DJI made a wise move in 2019 when the FAA mandated that all drones weigh over 250 grams need to be registered. Most lightweight drones under 250 grams were toys with few features at the time, but DJI took advantage of this opportunity and released a new drone which was light enough for weighing less than 250grams, but still had some high-end features – selling like hotcakes.
There are rumors of an upcoming DJI Mini 3 release and this news has many people excited. Sales for the current model DJI Mini 2 continue to increase as beginner drones purchase them to learn how to fly. Competition is practically non-existent with this top rated product, so those that want one should buy soon before they’re gone
DJI Mini 3 Release Date
Rumors suggest that the next mini drone from DJI will be available for purchase sometime in April 2022. Leaked images of their product roadmap on Twitter have been created and shared by @dronedeals, showing a myriad of new releases from the company throughout 2022- one such release being DJI Mini 3 in April 2022.
Besides Mini 3, there were two other unannounced DJI products on the leaked roadmap – DJI Inspire 3 and DJI FPV Mini.
On November 14th, 2021, DJI released its new flagship drone called the Mavic 3 in conjunction with other products. However, the Mavic 3 and Mini 3 drones were designed for different customer bases; therefore, it is safe to assume that there is a team working on an upgrade to their older line of drones while retaining a market share in this one.
But then, new drone manufacturers came along who saw an opening in the miniscopters market – because people wanted smaller drones with high-end features. Nowadays, these drone makers compete for space in the marketplace by making miniature copters that still have all the bells and whistles without tipping over at 250 grams or more to avoid being registered as an aircraft under FAA guidelines.
DJI Mini 3 Price
There are two versions of this latest line from Apple; one costing $599-$699 and the other going for $750-$850 depending on what you get with it.
As per the experts in drones, if this is the actual cost of a Mini 3 Pro, it will take over for the Mavic Air 2 as DJI’s mid-range drone for consumers.
DJI Mini 3 Design and Frame
On March 15th, 2022, OsitaLV tweeted out a photo of the rumored DJI Mini 3. It has been shown that the new drone shares some similarities to the leaked photos of the DJI Mini 3 Pro which are expected to come out alongside it at some point in time.As I watch this leaked video of the newly-released Mavic Mini 3, I notice a difference between it and its predecessor. The small metal brackets on the side of the drone’s front arm are horizontal; whereas they were vertical before – indicating a more compact design for carry-on purposes. The Mini 3 also has an extended battery life with a larger capacity than its predecessor – definitely something important for people who need to fly for longer periods of time without having to land often for recharging.
Mini 3 Rumored Specifications
There are many speculations regarding the DJI Mini 3 drone at this point. It is most likely that it will include improved cameras, sensors, and flight features as these would make for a continuation of what had been previously seen with past models (i.e., Mini 2).There is still no official specification yet for the DJI Mini 3, but given what has been said about it so far and what was seen in its predecessor – the DJI Mini 2 – we can assume that it will improve in three key areas. First off, improved camera specs; second, new flight capabilities; and third, enhanced sensory capabilities.
Bigger Camera Sensor
There is a possibility that the DJI Mini 3 will have a larger camera sensor than the Mini 2, which has a 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor, which is smaller than its competitors’ mini drones. So it would make sense for them to update this feature in order to compete against their competition and keep up with current trends.
Though there are competitors with larger camera sensors than the Mavic mini 2, this particular version of the drone does beat them in terms of color grading and highlighting details. It also provides for more dynamic range which helps retain highlight detail even when shooting in low light conditions.
I’m uncertain if DJI will provide a larger sensor in the Mavic Mini 3, but we’ll just have to wait and see
Comes with Ocusync 3.0
With the release of DJI’s Mini 2 came its new wireless transmission standard- Ocusync 3.0. This new technology allows for live feed from the drone’s camera to your remote control device, or even phone so you can see what the drone sees.
Ocuync 3.0 uses double the number of transmission antennas; This makes it challenging for drone manufactures to include a mini drone while still being under 249 grams in weight.
If the Mini 3 has an updated Ocusync 3.0 transmission system, there will be less latency and improved frame rates and bitrates during live footage. Additionally, it can improve control of the drone while far away and increase its range significantly.
Record in 4k with 60 fps
The DJI Mini 2 shoots in 4K at 24/25/30 fps, but it does not shoot 60fps. Rumors say that there will be more frame rates available for the next model of this camera.
Shooting 4K at 60 frames per second in the Mini 3 allows you to reduce video playback speed by half without sacrificing quality. Motion blur was visible at 30 fps because of the low frame rate, but it can be removed when shooting 4K videos with a higher framerate of 60fps. Doing so provides clarity and detail for your 4K videos without compromising quality or slowing down editing time.
Obstacle Avoidance Sensors
The DJI Mini 2 lacks a critical obstacle avoidance feature for flying. Without this, it is less safe when flying in tighter spaces where there could be obstacles. Although the DJI Mini series are beginner-level drones, there is something even more important than a better camera: safety; and the lack of an obstacle detection system makes this drone less safe for flying around tight corners or through small gaps with possible objects that could cause it to crash.
Comparing Mini 2 to its competitors, like Zino and Autel. Both of them include some sort of obstacle avoidance function, so it will be important for the upcoming Mini 3 to have this feature if it wants to win over these two models.
Follow Me Feature
The current DJI Mini 2 does not have a follow-me feature because it would require additional space to add an obstacle sensor to work properly. Just imagine enabling the Follow Me feature in the middle of a forest without any obstacle sensors. Changes are your drone would be crushed by one of the trees.
Comparing the Mini 2 with its competitors like Zino and Autel. Both have a follow-me feature on their Mini drones, so the upcoming Mini 3 will need to have a follow-me feature to beat its competition. It won’t really matter if it doesn’t come equipped with GPS or facial recognition features – all that matters is that they give us something new and exciting to play around with!
Other Expected Improvements
As previously mentioned, there are many exciting developments coming up for the DJI Mini 3. We don’t know too much about it at this point; but still what we do know is absolutely spectacular!
- The Mini 3 offers more flight time than the DJI Mini 2; however, it does not compare to other competitors that provide 40+ minutes of flight time.
- Digital and optical zoom can be used to improve videography and photography. Currently, the Mini 2 provides up to four times zooming.
- Chances are the new DJI mini 3 will come equipped with a larger aperture camera. This will enable you to take clear photos even in low-light conditions.
- Expect a higher resolution camera on Mini 3, allowing you to capture sharper and detailed video. The current Mini 2 only has a 12 megapixel camera which captures good images but is not enough for post-production colour grading or cropping photos.
- .The Mini 2 does not come with its own internal storage, so it requires a compatible SD card. The Mini 3 has the option of an internal storage like other DJI drones do.
- The DJI Mini 2 lacks an FAA remote ID. So maybe they’ll put the Remote Id system on their new Mini 3 drone so it can meet future regulatory compliance.
Famous and renowned DJI pilot, OsitaLV tweeted out his opinion about the upcoming release of the Mini 3. He explained this through an image he shared on Twitter; it displays his speculations for what we might be seeing in the next update.
DJI Mini 3 Pro
A picture of a DJI Mini 3 Pro was spread over twitter by an anonymous person who goes by the name OsitaLV. Allegedly, this means that there are different types of Mini 3 models for one to choose from. One can also easily distinguish a front-facing obstacle avoidance sensor found on the pro model alone when looking at these pictures closely.
It seems a little presumptuous of me to assume that DJI drone will release another Pro Mini 3 drone since the company didn’t give us enough space in the Mini 2 for all of the new components. Without this expansion space, there isn’t anything else DJI could add to make it a professional grade drone except if they also released an entire Mini 3 series.
Conclusion of DJI Mini 3 Release Date
With the high demand for mini drones, DJI is under pressure to build an upgraded DJI Mini 3 drone in order to meet this need. The release date of Mini 3 has been set as April 2022 – according to unofficial sources- and it’s likely that we’ll see this updated version soon enough. In a recent statement from DJI, they stated that they would soon release an upgraded version of the Mini 2 but didn’t give any details about when it would come out. If what was said in the leak turns out to be true then there’s a chance we’ll see the new model on the same day as announced.
Lastly, if DJI want to maintain its market share in the mini-drone segment, it needs to meet customer expectations. If I get any news about the DJI Mini 3 either officially or unofficially (which will come through), then I will update this article accordingly and let you know.
