DJI Mini 4 Pro vs DJI Mini 5 Pro
Both are under the 250-gram line, so the legal position is identical and the decision comes down to the rows tinted below — the specs where these two actually differ. The DJI Mini 5 Pro is the cheaper of the two at ~$1,043.
| Drone | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bundle price | ~$1,099multi-battery bundle | ~$1,043multi-battery bundle |
| True first-year price | ~$1,099 | ~$1,043 |
| Flight min per $100 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| Rating | No cited rating | No cited rating |
| Takeoff weight | 249 g | 249 g |
| FAA registration | Not required | Not required |
| Remote ID | Built-in | Built-in |
| Sensor size | 1/1.3" | 1" |
| Sensor area | 69.1 mm² | 116.2 mm² |
| Megapixels | 48 MP | 50 MP |
| Max video | 4K/60fps HDR, 4K/100fps slow motion | 4K/60fps HDR, 4K/120fps slow motion |
| Colour depth | 10-bit | 10-bit |
| Log profile | D-Log M | D-Log M |
| Gimbal | 3-axis | 3-axis |
| Obstacle sensing | Omnidirectional | Omnidirectional + LiDAR |
| Claimed flight time | 34 min | 36 min |
| Tested flight time | — | — |
| Battery | 18.96 Wh | 25.7 Wh |
| Transmission | O4 | O4+ |
| Max range | 20 km | 20 km |
| Max speed | 36 mph | 40 mph |
| Wind resistance | Level 5 (10.7 m/s) | Level 5 (12 m/s) |
| Service ceiling | 4000 m | 4000 m |
| Internal storage | 2 GB | 42 GB |
| Controller | DJI RC-N2 (phone required); DJI RC 2 with built-in screen at extra cost | DJI RC-N3 (phone required); DJI RC 2 or RC Pro 2 with built-in screens |
| Return to home | Yes | Yes |
| Geofencing | Yes | Yes |
| Care plan (1 yr) | Not in our snapshot | Not in our snapshot |
| US availability | Limited | Limited |
| Released | 2023 | 2025 |
| Flight claim measured at | DJI's 34 minutes is measured flying forward at a constant speed in windless conditions on the standard 18.96 Wh battery. The 45-minute figure printed elsewhere needs the 28.4 Wh Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, which pushes takeoff weight past 249 g and cancels the registration exemption in the US. | 36 minutes on the standard battery in DJI's windless forward-flight test; the 52-minute headline requires the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, which takes the aircraft over 249 g. |
DJI Mini 4 Pro
Omnidirectional sensing on a 249-gram airframe is the trick nothing else in this catalog fully matches. Binocular vision on all sides plus a downward 3D infrared sensor means the Mini 4 Pro will stop for a branch it is backing into, which matters far more than it sounds once you fly near trees. The 1/1.3-inch 48MP sensor records 4K/60 HDR and 4K/100 slow motion at 150 Mbps in 10-bit D-Log M, so the footage grades rather than just plays. O4 transmission is rated to 20 km in FCC regions, which is far beyond any legal line-of-sight flight but does mean a clean 1080p feed at the distances people actually fly. The caveat is the one everyone trips on: the 45-minute battery is a separate, heavier pack that takes the aircraft over the registration threshold, so the honest number for a registration-free flight is 34 minutes.
Full spec sheet →DJI Mini 5 Pro
A one-inch sensor under 250 grams was supposed to be impossible, and this is the drone that did it. Fifty megapixels on a 116 mm² sensor at f/1.8 is roughly two-thirds more light-gathering area than the Mini 4 Pro's 1/1.3-inch chip, which shows up exactly where you would expect: dusk, interiors of shadow, and anything where the smaller Minis start smearing. It adds forward LiDAR to the omnidirectional vision system, so it sees in the dark rather than just in daylight, and the gimbal swings through 225 degrees for true vertical framing. The complication is where you buy it. DJI never put it in its own US store, and the units on US shelves arrived through import channels, which changes what happens when you crash it.
Full spec sheet →