Long-term test

DJI Mini 2

The Mini 2 promises a lot of drone for your dollar, but its true pulling power is its size. We’ve heard the story before, but it remains pivotal to fuss-free flying: weighing

249g means it doesn’t need to be registered with the authorities. So, rather than being stuck in an administrative holding pattern, you can charge it up and take off almost instantly.

Folded up, this quadcopter resembles an insect-a-like

Autobot; but once you lift it out of the box and unfurl its arms, everything starts to make sense. On the front is a 12MP camera. It looks a bit wobbly, to be honest, but that’s because it’s placed on top of a stabilising gimbal to smooth out pans and swooshes for super-steady footage from the air.

The battery slots into the back under a flap and there’s a microsd card slot for storage,

Fold up the Mini 2 and this capable flyer will fit in a large jacket pocket or a bag with ease.

so you’ll want to pick a good 4K-supporting card before you head off into the wilds and start filming. Oh, and after you’ve cooed over the drone for a few minutes, prepare to get every bit as geeky over its controller — a multi-function marvel, and a big improvement over last year’s chonk of an accessory.

As well as navigating the Mini 2, it has a potential lifesaver of a party trick: screw on the joysticks, secure your smartphone with the spring-loaded clasp then plug it in, and the controller becomes a portable charger thanks to its massive 5200mah battery. It also keeps the Mini 2 connected at a range of up to 10km.

Before take-off, I’ve installed a couple of apps. The first is DJI Fly, available for Android or IOS. Next, Airmap could save you thousands. How? It tells you where you can and can’t fly your drone, so you can avoid fines and stay safe by checking local guidelines before you take to the sky.

After all that, let’s go and fly a drone. Set the Mini 2 on a flat surface, connect your phone, lock on your GPS and register a home location. Then long-press the take-off button and we’re up, up and away.

The new controller is a multi-function marvel, and a big improvement over last year’s chonk of an accessory