It’s no secret that the DJI Mini SE is old wine in a new bottle. DJI has packed the tech stack of the original Mavic Mini inside the shell of Mini 2 and relaunched the drone at a sub-$300 price to woo those looking for a reliable beginner’s drone. So, it stands to reason that one should be able to use Mavic Mini’s battery in Mini SE, right? Well, yes, but it may not be the best idea.
Technically, the Mavic Mini’s battery is compatible with the newly launched Mini SE. But it’s not recommended to use a battery from the yore with the special edition drone. And DJI gives not one but two reasons for that.
First, the power of the drone will decrease if you use old spares. And that’s because the outer body of the drone is not the only thing SE borrows from the Mini 2.
DJI Mini SE ships with a version of the new, improved intelligent flight battery that come with the Mini 2. These are 7.7 v LiPo batteries. On the other hand, the battery on the original Mini is a 7.2 v Li-ion.
However, if loss of power doesn’t sound like much, wait till you hear the second reason: Your Mini SE drone will no longer be under 250g.
Mavic Mini battery on DJI Mini SE makes drone > 250g
Many countries place drones weighing less than 250 grams in a separate category that doesn’t require registration with the civil aviation authorities. And that’s because it has been determined that drones in this class are less likely to cause damage or injury than drones weighing more.
This distinction is exactly what prompts many hobbyists to buy a sub-250-gram machine like the Mavic Mini, Mini 2, and now, the Mini SE as their first drone.
But if you use the Mavic Mini’s battery with the Mini SE, the weight of the drone exceeds 250g, thus requiring registration in some countries.
The Mini SE ships with a battery that weighs 82.5g – nearly 4 grams less than Mini 2’s 86.2g battery. In comparison, the original Mini’s 100g battery sounds like a giant.
Now, we are not saying that a law enforcement agent would randomly walk up to you with a pocket scale if you’re using the original Mini’s battery in the new SE, but responsible flying is something we cannot insist upon enough, just like DJI:
Read more: DJI doubles battery warranty period to 1 year: Is your drone eligible?
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments