If you’re just starting your drone journey or are shopping on a budget, you may be tempted to pick up a Mini 2 SE, or its latest iteration, the $239 Mini 4K. But if you’re in the market for a compact drone with a great camera that would help you showcase your adventures on social media and beyond, you should arm yourself with a Mini 3 (DJI RC) combo, which is currently available at an insane deal price of $430 (savings of $119).
Compared to the DJI Mini 2 SE, the Mini 3 features a comprehensively improved imaging system, battery life, and other aspects. With a lightweight and compact body under 249 g, DJI Mini 3 comes with a 1/1.3-inch image sensor that supports dual native ISO and chip-level HDR technology and supports shooting 4K HDR video.
The drone can be used with either its regular battery with a flight time of 38 minutes or the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus which extends the flight time to up to 51 minutes. Moreover, its new gimbal design allows for True Vertical Shooting and large-angle tilt.
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More specifically, there are four major advantages that the DJI Mini 3 offers over the Mini 2 SE/Mini 4K aircraft:
Bigger imaging sensor: Both the Mini 2 SE and Mini 4K come with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and f/2.8 aperture. On the other hand, the Mini 3 is equipped with a 1/1.3-inch camera sensor. A bigger sensor captures more details and, hence, delivers better shots. Further, Mini 3’s camera has an f/1.7 aperture and larger 2.4μm 4-in-1 pixels for clear details and excellent imagery even in low light conditions.
HDR video: While both the Mini 4K and Mini 3 can capture 4K/30fps video, DJI’s latest travel-friendly drone promises greater contrast in shots with chip-level HDR technology. So, whether it’s highlights or shadows, you get nuanced results with greater depth using the Mini 3. The Mini 2 SE, on the other hand, shoots 2.7K/30fps videos.
Vertical shooting mode: If you plan to use your new drone to share content on TikTok and Instagram, you should know that the Mini 3 comes with a native vertical shooting mode that allows users to get portrait shots without needing to crop footage digitally. This capability is not present in the Mini 2 SE or the Mini 4K. Moreover, Mini 3 boasts a larger gimbal range, which means you get more shooting angles and added creative freedom.
Longer battery life: DJI Mini 3’s design not only allows the drone to carry larger propellers, but it also improves the propulsion efficiency of the aircraft, essentially giving you longer flight time. Compared to older Mini drones’ max flight time of 31 minutes, Mini 3 can fly for up to 38 minutes with a standard Intelligent Flight Battery. You can also upgrade to 51-minute Intelligent Flight Battery Plus with the Mini 3, which is the longest battery life for any DJI camera drone. But note that doing so would tip the drone weight to around 290 grams, thus, requiring registration and/or additional licenses in some countries and regions.
DJI RC compatibility with Mini 3
An additional point of distinction between the Mini 2 SE/Mini 4K and the Mini 3 is that the latter is compatible with the DJI RC remote controller. This lightweight RC features a 5.5-inch full-HD screen with a continuous high brightness of up to 700 nits, and comes with the DJI Fly flight app pre-installed. Grabbing the $430 Mini 3 (DJI RC) combo will mean that you get the best possible outdoor flying experience with smoother control sticks and customizable buttons and dials.
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