You see your neighborhood every day of the week, but have you seen how it looks from 1,000 meters in the air? Probably not. A huge appeal to drone enthusiasts is seeing what the average person can’t see. Whether you want to see your house, beautiful landscape, or a city’s monument from a different point of view, the unique perspective a drone gives you is priceless. These exceptional images and videos will take your breath away and amaze your friends and family.
Specifications
| Dimensions | 2.4 by 3.5 by 5.7 inches |
| Weight | 249 g |
| Rotors | 4 |
| Obstacle Detection | Yes |
| Integrated Camera | Integrated with Gimbal |
| Video Resolution | 4K (3840×2160) @ 24/25/30/48/50/60fps, or 1080p @ 120fps |
| Megapixels | 48 PM |
| Media Format | Internal, microSDXC |
| Remote | Dedicated with App, Dedicated with LCD |
| Live Video Feed | 1080px |
Pros
- It's small, handy, and regulations-friendly
- Fantastic camera
- Lightweight
Cons
- Lower camera quality
- Мore expensive than others
- You need more internal storage
The best DJI Mini 3 Pro deals
Table of Content
Innovations
If you’re a beginner and don’t want to go all in on drones from the get-go, your best bet is the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro might be a small, light drone, but it has a lot of power packed in it. The new Mini 3 is 145x90x62 mm when folded and 251x362x70 mm when unfolded, so it’s a bit bigger than its predecessors but still handy. When folded it has the size of a big smartphone, similar to a Samsung S22.
Although DJI made their newcomer bigger, they managed to build it with a weight of under 249g, which is excellent for drone regulations, as anything above 250g needs specific licenses.
One of the significant additions to the DJI Mini 3 Pro is the Obstacle Avoidance feature. The Mini 3 has sensors in the front, back, and underneath the drone. Thanks to them, you won’t risk the flying machine crashing into an obstacle.
This obstacle-avoiding feature is also quite impressive as obstacle avoidance features are something you see in much bigger, heavier, and more expensive drones.
Camera and Gimbal
The Camera
The camera is the most notable difference between the DJI Mini 3 Pro and its predecessors, such as the DJI Mini 2.
The Mini 3 has a 1/1.3 inch sensor camera with 48 megapixels for photos and a 4K 60 FPS camera for videos. With a camera like this, you’ll have an incredible low light performance and overall better image and video quality. The Mini 3 also includes High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 1,080p 120fps slow-motion if you want to turn your travel memories into timeless pieces.
Although the overall quality of the camera is excellent, it also has its limitations.
For example, when you zoom in/ crop, you start to see the shortcomings of having such a small lens on a drone. There is also heavy purple and magenta fringing from white objects, and there’s a noticeable noise when zooming in.
These are things you should consider, but they are not dealbreakers unless you are a photographer or videographer and want to use the DJI Mini 3 Pro for professional work.
The Mini 3 Pro also has one more rockstar feature called MasterShots, a direct evolution of the previous QuickShots. It turns any beginner aerial photographer into a professional, allowing them to film automatic videos like a pro. All you need to do is select your subject, and the Mini 3 will perform a series of manoeuvres, resulting in a video that will impress all your friends and family.
Lastly, the camera can rotate a whopping 90 degrees to shoot vertical photos and videos. This way you’ll your jaw-dropping photos and videos from every angle you desire.
The Gimbal
The gimbal on the DJI Mini 3 Pro also has significant innovations for a drone of this size. It now supports an upward angle as older-generation drones couldn’t point the camera higher than straight ahead, but the Mini 3 can reach an angle of about 60 degrees up. This feature is excellent both for videography and photography as it delivers a new perspective you won’t normally get on cheaper drones.
Imagine flying under a bridge or just below the edge of some rocky cliffs. The footage would come out breathtaking.
Battery Life
The battery has always been an essential part of every drone.
When you’re out in the wilderness, you often don’t have access to electricity, and you need your drone to function for long periods. With this new generation of DJIs, the battery life has been improved a little further than its predecessors as it climbs to 34 minutes in the air. Obviously, the battery time is average, and it depends on how hard and fast you fly, but 34 minutes is more than a reasonable flight time.
