The DJI Mini 4 Pro is the first Mini with telescopic vision in every direction

Now that Skydio has exited the consumer drone business and will never sell me the miniature self-flying drone of my dreams, I’m looking at DJI instead. The fancy marketing for the recently announced $759 DJI Mini 4 Pro suggests we’re at least on the way — as it’s the first Mini with omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

The 2022 Mini 3 Pro could already see forward, backward, and downwards, but… we crashed it into a tree too fast. The binocular vision in every direction is a potentially big upgrade if it works well, and the smaller wingspan than the Air may also help it fit between trees and/or branches.

I can’t vouch for its tree-dodging yet, but Vazaren has one to test now:

In many ways, the Mini 4 Pro brings the Mini 3 Pro pretty much on par with the larger, more expensive $1,099 DJI Air 3. It already had the same main camera (1/1.3-inch, 48-megapixel, f/1.7 with 82-degree FOV) and the same battery life of over 40 minutes, but now with omnidirectional obstacle avoidance, 100fps 4K shooting (and 200fps 1080p shooting), and adds Ocusync 4 video transmission for a 20km range (up from the 12km that the Air already had).

Like the Mini 3 Pro, you can expect a solid half an hour of battery life from the included battery or about 40 minutes of battery life with the larger “Intelligent Flight Battery Plus”, although the latter is available in Europe this time. Not sold in because it exceeds the weight given above. Allowed 249 grams. And while DJI is also advertising “True Vertical Shooting” as a big selling point of the Mini 4 Pro, the Mini 3 Pro (and the $469 Mini 3 for that matter) already has it.

The Mini 3 is also DJI’s affordable battery champion, taking four to six minutes longer to charge, depending on which battery you put in.

You’re still looking at the Air or better off if you need more speed, as it climbs and descends twice as fast as the Mini’s poky five meters per second. (On straightaways the Air is only 25 percent faster.) And yes, the Air has a second f/2.8 70mm-equivalent telephoto camera for more flexibility.

If you have a Mini 3 Pro or are stocking up on accessories, you’ll be happy to hear that the Mini 4 Pro uses the same battery – but it requires a new controller due to the advanced Ocusync 4 video transmission.