I tried DJI's Mic Mini that's TikTok famous: Here's why it's worth it

Editor's note: Currently, many DJI products are unavailable in the United States through official retailers, but they can still be purchased via third-party sellers on platforms like Amazon.

You know the saying that people eat with their eyes first? I'm convinced most people watch videos with their ears first. Without good quality audio, even the most visually stunning video can fall flat.

Admittedly, finding the right mic can be a lot harder than picking out a content-worthy camera (which, for most people, can be found right on their phone). Then there's the fact that a portable mic can run you anywhere from $10 to well over $400, making it challenging to know where to invest. However, after testing out the DJI Mic Mini for weeks and watching it in action with Mashable's social media team, I'm convinced it's one of the best upgrades for content creators.

What makes the DJI Mic Mini different

DJI has made a name for itself in the creator space thanks to gadgets like the Osmo Pocket 3, but if you pay a little extra attention, you'll notice how many creators on TikTok use the brand's pocket mics. DJI's mic selection includes the newly-released DJI Mic 3, the Mic Mini, and the Mic 2, though the latter will be phased out following the release of the Mic 3.

While all three mics have their pros, at the time of writing, the Mic Mini is one of the best sellers in the musical instruments category on Amazon. (The other two mics don't even show up in the top 50 listings.)

What makes it so popular? For starters, it retails for $169, compared to the $349 Mic 2 and $329 Mic 3. In the past few weeks, it's even been hovering around a $109 price point. With that price discrepancy, there is somewhat of a tradeoff in performance: the Mic Mini doesn't have the 32-bit depth of the more expensive models (meaning it captures less of an audio range), nor can it capture recordings internally.

However, for under $170 ($110 if you can grab it on sale), here's what you get:

• Two transmitters (mics) and one receiver

• Up to 48 hours of battery life with the charging case

• A USB-C phone adapter for the receiver

• Level metrics visible on the receiver to ensure audio isn't peaking

• Two clip magnets, four windscreens for the mics

• Companion app with features like noise cancellation, mono/stereo recording, and clipping control

• Carrying case

Who should get the DJI Mic Mini

If you need any degree of portability with your mic setup, the DJI Mic Mini offers a lot of versatility, and for a great value. That makes it a solid option for making vlogs and TikToks, and for anyone who feels less than confident with their tech skills — once I plugged the receiver into my phone, the mics connected easily and started working with the camera app automatically. It's also possible to use the DJI Mimo app to track the audio levels on your phone and adjust some mic settings, but not necessary if you prefer the mic to plug and play.

How the DJI Mic Mini sounds

During my testing period, I tried my best to put the Mic Mini through the wringer, bringing it to a park near a busy street on a windy day, as well as recording myself while my boyfriend played piano in the next room over (with just one closed door separating us).

The Mic Mini impressed me in both situations, showing its prowess over the $20 miniature mics you can grab on Amazon. With and without the noise-cancelling feature, the mic picked up my voice while barely picking up the sound of wind — birds and car engines were lost in many cases. To my surprise, the mic also somehow avoided picking up the piano playing, despite the fact that I was recording about 20 feet away from my partner.

It also shone in even noisier settings. During Mashable's trip to VidCon, we used the DJI Mic Mini when interviewing the inaugural Hall of Fame inductees — despite being surrounded by other outlets conducting interviews and in an echoey convention center hall, the audio came through crisp and clear.

So who might not be jazzed with this mic? Anyone who's looking for something especially professional-grade might prefer either of DJI's more expensive offerings. Don't get me wrong, the Mic Mini sounds great enough to use as a full-time content creator, but its limited size means you can't save audio internally like the Mic 2 and 3.

Beyond that, the audio won't sound quite as good as the more expensive mics due to its more limited 24-bit depth, and there's no option to connect it to a lavalier mic as there is with the Mic 2, which can be useful for applications where you want to hide the mic as much as possible. It's still great for a lot of situations, it's just not a perfect catch-all.

Outside of pocket mics, if you generally record audio in a stationary position, like at a desk for a livestream or recording setup for a podcast, you might prefer to invest in a USB or XLR microphone.

Lightning port owners, beware

As happy as I am to sing the DJI Mic Mini's praises, I do have a warning for anyone out there who still has a Lightning port on their phone. The Mic Mini only comes with a USB-C phone adapter for the receiver. This means you have to purchase the DJI Lightning port adapter, which is an additional $19 and is often sold out. As an iPhone 14 owner, I couldn't use the mics until DJI sent me an adapter to test out.

Again, there's no internal storage on this mic — without a plugged-in receiver, the audio you're recording on the mics won't transmit to your device, even if they're connected via Bluetooth, making them technically useless. While I did read some Reddit posts about workarounds with third-party apps, this mic is $169, so it would be annoying not to use it as the plug-and-play mic it's intended to be.