by Dr Drone April 26, 2022
The Mini 3 announcement by DJI may be fast approaching, and leaks have been pouring in, giving us an idea of what the Mini 3 specifications will be. Here's an overview of just about everything we know so far about the DJI Mini 3 or potential Mini 3 Pro drone.
Image via @DealsDrone on Twitter
Design
Going from the DJI Mavic Mini to the DJI Mini 2 and then the DJI Mini SE, the basic design remained pretty much the same. However with the Mini 3, it seems like a complete design overhaul, with the most noticeable change being the ability of the camera to look straight up, which was not possible with the previous models.
This may be coupled with a vertical panorama feature in the future.
The Mini 3 also seems to have longer arms. This could be to use longer, more efficient propellers to get the incredibly long speculated flight time of 34 minutes. Leaks also suggest that there is another high capacity battery available to provide an extra flight time of up to 47 minutes.
The larger capacity battery may push it over the 250g weight. The Mini 3, just like the DJI FPV and DJI Mavic 3, is expected to also use OcuSync 3 or O3 as they like to call it, for a rated range of between 10-12kms.
Obstacle Avoidance
The leaked pictures show an obstacle avoidance system capable of sensing in three directions, front back and bottom, comparable to the DJI Air 2S. There is speculation that since the drone has obstacle avoidance sensors, it will also have tracking features like ActiveTrack like all the higher tier drones from DJI. Looking at micro drones from Hubsan and Autel Robotics sporting these features, DJI implementing them in the latest Mini was expected any how.
Images via @DealsDrone on Twitter
Camera and Gimbal
On top of the ability to look up, there is also speculation about the camera that there might be a vertical recording feature for mobile social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram reels, YouTube shorts and the likes. We are not sure if the camera will physically go vertical like the DJI Mavic Pro from 2016 did or if it will be a software crop, considering the 48 megapixel max resolution, there should be no video resolution loss. With such high resolution sensors, lossless digital zoom is also a possibility. Leaks and rumours suggest a new camera sensor that is 1/1.3 inches in size with a whopping 48 megapixel resolution. The software may use pixel binning or other computational photography techniques for which, the exact implementation, is unclear at the moment.
Updated Remote Controller
Rumours of a brand new, stripped down version of the DJI RC Pro from the Mavic 3 series, called the DJI RC also were seen online. It is expected that there will be two choices for remote controllers for the Mini which is a first for a drone in the DJI Mini series.
We won’t be surprised if the standard controller is the DJI RC-N1 as is the case for the DJI Mavic Air, Air 2S, DJI Mavic 3 and also the Mini 2.
Image via @DealsDrone on Twitter
Kits and Prices
Judging by all the leaked images online, it seems that the fly more combo contents will be sold in a separate kit, similar to the Mavic 2 Pro or the DJI FPV. This can be very convenient as the decision to get the fly more combo or the standalone kit is no longer something you have to worry about at the time of purchase. It does not seem like there would be two versions, regular and pro as initial leaks suggested. Instead there may be just the one version, quite possibly, the Pro version that comes out at launch with two different SKUs for either remote controller configuration. DJI, like always will most likely have better pricing than competitors like Autel Robotics. Pricing is expected to be around the CAD $1000 mark for the regular controller and around $1200 for the controller with the screen.
by Dr Drone October 07, 2024
Dr Drone
Author
DrDrone is Canada's leading provider of drone technical services, with over a decade of experience and the distinction of being the first company in the country to offer drone servicing and repairs. As the largest drone vendor in Canada, we are also the primary supplier of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) to the Canadian government. Our team members possess extensive knowledge of each drone's technical specifications and have a wealth of hands-on experience. For more than ten years, we have been dismantling and reconstructing drones, ensuring a deep understanding of these systems.