Jonathan Feist / Android Authority
TL; DR
- A leaked Walmart retail card shows a DJI Mini SE, an as-yet-unreleased budget drone from the company.
- The specs and features suggest this is a “lite” version of the original Mavic Mini, not the Mini 2.
- If it lands at the leaked price of $ 299, it could be the cheapest entry point into the DJI ecosystem.
In 2019 DJI launched the Mavic Mini. This full-featured drone was the cheapest ever, starting at just $ 399. Its weight of 249g also made it so light that you didn’t have to register it with the FAA (although you should anyway).
In 2020, DJI launched the Mini 2, which, despite the name change, is the improved successor to the Mavic Mini. According to a leak from a Walmart retail store (via ( Twitter, h / t The edge) it looks like a new device in the line might be on the way, known as the DJI Mini SE.
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Note that DJI’s supposed naming here is confusing. Despite the lack of “Mavic” in the name, the SE seems to be a slightly different version of the Mavic Mini and not a “Lite” version of the Mini 2, as one might think. The leaked specs suggest it will have almost identical hardware and features to the Mavic Mini and will be missing many of the newer aspects of the Mini 2.
Unfortunately, that would mean 2.7K instead of 4K support, less wireless range, micro-USB ports instead of USB-C and more.
If all of this is true, what is the point of the DJI Mini SE? The price! The leaked materials suggest this drone could land at $ 299, which would make it the cheapest DJI ever. This would make the Mini SE the best entry point into the DJI ecosystem and make the Mini 2 the best little drone for more experienced fliers (or just those with deeper pockets).
The fact that the DJI Mini SE has appeared in a Walmart store already suggests that we should officially announce this product very soon.