DJI Mini 3 Pro - 51 Things You Should Know Before Buying!

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Very detailed and informative review Russ. Really appreciate the time and dedication you bring to the drone community. Been watching since my first drone and will continue to be a supporter of your work and channel.

A big improvement would clearly be side obstacle detectors. Probably for the 4th version.

As usual, one of the best new reviews of the Mini 3 Pro. Just a couple of questions. Does the spherical panorama shot take advantage of the much larger vertical range of the gimbal? And is it possible to output video to an external HDMI monitor via the second USBc port on the new Smart Controller. Looking forward to more of your great videos on the Mini 3

The 3DR Solo drone had a quick shot called Zipline. If I remember correctly, you could set the zip line vertical, horizontal, all varying degrees of angles, and vary the speed at which the drone ran along the line, and it would keep the subject in frame, even if it was moving. Would like to see DJI add something like that.

Thank you for your diligence on this, Russ! You really paid attention to detail and passed it along effectively.
It looks like the Mini 3 Pro handled flying in the snow just fine, despite its apparent lack of an IP rating. No moisture problems afterwards?

Thank you, Russ for the great and informative video. I live in ND too and have had very few opportunities to take my Mini 2 out because of the weather conditions lately. That is just a testament to how amazing the Mini 3 is, to be able to keep the image so steady in the wind conditions during our blizzards. Thank you again, and I am looking forward to more of your reviews.

My first thought regarding set filming moves was that it would be great if the programmable buttons could record several moves - like a macro in excel. So press record, do the moves, then repress the button to store a fixed flying combination, Alternatively it would be great if the software was opensource so developers could add functionality. It looks like a great drone and I have pre-ordered. Thanks for the video

In quick shots, a star mode would be amazing in my opinion. It would still circle the subject like in 360 mode but it would also zoom in on the subject in a star pattern.

Russ, you are the go to guy for honest reviews. You continuously provide well thought out content. Thanks for the hard work and incredible amounts of information. I don't feel I can make really informed choices without watching your content first. Keep up the great work!

I would absolutely love a quickshot mode like rotate around an object where it will rotate a little longer. It would be nice to be able to edit rotations around objects into endless loops without it speeding up and slowing down at the loop point. In other words; it would be nice if you could create a loop point where the speed is constant.

Great video, extremely informative. My first DJI was the Inspire 1 Pro, then the Mavic 2 Pro and lastly the Mavic 3. The first two were relatively trouble free and I still use the M2P weekly. My experience with the M3 means I won’t be rushing to get this drone soon. I want it, but will wait for a while when more users post experiences and their thoughts.

This new Mini 3 Pro is one that I may well consider, especially as it packs so much into it, at a good price point. It looks very stable too. I still have the original Mavic Pro, and wanted to upgrade to the Mavic 3, but to me it the Mavic 3 was released with many incomplete features which I did not appreciate.

I personally LOVED going vertical on my Mavic Pro for my photos. It's great to see it back and this may motivate me to get rid of my Mavic 2 Pro amongst other things. I like making photos for my own personal use and to share with my community as a hobbyist. I've never been interested in going commercial, I honestly fly just to reset from life. Strongly considering this drone...

I just took my Mavic Mini 1 out on a 20+ MPH day and it not only let me fly, but it did indeed hold it position just fine, I've never flown in it in that type of wind, I was impressed

I have the Mavic 2 Pro and been wanting a small drone for some things.
I'm loving what I'm hearing about this thing.
It really seems like such a capable drone in a small package.

You put in some serious serious work into this video, Russ! Super well done and congrats! 🤛🏼

Thank you for your video, very comprehensive. I'm considering this drone for the fact that it's sub 250 grams and yet still has some amazing qualities (considering its size, of course). That said, I'm a bit confused about the geozone. I'm in Canada, and the bottom line here is that a micro drone is "allowed" to fly pretty much anywhere, but for emergencies (forest fire zones etc.), and still not allowed to fly in close proximity to a military base. Barring those few restrictions, you "can" (whether you "should" or not is really THE question!) legally fly almost anywhere. So, why does DJI enforce geozones on a drone that really doesn't have any issues with legal flight? I realize you aren't DJI and may not know the answer, but I'd appreciate your thoughts on this regardless. It makes no sense to me. It defeats the purpose (in my mind) of having a sub 250 gr drone.