And if that wasn’t enough for you, DJI sells a “Flight Batter Plus” additional battery for the Mini 3 that increases the flight time to 47 minutes. However, getting this additional battery will get your drone over the weight limit of 250g, forcing you to register it.
Flight Performance and stability
Flying is one of the most fun things to do with your drone, and the DJI Mini 3 Pro does it exceptionally.
The drone takes off at the press of a button, so you don’t need to be an expert to make it fly. Once you press the button, it launches automatically and hovers at around 1 metre above the ground.
To land, you have two main options:
- You either land on the current spot you’re hovering over.
- Or you can use the feature “return home,” which is the original landing place.
So, if you’re scared that you won’t be able to fly the drone because you’re not too tech-savvy, don’t worry. The DJI Mini 3 Pro is entirely no harder to use than your smartphone. You’ll learn how to be a pro with it in a heartbeat.
The Mini 3 also is incredibly stable when flying and has simple up-down / rotate left and proper controls.
The drone has three flight modes to make the most of your photos and videos. You have C for cinema, N for Normal, and S for sport. Cinema is a slow mode (approximately 20kph), Normal is a medium mode (35kph), and Sport is a fast mode (55kph.)
The DJI Mini 3 Pro also can fly up to 12km away from you, which is a range more than enough range than you’ll need. Note that the 12-km range is approximate. It can be lower if you’re not in an open area, and there are too many obstacles. For example, if you’re in an urban area with strong WIFI interference and many buildings, the maximum distance will drop to about 3-7km.
The Controller
When buying the DJI Mini 3 Pro you can choose between two controllers when you purchase one of their drones.
You can get the classing “RC-N1” model with every standard DJI drone. The RC-N1 controller has a spring clamp for locking in a smartphone and a USB-C port with cables to attach your smartphone.
Alternatively, there’s a brand new controller that you can get with the DJI Mini 3 Pro. This new controller, the DJI RC, has a built-in display and is powered by a custom-built version of Android to run DJI‘s flight software. The DJI RC is also faster and easier to set up than the previous version. A significant benefit of this new controller, though, is the removal of your smartphone notifications when flying. Meaning that when people call you or you get notifications, you don’t risk interrupting the screen during a flight.
But all that glitters is not gold.
The new controller still has a few cons. The screen looks good and is pretty significant, but it maxes out at 700 nits. That brightness, is not enough to let you see what’s on the screen with direct sunlight.
Both controllers are comfortable to hold, but they’re a little bulky. They also both come with removable metal thumbsticks that are easy to grip.
Alternatives
As good as the DJI Mini 3 Pro is, it’s not a perfect drone, and there are alternatives to it if you have a lower budget or needs.
Let’s take a look at some of them:
– DJI Mini 2
The DJI Mini 2 is the previous version of the DJI Mini 3 Pro, and although the Mini 2 is mostly a downgrade of the Mini 3 Pro, there are some things to consider.
The Mini 2 is smaller (140x82x57 mm folded / 160x202x55mm unfolded) and is 2x cheaper. Also, the weight is identical, the max flight speed is the same (57.6 kph), and the max wind resistance too (38.5 km/h.)
But the good ends here, as the rest of the features, are heavily favoured towards the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
The Mini 2 has a lower-quality 12 MP camera and shoots videos at 4K 30 FPS. The roll option on the Mini 3 can rotate the camera to 90 degrees for portrait shooting, beating the Mini 2 in almost every way.
The battery life is 31 minutes instead of 34 minutes, which may seem like not much, but when you factor in take-off and landing, the 3 minutes difference is noticeable. And on top of that, the Mini 3 also offers an optional Battery Plus, which extends the flight time even further up to 47 minutes, which is an unprecedented flight time for such a small drone.
The new, improved obstacle avoidance system is essential for the safety of your drone and something that the Mini 2 lacks.
