Skip to main content

Is DJI about to launch its most affordable drone yet?

Packaging apparently showing DJI's incoming Mini SE drone.
OsitaLV

DJI looks set to announce its most affordable drone to date.

The Mini SE quadcopter has already been spotted in a Walmart store by at least one eagle-eyed shopper, along with a $299 price tag.

The diminutive flying machine is also listed on Walmart’s online store, though at the time of writing it says, “delivery not available” and “pickup not available.”

DJI’s Mini SE appears to be the first-generation Mini, which launched in 2019, bundled with the controller that ships with the Mini 2 and Air 2s drones. It’s also reported to have an improved chassis.

The Walmart listing says the Mini SE features a 2.7K camera, while the Mini 2, which launched in November 2020, has a 4K camera. The Mini SE also has a range of 2.5 miles (4 km) while the Mini 2 can go as far as 6.2 miles (10 km) thanks to the inclusion of OcuSync technology.

With the Mini 2 costing $449 and the original Mini still listed on DJI’s store for $399, the Mini SE at $299 would be DJI’s best-priced drone yet, coming in even cheaper than DJI’s inferior Spark quadcopter that cost $499 when it launched in 2017.

With those specs at that price, the sub-250-gram Mini SE would make a great starter drone, though it’s worth noting that neither the Mini (SE) nor the Mini 2 comes with obstacle avoidance sensors.

We first heard about DJI’s apparent plan to release an SE version of its smallest quadcopter earlier this month when reliable DJI leaker OsitaLV posted a photo of the packaging.

More recently, DroneDJ spotted a tweet that appeared to show the Mini SE on sale at a Walmart store.

Now we just need confirmation from DJI that the Mini SE is actually a thing. We’ve reached out to the company to see if it can offer any information and we will update this article if we hear back.

In the meantime, if you’re in the market for an affordable drone, check out these up-to-date deals featuring machines costing as little as $75.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
DJI FPV drone accelerates faster than a Tesla Model S. Yeah, it’s that quick
DJI FPV drone

Talk about leaving the competition behind! DJI’s latest drone is its fastest flying consumer drone to date, easily capable of beating the Tesla Model S on paper when it comes to acceleration. The DJI FPV has a max acceleration of 0 to 62mph in two seconds. Let that sink in for a moment. It’s a drone that accelerates faster than a car! That alone might be enough for you to buy one, but there’s still plenty more for content creators to salivate over because this new drone opens up exploration opportunities for seasoned pilots who want to expand their aerial videography.

FPV drones in general are fast and furious, often reaching incredible speeds and acceleration levels to keep up with moving subjects. The DJI FPV blends finesse and performance into one package that includes the FPV Goggles V2, remote controller 2, the drone itself, and the never-before-seen Motion Controller. This isn’t particularly targeted for beginners, since flying an FPV drone is a very different experience from past DJI consumer drones, like the Mini 2 and Mavic Air 2

Read more
How to watch DJI unveil its new FPV drone live online today
watch djis new teaser for its incoming fpv quadcopter dji drone

Redefine Flying | March 2, 2021 | 9 AM EST

DJI is about to unveil a new drone, and you can watch the entire event live online.

Read more
Watch DJI’s new teaser for its incoming FPV quadcopter
watch djis new teaser for its incoming fpv quadcopter dji drone

Despite various leaks already revealing a fair bit about DJI's incoming first-person-view drone — one of them comprising an unboxing of what appears to be the new flying machine — the company is proceeding as if no one knows anything yet.

A new video teaser, posted ahead of the drone's big (or not so big) reveal at 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, March 2, confirms earlier reports that the device will offer 4K/60 frames-per-second video recording. The teaser also includes a few seconds of action footage, which we'd like to believe was captured by the camera on DJI's latest quadcopter. Watch it below.

Read more