DJI Mini 3 Pro takes DJI’s famous Mini drone series to new heights. The unique DJI Mavic Mini arrived in 2019, and was once followed in 2020 with the aid of the Mini 2, which upped the video resolution from 2.7K to 4K alongside different improvements; however, it is the Mini Pro 3 that absolutely brings the ‘wow’ aspect to the sub-250g Mini series.
What’s most impressive about the Mini 3 Pro is that DJI has managed to encompass a tri-directional obstacle avoidance system inside such a small drone however, it is a ways from the only enchancment over its predecessor.
The new drone’s sensor is greater – it is now a 1/1.3-inch CMOS chip; its lens’s aperture has been increased to a bright f/1.7; its video capabilities have been vastly improved; and the camera can be turned around 90 degrees, enabling you to seize stills and video in each panorama and portrait format.
The listing of upgrades goes on, justifying that coveted ‘Pro’ moniker. In a nutshell, what you get with the Mini three Pro is many of the features and capabilities of higher-spec drones like the DJI Mavic Air 2, in a computer that crucially remains within the sub-250g weight category, which capability it would not want to be registered in many regions. This is a wonderful feat that has so away solely been executed via the Autel Evo Nano, which we’re in the process of reviewing.
These welcome new features, alongside the new DJI RC Smart Controller that is available in the priciest of this drone’s three kits, make the Mini 3 Pro a tempting proposition for aerial content material creators. One pretty tremendous downside, though, is the giant jump in price from the DJI Mini 2.
This is to be predicted when you think about all of the new features, however, a drone that was once as soon as low-priced enough to attraction to novices is now priced nearer to the DJI Air 2S, a drone that has a 1-inch sensor and is presently the pinnacle of our listing of the best drones you can buy. It’s a tough preference between the two, however, the DJI Mini three Pro is an amazing alternative for anyone whose priority is portability, and/or a compact drone that slots into their wider camera kit.
- Available to buy today from $669
- Three kit options are available, including one with a new RC Controller
- Fly More Bundle also available with extra accessories
You can buy the DJI Mini 3 Pro now in three configurations from the DJI Store and authorized retailers. The most basic option is the Mini Pro 3 with no controller, which costs about $669. Naturally, this option is aimed at users who already own a compatible controller.
The second, and what will likely be the most popular bundle, is the standard kit (about $759), which includes a DJI RC-N1 controller. If you want the new DJI RC Smart Controller, though, you’ll need to go for the third and most expensive bundle, which costs about $909.
All three DJI Mini 3 Pro bundles are significantly more expensive than the DJI Mini 2, which launched for $449 in November 2020.
All of the kits include an Intelligent Flight Battery, two units of propellers, a screwdriver, a gimbal guard, and a USB-C cable for charging and statistics transfer. The standard kit additionally comes with cables to join the controller to your smartphone, even though these naturally don’t seem to be included in the different two bundles.
As always, a Fly More Kit is available and offers incredible cost for cash when in contrast to the individual prices of the included accessories. This consists of two Intelligent Flight Batteries, a three-battery Charging Hub, two units of propellers, and a Shoulder Bag. The Fly More Kit price is about $189, and extra add-ons are reachable separately.
In the US and Australia, you can additionally purchase a DJI Mini 3 Pro Fly More Kit Plus for $249, which consists of the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus for a longer, 47-minute flight time.
DJI Mini 3 Pro: Design and controller
New DJI RC Smart Controller on hand in the priciest bundle
Familiar Mavic folding design
Offers panorama and portrait format shooting
With its folding design and light-gray finish, the Mini 3 Pro has the signature DJI Mavic family looks. But whereas the DJI Mini two has sleek, Lamborghini Countach-Esque strains like different Mavic models, the Mini 3 Pro is decidedly extra rounded.
The inclusion of the impediment sensors and rounded gimbal mounts similarly add to this extra curvaceous look, whilst additional design tweaks include propellor arms that have been made extra aerodynamic and propellors that are large than these used by means of the Mini 2 to assist to increase flight times.
JI MINI 3 PRO KEY SPECS
Sensor: 12.1MP 1/1.3in CMOS
Video/max frame-rate: 4K/60p, 2.7K/60p, 1080/120p
Max bit-rate: 150Mbps
Stabilization: 3-axis gimbal
Transmission: Ocusync 3
Max flight time: 34 mins
Weight: 249g
Dimensions (folded): 145 x 90 x 62mm
Dimensions (unfolded): 171 x 245 x 62mm
The gimbal attaches to the drone on both sides of the airframe, which helps support the camera and its larger 1/1.3-inch sensor. Handily, this camera can be rotated 90 degrees to shoot stills and video in both portrait and landscape formats. It’s a feature that has no doubt been included for social media content creation, thanks to the popularity of TikTok and Instagram Stories, but it’s an extremely useful feature for photographers of all kinds.
