Since they entered the consumer drone market, DJI have shown themselves to be a very competitive company, never letting any of their products be outdone by the competition.

The lightweight drone market is one that is particularly competitive, and DJI’s announcement today tells us they have no plans to let this market be lost.

Today, we’re pitting DJI’s lightweights against each other, and we’ll see which one is actually worth the price!

Welcome to the UnlimiteDrone Face-Off. The purpose of this series is to show differences between products that are often mentioned together and to help you in deciding which one to buy.

Enjoy the article and please feel free to leave any comments in the comment section below.

MEET THE CONTESTANTS

DJI Mavic Mini











The new kid in the block. Lighter and more portable than the Spark, some might dismiss it as a toy drone, but DJI is not one to tarnish their name as a professional drone maker.

The Mavic Mini may just have some tricks up its sleeve against the larger Spark!

Whether the Mavic is a worthy successor to the Spark, or whether the Mavic Mini has taken the Spark’s throne, we shall see soon.

NOTE: Jump right into the DJI store to order one now before it is sold out!

Update: Now also available on Amazon!

DJI Spark

The smallest drone ever built by DJI… until now!

Spark is one of the best in the lightweight category, with great build quality and camera. A favorite among beginner drone users!

But don’t be fooled by its size! Even professionals use it. Bigger is not always better, and the portability is a massive advantage for some users.

However, is it still better than the new guy, DJI Mavic Mini?



Let’s compare their specs.

AIRCRAFT

When the Spark released, it was revolutionary. Weighing only 300 grams and with a small design to fit any backpack, it was a drone that was happily used by everyone, even professionals.

Since the release of Spark, we were only introduced to larger and bulkier drones, and therefore, the Spark remained the king in its category. That is, until now.

The new Mavic Mini comes in with the foldable design we know and love, but the drone is 51 grams lighter than the Spark, making its takeoff weight 249 grams. Here’s why that’s important.

Under the current FAA rules, flying a UAS or drone over people or at night is prohibited unless you apply for a special Part 107 waiver. This can be burdensome, as the approval can take up to 90 days. However, recent changes to the FAA’s rules state that drones under 250 grams don’t require this waiver, meaning you can just buy a Mavic Mini and take it flying the same day it arrives at your home. The DJI Mavic Mini doesn’t have to be registered. This applies to Canada and the UK too.

If that hasn’t sold you on the DJI Mavic Mini yet, then let me tell you that the decrease in weight doesn’t mean skimping on other features, as it can fly for approximately 30 minutes, double that of the Spark. It can travel up to 15 kilometers on a single battery, and all that can fit in the palm of your hand when folded!

DJI is definitely intent on pushing the boundaries of drone technology forward, as we’ve seen in this section.

Winner: Mavic Mini – Click here to buy one before it’s sold out!

CAMERA

Arguably just as important as a drone’s flying abilities.

The Spark comes with a 1/2.3″ CMOS image sensor that can capture 12MP stills, and record video at up to 1080p30. A bitrate of 24Mbps allows the camera to pack a decent amount of information into the video.

The Mavic Mini has a camera system similar to that of the Spark, but the specs are closer to the ones from the Mavic Air’s camera.

For starters, the Mini can shoot video at 2.7K, a big improvement over the Spark. In addition, the Mavic Mini’s bitrate increases to 40Mbps as well, which means we get more detail in the video.

Stills take full advantage of the 12MP sensor, and the resolution increases slightly to 4000×3000. Though the video codec remains the same, the Mavic Mini can shoot stills in JPEG.

The Mavic Mini once again shows superiority over the Spark with an improved camera system. DJI clearly wants to pitch the Mini as a small yet very capable drone.

Winner: Mavic Mini

3D SENSING SYSTEM

Obstacle avoidance is a feature that is self-explanatory. Pilots who might be worried about crashing their drones against trees or other objects may find this feature essential.

The Mavic Mini has two components under itself, meant for landing and sensing direction downward. The frame of the Mavic Mini has two slot openings on both sides of the body, and also in the front of the drone, but these are not sensors, they are just mesh-covered holes. It is probably there to allow better airflow and heat dissipation from the electronics inside the drone.

The Spark, on the other hand, does have a set of sensors that can sense direction downwards and forwards, allowing it to use obstacle avoidance.

DJI probably had to exclude obstacle avoidance in order to trim the weight of the drone to under 250 grams.

Winner: Spark

NOTE: Spark is not available to purchase from the DJI store anymore. They released the Mavic Mini in order to replace the old Spark. So if you want to upgrade, head over to the DJI store to order one now.

GIMBAL & REMOTE CONTROLLER

It seems this is yet another improvement over the Spark, as the gimbal on the Mavic Mini works on 3-axis (pitch, roll, and yaw), whereas the Spark only works on 2-axis (pitch and roll).

The remote controllers on both drones are very similar in design and capabilities. Two things stand out, however.

Firstly, the range in the Mavic Mini is twice as long as that of the Spark, at 4 km.

Secondly, the Mavic Mini’s controller is missing a few buttons: the pause button, the custom button, and the Sport mode button. Mode change will happen only within the app.

This is unusual to see, especially since a small and fast drone with a good battery is supposed to be a fun, zooomie machine and we are used to having a mechanical button for a fast and easy switch between different modes.

Winner: Mavic Mini – Click here to buy one.

For a graphical comparison between the specs check the table below:

Click here or on the table to download it to your device.

If you found this table to be useful and you would like to be notified about similar content in the future, please consider Subscribing to our Newsletter!

DJI Mavic Mini vs. DJI Spark

To sum up…

The Mavic Mini is the drone for 2019 that we’ve long waited for DJI to reveal, and we have to say that they definitely didn’t disappoint.

When the Spark came out, it was a drone meant to fulfill the needs of those looking for portability without sacrificing camera and build quality.

Now, DJI once again shows us that their innovation hasn’t plateaued. The new Mavic Mini might just be the perfect drone for hobbyists, and even more so for current Spark users.

The Mavic Mini improves on the Spark where it matters. DJI took a highly portable design and made it foldable while also taking the weight down to the FAA-unrestricted sub-250 gram limit. An improved camera system with higher resolution and better stabilization are sure to please the professionals. As if that wasn’t enough, DJI managed to double flight time to up to 30 minutes and controller range to 4 km.

And the cherry on top? The Mavic Mini is cheaper than the Spark!

The Spark is no longer in the DJI store, you can only buy accessories for it. It might be fair to say that indeed the Mavic Mini has succeeded its older brother as the new king of the lightweights.

Our final suggestion: Buy the DJI Mavic MINI. Update: Now also available on Amazon!﻿











Recommended articles:

The best Accessories for DJI Mavic Mini

We picked the best Mavic Mini accessories so you don’t have to search for!

The Best Accessories For DJI Osmo Action

Choose the right Micro SD card for your drone

Learn: Which SD card is best and why, How much footage you get and more!