DJI Mini 3 Professional introduced: Redefining mini

It could look acquainted, however the brand new DJI Mini 3 Professional introduces a number of the greatest adjustments to the Mavic line in a protracted, very long time. The most important change? You may unfold the propeller arms in any order you select.

This iteration within the Mini line gives 4K video at 60 fps, significantly improved battery life, and a much more versatile digital camera gimble, all whereas sustaining the vital 249g weight of earlier Mini drones. A number of further superior options backup the ‘professional’ moniker as nicely, let’s test it out.

DJI Mini 3 Professional overview

From first look, you’ll discover that one thing has modified. The general form-factor of the Mini 3 Professional is much like earlier Mavic drones, providing a compact, folding design in a rectangularly formed fuselage with the digital camera up entrance. In contrast to most different Mavic drones, nevertheless, the propeller arms usually are not additionally the touchdown gear, and the digital camera doesn’t grasp beneath the nostril of the craft.

The touchdown gear is constructed into the airframe on the entrance, and is part of the battery on the rear. That is much like the DJI Spark from again within the day, with 4 small ft on the underside of the drone itself. With out the foot on the entrance propeller arm, the entrance and rear arms are actually capable of function in any order with out bumping into one another. That stated, DJI swapped their orientation. The entrance propeller arms swivel beneath and out to the entrance, and the rear arms flip straight out.

Typical Mavic drones have a protracted nostril that acts as a cover for the digital camera gear. From that, the digital camera gimbal normally hangs downward from the nostril of the craft. The Mini 3 Professional adjustments that up, the digital camera mounts to small arms on both facet, extra just like the forks holding the entrance tire in your bicycle. Giving the digital camera two mounting factors is a fragile stability, it supplies extra stability and power, however it additionally doubles the required dampening required.

With the brand new digital camera mounting, DJI was capable of minimize away a number of the nostril cover, making means for the digital camera to level a lot additional upwards.

DJI did an attention-grabbing factor with the impediment avoidance sensors. As an alternative of skipping the rear-facing sensors, or operating wires to sensors mounted on the again of the drone, they saved all of the sensors collectively on bubbles on the entrance. Forgive me the comparability, however they remind me of the exophthalmos of frog eyes, if frogs had two eyes per socket. APAS 4.0 is obtainable from this mini drone, a primary for the road, and of the scale of the sensors imply something, the ahead impediment avoidance ought to show very efficient.

Our final visible statement is that the Mini 3 Professional is fairly taller than earlier Mini drones. The rear is about the identical peak, however the nostril sits an excellent 25% taller.

Apart from all that, the Mini 3 Professional seems to be made from the identical supplies as the sooner mini drones, and the propellers are two components that connect on through screw. Talking of the propellers, they’re much bigger than earlier, and the orange ideas are a gentle rubber. We will solely think about the rubber provides weight as in comparison with the conventional plastic construct of the propeller, which might add stability and scale back vibrations, but additionally the gentle texture may assist with noise ranges.

The orientation of the drone is a bit of completely different as nicely. The motors and propellers align a bit of ahead, as a substitute of being perpendicular to the fuselage. The result’s that the nostril of the drone is far greater than the tail when the drone is at hover. We’re stunned that DJI has not performed this sooner, as drones which can be degree at hover are usually nostril down when in ahead movement, which creates a downforce. As an alternative the Mini 3 Professional could have the wind bounce off its stomach throughout ahead flight, offering a bit of little bit of carry.

DJI Clearly realized one thing from the DJI FPV, which additionally has a a little bit of tilt to it.

Lastly, DJI has opted for a brand new battery design. The battery on the Mini 3 Professional doubles because the rear touchdown gear for the drone. Regardless of being bigger, the default battery is roughly the identical capability as the unique Mavic Mini, however it feels prefer it weighs far much less. The Mini 3 Professional is rated for as much as 34 minutes of flight time, which lands it on our finest battery life checklist. The true deal with is that DJI is providing the Battery Plus, which is a much more substantial battery, rising flight time to 47 minutes. The trade-off is that the bigger battery places the general weight of the drone above 250g, so you’ll have to comply with all relevant legal guidelines with a purpose to fly.

Associated studying: Worldwide drone legal guidelines

DJI Mini 3 Professional digital camera

If you’re like us, we fly drones for the enjoyment of placing a digital camera into the sky. The Mini 3 Professional gives a 1/1.3-inch digital camera sensor that shoots 4K video at as much as 60fps, and the 48MP sensor that shoots nice photographs pixel-binned to 12MP.

One thing DJI has not often performed earlier than, the digital camera on the Mini 3 Professional is ready to rotate 90 levels sideway, so you possibly can shoot portrait oriented photographs.

True to type for DJI’s progress, the digital camera is ready to seize HDR video. This limits video to 4K at 30 fps. The f/1.7 aperture permits extra gentle, enhancing your low gentle expertise even with out HDR. These options additionally allow 1080p sluggish movement seize.

One other thrilling tidbit, DJI is including zoom to increasingly more drones, the Mini 3 Professional will get 2x at 4K video, 3x at 2.7K video, and 4x when recording 1080p.

Associated studying: Finest digital camera drones

DJI Mini 3 Professional options and efficiency

The early mini drones from DJI lacked a number of the enjoyable options that Mavic homeowners have come to get pleasure from. The unique Mavic Mini nonetheless doesn’t have the complete suite of MasterShots, for instance. The Mini 3 Professional comes higher outfitted, with FocusTrack, Quickshots, MasterShots, and Hyperlapse seize.

Most of those options are because of the three-direction impediment avoidance sensors. APAS 4.0 is barely doable with this assortment of sensors as nicely.

The bigger propellers on the Mini 3 Professional promise extra velocity and energy from the drone.

Flight time of drones is a big issue of their worth, and the Mini 3 Professional delivers! 34 minutes of flight time from the usual battery is high notch efficiency, however the 47 minutes of the Battery Plus possibility is a brand new file for Mavic drones. Know the regulation on drones that weigh greater than 250g, however when you’re good with that, it’s onerous to argue with this enormous flight time.

DJI RC distant management

Along with the brand new drone, DJI is asserting the DJI RC controller. This multi-function controller is supplied with all of the buttons you’ll want to fly a Mavic drone, plus a 5.5-inch show. The show gives as much as 700 nits of illumination, which is nice for these sunny days.

The RC Professional is unique to the Mini 3 Professional for now, however there’s no cause it couldn’t be up to date to function different Ocusync 3.0 drones sooner or later. The distant is an Android powered system that comes with DJI Fly pre-installed.

We at all times recognize the flexibility to go away our cellphone in our pocket once we go to fly, however customers can go for the RC-N1 controller as nicely, if they like to attach their very own cellular system.