DJI’s Mini drones are easily one the most popular consumer drones in the market because they are affordable, portable, easy to fly, and can capture unique aerial perspectives. But while DJI has several budget-friendly options for beginners exploring aerial photography and videography, the top three products where you wouldn’t have to compromise on flight time, camera quality, and stability are the Mini 4 Pro, Mini 3 Pro, and Mini 3. Let’s find out how they compare to each other…
Broadly, the Mini 4 Pro is the latest sub-250-gram drone by DJI as well as its first-ever to offer omnidirectional obstacle sensing and O4 video transmission technology. However, both the Mini 3 Pro and Mini 3 have received massive price cuts recently and that makes the previous generation Mini 3 Pro with tri-directional obstacle sensing an especially lucrative option for drone enthusiasts and aspiring pilots alike.
Here’s a spec-by-spec comparison of the top three Mini drones by DJI:
| DJI Mini 4 Pro | DJI Mini 3 Pro | DJI Mini 3 | |
| Price | $759 | $600 | $469 |
| Aircraft | |||
| Max Ascent Speed | 5 m/s | 5 m/s | 5 m/s |
| Max Descent Speed | 5 m/s | 5 m/s | 3.5 m/s |
| Max Horizontal Speed (at sea level, no wind) | 16 m/s | 16 m/s | 16 m/s |
| Max Takeoff Altitude | With Intelligent Flight Battery: 4,000 m With Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 3,000 m | With Intelligent Flight Battery: 4,000 m With Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 3,000 m | With Intelligent Flight Battery: 4,000 m With Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 3,000 m |
| Max Flight Time | 34 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 45 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) | 34 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 47 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) | 38 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 51 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) |
| Max Hovering Time | 30 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 39 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) | 30 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 40 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) | 33 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery) 44 minutes (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus) |
| Max Flight Distance | 18 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery and measured while flying at 40.7 kph in a windless environment at 20 meters above sea level) 25 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus and measured while flying at 44.3 kph in a windless environment at 20 meters above sea level) | 18 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions) 25 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions) | 18 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions) 25 km (with Intelligent Flight Battery Plus and measured while flying at 43.2 kph in windless conditions) |
| Max Wind Speed Resistance | 10.7 m/s | 10.7 m/s | 10.7 m/s |
| Max Pitch Angle | 35° | 40° | 40° |
| Operating Temperature | -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F) | -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F) | -10° to 40° C (14° to 104° F) |
| Global Navigation Satellite System | GPS + Galileo + BeiDou | GPS + Galileo + BeiDou | GPS + GLONASS + Galileo |
| Hovering Accuracy Range | Vertical: ±0.1 m (with vision positioning) ±0.5 m (with GNSS positioning) Horizontal: ±0.1 m (with vision positioning) ±0.5 m (with GNSS positioning) | Vertical: ±0.1 m (with vision positioning) ±0.5 m (with GNSS positioning) Horizontal: ±0.3 m (with vision positioning) ±0.5 m (with high-precision positioning system) | Vertical: ±0.1 m (with vision positioning) ±0.5 m (with GNSS positioning) Horizontal: ±0.3 m (with vision positioning) ±1.5 m (with GNSS positioning) |
| Internal Storage | 2GB | None | None |
| Camera | |||
| Image Sensor | 1/1.3-inch CMOS Effective Pixels: 48 MP | 1/1.3-inch CMOS Effective Pixels: 48 MP | 1/1.3-inch CMOS Effective Pixels: 48 MP |
| Lens | FOV: 82.1° Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/1.7 Focus: 1 m to ∞ | FOV: 82.1° Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/1.7 Focus: 1 m to ∞ | FOV: 82.1° Format Equivalent: 24 mm Aperture: f/1.7 Focus: 1 m to ∞ |
| ISO Range | Video Normal and Slow Motion: 100-6400 (Normal) 100-1600 (D-Log M) 100-1600 (HLG) Night: 100-12800 (Normal) Photo 12 MP: 100-6400 48 MP: 100-3200 | Video: 100-6400 Photo: 100-6400 | Video: 100-3200 Photo: 100-3200 |
| Shutter Speed | 12MP Photo: 1/16000-2 s (2.5-8 s for simulated long exposure) 48MP Photo: 1/8000-2 s | Electronic Shutter: 2-1/8000 s | Electronic Shutter: 2-1/8000 s |
| Max Image Size | 8064×6048 | 4:3: 8064×6048 (48 MP) 4032×3024 (12 MP) 16:9: 4032×2268 (12 MP) | 8064×6048 |
| Still Photography Modes | Single Shot: 12 MP and 48 MP Burst Shooting: 12 MP, 3/5/7 frames 48 MP, 3 frames Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 12 MP, 3/5/7 frames at 0.7 EV step 48 MP, 3 frames at 0.7 EV step Timed: 12 MP, 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s 48 MP, 5/7/10/15/20/30/60s | Single Shot: 12 MP 48 MP: 48 MP Burst Shooting: 12 MP, 3/5/7 frames Timed: 12 MP 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 12 MP, 3/5 frames at 2/3 EV step Panorama: Sphere, 180°, Wide Angle, Vertical HDR: The Single Shot mode supports outputting HDR images | Single Shot: 12 MP 48 MP: 48 MP Timed: 12 MP JPEG: 2/3/5/7/10/15/20/30/60s JPEG + RAW: 5/7/10/15/20/30/60s Automatic Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 12 MP, 3 frames at 2/3 EV step Panorama: Sphere, 180°, Wide Angle HDR: The Single Shot mode supports outputting HDR images. |
