of the Mini 4 Pro. With a sensor size of 15.19 x 11.11 mm, it is more than double the area of its predecessor, allowing it to catch more light and expansion. The DJI claims that this means that an impressive 14 stops of the dynamic range allow you to shoot in challenging lighting positions without losing highlight or shade.
DSLR-level imaging in a mini drone
According to DJI, the new sensor can provide a slightly better image quality than one of the DJI Air 3S, which is larger than last year. Expect “extended portrait performance” in the close range, “better glowing in shadow areas,” and yet natural details in the leaf—without oversfing issues that were sometimes near the Air 3S.
Credit: Meet DJI Mini 5 Pro
Long flights without extra weight
The Mini 5 Pro offers two additional minutes of flight time over its predecessor—36 min 34—while holding the weight under the important 250-gram sign, which helps to avoid strict drone rules in many countries. For those pursuing maximum airtime, an alternative extended battery allows the drone to fly for 52 minutes, making it the longest-flying non-industrial DJI drone! However, extended batteries will not be available in Europe to follow local weight restrictions.
Smarter Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance
The Mini 5 Pro continues to borrow from the Air series of DJI. It now includes an upgraded low-light barrier avoidance system, which has lidar sensors at the front, which helps the drone to return home safely at night. It can also miss flight routes, allow safe takeoff, and still return when no satellite signal is available.
Speed, shooting, and storage upgrade
Want more speed? The Mini 5 Pro climbs 10 meters per second (22 mph), and the Mini 4 flies horizontally at 42 mph, surpassing the capabilities of the 4 Pro. You will also find 4K in 120 FPS recording, as well as 12800 in a comprehensive ISO range for standard shots and 3200 in HDR for more flexibility and 3200 in D-Log Mode.
The drone now stores the 42GB video internally, a huge upgrade on the previous mini that depended on the small memory card. It also supports Wi-Fi 6, allowing download speeds up to 100 MB/s, even if the overall transmission range does not change much.
A sign of telephoto power
Trying to mimic the double camera system of the wind, the Mini 5 Pro introduces a new 48 mm made-tile mode, which offers a digital zoom for close shots. Although it does not match the 70 mm optical zoom of the Air, the result is similar to the 2x digital zoom on the OSMO Pocket 3, which users have found surprisingly useful.
Fresh features inspired by other drones
The Mini 5 Pro also lends some cool facilities from other DJI drones. It gets a 225-degree roll gimbal like the one on the Mavic 4 Pro, which allows for more creative filming angles beyond vertical shots. In addition, it is now automatically on the powers when you reveal its arms—a clean facility inspired by DJI Flip.
However, it does not expect it to perform quick shots without a controller, which is still reserved for high-end models.
But ... can you really buy it?
There is a big grip here. Like the Air 3S and Mavic 4 Pro, availability is a major issue. DJI did not officially sell the Mini 5 Pro in the United States, nor will it launch a dedicated product page. Review units are not being offered, and when you can find limited stock on other retailers, shipments can withstand customs restrictions.
Therefore, while DJI offers a group of Mini 5 Pro upgrades—large sensors, long battery life, smart navigation, and new filming tricks—it can not be so easy to get your hands on one, at least in America.