Is the DJI Mavic Mini the Best Starter Drone?

There are many ways you could sell DJI’s Mavic Mini to someone. It’s an incredibly small drone. It’s a respectable drone for film and photography. It’s easy to learn and fun to fly. It’s relatively inexpensive for the features you get. As someone who does video and photography on a regular basis for work, I saw this as a perfect starter drone.
I’ve been a fan of the Mavic series since the beginning, and I was completely sold on the Mavic 2 Pro when it was released. I even declared it the best consumer drone on the market after our review. It still holds that title, though the Autel EVO II Series has me excited. The Mavic Mini looked, in both specs and form, to be exactly what its name implies: it’s a smaller version of the Mavic.

Miniaturized

Just by looking at the Mavic Mini, you can tell DJI was aiming to make it look like the Mavic 2. I love that about it. This was a great move because people do truly love the Mavic 2 series. The controller and handling is quite similar too—though I wouldn’t recommend flying it in trying weather conditions. This is most definitely a fair-weather drone for many reasons.

Key to the Mavic Mini’s success is going to rely on its weight. At 249 g (without the propeller guards), it falls just underneath FAA regulations for registration. Anything bigger needs to be registered for a small fee, so if an accident or law-breaking behavior were to occur, the owner of the drone could be located. Since this doesn’t require that extra bit of legwork to keep your flights legal, it is a much more accessible drone for everyday individuals.