(Credit: DJI)
Editors' Note 9/22: This story was updated to note that DJI is not a listed entity under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
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DJI Is, without question, the leading maker of camera drones worldwide. Its latest quadcopter, the Mini 5 Pro, looks like the best 249g class drone to date. It's a big upgrade versus the outgoing Mini 4 Pro thanks to its large 50MP Type 1 format image sensor and improved obstacle avoidance with LiDAR tech. But like other recent DJI releases, including the Osmo Nano wearable camera today, the Mini 5 Pro isn't yet on sale in the United States. Content creators, video producers, and photographers who live or work abroad are likely in for a real treat.
New Features in Detail
The Mini 5 Pro is a 249g drone, a weight class that was originally developed in direct response to regulatory requirements. In the US and many other countries, drones that weigh less than 250 grams don't have to be registered with a government agency and are allowed to be used in more places than heavier drones. DJI released its first Mavic Mini ultra-light drone back in 2019 and has improved upon the series with each subsequent release.
And the Mini 5 Pro follows the trend. Its camera includes an oversized (for a small drone) image sensor, one with the same Type 1 surface area (roughly 65% larger than the Type 1/1.3 in the Mini 4 Pro), 50MP resolution, and 4K60 HDR capture as the larger Air 3S. The camera is mounted on a 3-axis gimbal that twists to shift between portrait and landscape capture, but even that comes with a new twist. The Mini 5 Pro adds a video shot that rolls the gimbal by 225 degrees, a type of camera move I've not yet seen in a consumer drone.
The flight hardware takes a leap forward as well. The Mini 4 Pro already had 360-degree obstacle avoidance and detection, and the Mini 5 Pro adds forward LiDAR to the mix. DJI says this will improve safety at twilight and for night flights. The new drone also remembers its current flight path, so it can return to the launch point even if it loses communication with GPS satellites.
And battery life is better, the Mini 5 Pro gets 36 minutes per charge with its standard battery and 52 minutes of flight time with an optional extended life cell, up from 45 minutes for the Mini 4 Pro. The extended battery pushes the weight over 249g, but pilots will appreciate the extra flight time.
Delayed Availability Is the New Normal for DJI in the US
As mentioned, the DJI Mini 5 Pro is going on sale internationally today, but it is not coming to the US. This is pretty much standard operating procedure for DJI releases in 2025. The Mavic 4 Pro went on sale in May, and while a few units made it to retail shelves stateside during its first few days on sale, US residents who missed that window are stuck importing from another region or buying on eBay at a markup.
What's worse, reports indicate that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has stopped at least one user's Mavic 4 Pro from entering the US. I spoke to Eric Thurber, a professional photographer and videographer based in San Francisco, last month after his video on the matter went viral. Thurber imported a Mavic 4 Pro, accidentally dropped it and broke its gimbal, and since it was an import, had to send it off to DJI's Canadian repair facility to replace its gimbal. DJI fixed it without a problem, but the drone was held by CBP for three months before being returned to DJI.
Unfortunately, this just seems to be the new normal for DJI, and not just for drones. While they are now available at US retailers, its recent dual-lens Osmo 360 video camera and Mic 3 wireless audio system launched in other regions ahead of the US. Neither was a lengthy delay, just a few weeks, but the same isn't true for DJI drones. The Osmo Nano, announced a week after the Mini 5 Pro, is also facing a delay, though I expect it to hit US shops sooner than later. That's not the story with DJI drones, however. The Mavic 4 Pro is not available from DJI or authorized retail partners in the States, and while the Air 3S is listed on its virtual storefront, it's been out of stock continuously for a similar interval. Both drones have been available in other regions for months.
Will the Government Ban DJI Drones?
So why is this happening? CBP has cited violations of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevent Act (UFLPA) as the reason for the increased scrutiny, although DJI is not on the UFLPA Entity List. The company is on a different Entity List, maintained by the Department of Commerce, due to its alleged role its drones play in surveilling China's Uyghur ethnic minority, a group that is reportedly restricted to interment camps, strictly monitored, and forced to perform labor. Human rights groups have labeled the treatment as a genocide. DJI denies these claims and states that all of its products are made in Shenzhen, thousands of miles away from the Uyghur internment camps.
And that's only part of it. DJI drones face a looming legislative ban based on another concern: national security. Late last year, President Biden signed the annual National Defense Authorization Act. It includes a section on DJI and Autel "communications or video surveillance equipment" that says that the Department of Defense or designated agency must conduct a security audit of these products to determine if they "pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States." The deadline for this audit is Dec. 23, 2025, after which these products will be added to the FCC Covered List, effectively stopping them from being sold in the US.
The language is broad; it's easy to see an argument that DJI's Osmo action cameras and wireless microphones fall under its umbrella, and extend to companies that have technology sharing agreements with DJI, a list that includes legendary Swedish camera maker Hasselblad.
And it appears as if the government is dragging its feet on the audit. A source with direct knowledge tells me that there has been "no real movement on the audit." Publicly, DJI is vocal: it welcomes the scrutiny and wants the appropriate parties to complete the audit. Meanwhile, Autel has already exited the market; it discontinued its consumer Evo series and is now concentrating on drones for use in industry and agriculture.
For its part, DJI intends to stick it out to the end, a source tells me that DJI "is committed to the US market and is doing everything it can to stay in the market."
And to be clear, a ban on DJI drones would be devastating to the consumer drone space. DJI's aircraft are more reliable to fly and their cameras deliver far better image and video quality than any other brand I've flown. If you want to record drone footage that can slot into an indie film or documentary, there's simply nothing that matches DJI. Pilots who fly for fun and realtors looking to add aerial photos to listings will be able to get by with alternatives like the Potensic Atom 2, but its picture quality won't satisfy discerning eyes.
It's hard to imagine another company jumping in and filling the gap that a DJI ban would leave in its wake. One of DJI's main rivals, Insta360, recently announced its first drone, the Antigravity A1, with a 360-degree camera that's promising for consumers, but is likely to fall short for movie and television production. The rest of what is out there today falls into the "cheap junk sold on Amazon," as other brands that have tried to crack DJI's hold on the market have faltered. GoPro made a good effort with its Karma, but didn't attempt a follow-up to work the bugs out, and the Sony AirPeak S1 also proved to be a one-and-done release; it's now discontinued.
Of course, there is always a chance for a last-minute reprieve. Congress could pass new legislation to supersede the language of the NDAA, or President Trump could intervene as he did with the looming TikTok ban. I see either scenario as unlikely at best, but stranger things have happened.