It's a general curiosity to know the charging time of your DJI battery. The duration is typically used by pilots to efficiently prepare for a swift flight to the blue skies.
For nearly every drone model, the time taken to fully charge a battery is longer than its flying time. And while that may be expected, it’s not exactly an ideal situation.
In fact, if you aren’t new to the industry, you probably know that battery endurance in drones has a lot of room for improvement. This is why most pilots carry extra batteries (and have to account for the multiplied charging times in their preparations).
DJI’s special batteries also require special attention to ensure their high-quality performance and longevity. And the extra care can only be given when you know what to expect.
Put simply, the topic of charging times comes into play in more ways than one.
In this post, we’ll be covering DJI’s top sellers to see how their charging times fare off against each other. You will also find me dropping useful tips (to avoid problems you may not even know exist) as we move from one section to another.
In all honesty, there is no exact way to determine the time it takes to charge a drone to full capacity. But don't worry, I can give you the close estimates that will help you get a better idea.
As a general rule, most DJI drones take about 60 to 90 minutes for full charging. The exact number varies based on the drone model and the type of charger in use (either the charging hub or the USB charger). And of course, the overall battery health plays a major role too.
Different drone models come with differently sized batteries. And the larger the battery capacity of the drone, the longer it’ll take to completely charge it.
The charging method you use, on the other hand, is completely up to you. But the catch is that not every method is recommended.
For instance, a DJI charging hub generally takes less time to charge a drone compared to a USB cable. It’s safe to assume that using an official charging hub is one of the methods that I actually do recommend.
You’ll also find alternatives that boast a shorter charging time. While they may seem like good options, I highly disapprove. You’ll be voiding your official warranty and risking a degradation in your battery’s health at the same time.
Speaking of the battery's health, pay special attention to it.
A battery with cells that are degrading at a fast rate is likely to demonstrate fluctuating charging times. Not to mention, the drone will also differ in flying times for every flight record.
Allow me to give you a concise idea of what an individual battery of various drones has to offer in terms of charging time and flight time. Note that this charging time is for when you are using a charging hub.
| Drone | Charging Time (with a charging hub) | Max Flight Time |
| DJI Mavic 2 Pro | 90 minutes | 31 minutes |
| DJI Mavic 3 | 96 minutes | 46 minutes |
| DJI Phantom 4 | 70 minutes | 30 minutes |
| DJI Mini 2 | 60 minutes | 31 minutes |
| DJI Mavic Mini | 50 minutes | 30 minutes |
| DJI FPV | 50 minutes | 20 minutes |
Let’s take a look at all of these models in a bit more detail.
Here’s what you need to know about the charging time of a Mavic 2 Pro battery.
A Mavic 2 Pro battery takes about 90 minutes to fully charge. Though the standard charger works just as well, the addition of a charging hub offers a convenient charging solution. It can hold four batteries at the same time and charge them sequentially based on their power level.
The main charger has a total output of 60W. Its output modes also allow the charging of the remote controller and mobile device through USB-A or micro-USB.
Needless to say, plugging in the remote controller with the drone battery will lead to increased charging times.
Now, don’t get me wrong: the standard charger is perfectly capable. But the 4-in-1 DJI Charging Hub is a personal favorite. It’s great value for pilots who fly frequently.
What’s more is that the charging hub is portable and can also be used with the car charger (which is another official DJI gadget), making it a convenient and flexible charging method.
It’s also completely fair to be a bit skeptical about charging your drone battery from the port of a car. Fortunately, DJI claims their car chargers have protection mechanisms integrated into them.
This is supported by a multitude of pilots who’ve all experienced the solution to be safe, secure, and supportive of on-the-go charging.
There are unofficial charging accessories available too.
But here’s the thing: the 3850 mAh LiPo battery facilitates a ton of the Mavic 2 Pro’s special features. This only remains the case if the battery is well-maintained.
The use of unofficial charging accessories risks a DJI battery’s health. My personal stance (to be very blunt) has always remained the same: it’s not worth it.
Still, if you’re adamant about giving those gadgets a try, there are a few that are better than the others. I’d suggest checking out the FSlabs Rapid Charger and the PhiloNext Car Charger for your Mavic 2 Pro battery.
You may also come across points in your drone journey where your drone’s battery just doesn’t seem to cooperate. A drone battery not charging can be frustrating to deal with. In the case of the Mavic 2 Pro, the cause is typically hibernation mode.
One of the big differences between the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 3 is their battery capacity. It is much higher in the latter model. However, it also implies that you need a longer charging time to fully charge this one.
Having a battery capacity of 5000 mAh, an individual Mavic 3 battery takes about 1 hour and 36 minutes to fully charge using the two-way charging hub. With the Fly More combo that comes with three batteries, charging time exceeds 4 hours 50 minutes. For six batteries, it goes to almost ten hours!
In that case, your batteries need to go for an all-nighter.
There’s a chance you are wondering: who even needs six batteries?
Well, professional flyers do need that much juice for additional flight time. And since the Mavic 3 is mainly popular amongst the professionals, most of the drone model’s owners carry around several batteries.
If you prefer the charging hub, you can get the official DJI article individually for $89. It’s relatively pricey but also super convenient. This especially goes for someone with three or more batteries that need to get charged for each flying session.
Another way is using the Type-C USB cable that comes included with the standard package. It is a safe (and cheap) alternative. However, you’d be missing out on the ease of use offered by the charging hub.
One thing to note is that the Mavic 3 battery can also be charged with a 5V USB charger. Using it, however, will take much longer than the 96 minutes it takes with the included portable charger or the charging hub.
But what if you want to go even under the 96-minute charging time?