DJI Mini 3 Pro: Features and flight
- Tri-directional obstacle sensing
- Subject-tracking powers
- Increased battery life from the Mini 2
When it comes to flight, the Mini 3 Pro offers three modes – Cine, Normal, and Sport – which is a DJI staple across most consumer and prosumer models.
Cine, which offers a max speed of 13.4mph, provides a slower flight speed with less sensitive controls for smoother cinematic video footage. The Normal mode, with a 22.3mph top speed, is the most commonly-used mode, while Sport is the fastest mode, with the drone able to reach 35.7mph, although collision avoidance is turned off.
Despite its small size and lightweight build, the Mini 3 Pro has a wind speed resistance of just under 24mph, and performs reasonably well in these conditions, particularly when you’re flying in the more powerful Sport model. Overall, we found the controls to be responsive and the connection between the drone and controller was reliable.
With every new DJI drone in an existing series, there seems to be an improvement in battery and flight performance, and the Mini 3 Pro is no exception. The new 2,453mAh Intelligent Flight Battery weighs just 80.5g and is claimed to provide a flight time of up to 34 minutes.
In reality, when you factor in the charge needed for Return Home, varying temperatures, and wind, your flights are more realistically in the 20-25 minute region, but that’s still a decent bump up from the stamina of the original DJI Mavic Mini.
An Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, featuring a 3,850mAh capacity, is additionally handy for the Mini three Pro. This will increase the official flight time to 47 minutes, however, takes the Mini three Pro’s weight above 250g, moving it into the subsequent weight category in most regions. It’s additionally important to observe that this larger-capacity battery won’t be available in some regions, which include the EU.
The most important location of enhancement has to be the addition of tri-directional impediment avoidance, which makes use of wide-angle forward-, backward- and downward-facing sensors. This, alongside Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems four (APAS 4.0), provides obstacle avoidance that can be turned off when necessary. You can additionally set it to cease the drone, or autonomously fly around an obstacle when detected. This is a massive leap for the Miniseries and opens the door to some reachable autonomous features.
QuickShots are automatic flight patterns that let you shoot dynamic video with ease and, on the Mini three Pro, they’re now on hand on a Mini-series drone for the first time. Even better, there may be additionally now subject-tracking thanks to the FocusTrack Suite, which offers you preferences for monitoring transferring subjects, autonomously flying around static subjects, or maintaining a problem in the body whilst you manually fly the drone. All of these modes work well and are very welcome additions.
DJI Mini 3 Pro: Image & video quality
The 1/1.3-inch sensor is large than Mini 2’s
12.1MP and 48MP raw and JPEG options
Shoots video up to 4K/60p
Thanks to the new 12.1MP 1/1.3-inch sensor, which is successful in taking pictures 48MP photos, photo quality is highly good for such a small and light-weight drone.
There is a small loss of sharpness closer to the edges of the frame when shooting stills, which is regular in most customer drones, and lateral chromatic aberrations can be seen alongside high-contrast subject edges, however, this isn’t the main issue.
The Mini 3 Pro’s ISO handling is, besides a doubt, excellent. There’s definitely no extra noise seen in raw files in any of the settings above ISO 100, all the way up to the most ISO 6400. Natural color reproduction is additionally maintained, which means you can confidently shoot at any ISO setting.
The Mini 3 Pro’s camera makes use of twin native ISO capturing technology, and the pass has honestly paid off. When this ISO handling is combined with the quick f/1.7 aperture, the Mini 3 Pro is a low-light powerhouse.
Video can be captured at three resolutions; 4K (at up to 60p), 2.7K (at up to 60p), and FHD at up to 120p. The latter provides slow-motion video when shot at 120fps. The maximum video bitrate is 150Mbps, and with Normal and D-Cinelike color profiles available, the Mini 3 Pro is suitable for both amateur and professional video capture.
There’s also a digital zoom option that provides 2x zoom at 4K resolution, 3x zoom at 2.7K, and 4x zoom at FHD. This must be used sparingly because of the loss of quality, although FHD ultimately provides the best results up to 2x zoom.