| Photo Format | JPEG/DNG (RAW) | JPEG/DNG (RAW) | JPEG/DNG (RAW) |
| Video Resolution | H.264/H.265 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60/100fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60/100/200fps (4K/100fps and HLG/D-Log M only support H.265 coding) | 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps 2.7K: 2720×1530@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps Slow Motion: 1920×1080@120 fps | 4K: 3840×2160@24/25/30 fps 2.7K: 2720×1530@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps FHD: 1920×1080@24/25/30/48/50/60 fps HDR: Recording with the 24/25/30fps frame rate supports outputting HDR images |
| Video Format | MP4 (MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265) | MP4/MOV (H.264/H.265) | MP4 (H.264) |
| Max Video Bitrate | H.264/H.265: 150 Mbps | 150 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Color Mode | Normal: 8-bit 4:2:0 (H.264/H.265) HLG/D-Log M: 10-bit 4:2:0 (H.265) | Normal/D-Cinelike | Normal |
| Digital Zoom | 12MP Photo: 1-2x 4K: 1-3x FHD: 1-4x | 4K: 2× 2.7K: 3× FHD: 4× | 4K: 2× 2.7K: 3× FHD: 4× |
| Sensing | |||
| Sensing type | Omnidirectional binocular vision system, supplemented with a 3D infrared sensor at the bottom of the aircraft. | Forward, backward, and downward vision system | Downward vision system |
| Video Transmission | |||
| Video Transmission System | O4 | O3 | O2 |
| Live View Quality | Remote Controller: Up to 1080p/60fps (available when the aircraft is flying in Photo or Video mode) Up to 1080p/30fps (available when the aircraft is flying in Video mode) Up to 1080p/24fps (available when the aircraft is in standby mode on the ground) | Remote Controller: 1080p/30fps | Remote Controller: 720p/30fps |
| Max Transmission Distance (free of interference) | FCC: 20 km CE: 10 km SRRC: 10 km MIC: 10 km | FCC: 12 km CE: 8 km SRRC: 8 km MIC: 8 km | FCC: 10 km CE: 6 km SRRC: 6 km MIC: 6 km |
| Max Transmission Distance (with interference) | Unobstructed Strong Interference: urban landscape, approx. 1.5-4 km Medium Interference: suburban landscape, approx. 4-10 km Low Interference: suburb/seaside, approx. 10-20 km Obstructed Low Interference and Obstructed by Buildings: approx. 0-0.5 km Low Interference and Obstructed by Trees: approx. 0.5-3 km | Strong Interference: urban landscape, approx. 1.5-3 km Medium Interference: suburban landscape, approx. 3-7 km Low Interference: suburb/seaside, approx. 7-12 km | Strong Interference: urban landscape, approx. 1.5-3 km Medium Interference: suburban landscape, approx. 3-6 km Low Interference: suburb/seaside, approx. 6-10 km |
| Max Download Speed | O4: 10 MB/s (with DJI RC-N2) 10 MB/s (with DJI RC 2) Wi-Fi 5: 30 MB/s | O3: 5.5 MB/s (with DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller) 5.5 MB/s (with DJI RC) Wi-Fi 5: 25 MB/s | O2: 5.5 MB/s (with DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller) 5.5 MB/s (with DJI RC) Wi-Fi 5: 25 MB/s |
| Lowest Latency | Aircraft + Remote Controller: Approx. 120 ms | Approx. 120 ms | Approx. 200 ms |
| Antenna | 4 antennas, 2T4R | 4 antennas, 1T2R | 2 antennas, 1T2R |
| Battery | |||
| Capacity | Intelligent Flight Battery: 2590 mAh Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 3850 mAh | Intelligent Flight Battery: 2453 mAh Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 3850 mAh | Intelligent Flight Battery: 2453 mAh Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 3850 mAh |
| Weight | Intelligent Flight Battery: approx. 77.9 g Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: approx. 121 g | Intelligent Flight Battery: Approx. 80.5 g Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: Approx. 121 g | Intelligent Flight Battery: Approx. 80.5 g Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: Approx. 121 g |
| Type | Li-ion | Li-ion | Li-ion |
| Charging Temperature | 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F) | 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F) | 5° to 40° C (41° to 104° F) |
| Charging Time | Intelligent Flight Battery: 70 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery mounted to the aircraft) 58 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery inserted into the Two-Way Charging Hub) Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 101 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery mounted to the aircraft) 78 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery inserted into the Two-Way Charging Hub) | Intelligent Flight Battery: 64 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery mounted to the aircraft) 56 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery inserted into the Two-Way Charging Hub) Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 101 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery mounted to the aircraft) 78 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery inserted into the Two-Way Charging Hub) | Intelligent Flight Battery: 64 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery mounted to the aircraft) 56 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery inserted into the Two-Way Charging Hub) Intelligent Flight Battery Plus: 101 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery mounted to the aircraft) 78 minutes (with the DJI 30W USB-C Charger and the battery inserted into the Two-Way Charging Hub) |
Also read: DJI releases new firmware update for $299 Mini 2 SE drone
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