DJI Mini 3 Review

Get ready to hear about DJI’s latest edition to their amazing mini drone lineup, the DJI Mini 3.  With its release date just a couple weeks ago, this mini flying machine makes the perfect gift for technology lovers, photography enthusiasts, and adventurers.

With rumors that the DJI Mini 3 will be a more affordable option to the DJI Mini 3 Pro, DJI introduced us to the new DJI Mini 3 as a compact, ultra-lightweight drone that weighs in under 249g making it the perfect tool to bring with you anywhere you go.  The 1/1.3-inch camera sensor records 4K HDR video along with 12MP with true vertical mode for stills.  So, no matter where you’re going, whether you’re recording materials for a real estate project, or creating something for your social media followers, the DJI Mini 3 lets you capture the moment exactly as you envisioned.

The Lightest of its Class

The DJI Mini 3 is so compact, lightweight, and portable, it even fits right in your pocket.  It’s actually very cool watching its arms extend out when it gets turned on and vise versa and this technology helps reduce the space needed when storing.  Your pocket or bag won’t get weighed down as the DJI Mini 3 weighs sub 249g.  This also means it’s under the weight threshold and will be exempt from most FAA compliance regulations you find in many countries when traveling around the world.  It is always good to double check the countries rules but generally, the DJI Mini 3 will not need registration or inspection prior to use within regional compliance.

The DJI Mini 3 is perfect for Vloggers & Content Creators

In today’s modern-day network of social media, content and delivery are critical.  With True Vertical Mode the DJI will let you create content formatted for your audience to view on their smart devices to provide the entertainment experience you intended.  With awesome specs like 4K/30fps video recording in HDR that produces true to life colors, your content will be flawless, vivid, and sharp regardless of your lighting conditions, whether you’re recording during the day or at night.  The 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor and the f/1.7 aperture generates greater image resolutions, sharper depth of fields, and lower image noise even in lower lighting conditions or high contrast recordings.

Featuring a 4 in 1 pixel technology, the DJI Mini 3 can produce photos from 48MP to 12MO in size with individual pixels as large as 2.4 microns.  This greatly improves image quality and resolution during low lighting performance.  The DJI Mini 3 also boasts dual native ISO and chip level HDR technology which enables the Mini 3 to produce high grade images at blisteringly fast speeds.  This technology will give you fast, excellent results every time, even when shooting images with a high dynamic range such as large shadows casting over your background, foreground, or subjects.

Content creators couldn’t ask for more when looking for the right drone to shoot their creations.  Between the exceptional quality photography and videography material the DJI Mini 3’s specs produce and the ability to rotate the camera 90 degrees for true vertical shooting makes the Mini 3 a top choice for social media creators and influencers.

Battery and Transmission Let’s you Fly Longer and Smoother

The new DJI Mini 3 utilizes the standard intelligent flight battery which offers flight time up to 38 minutes.  You can extend flight times to up to 51 minutes by using the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus.  With a smooth and efficient signal feed, the DJI 02 digital transmission delivers 720p/30fps live feed within a 10km radius.  With a powerful anti-interference technology, the DJI will deliver smooth and reliable feeds throughout your flights which will ensure you always have complete control of your drone while providing you with real time smooth signal feeds of your drones camera.  The Mini 3 also has a wind resistance while flying up to 10.7 m/s and the Mini 3 can also hover steadily and stabilize imaging in a variety of environmental conditions.

Essentially, the biggest difference between the DJI Mini 3 and the DJI Mini 3 Pro is the processing unit used for transmissions.  The DJI Mini 3 uses the DJI 02 where the DJI Mini 3 Pro uses DJI’s enhanced OcuSync 3 transmission.  Although the Ocusync is better than the DJI 02 transmission feed, the DJI 02 is less expensive, and a fantastic transmission system still used by other DJI drones.

QuickShots

Sometimes you only have a moment to capture your perfect shot and with cinematic shots accessed with a simple tap, you will always be ready and never miss an opportunity.  The DJI Mini 3 has preprogrammed flight and filming paths which enables you to capture the most beautiful images and footage from the most artistic angles, whether in landscape or vertical shooting modes.

• Dronie – The Mini 3 will lock onto a subject, fly back and up while remaining locked and focused on your subject.
• Helix – As it sounds, this operation will quickly fly vertically up then spiral around the subject. This is ideal for shooting scenery, real estate, humans, animals, and vehicles.
• Rocket – Your aircraft will shoot vertically up with the camera facing down.
• Circle – Simply put, your drone will fly circles around your subject. This differs from helix as it simply flies a smooth circle which has plenty of applications when creating content or work projects.
• Boomerang – This quickshot will leverage an oval shaped flight path, ascending from the subject as it flies further away and descends as it returns closer.

Simple to Operate

Whether you’re new to flying drones or not, you will love how easy it is to pilot.  The DJI Mini 3 features tons of intelligent features and functions which simplify operations.  Even for first time pilots, Auto Takeoff will get you off the ground into your flight path while awesome features like RTH or Return to Home leverages “Smart RTH” measures including Low Battery RTH and Failsafe RTH will direct your drone back to its home starting point in situations where you may lose signal or have a low battery.  The Mini 3 also utilizes Global Navigation Satellite System or GNSS with downward vision and infrared seeing systems to hover with stability and accuracy.  This is far superior to your typical GPS navigation systems.

Additional Features

• 180°, Wide, and Sphere panorama, with Sphere Panorama Viewer 2.0 in the DJI Fly app offering a 720° view to drag and zoom a Sphere panorama.
• Quick Transfer with max download speed of 25 MB/s 
• Supports large-angle tilt to introduce more creative possibilities. 
• Digital zoom at 2x in 4K/30fps, 4x in 1080p, and 2x in 12MP photo.

Availability and Price

The DJI Mini 3 is available in a couple different packages with the main difference being in the remote controller. 

The DJI RC remote offers a FHD display with an ultra-long lasting battery life.  The DJI RC is lightweight and uses dual spring control sticks for more comfortable flying and supports the advanced DJI 03+ video transmission technology.

The DJI RC-N1 remote leverages similar features but docks your smartphone as a display vs using a FHD display screen.  The RC-N1 uses DJI’s Ocusync 2.0 transmission system.

• DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo with RC Remote 4K HDR Portable Drone
• DJI Mini 3 with RC-N1 Remote Fly More Combo 4K HDR Portable Drone

The DJI Mini 3 comes with a bunch of accessories too.

• Intelligent Flight Batteryensures a smooth and worry-free flight for up to 38 minutes.
• Intelligent Flight Battery Plussupports a max flight time of 51 minutes.
• Two-Way Charging Hubcharges the remote controller and three batteries in sequence, serves as a mobile power source, and stores batteries for convenient carrying.
• ND Filters Setadapts the Mini 3 camera to strong lighting conditions with ND16/64/256 filters to always be ready for the perfect shot.
• 360° Propeller Guardfully covers the propellers and is easy to attach and detach, ensuring flight safety in a simple and efficient way.
• Propeller Holder binds the front and back propellers when the aircraft is folded for more convenient storage