I’ve been testing DJI’s Mini drones since the company launched the series, and one thing has always been consistent: They’ve stayed comfortably under the crucial 250-gram weight limit. That predictability has been a part of their appeal; if you buy a Mini, you know exactly what flight restrictions you’re dealing with (i.e., very few). The DJI Mini 5 Pro breaks with that tradition in a way that feels slightly concerning.

My review sample weighed over 250 grams. Only by a few grams, but that’d be enough to potentially land me in legal hot water if I were to fly it in the same ways and locations as its sub-250-gram predecessor, the DJI Mini 4 Pro. The Mini 5 Pro does have a Class 0 rating in Europe, so the weight shouldn’t be an issue in EU countries, but in the UK and the US, the company has essentially shifted responsibility to users.

Photograph: Sam Kieldsen

I enquired about the weight, and a DJI spokesperson sent me the following statement: “The DJI Mini 5 Pro has a design weight of 249.9 grams. Due to manufacturing tolerances, the actual weight of the product may vary slightly within a range of ±4 g. Minor weight fluctuations are normal. We recommend that when UK users are operating the drone, local regulations are complied with, which can be found here.”

The company refers to it as a “near-250g drone”—terminology I’d never encountered from DJI. Frankly, it feels a little evasive. This isn’t just pedantic nitpicking over a few grams. I live in the UK, and the 250-gram threshold determines whether you can fly a drone in public parks, on beaches, in towns and cities, near people, and in countless other scenarios without additional certification. Previous Mini models have been just under this limit, and it seems like an oversight during the design process to not keep this one comfortably below it, too.

There’s good news, though: With UK drone rules set to change at the beginning of 2026, I don’t have too long to wait until the Mini 5 Pro (and, interestingly, the much bigger DJI Air 3S) becomes completely legal to fly in built-up areas, public parks, and close to people.

The tidings for US-based pilots aren’t so cheery, though. As with all of its recent products, DJI isn’t officially launching the Mini 5 Pro in the US. You can blame the impending DJI ban, and it’s a real shame, because, weight issues aside, this is a fantastic camera drone.

Big Camera Upgrades

Photograph: Sam Kieldsen

The Mini 5 Pro’s slight weight increase comes with genuine benefits. The main improvement is the camera, which now features a 12-MP (or 50 MP in Quad Bayer terms) 1-inch sensor, a significant upgrade from the smaller sensors in previous Mini models. The image quality is edging towards DJI’s Air range, which is remarkable for a drone this size. You’re getting professional-level image quality in a pocketable drone.

The camera improvements extend beyond just sensor size. The gimbal now supports 225-degree roll rotation as well as the same 9:16 “True Vertical Shooting” as the Mini 4 Pro, where the camera rotates 90 degrees to capture native content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and the like.

Video capabilities are impressive. You can shoot 4K at 60 frames per second in regular modes, and now push things to 4K 120 fps for smooth slow-motion sequences. The footage is 10-bit H.265 with a maximum ISO of 12,800, and there’s support for D-Log M and HLG color profiles for those who want maximum flexibility in post-production. DJI claims up to 14 stops of dynamic range, and from my testing, shadow and highlight detail are genuinely excellent.

The 2x digital zoom—essentially a crop that gives you an equivalent 48-mm medium telephoto field of view—is surprisingly usable. Using a digital crop isn’t something I’d typically recommend on smaller-sensor drones, but thanks to DJI’s processing and the headroom offered by the 1-inch sensor, it’s well worth making use of here.

Flight Performance and Safety

Photograph: Sam Kieldsen

As with most DJI drones, the Mini 5 Pro is a joy to fly. It’s zippy and responsive when flown manually. I tested it in genuinely challenging coastal conditions, with gusts up to 30 mph, and while it was visibly fighting the wind, it held its position remarkably well.

Safety features have seen significant upgrades, too. The addition of lidar sensors means the drone can detect forward obstacles even in complete darkness, complementing the omnidirectional vision sensors that handle other directions. During my testing, this proved genuinely useful during golden hour (and later) flight; those lighting conditions are challenging for vision-only systems.

All the usual automated flight features are present and work well. The drone feels stable and predictable, whether you’re using subject tracking, waypoint navigation, or just hovering in place. For beginners, it’s as approachable as any Mini model, but experienced pilots will appreciate the improved performance.

Interestingly, battery life takes a major hit when using the camera. With the camera rolling and a standard battery fitted, you might get 21 minutes of flight time, but it can be as much as 36 minutes when the camera isn’t recording.

The physical design remains excellent. It folds down to a genuinely pocketable size, and DJI includes a protective cover that keeps both propellers and the camera safe when folded. There’s now a generous 42 GB of built-in storage in addition to a microSD card slot.

Pricing starts at £689 (around $919) for the basic package, with Fly More Combos available for £869 (with RC-N3 controller) or £979 (with RC 2 touchscreen controller). That’s around the same price as the Mini 4 Pro, and here you’re obviously getting a lot more for your money.

I’d strongly recommend the RC 2 touchscreen controller version if your budget allows. It eliminates much of the preflight setup faff you get with phone-mounted controllers and leaves your phone free for calls or other tasks. The integrated screen is bright, responsive, and makes the entire flying experience more streamlined.

Weigh Down

Photograph: Sam Kieldsen

Coming back to that weight issue: it’s genuinely frustrating. The Mini series has always been about simplicity—buy one and fly it almost anywhere without worrying about complex regulations. The Mini 5 Pro muddies those waters in a way that feels unnecessary, especially given DJI’s somewhat unsatisfying response to the situation.

If you’re in Europe with its Class 0 designation, this isn’t a concern. But UK and US users need to be more careful about where and how they fly. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does chip away at one of the Mini series’ core appeals.

The Mini 5 Pro represents a significant step forward in camera technology and flight performance, wrapped in DJI’s typically excellent design. The image quality improvements are genuine and substantial, and this really does deliver Air-class performance in a much smaller, easy-to-carry package.

But that weight slip-up feels like an uncharacteristic mistake from a company that usually gets these details right. If you can live with the weight complications, the Mini 5 Pro offers the best image quality you’ll find in this size category. If you’re a UK dweller, just be prepared to pay more attention to local regulations than you would with its predecessors—at least until the laws become clearer in January 2026.