$299 DJI Mini SE opens up drone photography to the mass market (report)

An affordable new drone, the DJI Mini SE, is apparently on the way that will cost as little as $299 (approximately £215 / AU$400). 

At this price, the DJI Mini SE would bring premium drone photography to the masses. DJI is the gold standard right now, with its DJI Mavic 2 Zoom being our pick as the best camera drone on the market. Not everyone has $1,300 to spare, though, and while the DJI Mini 2 is more affordable (currently $449.99 at Walmart), even that's a significant chunk of change.

According to Sean Hollister, writing for The Verge, a listing for the DJI Mini SE was spotted on Walmart for this price. And Twitter user Güçlü Atamer also spotted one at a physical Walmart store.

The Walmart listing in question is currently lacking a price, but it does reveal a lot of specifications, which give a good idea of what the drone is like.

And despite the name, it doesn't seem to be a scaled-down version of the DJI Mini 2. Because while it has a similar design, its attributes seem closer to the original DJI Mavic Mini. The full specs listed are as follows:

• Single frequency 
• 1/2.3 12M pixel 
• Resolution 2.7K 
• 3-axis gimbal 
• Photo mode: Single Shot and Interval 
• Photo Resolutions: 4:3 4000×3000 16:9 4000×2250 
• Video Resolutions: 2.7K: 2720×1530 25/30p FHD: 1920×1080 25/30/50/60p 
• QuickShot modes: Dronie, Circle, Helix, and Rocket 
• Remote Controller: 720p/30fps 
• Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3 bracketed frames at 2/3 EV Bias 
• Medium Interference (suburban landscape, open line of sight, some competing signals): Approx. 6 km
• Flight time: 30 minutes
• Weight: 249g

The 2.5-mile range means that it's unlikely to employ Ocusync, DJI's sophisticated transmission system first released with the DJI Mavic Pro. And the 2.7K camera falls short of the 4K standard many drone photographers have become used to. 

However, as an entry level model at such a low price ($100 less than the original Mavic Mini) this looks like being quite the game changer. Especially because, at less than 0.55 lbs (249g), it's so light that you won't need to register to fly it in some countries.

We're still awaiting more details, but given what we know already this new drone will surely be a very tempting buy – both for beginners and experienced drone pilots wanting to expand their fleet.

And will it prompt other drone makers to step up, and release their own, more affordable models? Here's hoping.

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