DJI’s Mini Pro 5 drone is the first in the series with a 1-inch sensor

DJI’s flagship Mini 5 Pro consumer drone has arrived, the first in the series to use a 1-inch sensor camera that improves low-light video. Almost all other features have been updated, including obstacle detection, range, theme tracking, and more – all of which are the same price as their predecessors for about the same price Mini 4 Pro. I’ve had enough time to give me some quick ideas (to be fully reviewed later), but so far, DJI seems to have surpassed myself again.

The Mini 5 Pro is slightly larger and higher than the Mini 4 Pro, but it is still below 250g (249.9 to be exact), so you don’t need a license to fly. A key new feature is the lidar sensor installed in the nose to detect and avoid obstacles when flying at night with light as low as 1 lux, while allowing RTH (return home) even without GPS signals. It also has six OMNI sensors that can detect obstacles in all directions to ensure the drone remains safe during flights in ActiveTrack 360 and other types of narrow areas.

The camera Nacelle is significantly larger and can accommodate a 1-inch 50MP sensor, which is a big step forward for the 1/1.3-inch sensor on the Mini 4 Pro. Same size as sensor 3s in the airbrings improved low light energy and finer details to lower drones. However, the video resolution only slightly increased from the Mini 4 Pro to 4K at a maximum of 120 fps, up from the previous 100 fps.

Capturing with 10-bit D-Logm, it promises dynamic range up to 14 stops for easier grading. The additional resolution also allows DJI to increase scaling to 2x without any significant resolution loss. The company has also added enhanced portrait mode to optimize performance of brightness, contrast and skin tone at the company’s best-selling level Pocket 3 World Cam.

Now, the world can accommodate up to 225 degrees to allow real vertical video and let users capture the rotated footage while providing support for smart modes such as QuickShot rotation, time loss, spotlight and Waypoint flight. DJI also upgraded its ActiveTrack 360 feature to track subjects while making camera movements safer and more stable while balancing speed and agility. Specifically, DJI said it provides “more agile response and keeps the target firmly locked” during cycling.

Using smart flight batteries plus battery life has been increased to 36 minutes or 52 minutes (available in the US, but available in Europe and elsewhere). However, using a two-way charging hub and a DJI 65W portable charger, its three-battery (38.3 minutes per battery) charges just 115 minutes (38.3 minutes per battery). In Europe, the maximum transmission distance through the DJI O4+ system does not change in the United States (12.4 miles) or 10 kilometers.

Mini 5 Pro ships with standard RC-N3 controllers or RC-2 screen controllers appear first in DJI AIR 3 Medium-sized Drone. If you can afford it, I recommend using the RC-2 ($129 added price) because it is more convenient and the screen is bright enough to use on sunny days.

I received a Mini 5 Pro in Fly, which includes three batteries, a charger and RC-2 screen controller, as well as an additional propeller and ND filter kit and flew it a few times to briefly test video quality and ActiveTrack 360 features. So far, I’ve been impressed. Video and photo quality is significantly improved, with lower noise, clearer details and more accurate color rendering. When shooting with the D-Logm setting, the dynamic range is also higher in sunny conditions.

By far, the biggest difference seems to be shooting at dusk. In videos where the Mini 4 Pro is too much in noise or spots due to noise reduction, the Mini 5 Pro offers relatively clean videos until ISO 3200 or even ISO 6400. Most importantly, for many shooters, the cityscape at night is much cleaner than before, with details, less noise and a cleaner saturated color than the previous model.

My short test of DJI’s new LiDAR and ActiveTrack 360 features also succeeded. The Mini 5 Pro does a better job of avoiding beautiful branches than before, and when I manually set the camera angle, its algorithm takes it to a smooth and safe trajectory. The result is a smoother, more fun shot of someone walking and running around the trees. By night, the lidar does do well to keep the drone away from obstacles, but I find it too conservative. For example, there are no obstacles at one time except for the wall, and it refuses to move in any direction.

Battery life, noise levels and other factors still need to be tested, but so far, the Mini 5 Pro looks like a solid successor to the Mini 4 Pro, which sells like a hot cake. DJI once again hasn’t officially released drones in the US, but like DJI’s Microphone 3, it can be offered after major retailers like Amazon. It is available in Europe for €799/£689 with battery, 999/£869 combined with DJI RC-N3 Controller, and 1,129/£979 in the same combination as the RC-2 Controller. More information about our pricing will be released as soon as it becomes available.