As with any upcoming DJI drone, leaks abound and there are few surprises left by the time the product is officially unveiled. Now we have the most concrete bit of information about the latest drone straight from the horse’s mouth, after DJI shared a ‘Mini to the Max’ teaser that sets the precise hour and day we’ll almost certainly see the rumored DJI Mini 4 Pro; 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 11pm AEST on September 25.
It's tricky to tell from the teaser image (above) exactly which 'Mini' model that DJI is referring to, but previous rumors have pointed towards a Mini 4 Pro being its next launch. So far, the leaks suggest it'll be an incremental update of the DJI Mini 3 Pro, which has left TechRadar's former Cameras editor wondering if he’ll be sticking with the Mini 3 Pro.
However, any successor to a drone that we rate as the world's best drone for most people would still be a big deal. And if the rumors are correct, there could be enough in this latest model to merit an upgrade or certainly to position it as a top pick for aerial photographers in 2023.
Mini to the Max | 9.25.2023 | 9:00 AM (EDT)Discover More: https://t.co/mWKcbVXe5n pic.twitter.com/HNF85bPRH4September 19, 2023
A mini Air 3?
@Quadro_News is a chief source of DJI leaks and previously shared what appears to be the retail packaging for the DJI Mini 4 Pro (below), highlighting the key improvements this 4th-gen, sub 250g drone could bring.
Chief among them is omnidirectional obstacle sensing, recently seen on the DJI Air 3, which could add obstacle sensing from the sides in addition to what the Mini 3 Pro can already do; detect from the front, behind and below.
There's also the potential for a greater transmission range, up to 20km, which is around double the range of the Mini 3 Pro. That said, most of us wouldn't be able to make use of that greater range, given the legal restrictions in many regions that require you to maintain line-of-sight visibility with your drone.
According to the leaks, we could also get waypoints – a super-handy tool for plotting a flight path – plus an improved 4K slow motion video recording, which will apparently climb up to 100fps, along with some improved HDR video modes.
👉And here's the back of the box with the specs:Weight 249 g✅Omnidirectional Active Obstacle Sensing✅4K/10Ofps HDR Video ✅48 MP Photo ✅True Vertical Shooting✅34-Min Flight✅20km FHD Video Transmission#dji #djimini4pro pic.twitter.com/vXmIessKGESeptember 4, 2023
Put those rumored new features together into a sub-250g drone, and some DJI fans, (including @Quadro_News) are labeling the Mini 4 Pro, as "an Air 3 Mini".
It looks like the main trade-off from the Air 3 would be the loss of a telephoto lens. But the big potential gain, based on the leaks at least, is that the rest of DJI's latest tech – including OcuSync 4.0 that enables the greater transmission range – could be packed into a smaller, single-camera drone (that qualifies for the EU's Open Category A1).
That Air 3 mini label is actually quite the compliment – in our recent in-depth DJI Air 3 review we described it as "a next-level experience for Mini 3 Pro users". But soon, that experience might filtering its way down into DJI's Mini 3 Pro successor, minus the larger model's better wind-resistance and telephoto lens.
👉Truth be told, the new DJI Mini 4 Pro drone is an Air 3 Mini. In any case, it is interesting and will occupy its niche.)#dji #djimini4pro #GameofDrone pic.twitter.com/5zHeYu0QqiSeptember 19, 2023
It has been a particularly active year for DJI, with the launch of the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and Air 3 being some of the best drones so far in 2023. This next product, whether it's the company's first 4th-gen Mini model or something else, looks set to be an exciting offering, too.
If the rumored Mini 4 Pro does get the latest OcuSync 4.0 tech, it will be compatible with the latest remote controllers, the RC 2 and RC-N2. And we'd expect DJI to offer the Mini 4 Pro in a number of different bundles at varying price points, depending which accessories you opt for. This will probably include the usual 'Fly More Combo' that bundles the RC 2 remote controller, and leaked retail pictures suggest the Mini 4 Pro will cost around the same as the Mini 3 Pro at launch, too.
One thing is for sure, there's only a matter of days left until the Mini 4 Pro is officially unveiled, and it will further cement DJI's dominance in the world of drones.
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