With the release of the new Xiaomi Fimi x8 Mini, the unbeatable DJI Mini 2 has a serious competitor to fear.
If you're looking for a very capable drone under 250 grams, this is the comparison you need to watch: Fimi x8 vs DJI mini 2.
We're going to compare the specs side by side, as well as everything else, from the app to the cameras.
In this part we’re going to talk about the specs. What sets these aside one from the other and which one is more worth for the specs.
We’ll find out more about that here!
Just like I underlined in the Fimi X8 Mini review, the main thing that stands out to me is that it comes with two battery versions.
One is the standard battery, which happens to be cheaper, but inferior to the Pro Battery.
How inferior? Well, if you get the Standard battery you're not just stripping away 1 minute of battery life, you're also going to be over 250 grams with the total drone weight.
The reason for that is that it's a LiIon battery, while the Pro version is LiPo, which is light weight. From the shape of the battery I can tell it has 2 round LiIon Batteries inside, making it a bit heavier as well as more empty space not used properly.
This isn't a bad thing, since if you want your drone to be under 250 grams you'll just pay a little more.
I think it's actually convenient, for people who don't care about the drone being under a certain weight but are on a really tight budget.
At the time of writing this I haven't found any option to preorder the Pro Battery yet.
On the other hand, the DJI Mini 2 comes with only one type of battery that lasts 31 minutes, pretty simple.
If we're talking about battery life, Hubsan has recently released a new drone called Zino Mini PRO and it can fly for 40 seconds.
It might seem a lot when I say that a drone can fly 2 km more than another, but it's always a question of comparison, and in this case I find the difference quite irrelevant.
While I have yet to compare the ranges of these two in a real life environment, maybe in a city with wifi interference to actually test their connectivity in tricky environments. I am confident that for most people the difference won't even be noticeable (especially if you plan to fly it line of sight, as regulation says most of the time).
Long story short, these two drones are pretty much the same when it comes to GPS systems, they both have a ton of satellites to connect to.
While both are connected to all the GPS and GLONASS(Russian satellites), the difference is that the Fimi X8 Is also connected to BEIDOU (Chinese satellites) and the Mini 2 to GALILEO (Europe). So the number of satellites connected will be the same pretty much, resulting in comparable stability in the air.
Does the Fimi X8 Mini come with more sensors than the Mini 2?
Unfortunately it does not, but it does come with the bottom facing ones. These bottom cameras help with flight stability at low altitudes (10m) as well as with position landing. This means that the drone will take a when taking off and try to land in the same spot. Having a landing pad as an accessory is helpful as it discriminates well against the floor and is easy to spot by the drone.
Both the Fimi X8 Mini as well as the DJI Mini 2 are super stable in wind for how tiny they are.
So far I have compared the Mini 2 with the original Mavic Mini and the Mavic Air 2 and it handled itself quite amazing.
Here's the video I made with it:
Both these drones are attractively priced under $500. But the question is, could they deliver visually appealing output?
Scroll down to know more about it!
The main difference in terms of camera between the two is the HDR video mode of the Xiaomi Fimi x8 Mini, which could prove to be one of its best selling points against the Mini from DJI.
HDR basically makes the video better exposed in both light and dark spots of the image, making the camera behave like a more expensive one with better dynamic range.
I haven't yet got around to compare the XIaomi FImi x8 Mini with the Mavic Air 2 in terms of image quality, but the video is just around the corner.
In the meantime I want to give my perspective into how well the DJI Mini 2 did against it's bigger and more expensive brother, the DJI Mavic Air 2.
In this video I hid which is which and people almost couldn't figure it out in the comments.
I say you watch it for yourself and let me know on youtube if you got it right the first time.
Probably 2 of the most important specs in terms of camera (maybe even more than resolution) is the camera sensor quality and size as well as the aperture.
In terms of quality, both the Fimi x8 mini as well as the DJI Mini 2 have some of the latest sony sensors, but there is a difference in size.
The Fimi x8 Mini has a slightly smaller sensor compared to the DJI drone.
However, it does have a more open aperture, which compensates for the sensor, so both should have pretty equal results in terms of low light capability.
They both can take 4k photos for sure, but what's also impressive from them both is the ability to take RAW (DNG) photos.
This means you can edit the photos both these drones take in post processing to a high degree, considerably improving shadow and light details.
Both Mini drones have a similar Zoom level, and it's not really impressive since it's only digital, so it actually cuts from the image to get it closer.
The DJI Mini 2 is able to zoom up to 4x times only in 1080p, as the 4k footage would get too pixelated at that point (so in 4k it is limited to 2x zoom only).
Do they differ in terms of design in any way, but more important, does the FImi x8 mini have flight modes that the DJI Mini 2 doesnt?
Like... follow me?
Yea, they are more alike than different...
The resemblance is uncanny, but even if Xiaomi made the Fimi X8 Mini in the image of the DJI Mini 2 it doesn't mean it can't be a better drone. Xiaomi is a huge company with a long history of creating drones and action cameras, so they definitely have the engineers.
You can see that the FImi x8 Mini does give the impression that there is some sort of singular sensor or camera in the front section of the drone. It's in fact not a sensor, just like the DJI mini 2 tricks us with the 2 empty sensor wholes in the front, which are only grills for air.
While it's not yet confirmed officially they do mention that the Xiaomi Fimi x8 Mini has "Smart Tracking Mode" which means it does have some kind of follow me, but maybe it could be just in some specific flight modes.
DJI mini 2 doesn't have it because DJI was afraid people would crash the drone since it doesn't have obstacle avoidance sensors. The same thing might be available with the Fimi, but if it does have it, it might be the most solid benefit this drone has compared with the DJI mini 2.
Yes, only one of these can be used with just the phone at the current time, and that is the Fimi X8 mini. I consider this pretty important for some people who just want to get their drone quickly out of their pocket and take a few close up shots or selfies.
The ability to do this will make it so you take more footage and photos with the Fimi since it just provides the less resistance.
The Fimi x8 Mini and the DJI mini 2 have very different shop places you can get them from.
Since both drones can be operated without registration in most countries, these two quadcopters can be used by pretty one with great success, especially with how portable they are:
I recommend buying these drones from very different places, because that's how it ends up being the cheapest.
This being said, I recommend you get the DJI Mini 2 from the official website or Amazon, while the Xiaomi Fimi X8 mini from Banggood.
The links are down below.
As a conclusion, in the battle between the Xiaomi Fimi x8 Mini vs Dji Mini 2 there's no clear winner yet, but the Fimi does seem to have the HDR and follow me advantage, yet if you're in a hurry, pick the DJI Mini 2 with no sweat.
