The EXO Mini Pro vs EXO mini are two completely new drones on the market. From specs, features to price point they differ a lot on many counts. We have made detailed analysis of their feature, specs and performance while flying. This comparison will also make you wonder do EXO drones really pose a threat to the dominance of DJI drones, specially DJI mini 3 pro drone? Let’s find out.
There are few major differences between EXO Mini Pro and EXO Mini which we have mentioned below.
- Camera difference – The EXO mini pro has 48 Megapixels with 1/1.3in CMOS Sensor while the EXO Mini was equipped with 12 Megapixels with 1/2.6in CMOS Sensor
- We can record footage on EXO Mini Pro in 4K UHD 30fps / 2.7K 60fps Video on 200mbps Max Bitrate while on EXO Mini it was 4K UHD 30fps Video with 100mbps Max Bitrate.
- Obstacle Avoidance – The other most varying difference between EXO Mini Pro and EXO Mini is the pro version comes with obstacle avoidance options of Front, Rear, Below 3-way while the Mini model was just equipped with Downward Optical Flow Sensors.
- Weight – Both come under Sub-250 grams weight class
- Battery – The EXO Mini Pro battery takes 90 minutes to charge fully and gives a flight time of around 40 minutes while EXO Mini’s battery last 45 minutes while charging in the same time. So here EXO mini has a little edge over the new model Blackhawk 2.
- Storage – The EXO Mini Pro comes with internal storage while the EXO mini did not have any internal storage.
- EXO Mini Pro can stand the level 5 winds with a speed of 35-mph while the EXO Mini could stand against level 5 wind at the speed of 30-mph.
Exo Mini Pro Vs EXO Mini Detailed Specs comparison
EXO Mini Pro
specs of EXO Mini Pro
- Size- folded 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.5, unfolded 8 x 6 x 3
- Firmware Updating System – In-App
- Camera – 48 Megapixels
- Flying Modes – Sport, Normal, Film
- Apps – iOS Android
- CMOS Sensor – 1/1.3 Inch
- Obstacle Avoidance – 3-Way Obstacle Avoidance (Full Frontal, Rear and Downward)
- Resolution – 4KUHD 30FPS Max
- 4K: 3840X2160 @30FPS
- 2.7K: 2720X1530@30/60FPS
- FHD: 1920 X 1080 @30/60FPS
- Bitrate – 200mbps Max
- Gimbal Stability – 3-Axis
- Aperture – f/1.85 – f/12
- HDR Enabled
- ISO – 100-6400
- Quickshots – Follow-Object/me , Circling, Fly-to-Sky, Dronie, Comet, 360 Shooting, Auto Drifting, Panorma
- Internal Storage – 64GB
- Hyperlapse – Enabled
- Zoom – 6X (optical/digital, 1080p)
- Video – MP4 (H.265/HEVC)
- Flight Time – 40 Minute
- Range – 5 Miles
- Transmission Max – 5 Miles
- Transmission Quality – HD 1080p
- Battery – Lithium Ion with 3000mAh capacity
- Weight with battery – Under 250 grams
- Wind Resistance – Level 5 (20-24MPH)
- Max Flight Height – 12,500Ft
- Low Battery Return Home – Enabled
- Lost Connection Safety – Enabled
- Other New Advanced Features – Waypoint Fly, Line-Fly, Return to Home (x3), Image Follow, Wind Resist Mode
EXO Mini
Specs of EXO Mini
- Size- folded 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.5, unfolded 8 x 6 x 3
- Firmware Updating System – In-App
- Camera- 12 Megapixels
- Flying Modes – Sport, Normal, Film
- Apps – iOS Android
- CMOS Sensor – 1/2.6 Inch
- Obstacle Avoidance – Downward Optical Flow Sensors
- Resolution – 4KUHD 30FPS Max
- 4K: 3840X2160 @30FPS
- 2.7K: 2720X1530@30FPS
- FHD: 1920 X 1080 @30FPS
- Bitrate – 100mbps Max
- Gimbal Stability – 3-Axis
- Aperture – f/2.2 – f/12
- HDR Enabled
- ISO – 100-3200
- Quickshots – Follow-object, Circle, Fly-to-Sky, Dronie, Comet, 360 Shooting, Auto Drifting, Panorma
- Internal Storage – None
- Hyperlapse – Enabled
- Zoom – 3X (optical/digital, 1080p)
- Video – MP4 (H.265/HEVC)
- Flight Time – 45 Minute
- Range – 5 Miles
- Transmission Max – 3 Miles
- Transmission Quality – HD 1080p
- Battery – Lithium Ion with 3000mAh capacity
- Weight with battery – Under 250 grams
- Wind Resistance – Level 5 (20-24MPH)
- Max Flight Height – 12,500Ft
- Low Battery Return Home – Enabled
- Lost Connection Safety – Enabled
- Other New Advanced Features – Waypoint Fly, Line-Fly, Return to Home (x3), Image Follow, Wind Resist Mode
Here is the detailed comparison once we have seen EXO Mini pro is an improved model with a lot of new features as per needs just like we have seen earlier in DJI Mini 3 Pro in comparison to its previous models.