The truth is that there is a neat, fairly unrecognized trick for that. You can bring the Mavic 3’s battery charging time to just under 60 minutes if you use a 100W USB-C charger and cable. The potential downside of this charging method is its negative effects on the battery’s longevity.
No matter what charger you use, my advice is to fully charge the battery before the next flight. That’s one way to keep your Mavic 3 batteries healthy, among many others.
If you’re starting fresh with the Mavic 3, you may be interested in an A to Z guide regarding its battery. The YouTube video below goes into the specifics, including those outside the scope of this post.
Here’s what you need to know about the DJI Phantom 4 battery with a capacity of 5350 mAh.
The DJI Phantom 4 battery takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to completely charge. For three batteries (considering the Fly More Combo), the charging time goes to three and a half hours. The best way to charge a Phantom 3 battery is by using a standard charger, either directly or via a charging hub.
Something to know regarding this particular drone model is that using the standard charger is the only way to charge its batteries. And as I’ve mentioned above, you can plug in the charger to a power outlet directly or get multiple batteries charged via a charging hub.
But that’s as far as it goes. Up until now, this is the only (as well as the most reliable!) way of getting your drone batteries charged. Of course, you can try the unofficial methods. But I’d repeat it again, it won't be worth your while.
On the brighter side, these intelligent batteries for Phantom 4 — just like those of other models — come with overcharge protection. This means that the battery would discontinue charging once it is 100%. Definitely a plus point!
Still, if you ask me, leaving the batteries unsupervised overnight isn’t the best practice.
Without getting into the technicalities, here’s the simplest explanation I can offer for the charging time of Mini 2 batteries.
It takes 60 minutes for a single Mini 2 battery to charge via a charging hub, which offers 36W of power. For an 18W USB charger, charging time goes up to 84 minutes per battery. So, for three batteries, it takes 3 hours with a charging hub and 4 hours and 15 minutes with a USB charger.
DJI’s Mini 2 features a 2250 mAh battery. The reason behind the comparatively low capacity is the drone’s compact size. For the right adjustments, going for a smaller battery helped in cutting down the overall hardware weight of the drone.
A smaller battery obviously means a faster charging time. Something amazing about this model is that it can stay in the air for a good amount of time, despite such low battery capacity.
Its basic features also assist the drone in this regard, as battery expenditure becomes less with fewer modes to offer.
The lack of DJI’s ActiveTrack, for example, puts professionals off the drone model. But it’s no wonder why the Mini 2 is considered the best choice for all the beginners out there!
There’s a lot more that can be covered when it comes to the DJI Mini 2’s battery. And due to the immense popularity of the model, I’ve done just that through a separate post that you can find here.
Most of the features of the Mavic Mini are the same as the Mini 2. Here’s what you need to know about its charging time.
DJI Mavic Mini takes just around 50 minutes to fully charge. With a battery of only 1100 mAh capacity, the charging time is relatively fast. It supports both the USB charger as well as the two-way charging hub to charge more than one battery.
It’s important to note that using the DJI 18W USB charger will increase the charging time to 90 minutes. But for $39, you can get the Mavic Mini’s charging hub to get to the 50-minute mark and charge three batteries in sequence.
For cheaper (also less preferable!) alternatives, you can try Fstop Labs Mavic Mini Charger or Hanatora Car Charger for on-the-go charging. I’ve said it so many times, and I will do it again: doing this may very likely be damaging in the long run.
As for the low battery capacity, the reason behind it is similar to the one I have discussed in the earlier section. In fact, as the name says for itself, this packed-down design is truly the beauty of this series.
If you’ve read the post so far, you probably have a general idea about charging times based off of drone size alone. You’ll find the information on the DJI FPV’s charging times to support that idea. Take a look.
The DJI FPV battery takes a total of 50 minutes to fully charge itself. It can be easily charged using the standard charger for a single battery. If you have multiple batteries, you can also invest in a DJI FPV Charging Hub. Do note that these chargers are specific only to a particular model.
This drone features a 2000 mAh 6S LiPo battery. Since the working time of the battery is relatively lesser than other models, the best practice is to fully charge the battery immediately before use.
That is so you can have a 100% battery before your flight rather than losing some of it when the battery intelligently discharges. And as a matter of fact, this applies not just to the DJI FPV model but to all the other drone models as well.
Even though DJI drones come with an overcharge protection feature, it is still important to know whether or not your DJI drone is fully charged.
You can know when your DJI drone is fully charged using the battery level indicators. The LED lights have different patterns that help determine the battery level during charging. To indicate a fully charged battery, all of the lights turn solid green.
The point is this: blinking green lights indicate charging and solid green lights indicate a full charge.
But that’s not all. The LED lights can tell you a lot more about the current status of your DJI battery.
The way the indicators blink gives you the battery’s current charging percentage.
For example, two flashing lights are a result of a battery level below 50%. Similarly, a battery that’s nearing a full charge can be identified by four flashing lights.
One thing to note is that you may find the exact pattern to differ based on the DJI drone you own. So, it’s always best to skim through your user manual.
I have alluded to this numerous times in this post. Here’s more regarding how long a DJI drone battery can be allowed to charge.
When it comes to determining how long the DJI drone battery should be charged, the best approach is to let it charge up to full capacity. Different batteries take varying time limits to get there. If your battery takes longer to charge, this may mean it is not in the best condition.
When a DJI battery hasn’t been used in a long time, it automatically enters hibernation mode. If that happens, the battery will take more time than usual to charge it. This is an inconvenient scenario but not one that is a cause for worry.
If you notice that your battery is taking longer than usual to charge and that too on a repeated basis, you may likely be dealing with a damaged battery.
Unusually long charging times are common with swollen batteries. However, with the right charging/discharging practices, you can avoid the fiasco altogether!
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