DJI Mini 5 Pro Review, a 1-Inch Sensor in a Drone Right at the 250g Line

The DJI Mini 5 Pro is the best camera DJI has ever squeezed into a Mini. It’s the first with a 1-inch sensor, it adds LiDAR, and its gimbal rolls far enough for true vertical video. DJI announced it on September 17, 2025, at £689 or €799 with the RC-N3 controller.

Two catches. DJI said it would not be officially available in the US, though it sells there through third-party retailers. And the weight is listed at 249.9 grams, give or take 4 grams, while production units have measured 251 to 253 grams. DJI confirmed the C0 label in the EU anyway. Under FAA rules a drone that weighs 250 grams or more needs registering, so play it safe and register it.

Video review: Danny Mcgee

A bigger sensor changes the Mini

The 50MP 1-inch sensor sits behind a 24mm-equivalent f/1.8 lens. DJI claims 14 stops of dynamic range, and the difference shows most at the edges of the day. Sunsets keep color in the sky without crushing the ground, and blue-hour city shots are much cleaner than on the DJI Mini 4 Pro with its 1/1.3-inch chip.

Video goes to 4K at 120fps and 1080p at 240fps. Normal mode, HLG and D-Log M are all 10-bit, which is new for a Mini’s Normal mode. A 48mm crop mode gives you a 2x “tele” look, but it’s digital, and past that the image gets soft. There’s no second camera like the DJI Air 3S has.

The gimbal rolls 225 degrees. That’s how it gets true vertical video, and it also allows the slow horizon spins creators like for reveals.

Smarter about obstacles

Omnidirectional vision is joined by a forward LiDAR and a downward infrared sensor. The LiDAR lets it return home at night and even without GPS, which used to be risky on a Mini. Tracking is good. Reviewers did see it clip thin branches, so don’t trust it blindly in forests.

O4+ transmission is rated at 20 km under FCC rules and 10 km under CE.

Where it falls short

Flight time. DJI claims 36 minutes on the standard battery, but long-term testers report 20 to 30 minutes of real flying. The Plus battery promises 52 minutes, isn’t sold in the EU, and takes the drone well over 250 grams.

Wind is the other. DJI rates it at 12 m/s, but on exposed coasts it gets bounced around like every Mini. And for casual flyers, the jump from a Mini 4 Pro isn’t dramatic in daylight.

Should you buy it

If you shoot landscapes and travel and care about image quality, yes. It closes most of the gap to the Air 3S at a lower weight. The Fly More combo with the DJI RC 2 was £979 or €1,129, and that’s the kit to get. US buyers should weigh the missing DJI warranty. Add a set of ND filters for daylight video.

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