DJI Mini 5 Pro: If It’s Not a Micro Drone… What’s the Point?

Even drones have cheat days. The Mini 5 Pro stepping on the scale is basically me after Thanksgiving — trying to convince everyone it’s “just the batteries.”

Let’s talk about the DJI Mini 5 Pro, because depending on who you ask, it’s either the perfect evolution of the Mini line… or a confused little chonker that wandered into the wrong weight class. And honestly, for a drone that’s supposed to be “lightweight,” it sure has sparked a lot of conversations about the one thing it absolutely shouldn’t be flirting with: breaking the sub-250g barrier.

The entire reason the Mini series exists — the whole identity of the line — is that glorious micro-drone freedom. Sub-250g means fewer rules, fewer restrictions, less paperwork, and more places you can legally fly without Transport Canada tapping you on the shoulder. That’s the magic. That’s the appeal. That’s why people buy these things.

But here’s the part that DJI hopes slips under the radar: the Mini 5 Pro is coming in overweight in multiple countries. Not “my scale’s off” overweight — I mean regulators outright refusing to classify it as a micro drone. The UK didn’t classify it as micro. Parts of the EU didn’t. Australia didn’t. New Zealand didn’t. And DJI has already quietly tweaked their own packaging and marketing language, which is never a great sign.

And look — trust me when I say I’m in absolutely no position to judge anything for being a little overweight. I’m walking around with a full-time dad bod myself. But even I know when something is carrying too much for its weight class.

So now we’ve got a drone still being marketed like a Mini, but being treated more like a “tiny adult drone” in several countries. And that’s a problem. Because if you lose the micro-drone advantage, you lose the whole reason to even consider a Mini in the first place. If I’m going to deal with more restrictions anyway, I’d rather fly something with bigger sensors, better stability, longer flight times, better low-light performance — you know, something with real muscle behind it.

And that leads to the obvious question: if the Mini 5 Pro isn’t reliably a micro drone, then… what’s the point? Why would you buy it? It’s priced high enough that it’s not “cheap and cheerful,” and without micro classification it suddenly sits in the same regulatory neighborhood as drones that absolutely outperform it.

Which brings me to my actual opinion: if I were buying a Mini right now, I wouldn’t buy the Mini 5 Pro. Not a chance. I’d buy the DJI Mini 4 Pro without even thinking twice about it.

The Mini 4 Pro is still everything a Mini is supposed to be. It’s a proper micro drone. It has excellent collision avoidance, a very capable camera, a mature and stable platform, and as of now it’s a fantastic deal. Most importantly, it still gives you the legal freedom that Micro drones are meant to deliver — and for a lot of recreational and travel flyers, that freedom is the whole game.

The Mini 5 Pro, on the other hand, feels like it’s having an identity crisis. It’s feature-packed and extremely capable, but if it’s not actually giving you the micro-drone benefits, then you’re paying a premium for something that doesn’t deliver the one thing the Mini line is famous for.

Is the Mini 5 Pro a good drone? Absolutely. But is it the smarter buy for most people in Canada right now? Not in my books. Not when the Mini 4 Pro exists, and not when the Mini 5 Pro’s entire legal advantage is up in the air — literally and figuratively.

So here’s where I land: if you want performance, skip the Mini 5 Pro and get something beefier. If you want the freedom that Mini drones are supposed to give you, get the Mini 4 Pro. And if you want something fun, tiny, and perfect for a four-year-old to boss around with voice commands, we’ve got the NEO 2 coming for exactly that purpose.

But the Mini 5 Pro? Until DJI sorts out this whole weight-class rollercoaster, it’s stuck in a weird middle zone that doesn’t make a lot of sense — especially if you’re flying in Canada and want simplicity.

Vancouver Island Drones — independent, local, and not affiliated with DJI or anybody else. Just calling it like it is, dad bod and all.