Subsequent up in our “Ask Drone Woman” sequence is in regards to the DJI Mini 3 Professional vs Mini 4 Professional pricing, in addition to probably exchanging the Mini 3 in favor of a greater drone. You probably have a query for Drone Woman, contact her right here.

I used to be generously gifted a DJI Mini 3. It was simply the bottom package with the common controller, the drone, and one battery, and so forth, and it value lower than $400.

My concern: with out impediment sensors, am I setting myself as much as fail?

I can trade it (and pay the distinction) for a DJI Professional 3 Bundle, which comes with 3 batteries, the usual controller, and DJI’s charging hub, and MicroSD card for $700 on sale. Is it price it? Is it an excessive amount of for an entry drone?

Additionally confounding me additional is that the Mini 4 Professional has been out now for 3 months but is priced equally to the Mini 3 Professional.

I might vastly recognize any perception and proposals, as I’m at my wits finish after studying so many evaluations and watching check movies.

Ah ha! The Christmas and Black Friday 2023 drone gross sales had been good this yr, and it seems like Santa acquired you a Mini 3 at an important value. In any case, the DJI Mini 3 is normally $469 with the RC-N1 distant controller with out display screen. Since you bought it for lower than $400, that’s nice!

Nevertheless it sounds such as you’re second-guessing this deal — and for good motive.

Now you’ve laid out tons of fine questions right here, and I’ll sort out them so as. However earlier than I do, I’ll level you to 2 nice guides:

DJI Mini 3 vs. Mini 4 Professional vs. Mini 3 Professional: how to decide on

It actually looks like you’re debating between the next three drones, the DJI Mini 4 Professional, Mini 3 Professional and Mini 3. So let me lay out a fast comparability desk right here:

The questions you name out particularly are tremendous fascinating although, so let’s dive in individually.

How essential are impediment sensors?

The Mini  doesn’t have any type of impediment avoidance sensor. It merely has a downward imaginative and prescient sensing system, which actually solely aids with touchdown. For a $469 drone (or sub-$400 in your case), that’s to be anticipated.

The 2 “Professional” variations, the Mini 3 Professional and Mini 4 Professional, are superior on this division.

The Mini 3 Professional’s tri-Directional Impediment Sensing supplies ahead, backward, and downward imaginative and prescient. Must you fly straight towards a tree, it’ll merely cease and hover in place.

The Mini 4 Professional does one higher with Omnidirectional Impediment Sensing. Now it may possibly see even past these factors with none blindspots, making it really crash proof.

The most important resolution you’re going through right here is the significance of impediment sensing. Is impediment sensing price the additional $300? Alas, that is actually a private query primarily based on how impactful $300 is to you — and the way risk-averse you’re.

Now to be clear, the Mini 4 Professional’s impediment sensing is way superior to the Mini 3 Professional’s. Provided that, let’s simply rule out the Mini 3 Professional as an possibility. Your actual consideration right here is between the Mini 3 vs. Mini 4 Professional.

If $300 received’t make a dent in your funds, then go for the Mini 4 Professional. Think about it the last word insurance coverage coverage in defending your drone from ending up in your neighbor’s tree.

However simply as individuals choose out of insurance coverage for monetary causes, you may choose out of the Mini 4 Professional and stick to the Mini 3. How probably is it that you’d crash right into a tree? In the event you’re often flying in forests, then it feels extra probably than when you’re primarily flying over open fields or water.

Think about it this fashion: you can purchase a second Mini 3 for not way more than the worth of 1 Mini 4 Professional. Alas, I like to recommend you begin your drone journey on a low cost, toy drone simply to grasp what sort of pilot you’re.

Is the DJI Mini 3 Professional a superb entry-level drone?

Apart from my advice that you just at all times simply begin on a toy drone to get the grasp of flying earlier than you set many tons of of {dollars} within the air, the DJI Mini 3 Professional is a good entry-level drone.

The picture high quality is great. You’ll wish to use it time and again to take photographs which you can then exhibit to your friends through social media or bodily prints. It’s easy to arrange, and it’s secure and stress-free to fly. (It’s really one of many best doable drones to fly).

It’s additionally extremely small and lightweight, which is nice for portability. And that’s not the one good motive. As a result of it weighs simply 249 grams, it doesn’t fall below the purview of the Federal Aviation Administration if you fly it for pastime functions. Yep, which means no must register, nor do you might want to adjust to difficult Distant ID guidelines. It’s true. Drones below 250 grams are an enormous deal.

In contrast to automobiles, the place you’d by no means put a first-time driver in a BMW (begin them off with the previous, beat-up Toyota Corolla), the dearer drones are typically far simpler and safer to fly versus a budget ones. (The automotive analogy doesn’t kick in till you begin to deal with the $1,000+ drones with enterprise features. We’re not speaking about these right here.) Don’t be afraid to be a brand new pilot with a Mini 3 Professional in your arms.

Why does the Mini 3 Professional value the identical because the Mini 4 Professional?

You talked about being confused how the Mini 4 Professional has been out now for 3 months but is priced equally to the Mini 3 Professional. I’m confused too.

The Mini 4 Professional is healthier than the Mini 3 Professional by each metric. When the Mini 4 Professional launched in March 2023, we wrongly predicted that the Mini 3 Professional would rapidly drop in value. But months later, it hasn’t (on DJI’s web site, each go for $759 with the bottom mannequin controller).

The 4 has upgraded digital camera capabilities and clever options. It’s simpler to make use of and extra steady. Each the battery and vary are extra highly effective. 

Briefly, my entire spiel above in regards to the DJI Mini 3 Professional being a superb entry-level drone is true. However, it’s much more relevant to the Mini 4 Professional.

In the event you’re already eager about upgrading your Mini 3 to the Mini 3 Professional, go all the way in which and simply improve your Mini 3 to the Mini 4 Professional.

The one motive you may go for the Mini 3 Professional is that if yow will discover it on sale (which it seems like you have got) by third-party sellers. If yow will discover it for, say, $100 much less, then the Mini 3 Professional out of the blue does grow to be extra interesting than the Mini 4 Professional.

Buy the DJI Mini 4 Professional now from: 

Buy the DJI Mini 3 now from:

How would you examine the DJI Mini 3 vs. Mini 4 Professional drones, particularly given the price? Share your ideas beneath!

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