Watched a ton of Mini 3 Pro videos today, but wanted to say that your video breakdown was the best of the bunch between the personalized sections, unique tips, and great detail. Being a cinematographer with a love for drone work on the side, the technical focus was greatly appreciated.

Great, thorough review. One question, what megapixel size are the RAW files when you choose JPEG + RAW? Curious if the 48MP RAW option is what DJI is saying. Thanks!

The battery life on this is pretty amazing. Some of the larger DJI's have about a 15 minute battery life, which is not enough time to learn to control the thing, set everything up and enough time to fly back.

Thank you for the great comprehensive review. One question I still have (might of have missed) is the transmission (quality and or range) for the new remote (os3) noticeably better than the standard remote when paired to the mini 3? You talked about noticing better transmission at the bridge with the new remote, but when you pair the older mini 2 remote was it worse? In other words was the better transmission due to the new mini 3 antenna placement or due to it pairing with the new remote?

Great job! Thanks for this super informative video! I'd like to know how fast it is at locking onto GPS and setting the home point, especially given that it has the GPS + Galileo + BeiDou system. That's the same GPS system as the Mavic 3 that has been plagued with GPS "lock-on" latency issues for some time now (still not totally resolved IMHO since the more recent firmware attempt to fix it). Can you share your experience with it? Unless I missed it, I didn't note any mention of it in the video.

It's interesting that you seemed to have a stronger signal in that location, most of the other testers seem to be having problems with a weaker signal than they are used to

What a brilliant review! With the authorities always tightening regulations on safety, this is also a serious professional tool if flying in conjested areas. As a commercial pilot, your review has convinced me that I need one. Many thanks!

Hi Russ, great video. I’m thinking of moving on from my 3DR Solo. With that drone you can mark points in space and at each point you can set the orientation of the drone and the camera angle. When all the points are are recorded you can instruct the drone to fly the exact same path over and over. This was great as I could fly the drone along the same flight path over the course of a year and make a video to watch the seasons change. Can you do this with the DJI mini 3 pro? Thanks

Thanks for the wealth of information. This video helped cement my preorder I placed last week. Can’t wait for it to come in. This is my first drone. Pretty stoked to start flying. This drone finally delivers the features that I liked in more professional and more expensive drones at an affordable price.
I think the longer arms are, from what I’ve seen in several videos, to accommodate the longer props?
Great info on the controller comparison. I don’t recall who I saw complaining about this new RC compared to the RC PRO but when considering the RC PRO itself is a $300 more than the Mini 3 Pro and RC remote combo I don’t understand the complaints.

On 5:18 regarding the longer arms , a quick thought is that the’re provide more torque to all axis. Powr x lever length=torque. Due to weight reduction can’t install bigger motors , so may gain a little more torque with larger arms

Excellent presentation Thank You Russ!
One of the thing DJI could improve and make their interface even more convenient and fun to work with would be to enhance their programming features for waypoints. Adding 3 key elements: GPS coordinates, point recording while flying and allowing to setup fly altitude lower than 2m.
Ideally, this could be done on the remote and on a computer through the personal DJI account.
I am struggling with few requests asking to fly with different constraints and such feature would help tremendously if available.

Thanks for another great review, Russ! I just followed your link and purchased it with all the bells and whistles. From your review, I believe that this drone solves ALL of my issues. I have been hoping for a mini that could create pro-level images that I can easily put in my camera bag with the rest of my gear.

15:46 Perhaps adding the ability to combine the 6 Q shots modes to give more combinations
and or, permutations.

