THE FIMI, a sub-brand of Xiaomi, just released a "revised" version of the drone FIMI X8 SE, including using the same name + edition 2020, bringing as major highlights the greater control range (up to 8 Km away), in addition to slightly better autonomy, 35 minutes of flight. This will reach the pilots possibly thanks to some change in the connection between drone and control, the slightly smaller weight of this new version – 25 grams to be exact – even though the physical body and shape of the drone remain exactly the same. He also changed the chipset and underwent changes in camera quality and we received new pre-defined flight modes, recording with x265 codec and RAW photo support.
Another highlight that Chinese stores like Banggood have pre-sale ads worth $ 350 (the normal price will be US $ 499), excluding shipping costs and eventual fees – which is excellent by the specs, well above the Mavic Mini, which is costing US $ 399 internationally, R $ 4,000 here.
FIMI X8 SE (2020) for $ 349 (COUPON: BGFIMIX8SE20)DJI Mavic Mini for R $ 4,000 +/-
The Weight of 249 grams makes no difference to the Mavic Mini in Brazil. It framed like a heavier drone, like the Mavic Air
Why compare the FIMI X8 SE with the Mavic Mini and not with the Mavic Air?
For a very obvious matter: PRICE! It makes no sense to compare the FIMI X8 SE with the Mavic Air, since this model from DJI it currently costs more than $ 900 – more than double the FIMI X8 SE 2020. Comparisons should always take the final price into account for logical reasons. The best specifications of a product, even if it costs much less than another, are its merits, and it would not be fair to compare products of very different values. Now, it is good to make one thing clear here, and that I speak in several of my articles: SPECIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE BEST EXPERIENCE.
I can defend this with the very first generation FIMI X8 SE, which has specifications very similar to this new model and that, during my two flights with him before giving trouble, the delay in the responses of the commands in the control and the action of the drone greatly affected the flight experience when compared to a DJI model.
Close prices with different specifications
The first version of the FIMI X8 SE already had higher specifications than the Mavic Mini, with the DJI model having as its biggest highlight, at least for use in an international scenario, its weight of 249 grams. However, in Brazil it is not worth much, as our legislation does not consider its takeoff weight – it has the same flight restrictions as any larger drone.
Therefore, the great advantage of the Mavic Mini over the FIMI X8 SE is that it is smaller and easier to carry, besides being logical, of all the characteristic quality of DJI products. Moreover, the FIMI X8 SE brings a series of specifications superior to the models of DJI.
The idea of ​​the article points out what I think is most interesting in each of the models, in order to help in choosing who is analyzing the purchase of one of them.
Camera: FIMI X8 SE 2020 with 4K and Mavic Mini with 2.7K
The first model of the FIMI X8 SE already has a camera 4K 30FPS with sensor Sony IMX 378, the same as the first cell phone models in the line Pixel gives Google. This new model brought some changes, like fewer frames in FullHD (from 120 to 90), but it kept the 100Mbps bit-rate – a good specification, but that alone does not mean anything, since the final quality of the images depends a lot on a combination of factors, including the software that does the final processing. A test with images side by side is necessary to check what is best. FIMI added new flight modes, support for RAW images and even timelapse, including support for the x265 codec that aims to deliver higher quality with smaller files.
FIMI X8 SE has 4K camera, while Mavic Mini offers 2.7K
The Mavic Mini brings the whole tradition of DJI quality, even with a resolution camera 2.7K, below the X8 SE, it still manages to deliver close or even better images than some drones with support for 4K resolution. It is important not only to be linked to the specification, but to the quality that both deliver in practice – and that, as I said above, is only with a comparison to effectively say which delivery is the best graphic quality.
For photos, both have a 12MP with the possibility of some manual configurations, but the X8 SE 2020 has support for RAW images which is a nice differentiator. But, again, who will say which is the best in quality is a practical comparison.
Weight and autonomy: X8 SE 2020 = 8Km + 35min and Mavic Mini = 5Km + 30min
These two characteristics are directly associated, and a heavier drone will need a larger battery to achieve high flight range. With a lighter drone, it is possible to use smaller batteries for greater autonomy. Of course, I am generalizing, since we have other factors that influence here, such as engine power, quality, type of battery used and the size of the drone, for example.
FIMI flight autonomy of at 35min and Mavic Mini of 30min – SQN!
The FIMI X8 SE 2020 arrives reaching up to 35 minutes of flight, while the Mavic Mini is in 30 minutes. It is worth mentioning that these data are reported by the manufacturers, but, in practice, they are always smaller. In the review we did with the Mavic Mini inside a closed room with no wind, it remained in the air for just under 27 minutes, representing about 10% less than the time reported by DJI. This is common in practically all drones, which never reach the informed time – even more so on a flight billboard, with the wind and maneuvers influencing how much the drone needs to force its engines and, consequently, directly influencing the flight time, since it uses more battery depending on the situation.
Companies always put autonomies above what happens in practice
The model of Xiaomi takes a slight advantage in autonomy. When it comes to weight, the Mavic Mini is much easier to take anywhere. But, because it is very light, it suffers a lot with slightly stronger winds and it is important to take care of it so as not to end up losing the product.
