With the launch of the Mini 4 Pro, DJI has nailed the recipe for producing premium-level ultralight drones. It comes just 18 months after the superb Mini 3 Pro, but with significant tweaks to the image processing and obstacle avoidance tech, it's undeniably the one to beat.

At under 250 grams in weight, it’s free from many of the rules and regulations that apply to larger models. In the USA there’s no need to register it with the FAA for recreational use, while in the UK (a notoriously difficult place to fly drones), it can be flown pretty freely in public areas. Phew.

Here in the UK, finding a sub-250 gram drone is critical for most amateur pilots. What’s the point in me spending money on a high-performance camera drone like the DJI Mavic 3 (895g) or newer DJI Air 3 (720g) if I risk falling foul of the law every time it takes off? There’s usually a big trade-off here however, with the quality of the camera and safety features decreasing as the drone gets smaller and lighter. Thankfully, the Mini 4 Pro doesn’t feel close to subpar in these areas—even if it doesn’t quite hit the performance heights of its bigger brethren.

Safety First

With up to 34 minutes of flying time on a full charge, the DJI Mini 4 Pro has the same battery life as the Mini 3 Pro. I think it’s a generous amount, even if the real-world air time is closer to 25 minutes than 34. However, those who anticipate long days of shooting with no easy means of recharging would do well to invest in one or two additional batteries (they cost about $65 each).

You could also simply buy the DJI Fly More bundle ($1,159), which comes with the drone, three batteries, a charging cradle that can hold all three at once, an RC 2 controller, and a sturdy shoulder bag to put it all in. This is the version of the drone I was sent to review, and while it’s expensive it does feel like a one-and-done purchase. It's also worth nothing that the RC 2 controller is one of the best I've ever used.

Like most consumer drones, the Mini 4 Pro is flown using a classic twin-stick control method. It’s easy to master—especially with much of the work now done for you via automatic takeoff and landing—and impressively responsive.

Even as a relatively experienced pilot, I love how difficult it is to to crash a DJI drone. This is thanks to its full omnidirectional vision sensor array, which is drone jargon for sensors facing forwards, backwards, downwards, upwards, and to both sides. It's the first time this level of disaster avoidance tech has been seen on an ultralight DJI drone, and I love it. If the Mini 4 Pro senses an imminent collision it will stop immediately in the sky. You'll struggle to even deliberately crash this drone, which is just as it should be.

These sensors also allow the drone to circumvent obstacles when using its autopilot-like ActiveTrack 360 system. Just draw a box around an object—a boat or car for instance—on the controller’s touchscreen and the Mini 4 Pro will autonomously follow it as it moves around, keeping it framed in the camera. I found it useful for making cinematic shots of me riding my bike, and also, impressively, keeping pace with a speedboat through the wake, and it was reassuring to know that the Mini 4 Pro had the brains to stay safe as it tracked.

The vision system isn’t totally foolproof, though. It doesn’t work when flying the drone in its fastest, most responsive Sport setting, which is fair enough, but you’ll also have to exercise some additional care after dark.

Night Moves

But it's worth brushing up on your sundown flying skills, however, thanks to the significant upgrades lavished on the gimbal-stabilized camera. The Mini 4 Pro has the same 1/1.3-inch 48-megapixel Quad Bayer image sensor as the Mini 3 Pro, but processing has been greatly improved. It now matches the Mini 3 Pro’s 4K/60-frames-per-second performance but can also capture super-smooth slow motion in 4K at 100 fps.

Even better, it now has the option to record 10-bit D-Log M video, allowing for greater grading potential in postproduction. I'm still learning when it comes to color grading and correction of drone footage, but I was able to turn my 10-bit aerial footage into something really dynamic and engaging. It’s definitely the best footage I’ve ever seen from an ultralight drone, even if it doesn’t quite hit the levels of detail offered by the larger sensors on the likes of the DJI Mavic 3 or Air 3.

The Mini 4 Pro also offers dual native ISO and a new Night Mode for better-quality video in low light conditions, but, in reality, there’s only so much it can do with a sensor this small. Clarity at night is certainly a step above what the Mini 3 Pro can do, but it can’t escape a hint of smear and noise in the darker areas.

It's also worth mentioning that the camera can be rotated 90 degrees for filming vertical content such as TikTok and Instagram Reels. It's a neat trick, and while I personally find the concept of a tall 9:16 drone video completely alien, I imagine others might relish the added versatility.

Less Is More

For me, the Mini 4 Pro is the first sub-250-gram drone that doesn’t feel like a huge compromise. That’s not to say DJI's previous ultralight efforts have been bad—and it's worth noting that no competitor brands can match DJI right now—but compared to the larger, more expensive Air or Mavic range model, I'd have definitely felt like I was missing out.

But remarkably, that’s not the case with the Mini 4 Pro. Obviously, it’s not quite as good as an Air 3 or Mavic 3 camera-wise, but it’s edged close enough that that FOMO isn’t being felt as keenly. I’d happily choose a Mini 4 Pro as my everyday drone for aerial photography and video. It’s effortless and safe to fly, easy to carry, can be legally flown almost anywhere, and its camera is capable of fantastic results.