DJI Mini 5 Pro Long-Term Review: Why Battery Life Is The Real Story

I’ve been flying the DJI Mini 5 Pro since a couple of weeks before its official announcement. After months of daily use, I wanted to share my honest, long-term impressions and answer the question every content creator is asking: does this drone actually live up to the hype?

Short answer: yes, but with one major caveat that DJI doesn’t want to talk about.

What You’re Actually Buying

Let’s break down what the Mini 5 Pro delivers on paper. We have a 1-inch CMOS sensor with 50-megapixel stills, video up to 4K 60fps and 4K 120fps in slow-mo mode, 10-bit D-Log M color profile, HLG, and ISO up to 12,800 in standard mode.

The gimbal offers roll rotation up to 245 degrees and native vertical 9:16 shooting. Officially, the Mini 5 Pro weighs 249.9 grams, but that’s debatable. Many pilots have reported their units weighing 252-253 grams. More on that later.

This is still a very lightweight and portable drone with omnidirectional obstacle sensing, forward-facing LiDAR, and night-capable return-to-home even when GPS signal is weak. DJI claims up to 36 minutes of flight time with the regular battery. The Plus battery offers even more flight time but increases total weight.

Camera Performance: Where It Actually Shines

Here’s where I’ve spent most of my time, because for content creators like you and me, this is what really matters.

The 1-inch sensor makes a big difference. Noise is lower in low light, shadows and highlights hold more detail, and I’d estimate we have a bump of about 20-30% in low light performance when comparing the Mini 5 Pro directly to the Mini 4 Pro. Dynamic range has also significantly improved.

The 50-megapixel raw photos give you serious flexibility to crop in post and create different compositions. Photos are no longer a limitation. You can get professional results from the Mini 5 Pro with the sensor size, especially if you know how to use manual camera settings.

For video, we have 10-bit D-Log M at 4K 60fps and 120fps for slow motion. That means you have enormous production flexibility to create stunning footage.

Here’s the reality check though. When comparing the Mini 4 Pro to the Mini 5 Pro, you won’t see a massive difference in automatic camera settings. The real difference emerges if you already know how to utilize those features: locking manual settings, using the right shutter speed, exposure, and ISO values. If you’re color grading your footage in D-Log M, lowering sharpness so your footage doesn’t look too digital, adding that back in post, this is when the Mini 5 Pro really shines.

Jake Sloan tested both drones in Alaska’s demanding conditions and came to a similar conclusion: the difference is there, but you need to know how to extract it.

The 48mm Medium Telephoto Mode

The 48mm medium telephoto mode is new for the Mini 5 Pro, and it introduces having a second lens in your shots without actually having one. I think this is a great way to spice up your footage. Experiment with different perspectives and you can really make your shots look and feel more dynamic.

Of course, the drone isn’t perfect. I’ve noticed a little bit of sharpness loss at the corners of footage, but that’s expected from such a small, lightweight drone.

Bottom line on image quality: if you’re using this drone for everyday shots without putting effort into post-production, the difference between the Mini 5 Pro and Mini 4 Pro won’t be dramatic. But if you push the limits in low light, heavily grade your footage, and experiment with the gimbal rotation, expect a massive upgrade.

Real-World Usability

Let’s talk about how it actually feels to use the Mini 5 Pro when you’re in the field, pulling it out of your backpack on a daily basis.

Strong points: the foldable design is very compact. You can carry this drone on shoots without feeling like you’re lugging around a large rig like the Mavic 4 Pro. Build quality and gimbal stabilization hold up very well. Even on tricky terrain, you get usable footage.

Wind resistance on the Mini 5 Pro is significantly better than anything I’ve seen on a smaller drone. Huge thumbs up on that. Subject tracking, ActiveTrack, obstacle avoidance, and other smart features work pretty well and help you achieve great-looking shots more easily.

The new LiDAR sensors are genuinely impressive for obstacle avoidance, especially in low light conditions where traditional vision sensors struggle.

We have 42GB of internal storage, so even if you forget your SD card, you’ll still be fine for a long day of shooting.

The Battery Life Problem

Now for the elephant in the room.

The battery life is really not what DJI claims. They advertise up to 36 minutes, but in reality, I’m getting 20-25 minutes depending on weather conditions. That’s a massive difference from what they’re promising.

I’m not alone in this assessment. Philip Bloom reported 23-24 minutes in his testing. Billy Kyle got 25-30 minutes. Rafael’s battery life test at high altitude yielded 29 minutes. Nobody is hitting that 36-minute mark in real-world conditions.

This is my biggest issue with the Mini 5 Pro. It goes through batteries very quickly. Make sure you stock up on extra batteries. Get the Fly More Combo. If you’re wondering whether you should buy one, I definitely encourage you to get it.

The Weight Controversy

Since most people have reported their Mini 5 Pro weighing slightly over the 250-gram limit, DJI has confirmed it’s still a C0 labeled drone in Europe. Regulations include a buffer of a couple grams around 250g, so even if your drone weighs 252 or 253 grams, you won’t have regulatory issues in the EU.

An industry insider revealed that two last-minute design changes, new propellers and an upgraded speaker, added approximately four grams total, pushing what was designed as a sub-250g drone over the threshold.

I keep telling people who are worried about regulations: if you don’t do anything stupid, you won’t have any issues with the weight of this drone. The C0 category accounts for this variance. The weight does not affect how I fly this drone. I have zero issues with the labeling.

Mini 5 Pro vs Mavic 4 Pro: My Daily Driver Choice

If you already own a high-end drone, then the Mini 5 Pro won’t necessarily feel like an upgrade. Yes, it has strong points and weaknesses. However, the biggest draw is portability, ease of use, compactness, and the fact that you can take it anywhere.

The weight regulations and labeling allow you to fly in many stricter areas where bigger drones wouldn’t be permitted. That’s the biggest winning point for the Mini 5 Pro.

For me personally, as someone who relies mostly on capturing the highest quality footage possible, I tend to grab my Mavic 4 Pro a lot more than the Mini 5 Pro. That’s expected since I have access to both drones. But the Mini 5 Pro is my “toy type” drone where I can rely on it when I need something less professional-looking, more relaxed, more travel-friendly, or something that doesn’t take up much space.

Should You Buy The DJI Mini 5 Pro?

Yes, buy it if:

• You’re a content creator who needs high-quality footage that could be professional-grade
• You want portability and pro-level camera specs (a rare combination)
• You’re okay with shorter flight time and take advantage of built-in smart features
• You recognize the weight issues but are okay managing them

Maybe don’t buy it if:

• You only fly casually and don’t need high-end specs
• You already have a very good recent DJI drone (the upgrade won’t feel dramatic)
• You need a drone that can fly longer than 20-25 minutes, definitely skip this one

Final Verdict

The Mini 5 Pro is a fantastic choice. It’s a great drone. But it’s still not my favorite number one drone that I own or use. That spot is reserved for the Mavic 4 Pro, which I tend to pick up daily or any time I’m wondering what drone to choose.

Still, the Mini 5 Pro is a fantastic option for chill, relaxed flights, for anything involving stricter regulations, for traveling, for ease of use, and for compactness and portability. For that, it’s unbeatable.

Watch my full video review below for footage samples and more detailed impressions.

Thank you for reading. This is Mike from Drone Supremacy. Never stop flying, and I’ll catch you in the next one. Ciao.