I still have and fly my og mavic mini. The moni vs the mini 2 wasnt really all that spectacular to me. However, this mini 3 pro looks incredibly enticing. One of my biggest flaws or complaints about flying any drone was needing to use a phone to tether it to the drone remote. I don't know if angels heard me or not but it sure feels weird finally getting something Ive been hoping for for quite a while. Just being able to break this out and go and get up in the air quickly, thats really cool vs having to break out the box, spend a few minutes taking off my phones protective case so it would fit the drone remote, hooking up the cable, etc. I also want to add that I lost a phone (broken charge port) or 2 because of how many flights Ive had with drones and needing to keep using its charge port to connect. I dont like how expensive the mini pro 3 is atm, but all things considered, it really does seem like a premium kit.

I didn't expect how massive these upgrades on the Mini 3 would be! I'm so close to upgrading

Thank you for the superb details. I would love to see a comparison with the Mavic 2 Pro vs the Mini 3 Pro... whenever you get a chance. Again thank you so much for this informative review on the Mini 3 Pro!

Another amazing piece of kit from DJI I love the extra sensor’s and additional power from the larger but quieter props. What’s not to like?

Thanks for this, I was on the fence about whether to upgrade from a Mini 2, after watching I've just pre-ordered one along with the fly more kit. Very helpful video, really appreciated it.

Great video. I really like your photo comparison. Based on that photo, it seems that I should upgrade from an Air 2s, which I always found the photos to be nice, but soft.
Any thoughts regarding this? Were these photos straight JPEGS, or were they raw and converted? I be curious if the chromatic aberration could better be tamed in your photo from the 2s?

Really nice review, however, as a retired pilot (31 years FedEx) I have a question... When will DJI allow their drones to use the v2 goggles? I fly FPV and love it but, there are many times that I need a stable filming platform that this type of drone provides. Using the v2 goggles with the Mini 3 Pro would be unbelievable.

A first time buyers guide would be amazing, I feel with this unit there will be a lot of people buying their first drone.

longer motor pylons means higher torque (it's proportional to length) which means higher stability and less energy demands, on the opposite it also means heavier construction, and bigger front surface (aerodynamically)

Thank you so much for such a comprehensive review. You never disappoint and I always look to your assessments before purchasing a new product. I’ll definitely be purchasing this as I’ve been waiting to purchase a mini until we saw what this one was capable of. Thanks again

The drone is truly amazing. At first I thought it was too expensive but with the standard controller it’s not too bad for all the extra tech on offer.

Just received my DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) and looking forward to giving it a go. I have been using the DJI Mini 2 for the last year and it a nice drone. Thanks the time and effort you put into this... It has just confirmed my purchase was a good one.

Thanks! Incredibly valuable, enjoyable to watch, and excellent production values. You are a real credit to the community.

Wow, great comprehensive review! I was wondering about the RC battery compared to the RC Pro. Less weight = less battery? Also wondering what you could do with the missing buttons that you could not with the new cheaper RC? Thanks for your resourceful vids!

Tuss, thank you for the massive amount of good information you provide. I have ordered my drone already, have been wondering which fly more combo I should get and was leaning more to the regular so I didn’t have to register the drone with the FAA. You comments have given me more to think about on that aspect. I know the Plus batteries are not good for Europe, so I asked a quick question already about Mexico. You videos are a great source of wisdom for me. Thank you again.

Thanks! This was the most useful drone product video I’ve seen yet. Top notch info, lots of questions answered in just one video. Very well done and candid. I’m looking forward to future videos too (I don’t own a drone - yet).

Thanks for the info, very useful. Disagree that 1/1.3" sensor is nearly a 1". The former is 69mm^2 where the 1" is 116mm^2, nearly double the area. That does make a difference.

Very helpfull, thanks a lot! I am still curious about the 48mpix images. Does the sensor really capture that resolution, or is it done with some kind of pixel shift?