The FIMI X8 SE three times heavier than the Mavic Mini, with a larger body as well. Thus, it is more difficult to load, despite being a drone with a good portability profile (I speak here compared to the Mavic Mini). Because the FIMI drone is bigger and heavier, it suffers less from the wind and, depending on the region of use, this is very important. An example is in litorneas cities: In these places, very light drones suffer a lot from windy days.
Presence sensors: Neither has
Neither drone has presence sensors, other than the take-off / landing sensor at the bottom. This means that if you send the drone towards a wall, for example, he will hit!
Some more expensive models come with sensors. The Mavic Air has sensors on the front and at the back, Mavic 2, EVO 2 and Skydio 2 they bring sensors in all directions, managing to dodge objects very efficiently in various scenarios.
But, add sensors on drones still expensive. Even getting more and more popular, it is not enough to simply implement. Good alignment with the software that manages the sensors is necessary and this costs money. Therefore, it is possible to understand why this type of technology is not present in the two models in this article.
And in practice, who is the best?
a question that needs to be answered separately by usage profile. I explain: the two drones are good options, with some features that considerably define the use.
The FIMI X8 SE 2020 stands out for its 4K resolution camera with 100Mbps bit-rate, while the Mavic Mini and its 2.7K camera have 40Mbps bit-rate. This kind of specification makes a difference in delivering better final quality, but then again, Sometimes there is no point in having good hardware and the software does not use it right. Another highlight of the X8 SE 2020 is that it supports photos in RAW format (not supported by the Mavic Mini), very important for amateur and professional photographers. Support for the x265 codec has also been added, which delivers files in better quality and smaller size.
Like other good highlights of the "new" FIMI X8 SE 2020, autonomy of up to 35 minutes of flight, even if you do not reach that time in practice, if you have the traditional 10% drop for a long time. And I can not fail to highlight the flight distance of 8 km, much more than the 5 km of the Mavic Mini. Although it has not been clear, it is probably the connection mode between control and drone of the new X8 SE 2020 via radio frequencies and Wi-Fi, which has a much more influence on signal stability, especially in urban areas. And finally, new flight modes, follow-me mode, timelapse and better quality photos at night were other advances in the new version of the FIMI drone.
As for the Mavic Mini, as I said in the review, I really liked it, delivering good quality video and photos. a very portable drone and has other positive details, such as the case of the Fly More package. Especially the case of the batteries is very good, you can "throw" it in a backpack without taking up space and it also weighs little. On the other hand, a very light drone, as it can be a huge problem in several regions. I almost lost it myself during the analysis in two situations here in Floripa, a city with very strong winds.
FIMI X8 SE (2020) for $ 349 (COUPON: BGFIMIX8SE20)DJI Mavic Mini for R $ 4,000 +/-
I reiterate the problem I had with the first FIMI X8 SE. We received one and I have already talked about what happened in several posts. To summarize, the Gearbest sent us, I paid a customs fee of R $ 980 to release, I bought extra battery and case too. After two flights, in which I had a good impression of the camera, but with a bad control experience. I gave commands to the control and, after a few milliseconds, the drone did what I was told – which, in practice, for those who have already flown with a model that does not go through this, is extremely negative. End the flight experience. You will only know this when flying with a different model, which does not present this problem, and a Mavic Mini or even Spark can already be the basis of comparison.
What irritated me most about the FIMI X8 SE, however, was that, after just two flights, the app warned one firmware update – something quite common in any drone today, especially models from companies like Autel, DJI, FIMI and Skydio for example. I clicked update, as I always do, and that's when it all ended.
One of the updates was from the camera and, after finishing the process, she just died. I contacted support and they indicated to do a forced update process, which did not work. In the end, I have a brand new FIMI X8 SE in storage, showing error messages, without any support – and this has to be taken into account when buying. It is an interesting drone for the specifications and the price charged, but it has porn, and the support is one of them.
So the tip: Are you going to buy a drone for R $ 2,500 or more? Paying R $ 3,500 in a store in Brazil instead of buying on Chinese websites can be a more interesting option for the guarantee. Also remember that both Mavic Mini and FIMI X8 SE need to be registered and follow a process to take off. Otherwise, it could result in a confiscated drone and a fine for flying outside the law.
The Mavic Mini sold in Brazil in the Fly More combo with a total of 3 batteries for R $ 4,000. The FIMI X8 SE 2020 is costing US $ 350 dollars, plus shipping of US $ 60 to Florianpolis, totaling US $ 410, in direct conversion something around R $ 2050 more or less today. It will probably be taxed when it arrives in Brazil, an amount that can also vary, as I highlighted, we went to R $ 980 in the first version, so it can round to around R $ 3,000. After that, it is also important to note that the Mavic Mini sold in an official channel is already approved, and if the FIMI is purchased, it will be necessary to do this process, which costs just under R $ 500 in full. Finally, another case with extra batteries would take the model to the same price as the DJI, but with higher specifications, so a difficult choice, and it will be more because of the work on buying a complete kit and ready here, or if it gives the job of buying and legalizing FIMI for the same price, but with a theoretically more interesting product at the end.
Below are some related videos about drones that may be interesting for those looking for these models or even intend to buy a drone:
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