DJI Mini 5 Pro Weight: Is It Still Considered Sub-250g?
Good day, folks. Sean here from Air Photography. In this quick video, we’re going to examine the weight of the DJI Mini 5 Pro. There has been a lot of discussion online about it weighing over 250 grams, which could be problematic for those who need a sub-250g drone due to regulations in their country.
This Mini 5 Pro was sent to me early for evaluation and testing. I’ve been flying it for about five or six weeks, but it was sent with the “plus” batteries. Consequently, I had no way to verify if it weighed under 250g with the regular flight battery. As soon as the regular batteries went on sale yesterday, I ordered one to put it to the test.
The DJI Mini 5 Pro Drone Weight Test
With the plus battery and a memory card installed, the Mini 5 Pro weighs 299g. In Canada, this means it needs to be registered, and you must have either a basic or advanced flight certificate to fly it.
For comparison, here is my Mini 4 Pro. It has the 249g battery and no memory card, and it weighs 251g. Technically, it’s also over the limit. Every Mini 4 will have a slightly different weight due to manufacturing tolerances, so one drone might be a gram heavier than another.
This battery just arrived, so I don’t know what the results will be yet. Let’s compare the weight difference between the two batteries. The Mini 5 Pro battery weighs 69g, while the Mini 4 light battery is 80g, making it slightly heavier. For curiosity, the plus battery weighs 116g.
Results and Implications
Now, let’s put the standard battery in the Mini 5 Pro. One thing you’ll notice right away is that it doesn’t label it as “249 grams” like the Mini 4 Pro’s battery does. Let’s fold it up and put it on the scale.
The moment of truth: 253g.
Technically, this is overweight in Canada and would have to be registered. This weight includes a memory card. Of course, adding accessories like ND filters or even a decal set will increase the weight further.
The big question is, can you fly this as a sub-250g drone? I’m not sure of the answer, and I don’t want to give bad advice. I plan to email Transport Canada to clarify the rules and see if there’s any leeway.
For me, I love sub-250g drones because they offer more freedom here in Canada. However, for the most part, I fly my mini drones with the larger battery, so they are already registered. In that case, the sub-250g classification isn’t as important because I still need a basic pilot certificate to fly it. But for some people in certain countries, that sub-250g mark is very important.
Before I go, I want to mention that I’m not sure how accurate the scale I used is. It’s a cheap one from Amazon, so it may not be exact.
Hopefully, you enjoyed this video and found it valuable.
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Shawn Air Photography
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To be fair, in the UK it’s the Police that enforce drone breaches. If the drone is listed as a 250g drone then the chance of them carrying a scale (that’s been professionally calibrated) to check a couple of gram variance is effectively zero.
I honestly think this is a non-issue unless the CAA / FAA get really picky at a legal level against DJI more than individual user level
After following up on mini 5 pro news for weeks here at dronexl, my mini 5 pro arrived today and weights 253 grams without SD and filters. I just applied for the special operations certificate, since I’m not a permanent resident in Canada. Hopefully it won’t take 6 weeks as they say.
Waiting too see more news about Transport Canada answer to your contact.
I’m in Nova Scotia and I have an Air 2S and and Mini 3 Pro. I have my Basic Certificate. I decided to wait to see if DJI did something to rectify the weight issue or if Transport Canada recognizes the Mini 5 Pro as a micro drone like it does the Mini 4 Pro. I’m not worried about a few extra grams over weight, however, I feel better knowing I’m complying with regulations. There are areas on the eastern shore of my province where I love flying but anything over 249 grams needs to be granted clearance if you want to abide by the regulation. That’s why I bought a mini. I use the Drone Pilot app to identify areas with this restriction. It’s not the certificate requirement that is a concern for me (already got it), it’s the regulation restricting where I can fly the drone and still abide to the regulation. As soon as there’s official acceptance by Transport Canada or DJI reduces the weight somehow (battery maybe) I’ll stick with what I have… and I don’t condemn anyone for doing differently. This is just a decision I decided was right for me
-“Before I go, I want to mention that I’m not sure how accurate the scale I used is”.
So you’ve just wasted every reader’s time…
I’ve used my Mini 4 Pro to capture some amazing cityscapes in Canada for my YouTube channel. As I’m considering upgrading to the Mini 5 Pro, I’d be very interested to hear how they respond to your email.
It qualified, and received C0 certification. Thats it, and that’s all. Its NOT up to consumers to prove or disprove their drones weight classification. Has anyone, anywhere, at anytime reported having their drone confiscated by “the authorities”? I think not. You don’t have to prove your car’s safety glass meets requirements, that your headlights meet DOT or other safety organizations parameters. Manufacturers do these things, so millions of consumers don’t have to