Definitely the most comprehensive video so far. Granted the event was half an hour ago, but i appreciate so much detailed information so quickly. Thank you!

Nice job covering all the bases for the little drone. I like the way you set the controllers side by side for comparison.
Dustin Hill from Maui, HI usually does range tests. I haven't seen one pop up yet. But DC Rainmaker does a pretty good job with high wind tests and obstacle avoidance. He released those videos today.

Wow, thanks for sharing this awesome review with us, you really put work into it. All the testing and everything just superb, congrats

Best review I've seen all day, including all the other usual YT suspects. Honest, detailed, informative, unguarded and amiable . You have a new subscriber Sir - thanks for the hard work that went in to it 🤘

Russ, great video as usual! I was a bit surprised to see that only the "DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC)" for $909 will begin shipping at the end of May 2022. The two other less expensive offerings "DJI Mini 3 Pro" for $759 and the "DJI Mini 3 Pro (No RC)" for $669 won't start shipping until August 2022. The lower banner on the DJI page shows this "DJI Mini 3 Pro (No RC) will be available starting in August of 2022."
The only way to get a DJI Mini 3 Pro before the late part of summer in North America is to buy one with the DJI RC controller. A bit disappointing.

Drive by mode, drone approaches at high speed, drifts by the target sideways, then recedes by reversing. Always keeping the target in frame.

Awesome everything 🙏👣 would love to hear a bit more about the noise level with actual DB tests perhaps when in hover and then take off or flights.

Maybe the longer arms are needed for the antennas to match the radio frequency. Larger antennas at the proper length for frequency harmonics will always work better at longer ranges. Even if the antennas are in the front leglets, having them outside the body of the drone is a plus.

This was a GREAT video Russ, thank you. I know I have given you a hard time in the past with some of my comments, but know that I realize how much time and work it takes to make these videos and I appreciate you doing it. I just ordered my mini3 and it was this video that made me pull the trigger. Thanks bro!

Russ, you're always my first stop relating to all things drone, and no exception here with the release of the Mini3P. I'm looking to upgrade from my Mavic 3 Pro for travelling convenience and it sounds from your vlog that it's time now to "pull the trigger." Thanks for all the time you take to provide me the info I need to make an informed decision. Really, thanks very much.

First off, killer job on the review! My first thought on the new design was how vulnerable the camera looked. I crashed my mini and broke the gimble twice. Once i upgraded to the mini 2, i purchased the lens hood for a little more protection. So the question i have is about how the gimble is mounted. Is it rigidly mounted or similar to the mini 2 with the "rubber bands" for shock absorption? Can you foresee any aftermarket protection for the gimble? Thanks for all the effort and hard work!

This is such an awesome overview of the mini 3 pro. I really appreciate all the time you put into the review.

Nice to watch you do another review. I dropped out of droning from anger at DJI. EOL for Inspire 1v2 and making it almost impossible to get geo unlocks on my Mavic Pro... well... I just got pissed. But, looks like the Mini 3 Pro could win me back. Wish it would work with the CrystalSky!

Russ you hit it out the park with this review…you covered and answered lot of people’s questions in one video. Thanks

Thanks for the great review. I think the prop. arms are extended out much so that the filmed footage would not show annoying props. I'll pass on DJI, though, since my Phantom 4 pro had so many issue with controller, firmware updates, etc., Issues that many people seems to have when you Google them. DJI support would charge hundreds of dollars to have them fixed.... You would expect their help after paying over a thousand $. Now extra batteries, I spent 100s of $, going to be recycled in trash for they have not been used, and won't get 100% charged.

Nice review. Could you give an idea of the size of the files in 4K (30s, 60s)? Which capacity of SD card would you then recommend to buy?
Any specific requirement in term of card?

Thanks for a great video Russ. It would be great to see a video comparing the Mini 3 Pro and the Air 2s, including their performance in windy conditions. Cheers!

