Release date, price, features and specifications of DJI Mini 3

You may have seen the rumors before, but they’re true: DJI has launched a more affordable version of the Mini 3 Pro.

As you’d expect, it doesn’t have all the features of the Mini 3 Pro, but it does have the same camera, which can shoot horizontally and vertically. However, there are some limitations that we’ll get to in a moment.

When is the DJI Mini 3 release date?

As usual, DJI made the Mini 3 available for purchase as soon as it was officially announced. This means you can go to the DJI website or one of its partners and buy one right now.

How much does the DJI Mini cost?

• From $469 / £439 (without remote)

There are five different packs, although not all of them are available in all regions.

As with the Mini 3 Pro, there’s the option to buy the Mini 3 on its own without a controller (you still get a spare battery and propellers), but you can also get it with the RC-N1 controller or the DJI RC, which is the remote that has a built-in screen and doesn’t require your phone.

Even this bundle is about the same price as the Mini 3 Pro Naked Drone.

There are two Fly More Combo packs, one with the RC-N1 controller and the other with the DJI RC (below).

Jim Martin / Foundry

The Fly More Combo Plus is only available in Australia.

Most people don’t already have a compatible remote, meaning the actual base price of the Mini 3 is $559/£519.

That’s way more than the price of a Mini 2, which is currently $449 / £419 at DJI, but cheaper at other retailers. It’s about double the price of a Mini SE, although that seems to have been discontinued, and only shoots 2.7K video.

If the Mini 3 is too expensive for you, take a look at our roundup of the best drones for some alternatives.

DJI Mini 3 vs. Mini 3 Pro and Mini 2

Of course, the big question is what features DJI cut in order to lower the price of the Mini 3 Pro for the Mini 3.

There are several of them. One of the most notable is the lack of sensors to avoid obstacles: the Mini 3 only has downward-facing sensors, which aren’t the same as the Mini 3 Pro.

This means you have to be more careful when flying the Mini 3: it won’t brake and will automatically avoid crashing into trees and other things unless you descend the obstacle below.

Unfortunately, that means ActiveTrack is another casualty: the Mini 3 has no tracking capability, just like the Mini and the Mini 2 before it. Aside from QuickShots and Return to Home, which will trigger if the battery gets too low or the remote control signal is lost, there are no automatic flight modes.

The Mini 3 also features DJI’s O2 video transmission system, which means a reduced quality video stream (720p at 30fps) from the Mini 3 over a shorter distance (10km in the US and 6km in the UK). UK/EU) than the Mini 3 Pro. . However, this is a sensible compromise to bring the price down, which most people don’t care about.

Some shooting modes are missing: there’s no timelapse, no slow motion, no MasterShots and no Asteroid mode in QuickShots (fun automatic video clips).

Although the camera sensor and lens are the same as the Mini 3 Pro, the Mini 3 is limited to shooting 4K at 30fps, rather than 60fps, but still offers the HDR video option at 24, 25 and 30 fps, including 4K. .

Jim Martin / Foundry

If you want to shoot at 60 frames per second, you’ll have to go down to 2.7K. 60 fps is the highest frame rate offered, regardless of resolution.

The quality isn’t quite the same as the Mini 3 Pro as the Mini 3’s video bitrate is limited to 100Mbps, instead of 150Mbps, and there’s no option to shoot in the D-Cinelike flat color profile for further editing. There is also no option to record in H.265: only H.264. There’s no onboard storage either, so you can’t forget to insert a microSD card.

While the missing shooting modes aren’t ideal, for the vast majority of people looking for an entry-level drone, none of the other camera differences will matter: the Mini 3 still offers a noticeable upgrade over the Mini 2’s camera thanks to a larger f/1.7 aperture which should mean better quality video at night.

It is possible to use the digital zoom up to 2x in 4K30, 4x in 1080p and 2x in 12Mp photos.

Additionally, like the Mini 3 Pro, the Mini 3’s camera can be rotated to a vertical orientation for shooting video for social media and taking “true vertical” photos.

Speaking of photos, there are options for 180°, wide and sphere panoramas, HDR single shot, auto exposure bracketing and the choice to save in JPEG and RAW (DNG) formats.

Here’s how the Mini 3 compares to the Mini 3 Pro and the older Mini 2 (released in 2020):

As you can see, the Mini 3 has the longest flight times of the three, with up to 38 minutes from a standard battery. It’s possible to fly for 51 minutes only if you purchase the optional Plus battery, which has a higher capacity and pushes the weight to over 250g. These batteries aren’t sold everywhere: you can’t buy them in the UK or EU, for example.

In terms of accessories, the Mini 3 is compatible with the same ND filters as the Mini 3 Pro, and you can purchase a set of accessory covers to make indoor flight safer.

The Mini 3 also supports QuickTransfer, for video downloads over Wi-Fi at up to 25MB/s.

Related stories