Falling under the sub-250 grams both of these drones have same sizes when they are folded or unfolded –as the folded size which we have shown 5.5 x 3.5 x 2.5 inches while unfolded 8 x 6 x 3 inches.
The Good Aspects of EXO Mini Pro drone
Camera on EXO Mini Pro is 48MP with CMOS Sensor – 1/1.3 inches while it was much lower on EXO mini 12MP with CMOS Sensor of 1/2.6. Both of these speak volumes for the camera difference. EXO mini camera was nothing compared to 48MP of this new model. Of course it speaks volumes for itself.
With its incredible aperture of f/1.85 – f/12 we are getting the fantastic way of getting high quality footage, we are getting amazing HDR quality footage, a better low light sensitivity and its huge dynamic range which is apparently is missing in EXO mini. Its log mode gives us a better color profile.
Its 6X zoom is an other selling point for these drones and of course a full 3-axis gimbal which gives it great movement.
The battery life of EXO Mini Pro drone is also very capable of giving us a good flight time although EXO Mini battery life lasts a few minutes more than EXO Mini Pro’s.
Smart Chargers – They also come with smart chargers so that you can move around without any hassle and charge these drones on the go. There are also other accessories which are additional for the EXO Mini pro drones.
Obstacle Avoidance –
The main difference between Pro and regular EXO drone models is the pro ones come with 3-dimensional obstacle avoidance –forward, rear and downward facing feature which is a huge upgrade as compared to its other models. It completely revolutionizes the EXO drones and make them sell like hot cakes. The obstacle avoidance and camera features make EXO Mini pro drones as ideal as DJI’s Mini 3 Pro drones. Not just the obstacle avoidance it comes with software along with it.
Its obstacle avoidance works just like DJI Mini 3 Pro’s with the same features and they are exceptionally well to execute the chosen actions. So we can Bypass, Brake or Shut off depending on the obstacle ahead. So if we choose Bypass it will move around using its past-forward technology which is a big takeaway.
The EXO Mini does not have three-way obstacle avoidance just the downward obstacle avoidance.
So we don’t have to wait for its upgrade to work properly but its firmware is already upgraded when you have EXO mini pro drone in your hand which is an other professional standards maintained by this company. Besides, if you don’t want 3-way obstacle avoidance feature you can choose otherwise to save a big chunk of your money on that.
ActiveTrack – Exo Pro model comes with ActiveTrack feature just like DJI mini 3 pro‘s where you can choose the subject to follow and it will keep following it. It has two options Trace/Orbit. You can choose any of those both work well for these drones. With the orbit it keeps circling around on the chosen path. Most of all its features are customizable so choose what you want to do with the drone. Of course EXO mini is not that efficient when it comes to super advanced features like ActiveTrack. EXO Mini Pro’s ActiveTrack has many more other features that you can use. We just touching the surface to make sure what we find very cool in this drone.
HyperLapse
EXO mini pro drones also have hyperlapse feature to make you fly it as you want sideways, backwards and so on. Of course its Hyperlapse makes it stand ahead of mini drone model.