I'll disagree with needing lateral sensors instead of rear sensors. Both times I've crashed my Mavic Pro is when I was flying backward. I'm looking forward to this drone being available in a few months.

I have no intention of buying one, I'm an ex-drone pilot, so I was interested in seeing what's new. This is a very thorough review, nice :)

DJI, please make the Mini 3 controller compatible with the Air 2s! Thank you for taking the time to give us a concise analytical review of the Mini 3. Well done Russ!

16:05 Idea for a new Quickshot would be to start recording in front of you and then fly up over you and down to your backside while tracking you. The picture would have to finish upside down but that should be doable with the new rotating gimbal. It would look good reversed, too.

Thank you for the video! Questions - Does it offer a variable aperture and does it have a Cine or Tripod mode for slower flight?

And it now records in 10 bit with new firmware. This is the deal-maker for me. Thanks for an excellent review. new sub.

You sure were aiming to push this drone to its limits! Looking forward to what the pictures and video is like in different conditions. Cheers for your hard work 👍

Thank you for this unique comprehensive video.
I have already ordered the Mini 3 PRO (to replace my AIR 2S that I sold, however, I did fantastic shots with it) but I am really impatient to be able to order the battery plus option. Apparently, this option is NOT available in Europe (at least in France).
One feature I am waiting from DJI for years is the ability to fly and shoot videos through WAYPOINTS, similar to what you can do in Hyperlapse. I would like to record the same flight at different time of the day (because of light changes) or different time of the year from winter to summer. Litchi does it, why not DJI?
Unfortunately, Litchi cannot be loaded on the new RC coming with the mini 3 (YET). Do you have any suggestion or inside contact at Litchi (or at DJI) to know if this will be available in the future?
Thanks again for your very detailed and sharp videos.👍

Bought my first drone on the release of the Mini 3 Pro… found your Channel in the run up to arrival of the drone.
Thanks so much for your considered and well presented content. You and a few other channels are a fantastic resource for new pilots and I have really enjoyed watching +1 subs, +1 Notifications. Thanks again - avid new subscriber from the UK - looking forward to those notification bells…

I would love to see a quick shot that is similar to the boomerang but vertical. Like a rocket to reverse droney or drony to rocket drop type style

Excellent video Russ! Super informative, by far the best video i've seen so far about this drone.

That was one of the best and most comprehensive reviews yet. Thank you. I almost didn't watch thinking 51 reasons oh gawd however the crash episode drew me in. Fantastic and I'm certainly subscribing as you are so thorough. Love it!!

Thank you for the great coverage of the Mini3 Pro, I do have one question still. I have an RC PRO controller and your test of Signal Strength past that bridge. Do you know if the Mini3 Pro with the RC Pro can have the same extended range? or is this a function of the new RC controller paired with the Mini3 Pro only?

Something like key frames that skydio has would be amazing for dji to bring to their drones

Really comprehensive review that convinced me to test the Mini 3 Pro.
I wonder if the DJI New RC could be used with the DJI FPV Goggles to stream the FPV video feed? Does anyone know by any chance?

Thanks for all the things you share as always - is there any drone having four corners sensors? I mean up, down, sides, front, and back. Sometimes when I fly sideway I feel uncomfortable. Instead of down and up, it's better to have side sensors.

Best Mini 3 video out there. All questions addressed pretty much. Cant thank you enough for this! Keep up the great work and continue being the best Bro!

Great detailed video Russ. One question about the RC controller. I fly with reverse throttle so I need the custom mode stick feature. I know android version of the DJI fly app has difficulties setting the custom stick mode. Can you tell me if this feature DOES work on this new RC?

yeah it’s one of the best kept secrets. The other one I just discovered by
accident is the DJI air 2s! Have you tested this one yet? It actually has
top mounted sensors for obstacle avoidance. I was blown away, as I
didn’t know about this one, with all the attention being on the mini 3 😆 lol
Now they just need to make one with side sensors and we’ll be good 👍🏽
and covered. 360 degree coverage from a 6 way drone 😀 wow just
imagine that.

