DJI’s latest drone is the DJI MINI 3 PRO and after many leaks found their way to the internet, we’re finally able to talk about it.
In the latest interaction, the Mini 3 Pro offers some significant upgrades from previous years while maintaining the ultimately focus – portability.
With a full review coming soon, be sure to check out the Unboxing video below.
The DJI Mini 3 Pro features 4K60 video quality (up from 4K30 last year) but the biggest new capability by far is vertical video support. If you’re a content creator, making video content for TikTok or Instagram Stories, you’ll be stoked to learn the new gimbal system on the Mini 3 Pro allows you to shoot in a vertical orientation at the press of a button.
The new lens system features a f/1.7 aperture which should improve low-light performance, as well as a 1/1.3″ CMOS sensor that can capture 48MP photos and 4K HDR up to 30fps. The Mini 3 also now offers 2x zoom in 4K, and even more in lower qualities (3x in 2.7K, 4x in FHD). If you’re chasing higher frame rates, the Mini 3 Pro can shoot at 120fps, if you drop the quality to 1080p.
If you’ve spent any time with DJI’s products you’ll know the intelligence they provide keeps the drone safe when flying through environments where obstacles would ordinarily cause the drone to crash. The Mini 3 Pro offers APAS 4.0, leveraging forward, backward, and downwards sensors to do so. Unfortunately, we don’t get sideways protection, so you will need to tread carefully when executing panning shots in complex scenarios.
The Mini 3 lives up to its name, folding up to fit in the palm of your hand and tipping the scales at just 249grams. The latest revision in the Mini series offers a brand new design with an integrated battery into the back half of the chassis which remind me a lot of the FPV design, easily clipping the battery in and out.
The Fly more kit/combo offers 3x batteries, triple-charger and additional props. Also included is a great travel case, allowing you to be confident your investment is protected as you travel. When it comes to battery life, DJI says you’ll get up to 34 minutes of flight time per battery, which means you’d have a total flight time of more than 100 minutes.
DJI is also offering a Flight Battery Plus battery in some markets and while its heavier, it extends the flight time to a massive 47 minutes.
The adjustable strap makes it easy to carry or wear sash-style as you travel to your destination, walking, hiking, riding a scooter, bike, or similar. This supports the drone, the controller, the charger (holding up to 3 batteries), cables, props and spare microSD cards in zipped pockets.
Another massive new change is the ability to choose from 3 different bundles, but I strongly recommend you go for the DJI Mini 3 pro (DJI RC) which features the new DJI RC Controller.
This offers many of the same great features as the RC Pro Controller found in the much more expensive Mavic 3, including a massive touchscreen built right-in, positioned below the vehicle controls. That screen is a 5.5″ display with 700-nit brightness which enables it to be used even in full sun. Amazingly the rechargeable controller weighs more than the drone at 390 grams.
