The DJI Mini 3 Pro is a tiny, ultralight drone that delivers features and capabilities that exceed its small size and price point.
The world has grown smaller for drones these past few years. The skies have become increasingly restrictive as governments pass new regulations that make it difficult or impossible to take to the skies with flying cameras to capture the magnificent and varied landscapes of the planet from an aerial perspective. Many of these regulations are based on weight, making 250 grams the cutoff point above which lies legal headaches, and below which is relative aerial freedom. That’s why, as exciting and powerful as DJI’s larger drones may be, it is their smallest and lightest drone that will likely be the vehicle of choice for the vast majority of would-be pilots. The DJI Mini 3 Pro weighs in at 249 grams, and with massive upgrades over its predecessor, this Mini aims to bring high-end features to a pint-sized drone. This is certainly an odd-looking little drone, but that oddness is due to the necessity of shaving off every fraction of a gram from the Mini 3 Pro. However, the fundamental operation of the drone is much the same as it is for its various siblings in DJI’s lineup. A plastic cover protects the gimbal, while the arms that support the four rotors fold snugly into the fuselage. The battery slots into the rear of the drone, where it clips in very securely. I prefer this rear battery-mounting system to the top-mounted batteries found in some older DJI drones, as I believe it offers better protection from moisture. You have the option of two different controllers to go along with the Mini 3 Pro: The now standard RC-N1 that is included with most of DJI’s current lineup and hooks into a smartphone or tablet for the display, or the new DJI RC, which is almost as exciting to me as the drone itself. In terms of build quality, the Mini 3 Pro feels rather delicate due to its extremely light weight, yet it’s very well constructed. The light weight, coupled with the relatively low speed of this drone, might actually increase its chances of survival in crashes, as the forces involved will be less severe than with a larger drone. However, that’s pure supposition on my part, as I, fortunately, stayed accident-free in my time with the Mini 3 Pro, in part due to its excellent obstacle-sensing capabilities. A major upgrade that really qualifies the “Pro” moniker of the Mini 3 is its camera. In many lowerpriced and smaller form factor drones, a common compromise has been camera capabilities, primarily in terms of sensor size. The sensor in the Mini 3 Pro isn’t exactly massive, but at 1/1.3 inches, it’s certainly larger than what would typically be expected. In practice, it delivers photos and videos that are quite stunning in their clarity and detail. The Mini 3 Pro can capture 48MP RAW photos, and shoot video in 4K at up to 60 frames per second, with D-Cinelike color mode being available for video. The Mini 3 Pro also features dual native ISO, which means that it can capture HDR footage that doesn’t lose details in the shadows or highlights. While the image quality is indeed impressive, I’m even more impressed by the range of movement present in the drone’s camera.