Keep up the great work. Your videos are very informative and extremely helpful. It’s obvious you do your homework to understand your product. Your delivery is also on point well spoken, and very easy to understand.

Great review.
I wanted to ask does it still have object avoidance, when doing quick shots or master shots? I know that Air 2S turns off the object avoidance and in a quick shot, it goes into full kamikaze mode.

Its amazing how much tech they have improved since the Mini 2.. Thank you for this video… I will purchase through your link as you are the best sales person for this drone!

This video is so well done! I had a lot of questions about this new drone; all of them were answered and then some. Thank you!

Great Review as usual. Very informative and you appeared to cover all the bases.. except one. Yours is the best post that I have seen on the Mini 3 Pro, so far. I watched two "pre-launch" reviews on it, but none of them addressed the question that I am sure many of us have; Will the Mini 3 Pro work with the RC Pro controller? Maybe this question has been asked and answered - and I missed it.. LoL. But which package I purchase will depend on the answer. I won't need the new RC controller if my current RC Pro controller works with it as well. In this review, you compared the three controllers, but didn't mention compatibility. So, PLEASE, tell me that it is compatible, and I can save a little loot. Thanks so much, Keep up the excellent work!

This will sound weird, but I tested my old Mavic Pro Platinum in the snow...in Houston. So not only is the wind tolerance of these drones impressive, but the wind tolerance at 40+ MPH WHILE chopping throw snow flurries is remarkable.

Thank you so much for detailed review , it helped a lot 👍🏼
A straight question I am a photographer who has $1300-1500 dollars and wants to buy his first drone with best and latest features possible. Which one should I go with?
Mini 3 pro or Air 2s? Thanks

Russ thank you for such a thorough video review of the Mini 3 Pro and RC. I was on the fence about this drone as I think it's a little pricey for a Sub 250g but I get it with all the features and think it's pretty solid not that I have watched this video. I put the drone kit plus the fly more plus in my cart on DJI website 5 times during the day of announcement but didn't pull the trigger. I watched Original Dobo's Drone Brews Live a couple days ago and got FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) as I heard him talking about it. So for the 6th time, during his show, I put it all in my DJI cart again and pulled the trigger. As of now, I don't know when I will get it as I know they are having supply issues (or is it something else like firmware needing updated?). Guess I'll watch and see what happens. Thanks again Russ as you have an amazing channel and I look forward to any content you post! Oh, and I already own the Air 2s and the Mini 2 and love them both!

I would love to buy this, but my Phantom 4 pro plus has an HDMI port in the remote, which allows me to use my Skyzone goggles when flying. That is pretty much a deal breaker sense I can see so much more detail using the goggles.

I don’t even know why I bother subscribing to other drone channels. You deliver the information quickly and concisely. No repetition, no gimmicks, no corn pone humor.

Great video and content as always! I have Mavic Pro. I preorder the Mini 3 pro after watching your video. I can’t wait to see what content you will bring with the Mini 3 pro. I have watched you videos over the years on how to fly my Mavic.

This amazingly useful and detailed information. Just thinking of my first drone and reviews like this make it a lot easier to choose.

Do you know if the RC PRO is compatible with the Mini 3 PRO? And in 360º panorama mode, is the ability of the gimbal to go up 60º fully utilized?

Wow....what review! Thanks for sharing your thoughts as it surely changed my mind whether to get the new Mini 3 or go with Autel's Evo. Surprisingly your facts are correct yet I guess that only pertains to DJI products as really it's the only drones you review. The Evo is also 249g and has had 3 way obstacle avoidance WAY before they even thought about producing the Mini 3. Working within the DOD gives me insight of whats to become of DJI. You ever wonder why DJI is pushing new drones literally every year? With new import sanctions DJI is going bye bye, At least here in the US.

I am looking at this drone for hiking and was wondering what the weight difference is between the two controllers