so ive had the mini 4 pro since around october and figured id write up some actual thoughts since most reviews out there are either paid or done by people who flew it twice and called it a day

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely impressive for something this size, like i was skeptical but it has saved my butt a couple times flying through trees at the park near my house. the image quality is really hard to complain about especially for the price point when you compare it to what i was shooting on my mini 2. D-Log M footage grades really nicely if you know what youre doing with it

the stuff that bugs me though ? battery life is still kind of a lie, advertised 34 minutes but realistically im getting 24-26 in normal conditions with any kind of wind. also the RC2 controller feels weirdly plasticky for how much you're paying total. and the subject tracking while cool is kind of jittery on fast subjects, my kid on a bike gave it some trouble

overall i think its the best sub-250g drone you can buy right now but i also think most people asking if they should upgrade from a mini 2 probably dont need to unless video quality is a real priority for them. happy to answer questions if anyone is deciding between this and something else

this is basically exactly what i needed to read, ive been going back and forth between this and just grabbing a used Air 2S for like $500 less. the obstacle avoidance on the mini 4 pro is tempting but im mostly doing landscape stuff, not a lot of moving subjects so maybe the Air 2S sensor size wins out for what i do. do you know how the low light compares between the two? thats kind of my main thing

yeah the battery thing is something every DJI drone has basically forever and they keep advertising the theoretical max like people are going to be flying in a vacuum with zero wind lol. 25 minutes is fine for most shoots honestly if you plan ahead and bring 3 batteries. i flew the mini 4 pro at a wedding last fall as a backup to my Mavic 3 and the footage cut together surprisingly well, client couldnt tell the difference on most of the wider landscape shots. the RC2 grip does feel cheap though, totally agree on that