Are the DJI Mini 2 and DJI Mini 3 Batteries the Same? (Explained)

If you own the Mini 2 and would like to use the same batteries with your new Mini 3, perhaps you’re wondering, are Mini 2 and Mini 3 batteries the same?

**Absolutely not. While these batteries may look similar to some people, the power output, as well as the physical design of the batteries, are quite different. Mini 2 batteries cannot be used in the Mini 3, and vice versa. **

The Mavic Mini 2 was an excellent drone for its time, and even today, the drone holds up as far as flight time, size, and even camera quality. However, the Mini 3 blows the Mini 2 out of the water any day. 

Overview of the battery specs #

There are two options for the Mini 3 Pro’s battery: the standard Intelligent Flight Battery or the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus.

Given that the Plus version is larger in capacity, it is heavier. The Mini 3 Pro will weigh 30g more than the 250-gram limit when you upgrade to the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus.

If you choose not to register your drone at the FAA, this could be a problem. But if you are using this drone professionally, you’ll have to register the Mini 3 anyways.

The Mini 3 Pro’s larger battery has a better flight time than the Mini 2. This advantage will be even more apparent if you upgrade to the Plus version.

These numbers are as stated by DJI. However, real-world testing may show them to be slightly different.

According to testing done by other pilots, the Mini 2 can hover indoors for approximately 23 minutes and 46 seconds. The Mini 3 Pro can hover indoors for approximately 26 minutes and 50 seconds under the same conditions.

This difference is because the Mini 2 has a slightly slimmer battery than that of the Mini 3. The Mini 3’s battery is designed for more power output and to hold a larger charge.

The Mini 3 Pro’s hovering time can be increased to 36 minutes and 48 seconds with the Plus battery. It seems like a small price to pay, considering it claims to give up to 47 minutes of flight time. 

Charging and output #

The Mini 3 professional-grade battery has a battery capacity of 5000 MAH. This is only achievable due to the excess size of the battery.

Not only this, but the charging port of the Mini 3 versus the Mini two is slightly different. This means that even though they do look similar in some lights, there is no possible way that you can use a Mini 3’s battery in a Mini 2.

If you were to try this, something disastrous could happen. The physical size of the  Mavic Mini 3’s battery is larger than the Mavic Mini 2, being wider and larger.

With extra weight, there would be big problems if the Mavic Mini 3’s battery were backward compatible.

Why are the batteries different? #

As an owner of the Mini 2, I’m partial to the drone. However, you can’t argue with the difference in specs that the Mini 3 offers.

The Mini 3 even competes in camera quality with the Mavic Air 2S, a full-size Mavic series drone.

You should also know that the Mini 2 isn’t quite considered a professional‘s drone of choice, whereas the Mini 3, as briefly mentioned before, holds up against a professional drone like the Mavic Air 2S.

» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Pro Vs. Air 2S (Here’s My Choice)

Part of the reason it holds up so well against more professional drones is the power output that the Mini 3’s battery has to offer. These equal longer flight times, higher motor speed, faster flight, and faster recording to SD cards.

The Mini 3 has a battery that is simply not designed for the Mini 2.

To set aside the physical discrepancies between the Mini 3’s battery and the Mini 2’s battery, if somehow the Mini 3 was able to provide power to the Mini 2, the power output of the Mini 3’s battery would completely FRY the Mini 2’s circuits. 

It’s simply not designed to take such a heavy power outlet upload. The motor on the Mini 2 would likely spin faster and out of control, and within minutes, all of the Mini 2’s components would be fried, and the SD card would likely be corrupted. 

On the other hand, if the Mini 2’s battery was inserted into the Mini 3 and somehow, putting aside the physical characteristic differences, and it did power the drone, its flight performance would fail. The Mini 3 requires a higher power output.

Just as a Mini 3’s battery would fry the Mini 2’s battery, in the Mini 3 would likely fail to start the liftoff at all. 

You may ask, “why didn’t DJI design the batteries the same, such as the Mavic Air and the Mavic Air 2S?” 

As we discussed before, the power needed to fly and operate the Mavic Mini 3 is greater than that of the Mavic Mini 2. However, it’s more than that. 

The Mavic Air 2 and the Mavic Air 2S are essentially the same drones with slightly better tech. It is the same class of drone and is comparable to the Phantom 4, the Phantom 4 Pro, and the Phantom 4 RTK. 

The drones are all the same base model with slight upgrades to each. This is not the case with the Mini 2  and the Mini 3.

The drone is a complete upgrade from the  Mini 2, and you can identify this by the number “2” versus “3”. With the Mavic Air 2 and a Mavic Air 2S, both drones have the identifier “2” in them. 

The Phantom 4, the Phantom 4 Pro, and the Phantom 4 RTK all have the identifier “4” in them. If the drone was the Phantom 5, it is almost certain that the Phantom 4’s battery would not work with the Phantom 5.