DJI Mavic Mini vs DJI Spark Camera Drone Comparison

Spec Comparison of the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Spark Camera Drones

Two very similar sized camera drones at very affordable prices, here we break down two of what we believe are the most similar mini film making drones on the market.

The DJI Mavic Mini can be had for around $499 and the DJI Spark for $399 at the moment, depending on sales online or in your area.

One of the biggest differences is the release dates, with the Mavic Mini being released late 2019 and the Spark coming out early 2017, so 2.5 years between their releases.

In their smallest form you will find the Spark actually outdoes the Mini with a 170mm diagonal distance and the Mavic Mini having a 213mm diagonal distance when its arms are folded in. This also makes the Mini bigger when it's arms are outstretched and ready for take off.

Although it is diagonally smaller, the Spark is actually much bigger when you take it's three dimensions in to account, having 143 x 143 x 55mm dimensions.

Making it's volume 1124cm³ compared to 654cm³ for the Mavic Mini, which is nearly half the size. This is purely down to it's width being nearly half the size when it's arms are folded in.

The weight is one of the closest in the comparisons we have ever done, with 249grams for the Mavic Mini and 300grams for the Spark. Easy enough to get out and take up mountains or to more remote areas without worrying too much about carrying extra weight.

They have similar field of views of 83 degrees for the Mini and 82° for the Spark.

There max speed is almost identical too, specs showing 46kmh for the Mavic Mini and 50kmh for the Spark.

Although similar, the ascent speed is 1m/s more on the DJI Mavic Mini at 4m/s with both having a 3m/s descent speed.

This follows through on their max wind speed they can handle, with both camera drones having 28kmh as their tolerance.

The flight times and transmission distance are much better on the Mavic Mini, with a 4km compared to 2km on the Spark transmission distance and nearly double the flight time. 30 mins max for the Mini and 16 minutes for the DJI Spark.

Given their size, they are also very similar in terms of noise level, both producing around 74 decibels at take off and head height.

Where the camera improves on the Mavic Mini is that in the gimbal department and better stabilization. It offers a 3-axis gimbal compared to just a 2-axis gimbal for the DJI Spark.

Photo and Video Comparison of the DJI Mavic Mini and the DJI Spark

This is where the newer Mavic Mini starts to run away a little, with a 40mbps video bitrate compared to 24mbps of the Spark.

They both share the same size image sensor of 1/2.3" which is a 7.6mm diagonal length image sensor.

This gives them both 12MP photo resolution and JPEG photo files.

The Mavic Mini does one better in the video category and can record 60fps at 1080p compared to just the 1080p at 30fps for the Spark.

It also improves on this with being able to record 2.7k video resolution and has manual ISO, manual shutter speed and manual white balance when recording videos.

They both record in H.264 and MP4 video formats.

Summary

There is very little difference when you shake them both down, from price, to size and features.

But because the DJI Mavic Mini is newer and takes advantage of the 249 grams rule with many countries and drone registration, it is definitely the drone to buy as it continues to get firmware updates too.