The most popular palm-sized drone in America just got better, with a larger sensor, obstacle avoidance system and intelligent flight modes. It’s top-rated by both beginners and experts, and highly recommended by travelers.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
DJI Mini 2 SE - Lightweight and Foldable Mini-Drone
Top-rated: 2,082 ratings | 103 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Tri-directional obstacle sensing for unrivaled safety.
Most helpful review: "This has been one of the most satisfying things I've ever bought. I had no idea what I was doing at first, but managed to get acquainted with it pretty easily with no crashes so far after about a month of almost daily flights.
The video quality is "only" 2.7K, but it's been more than enough for me to get some still-gorgeous videos and pictures of my rural neighborhood. Be sure you use one of the approved micro SD cards though, or you'll have problems, as I discovered.
At first I was trying to fly it without turning off my phone's wifi and bluetooth, and was having all kinds of interference problems. I was actually thinking about returning it, but this was only due to my ineptness and not reading the manual carefully. Now I just put my iphone on airplane mode and all is well. It only needed internet for the first flight to register the drone.
The battery is a little tricky to remove as there isn't much to grab on to, and it fits snugly. There's a risk of it popping out abruptly if you're not careful.
Also, be careful removing the gimbal protector. I was pulling the wrong direction initially and it popped off in a sudden way that I thought I might have destroyed the gimbal and wrecked my drone, but it turned out I was lucky and didn't damage anything.
The battery charges quite quickly if you use a good USB-C charger. I ended up buying the DJI charging hub and a couple more of the intelligent flight batteries, even though the flight time is quite impressive on a fully charged battery. Sometimes I want to fly for more than 20-30 minutes.
I'm Super impressed with the quality. It feels somewhat fragile only because it's so light (240g), but it's really quite sturdy and well-made.
I have seen occasional graphics glitches on the picture streamed to my phone, but they're very minor and in no way affect the perfect video recorded to the SD card and don't threaten control of the drone. They're easy to clear by just turning the drone or the gimbal a little and don't happen often.
My experience with this drone has been so positive, I'm considering getting a mini 3.
A FEW WORDS FROM JASON L. DUNDAN:
I bought the DJI Mini 2 SE after returning to another popular brand that I owned a few weeks prior. This thing is amazing, and such a huge improvement over the first one that I can’t believe what you can get for under $350. Don’t let its size fool you! The Mini 2 SE flies so smoothly and instills such confidence that you will feel like an expert in no time. Wind hasn’t been a problem at all. Battery life is impressive. I have flown well over 20 minutes on a single charge. It’s almost like by the time the battery is done, so am I. The picture and video quality are excellent and I love that I can transfer the footage to my phone right through the app. I then can Airplay the content right to my tv. So easy! Range is excellent due to DJIs proprietary connection between the drone and the controller. I have flown well over 1,000 meters away and never feared that I would lose the drone.
I would suggest watching a few videos first so that you have a fairly good idea of how to get started. Once you fly a few times, you will feel like a pro! I ordered a case and spare battery, as well as a polarized lens attachment with hopes to take some even better footage. Another amazing feature of the Mini 2 SE is that it comes in under 250g and doesn’t require you to register it with the FAA. All that I can say is that if you are thinking about getting this drone, don’t hesitate. It took me buying a different brand first to realize how amazing DiI is and for the price it’s unreal!" — Jason Terry
Get it from Amazon now: $339.00 & FREE Returns
Credit: Amazon.com