The DJI Mini 2 is much easier to crash if you’re not careful as it only has a downward sensor, which can aid in positioning rather than preventing collisions while flying. The DJI Mini 3 Pro also has APAS 4.0 to help avoid collisions even better. Even if you fly in complex environments like under trees or dodging rocky ledges, you’ll appreciate this feature even more when compared to the Mini 2.
The travel distance also differs for the two drones.
The Mini 2 can travel no more than 10km away from you, while the Mini 3 can travel at a distance of up to 12km.
– DJI Air 2S
When we’re reviewing drones for beginners, the DJI Mini 3 Pro takes the cake even in this comparison.
But the DJI Air 2S has pros compared to the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
The main difference between the two is the camera quality, as the Air 2S has a better image quality overall. The DJI 2S has a 1-inch image sensor, while the Mini 3 has a 0.8-image sensor. The 2S also wins when looking at the quality of videos at both 4K and 5.4K at 60FPS.
Both drones have intelligent flight modes like MasterShots, Spotlight, Point Of Interest Hyperlapse, and Active Tracker. The zoom feature is also better on the 2S, going up to 4X at 4K 30FPS and 8X at 1,080p 30 FPS.
Lastly, the Air 2S has better obstacle avoidance, and your drone will be safer overall than with the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
Let’s now talk about the cons of DJI Air 2S.
First of all, it’s pretty heavy (595g), making it susceptible to harsher regulations and less handy to take around with you. If you don’t want the hassle of registering your drone, you probably don’t want the 2S, as if your drone weighs above 250g, you need to register it. The obstacle avoidance feature is also significantly better on the Air 2S, as it has upward, forward, downward, and backward sensors. So if you’re flying in an area with many obstacles, the Air 2S will be your best bet.
Also, the Air 2S has less battery life due to it being heavier, and it’s considerably more expensive at a price point of $909 with the controller.
If you’re a professional photographer and have a bigger budget, then the DJI Air 2S is for you.
But if you’re a newcomer and want great shots with a fun drone to use, go for the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
– Autel Evo Lite+
The Autel Evo Lite+ is another excellent option if you aren’t entirely sure about the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
The Autel drone’s camera beats the competition in almost every aspect. The camera resolution is 20MP, has a larger sensor, and the max aperture is wider than the Mini 3 The Evo Lite+ also has a much better video quality, capable of shooting videos up to 5.4K. With a 1-inch sensor, the Evo Lite+ offers the image quality of a high-end compact camera rather than the more smartphone-like quality of the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
At 20 megapixels, the images have enough detail without going over the top. Also, the Evo Lite+ has good colours with proper exposure, but they can wash out a bit when overexposed. The Autel Evo Lite+ drone wins the comparison with crisper photos and more detailed videos if you’re a professional photographer or videomaker.
It’s also faster (64 kph), way more stable, as it can withstand winds up to 61kph, and has a bigger battery life of 41 minutes.
The Evo Lite also features 6GB of internal storage, which is a lifesaver in case you forget your MicroSD card and need to shoot high-resolution photos and videos.
But the Autel doesn’t beat the DJI Mini 3 Pro in every aspect. Let’s look at some of the cons.
The Autel is much heavier than the DJI Mini 3 Pro, weighing 835g and much wider (210x123x95 mm folded and 427x384x95mm unfolded). Meaning that you’ll need to register your Autel drone because it weighs way over the 250g limit.
The other big con is the price. The Autel Evo Lite+ goes for $1,379, which is almost twice as expensive as the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
So the Autel is an amazing drone, but the DJI Mini 3 Pro still takes the crown. especially if you’re a newcomer and don’t use it professionally.
Final Words
There’s no such thing as the perfect drone, and you must consider all the variables when buying one.
Whether it’s the price, camera quality, or weight, you have to factor in everything as there is a sea of options for drones nowadays.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro is possibly the best entry-level drone for consumers. It’s beautifully designed, maneuvres masterfully, and handles challenging weather amazingly.
If you’re not looking for professional performance and an affordable price, the DJI Mini 3 Pro is hard to beat, as costs for high-level drones can get astronomical very quickly.So if your goal is to amaze your friend and family with jaw-dropping footage of your travels, get the DJI Mini 3 Pro. You won’t regret it.