The Controller
All EXO drones use same controllers which comes with a wheel, Function button, necessary USB cable extensions, Wheel and other buttons. The Function button and wheel get most of the attention and indeed most of your flying depends on both of these two. If you can pilot your EXO Mini pro drone well, you will get the best footage no matter video or photos which is a missing feature on most of the budget drones.
Wind Resistance
Of course seeing its size sub-250 grams it would not stand the strong winds as others with its Level 5 wind resistance as weight can make these drones stand solid rock against tough winds. Take example of Black Hawk Pro which has more weight and has a wind resistance of Level 8 with better rotors and motors.
Other Features
The EXO Mini and Mini Pro both can reach the flight height of 12,500 feet which is pretty cool feature for a budget drone of this size standard. As most of the budget drone would hardly fly above 4,000 feet.
EXO mini pro comes with 3 flying modes–Normal, Film and Sport Mode which make this drone pretty standard and again a drone that gives tough competition to the DJI mini 3 pro drones. We noticed in the sports mode it can achieve 35+ mph speed. You can achieve as many as around 40+ miles if you are a pro pilot of the sort.
The cool feature about EXO Mini pro drones is its connectivity to the satellites. Once its GPS is set and connects, you will never have any disconnection issues. Again, for a budget drone of this price and size, its really makes EXO mini pro drone a solid choice.
Besides we did not notice any GEO-fencing in our way. May be where flew this drone there was no need for that, still we will stick to former feature.
The Blackhawk app also works great for iOS and Android versions. Like some people had the problem with some of the popular drones on Android versions, Blackhawk app works just fine for the both versions.
Another great selling point for EXO drones is their price point. The EXO mini standard drone is just $500 bucks while the EXO Mini pro model is around $650 which makes these drone very budget friendly despite their cool features and specs that they come with.
EXO Drone Firmware Updates
All EXO drones come updated via firmware once you order one. So it’s does not require you to weight on any of the features. Once you have it in your hand, that means it’s complete and exclusive. Besides, if there’s any new firmware update you get notified that there’s a firmware update available.
The Good Aspects of EXO Mini Drone
EXO Mini is obviously a very small drone, it charges through a micro USB port and adapter so that we can charge it. It has a remote control which pretty basic with all the necessary buttons. It also has a scroll wheel or rocker to tilt the camera. It has separate buttons to do photos and record videos. It does not require wifi to connect but a USB-C port to connect and operate. The app is really simply to set up the drone and operate it. So it’s really nice to set up the drone quickly and fly it.
Footage – It gives really crisp footage to begin with. However, if the sun is out the colors seems a bit out of proportion. But if you are panning it away from the sun you can get really nice footage. So when pointing to the sun, it blows the footage which is a downside of it.
Tracking – The tracking works nicely but at some point you will notice it stops tracking for a split second.
RTH – While flying the drone it lost control and we had no idea was that while flying on the mountains but eventually as the remote beeped it start returning home safely despite losing control. So it’s a nice feature to have on a drone. There’s no way you are going to lose the drone as it just returns to the point where it started even if the connection to the lose controller is lost.
Flying – The drone flies pretty smoothly. You can fly in harsh conditions and will find this EXO Mini drone very stable. We tested its flight and found it very stable in rough air conditions.
Conclusion
EXO drones is a US-based drone company so you don’t have to worry about the data you store on it as compared to the DJI drones which is a China-based company, when the government requires, they are bound to share the data with them. This is a big down-side for the DJI drones and a big plus for EXO drones.
Besides, EXO drones are cool drones to have. We compared EXO Mini Pro with EXO Mini drone and the difference is obvious. EXO mini could be a nice replacement for a DJI mini drone while the EXO Mini Pro is even a nicer, modern loaded with tons of features and specs drone that you will love for a good price.
The EXO Drones, are budget friendly at this point in time and are proficient in specs and features, so if you are DJI fan give these drones a shot, you would really like them. They are the best ones to give DJI drones a competition.
Affiliate Links
Check EXO Mini Pro on EXO Official Website – Check EXO Mini Pro on Amazon