DJI Mic Mini 2

I've always had enormous respect for DJI's Mic Mini, right from the start. Fitting two microphones and a transmitter into an AirPods-style case so they're always ready to go, and on top of that removing so much hassle that we're as close to plug-and-play as possible, well, it's easy to love as someone who records frequently.

Over the years, DJI has slimmed down the case, upgraded the range and battery life, but what they haven't touched is the fact that a set of DJI Mics comes with a rather high price tag, perhaps even prohibitively high.

So here is the DJI Mic Mini 2, an affordable alternative to the DJI Mic Mini 3, which doesn't sacrifice much in the way of features. As always, there are two microphones in the case, which this time can be attached with a magnet. This means they can be mounted in more places than just on a collar. The whole thing is beautifully constructed from sturdy materials and looks suitably discreet, even with a windscreen attached.

Each microphone lasts 11 hours, the receiver lasts 10 hours, but with the case you should be able to record for a total of 48 hours between trips to a charger, which is a brilliant way to make technology infinitely more useful.

The range is 400 metres with the DJI Mic Mini Receiver, or 300 metres with a mobile receiver, and we couldn't quite verify this claim, but we can confirm that the sound came through crystal clear across a large football pitch. The audio is 48kHz/24-bit and remains both deep and wide. This sound is achieved via DJI OsmoAudio Direct Connection, which also means it can be connected directly to the Osmo Pocket 3, and Osmo Action 5 and 6, without the Nano needing a receiver at all as it's simply built-in.

There's a wealth of features here, such as automatic clipping control, which prevents small peaks and other forms of overdrive, various sound profiles, and even 2-stage noise reduction. All of this provides plenty of customisation options, but there are also obvious features that have been cut to achieve a price of just under £50. There's no internal recording this time round, which means that if your signal drops out, there are no backups, and there's no 32-bit Float either, which gives you less scope if you're the sort who likes to polish up a recording.

There is also no 3.5mm lavalier input if you'd prefer to use a clip-on microphone instead of the main one. What ended up being the most annoying, however, is the lack of any real visual feedback, as there's no display to give me, as the person recording, a quick insight into potential issues with the levels.

That said, as a competitor to the Røde Wireless Micro, both battery life and recording quality are significantly better, and the case solution means that as a "run and gun" setup, everything is ready to use and charged, always. It's hard to fault, so although I'd probably personally choose the DJI Mic 3, there are plenty of good reasons why semi-professional enthusiasts should go for the Mini 2.