The DJI Mavic Mini doesn’t require FAA registration, and its arms fold in for easier transport.
DJI
Well, dang: Neither Santa nor Hanu-Claus brought me a DJI Mavic Mini — perhaps because there were no deals to be had. During the run-up to Black Friday and all the sales that followed, the popular new drone remained stubbornly priced at $400. And guess what? It still hasn’t budged, though one seller is sweetening the pot with a little bundle of extras: For a limited time, and while supplies last, VanCityUAV is offering preorders of the DJI Mavic Mini with 64GB microSD card, landing pad, cleaning kit and range booster for $399.99. There’s no sales tax if you live outside Washington — a discount of another kind. Expected ship date: Jan. 8, 2020.
The Mavic Mini is an ultralight drone that improves on the DJI Spark in several ways. Its arms fold for much easier storage and portability. It comes with a physical remote, something I desperately miss having for my Spark. The Mini has a better camera and a more streamlined companion app that “gets rid of a lot of the onscreen clutter of [DJI’s] other drone apps” — to which I can only say “Hallelujah!”
That’s a note from CNET’s Mavic Mini preview, which also spotlights arguably the best improvement of all: A battery that’s good for up to 30 minutes of flight time.
To me that reduces the need for the Fly More bundle, which adds $100 to the price and includes things like extra batteries and a carrying case. (For what it’s worth, government employees can get the Mavic Mini Fly More Combo for $450 from the Apple Store.)
As for the extras provided by VanCityUAC, they’re worth maybe $40 when you add them up. A microSD card is essential for recording video, and the fold-up landing pad is a nice extra, especially for takeoffs and landings on rough or sandy surfaces. The range booster is basically just a passive reflector that fits over the remote’s antennas; tough to say whether it actually helps or not.
I’m fixing to sell my Spark to help finance a Mavic Mini, and as much as I’d like to see an actual discount, the sales-tax savings and handy extras here are giving me an itchy credit-card finger.
Your thoughts?
Own Baby Driver for $6.99 or Spider-Man: Far From Home for $9.99
From the opening shot to the amazing soundtrack that played throughout, Baby Driver was one of my favorite movies of 2017. Now, for just a buck more than the price of a rental, you can own it: Amazon has Baby Driver in Ultra HD for $6.99.
Speaking of movies worth owning, if you’ve been looking to add the most recent Spider-Man to your collection, here’s a solid deal: Spider-Man: Far From Home in Ultra HD for $9.99.
As always, these prices are accurate of the time of this writing and may expire at any time.
This is the best deal to date on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: $33.74 in-cart
There are backpack droids now?
Lucasfilm/EA
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was one of the hottest videogames of 2019, but you know better than to pay full retail price, right? Indeed, Amazon currently has the game (for both PS4 and Xbox One) for $44.99, a $15 savings, but when you add it to your cart, Jedi: Fallen Order drops to just $33.74.
In his Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order review, CNET’s Sean Keane called the game “a fun mashup of Dark Souls, Tomb Raider and Metroid Prime, with a story that’ll grip you like a Sith Lord.”
In other words, a more enjoyable experience than The Rise of Skywalker? [Ducks.] Actually, I liked the movie overall, numerous face-palm plot points notwithstanding.
CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest promo codes from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.