DJI Mavic Mini

The DJI Mavic Mini is a lightweight drone that you don't have to register, but spotty connectivity makes it hard to recommend wholeheartedly.

While pricier DJI drones have more features and a higher resolution camera, the Mavic Mini offers enough endurance and ease-of-use, and a compelling price tag. It's the drone to get when you just want to fly something around.

Although it omits some key features in order to hit its low weight and price, the Mavic Mini is nevertheless a great starter drone for those who want decent video and photos under £400 / $400.

If you don't need to shoot 4K video, the Mavic Mini remains one of the best beginner-friendly drones you can buy. It's since been succeeded by the 4K-shooting DJI Mini 2, but the Mavic Mini otherwise offers a very competitive blend of portability, image quality, price and convenience. It weighs no more than five golf balls, lasts a solid 30 minutes in the air, and fits into a large jacket pocket when folded down. Only that lack of 4K video and object-tracking powers show its age.

For what it is – a 249g drone that captures 2.7k video and fits in the palm of your hand, nothing comes close to the Mavic Mini. Its footage is stable, battery life exceptional and the drone is portable too. We would have loved 4K capture, object tracking and more control over the look of our footage, but irrespective, the Mavic Mini is an excellent drone in a league of its own thanks to its weight and the fact it won’t need to be registered with your local authorities.