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Remember Mini 2? DJI certainly does

Remember the DJI Mini 2? The little drone that made 4K aerial footage accessible to just about everyone has suddenly received some attention from DJI again, and if you’ve owned one, this is a pretty good excuse to feel nostalgic.

DJI has released firmware v01.07.0300 for the Mini 2 — the original model, not the newer Mini 2 SE or Mini 4K. It’s accompanied by remote controller firmware v04.11.0500, while DJI Fly is listed at version 1.21.16 or above for both iOS and Android.

The release notes are about as understated as they get: “Fixed some known issues.”

No flashy new shooting modes. No surprise camera upgrades. Just a maintenance update for a drone many pilots might have assumed DJI had long moved on from.

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And that’s what makes this release interesting. The Mini 2’s previous firmware update was in March 2022, making this a return after roughly three and a half years. For owners who still have this little aircraft tucked away in a camera bag, it’s a reminder that the original Mini 2 hasn’t disappeared into drone history just yet.

Remember when 4K fit in your pocket?

When DJI launched the Mini 2 in November 2020, it was a significant step forward from the original Mavic Mini. The headline upgrade was 4K video at 30 frames per second, but there was much more to like. The drone weighed less than 249 grams, shot 12MP photos in JPEG and RAW, and featured a three-axis mechanical gimbal for smooth footage.

It also introduced OcuSync 2.0 transmission, offering a much more robust connection than the enhanced Wi-Fi system used by its predecessor. DJI advertised a maximum transmission range of 10 kilometers under FCC conditions.

Add a rated flight time of up to 31 minutes, improved motors, better wind resistance, and QuickShots that let beginners capture cinematic movements with a few taps, and you had a remarkably capable drone.

For travelers, hikers, and aspiring content creators, that combination was hard to ignore. You could fold the drone into a small bag, take it on vacation, and bring home aerial footage without investing in a much larger aircraft. That portability, paired with genuine 4K recording, helped make the Mini 2 one of the defining consumer drones of its generation.

Look how far the Mini lineup has come

Fast-forward to September 2025, and DJI introduced the Mini 5 Pro — a drone that shows just how dramatically the category has evolved.

The Mini 5 Pro packs a 50MP, one-inch CMOS sensor into a compact aircraft weighing less than 250 grams. It can record 4K video at up to 120fps, offers upgraded ActiveTrack 360°, and features a gimbal with 225-degree rotation for creative camera movements and true vertical shooting.

It also brings nightscape omnidirectional obstacle sensing, supported by forward-facing LiDAR and vision sensors, plus a rated flight time of up to 36 minutes with its standard Intelligent Flight Battery.

Think about that progression. The Mini 2 made 4K video, RAW photography, and reliable long-range transmission accessible in a tiny drone. The Mini 5 Pro takes that same portability-first idea and adds advanced tracking, a much larger sensor, slow-motion 4K, and sophisticated obstacle sensing.

The Mini 3 Pro and Mini 4 Pro helped bridge that gap, bringing features such as vertical shooting and increasingly capable obstacle avoidance into the lineup along the way.

So, while this latest Mini 2 firmware isn’t a reason to expect new capabilities, there’s something satisfying about seeing a drone from 2020 receive an update in 2026, particularly when today’s Mini models are pushing into territory once reserved for much larger camera drones.

If you still fly the original Mini 2, check DJI’s official support page for the update.

More: DJI revives the Mini 3 Pro with a surprise firmware update

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Avatar for Ishveena Singh Ishveena Singh

Ishveena Singh is a versatile journalist and writer with a passion for drones and location technologies. She has been named as one of the 50 Rising Stars of the geospatial industry for the year 2021 by Geospatial World magazine.