DJI Mavic mini vs DJI Mavic air vs DJI spark: specification comparison

ByAdan Flannigan 2019-08-19 20221

Before DJI new product - DJI Osmo Mobile 3 release, we all expected the new drone will launch. After all, DJI is the lead of drone manufacture in Chinese, even in the world. Rumors that DJI will combine the DJI Mavic series and DJI spark series. So the DJI Mavic Mini is probably the combination of DJI Mavic air 2 and DJI Spark 2. As the specifications of new DJI drone, let’s make a caparison with these three drones, DJI mavic Mini, DJI Mavic air and DJI Spark

DJI Mavic mini vs DJI Mavic air vs DJI spark: Drone

Aircraft	DJI Mavic Mini	DJI Mavic air	DJI Spark
Takeoff Weight	249 g	430 g	300 g
Dimension	Folding:140 × 82 × 57 Unfolding:160 × 202× 55	Folding:214 × 91 × 84 Unfolding:322 × 242 × 84	143 × 143 × 55 mm
Diagonal Distance (propellers excluded)	213mm	213 mm	170 mm
Max Ascent Speed	4 m/s (S mode )	4 m/s (S mode )	3 m/s (S mode )
Max Descent Speed	3 m/s ( S Mode)	3 m/s (S mode)	3 m/s (S mode )
Max Speed	46.8km/h (S mode)	68.4km/h (S mode)	50 km/h(S mode )
Max Service Ceiling Above Sea Level	3,000 m	5,000 m	4,000 m
Max Flight Time	30 minutes	21 minutes	16 minutes
Max Hovering Time	/	20 minutes	15 minutes
Operating Temperature Range	0°C to 40°C	0°C - 40°C	0°C - 40°C
Satellite Positioning Systems	GPS+GLOSNASS	GPS+GLONASS	GPS+GLONASS
Hovering Accuracy Range	Vertical: +/- 0.1m (when Vision Positioning is active Horizontal: +/- 0.1m (when Vision Positioning is active or +/1.5m	Vertical: ± 0.1 m (when visual positioning is working normally) Horizontal: ± 0.1 m (when visual positioning is working normally)	Vertical: ± 0.1 m (when visual positioning is working normally) Horizontal: ± 0.3 m (for normal positioning during visual positioning)
Transmitter Power (EIRP)	2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz		2.4 - 2.4835 GHz
Operating Frequency	2.400 – 2.483 GHz; 5.725 – 5.825 GHz	2.400 - 2.4835 GHz;5.725 - 5.850 GHz	2.412 - 2.462 GHz;5.745 - 5.825 GHz

In this table we can see, there is no difference in operating temperature range, satellite positioning systems. While on the size, the DJI Mavic mini size is smaller than DJI Mavic Air and Spark. Though the diagonal distance, max speed and maximum takeoff altitude are the same as DJI Mavic Air. The speed time has improve to 9 minutes, compare to Mavic Air’ 21 minutes.

DJI Mavic mini vs DJI Mavic air vs DJI spark: Gimbal

Gimbal	DJI Mavic Mini	DJI Mavic air	DJI Spark
Controllable Range	–90° to 0°	-90° to 0°	85° to 0°
Stabilization	3-axis mechanical (pitch, roll, yaw)	3-axis mechanical head (pitch, roll, pan)	2-axis mechanical head (pitch, roll)
Obstacle Sensing Range	0.2–10m	0.5 to 12 m	0.2 to 5 m
Operating Environment	/	rich surface texture, sufficient lighting conditions size > 20 × 20 cm reflectivity of> 20% (e.g., walls, trees, people, etc.)	surface is diffuse material Size > 20×20 cm Reflectivity > 20% (such as wall, trees, people, etc.)

In terms of the gimbal, the parameters of DJI Mavic mini is more close to DJI Mavic. While the stabilization is 3-axis mechanical. It seems this new drone will be more stable when flying. In the Obatance Sensing Range, DJI Mavic Mini has large improvement.

DJI Mavic mini vs DJI Mavic air vs DJI spark: Camera

Camera	DJI Mavic Mini	DJI Mavic air	DJI Spark
Sensor	1/2.3″ CMOS, Effective pixels 12MP	1/2.3″ CMOS, Effective pixels 12MP	1/2.3″ CMOS, Effective pixels 12MP
Lens	FOV 83° (35mm format equivalent) f/2.8	FOV 85° (24mm format equivalent) f/2.8	FOV 81.9° (25mm format equivalent) f/2.6
ISO Range	Video:100–3200 (Auto) Photo:100–1600(Auto) 100 -3200 (Manual)	Video: 100-1600 Photo: 100–1600	Video: 100–3200 Photo: 100 - 3200
Electronic Shutter Speed	4–1/8000s	8 - 1/8000 s	2 - 1/8000 s
Image Size	4:3:4000×3000 16:9: 4000 x 2250	4:3: 4056×3040 16:9: 4056×2280	3968×2976
Still Photography Modes	Single Shot Interval 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s	Single shot ,multi-shot (BURST): 3/5/7 sheets Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3/5 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV bias, Interval 2/3/5/7/10/15/20 /30/60s	Single Shot, Burst Shooting: 3 frames Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3 bracketed frames at 0.7 EV bias, Interval 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s
Video Resolution	2.7K: 2720×1530 25/30p, FHD: 1920×1080 25/30/50/60P	4K: 3840×2160 24/25/30p 2.7K: 2720×1530 24/25/30/48/50/60p FHD: 1920×1080 24/25/30/48/50/60/120p	1920×1080 30p
Max Video Bitrate	40Mpbs	100Mbps	24 Mbps
Supported File Systems	FAT32 (≤32GB) exFAT(32GB)	FAT32	FAT32
Photo Format	JPEG	JPEG / DNG (RAW)	JPEG
Video Format	MP4 (MPEG–4 AVC/H.264)	MP4 / MOV（H.264/MPEG-4 AVC）	MP4（MPEG-4 AVC/H.264

The cameras of the three drones are all equipped with 1/2.3″ 12Mpx sensors. A few technical elements differentiate the three models, but what will interest us most are the maximum video resolution. The DJI Mavic Mini offers 2.7K at 30 frames per second or 1080p at 60 frames per second.

On the other hand, DJI Mavic Air offers 4K Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 at 30 frames per second. The image quality will certainly be better on the DJI Mavic Air. Mavic Air has 100Mb/s compared to the DJI Mavic Mini which is limited to 40Mb/s. To finish on the video, the Mavic Mini is limited to the MP4 format while the Mavic Air offers MP4 or MOV.

Verdict

Above all, the main specification of three DJI drones comparison. The new DJI drone - DJI Mavic mini didn’t has the same features as DJI Mavic mini. It is more like the improvement version of DJI Spark. While Mavic mini is smaller and lighter. And most important is that the price of DJI Mavic mini is $399, which is the same as DJI Spark, but cheaper than DJI Mavic air.

You may also want to read:

How to update the latest firmware of DJI Mavic Mini with DJI Fly and DJI Assistant 2?

Which countries and regions allow to fly the 249g DJI Mavic Mini?

DJI Mavic Mini drone product photo exposure, DJI Spark discontinued Spark in the store