Hey folks,
So obviously with the Neo just being released and having the active track on, I have to ask the question as to why DJI never released the Mini4k with active track/follow me mode.
Is there any tangible reason why DJI would have opted for this? Can’t imagine it’s hardware related?
Money related , they leave it for the higher end drones
The Neo is the exception , but that’s one of its gimmicks.
The Mini4K is essentially a rebadged Mini2, with little or no upgrades from the older drone
Follow me was available on the Mini2 with litchi but is was flakey.
There probably will never be an SDK release for the 4K
I wouldn’t expect all the “goodies” you find on 4 Pro to be available on the budget version. There is a different justification for it on the Neo because of the market it is aiming for. The value of it is, however, limited a bit by having no obstacle avoidance.
Mini 2 SE also does not have follow me, point of interest, obstance avoidance, or waypoint capability. It is I’m sure a matter of trimming features to achieve a lower selling price, and the 4K at £269 is IMHO excellent value.
My sense of this is that the Neo is being marketed as a selfie/fpv drone, depending on what sort of controller you use with it, which will have a wide appeal but not perhaps so much for those who want to fly at longer ranges or higher.
Unlike the NEO and Avata that have a well protected gimbal and props being shielded against accidental collision damage it would make the drone too risky to include a tracking system.
Drones without OA that are not protected in such fashion wouldn’t last long if used for any meaningful active track I suspect.
I think the answer lies in the fact its a much smaller and lighter drone and has built in protection for the props and the gimbal as well as it being slower than the mini 2 etc. Basically down to good old health and safety! Worth adding one of these to the drone bag for some additional video clips and less expensive if it did break!
So why’s it not on the Avata 2 ?
Isnt the Avata 2 well over 250g around 370g ish? And much faster? The Neo is more like a toy compared to the Avata 2 at around 135g. Pretty sure the Avata 2 could cause lots of damage to a person even with prop guards. Just my thoughts
I’d say handbag drone😝however I’ve wondered this myself as I’m sure it would just take a firmware update maybe.
It’s like the smart controller you’d think it would have added new drones by now the mini 2 was the last update on it a few years back now I think.
I’m awaiting the day they put a thermal camera on a mini pro
About the same speed out the box
According to DJI Specs
DJI Neo
Max Horizontal Speed (near sea level, no wind)
6 m/s (Normal mode)
8 m/s (Sport mode)
16 m/s (Manual mode)
Avata 2
Max Horizontal Speed
(near sea level, no wind)
8 m/s (Normal mode)
16 m/s (Sport mode)
27 m/s (Manual mode)*
From what ive seen, it can connect to Various DJI controllers and FPV goggles, probably not worth buying for just the Neo, but if you already own compatible controller’s and goggles then as a bag drone lol and in more sensitive places it could be a useful extension to a drone collection
You got me with the talk of Mini 2 and Avata 2 , that was my comparison
The mini 4k is effectively a re-release of the mini 2 with a slightly higher bitrate on the camera for video and slightly cheaper quality controller and no RGB LED on the front.
Mini 4K (and Mini Mavic, 2, SE, and 2 SE) can be flown in follow me/orbit/POI/waypoint/geofence modes with Maven app, but this is only available for IOS devices.
I think the RGB led on the front of the Mini 2 was a missed opportunity; it would have been useful if it were brighter, but that’s just my opinion.
Mini 4K cannot (or the 2SE)
DJI SDK List
Mea culpa, didn’t double check the list before posting, apologies if I falsely raised anyone’s hopes. I blame DJI’s confusing naming system! Maven is a big deal, I’d say, a way to upgrade your drone with features it doesn’t posess out of the box, and would mean that, in the light of the above information, my preference would be for a Mini 2 over a Mini 4k; as it happens the fallout from the seagull attack loss of my Mini 2SE has resulted in me now owning a Mavic Mini and a Mini 2 (yay me, fleet owner), both of which are compatible with Maven in ‘virtual stick’ mode, sometimes the law of unintended consequences works in your favour!
How useful Maven’s extra features are in practice is down to individual choice; what do you find useful? I have not had Maven long and haven’t really ‘used’ it much beyond test flying, but I am expecting to use the geofencing and waypoint flying quite a bit, and the POI orbit & follow/track me occasionally. Worth the money!