Review: DJI Mini 5 Pro
DJI’s Mini line has always promised portability without compromise. It's fair to say the Mini 4 Pro pushed that vision impressively, but the new Mini 5 Pro goes even further, combining a 1-inch CMOS sensor, improved safety, and longer flight times in a drone that still (remarkably) slips into a jacket pocket.
Design and Build
At under 249g, the Mini 5 Pro is as compact and foldable as its predecessors. That featherlight design is liberating as you can carry it anywhere, but the downside is it also makes the drone less stable in the wind.
Compared to my Mavic 3 Pro, it sometimes felt like a paper boat caught in a breeze. Yet, like a tightrope walker, the 3-axis gimbal still balances perfectly, keeping footage steady even as the drone wobbles.
The new gimbal rotation of 225° opens up dynamic shooting angles that make the drone feel less like a toy and more like a professional rig in miniature.
Battery installation is easy, though a small quirk I noticed with my review unit was the drone powering on automatically after installing a fresh battery. This quickly grew irritating and I hadn’t noticed this previously with any other DJI drones.
On the practical side, DJI’s included bag is excellent: padded, ergonomic, and clearly designed with travellers in mind.
The included ND filters (ND8, ND16, ND32) are excellent for balancing harsh midday light, though I would have liked a variable ND to adjust on the fly.
The Fly More Combo’s charging hub and extra batteries are essential if you plan on travelling or shooting professionally.
Image Quality
The star of the Mini 5 Pro is its 50MP 1-inch CMOS sensor, the first of its kind in a drone this size. Low-light performance is dramatically better, details hold under pressure, and dynamic range stretches wide enough to tame tricky contrasts.
Video now reaches 4K/120fps, with slow-motion at 1080p/240fps, giving you the ability to bend time in ways older Minis simply couldn’t.
The new 48mm Med-Tele mode adds pleasing compression and separation, giving landscapes more depth and portraits a natural look.
Zoom, however, is the weak link: digital punch-ins degrade quickly, like squinting at a distant star until the detail slips away. Stick to the main lens for best results.
Flight Performance & Safety
The addition of omnidirectional sensing with LiDAR dramatically improves safety, particularly in low light. Return-to-home is confident, even in tricky environments like dense forest or over reflective water the Mini 5 Pro found its way home without any issues.
ActiveTrack 360° has matured too, smoothly tracking subjects through complex terrain. I tapped on a distant sailing boat, and the Mini held focus like a spotlight, letting me position the frame exactly where I wanted.
DJI claims 36 minutes of flight with the standard 2,788 mAh battery, but in real-world use shooting at 4K/60fps, ActiveTrack running, and a bit of wind, I averaged closer to 20–25 minutes.
That’s still respectable for a drone this size, but well short of their claims. DJI’s larger Intelligent Flight Battery Plus extends airtime by around 30%, though its added weight may push the drone into a heavier regulatory category depending on where you live.
Price & Value
Priced from AU$1,119, with Fly More bundles that add significant value, the Mini 5 Pro delivers professional-grade imaging and safety features without professional-grade bulk.
Final Thoughts
Flying the Mini 5 Pro feels like carrying a pocket-sized cinema rig into the sky. It doesn’t muscle through wind like the Mavic 3 Pro, but instead dances lightly, almost birdlike, trusting the air to hold it.
The gimbal compensates for this so there weren't any problems despite it looking as if it was going to blow away.
The Mini 4 blurred the line between hobbyist and pro. The Mini 5 Pro crosses it. For filmmakers, travellers, or creators who want pro-level tools in a tiny package that weighs less than a smartphone, this is DJI’s best mini drone yet and the one to beat.
Will I purchase one? No, not when I have the Mavic 3 Pro, but if I needed something compact for travel the Mini 5 Pro would definitely take the cake.
Ratings
Handling ★ ★ ★ ★
Great for how compact it is and handles well despite it looking like it’s going to blow away in the wind.
Build Quality ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Feels solid for such a tiny plastic drone. Everything locks into place giving a nice feeling of value for money.
Features ★ ★ ★ ★
Has everything you would expect from a mini drone, although I would have liked a variable filter option, but this may be able to be added as a third party accessory.
Image Quality ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
The new 1” sensor is excellent, with good contrast and true to life colour straight out of camera. The zoom isn’t amazing, but gives you the option if you wish to get closer without flying closer. RAWs process nicely with plenty of detail in shadow and highlight areas.