On the subject of selecting between the DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional, you’re not simply choosing a drone—you’re deciding what sort of pilot you wish to be. Each of those DJI digital camera drones pack spectacular options, however they cater to totally different audiences. The DJI Air 3S excels in uncooked energy and flexibility. In the meantime the DJI Mini 4 Professional provides portability and ease with out sacrificing an excessive amount of efficiency.
The DJI Air 3S is my favourite general drone for vacationers. However the DJI Mini 4 Professional may nonetheless be higher for some forms of vacationers. It weighs lower than 250 grams, that means leisure pilots within the U.S. don’t must register it with the Federal Aviation Administration. That additionally simply means it’s extra moveable for ultra-light packers. Plus, it’s barely cheaper, beginning at $759 for the DJI Mini 4 Professional vs. $1,099 for the DJI Air 3S.
So which do you have to select between the DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional? Right here’s methods to resolve:
DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional: which drone is best?
Evaluating the DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional on key specs
Usually talking, the DJI Mini 4 Professional is the smaller, lighter and cheaper drone. The DJI Air 3S is greater and extra highly effective. Right here’s precisely what I imply, by means of an easy comparability desk:
| Characteristic | DJI Air 3S | DJI Mini 4 Professional | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginning Worth | $1,099 | $759 | Mini 4 Professional |
| Wind Resistance | As much as 12 m/s (26.8 mph); rock-solid stability | As much as 10.7 m/s (24 mph); stable for its dimension | DJI Air 3S |
| Weight | 724g | 249g | Mini 4 Professional |
| Dimensions (folded, with out propellers) | 214.19×100.63×89.17 mm | 148×94×64 mm | Mini 4 Professional |
| Digicam | Twin digital camera: 1-inch CMOS wide-angle 1/1.3-inch (medium tele) |
Single 1/1.3-inch sensor, HDR | DJI Air 3S |
| Inner Storage | 42 GB | 2 GB | DJI Air 3S |
| Battery Life | As much as 45 minutes | As much as 45 minutes with Clever Flight Battery Plus, in any other case 34 minutes | DJI Air 3S |
| Portability | Compact however heavier; requires registration | Extremely-light, no registration required (<250g) | Mini 4 Professional |
| Impediment Sensing | Omnidirectional, supplemented with forward-facing LiDAR | Omnidirectional | DJI Air 3S |
| Video Transmission | O4 | O4 | Tie |
Let me break down what all these specs truly imply:
Flight capabilities: flight time, wind resistance and extra
I name the DJI Air 3S my favourite drone for journey photographers for a purpose: it holds up fairly properly in unhealthy climate circumstances. Whenever you’re touring, you typically don’t have a selection when you possibly can fly. If it’s windy out however you’re touring, you doubtless don’t have the luxurious of “simply coming again tomorrow.”
In the event you can’t look forward to one thing like wind to die down, then the DJI Air 3S is your higher guess. Constructed for stability, the Air 3S handles winds as much as 12 m/s (26.8 mph) with ease. Plus, an alert within the controller makes it clear should you’re flying in too sturdy of winds so you possibly can rapidly get to security.
That occurred to me precisely once I took my Air 3S on a visit to Oahu. I used to be solely in every city for a day (properly, typically simply an hour) and wished particular pictures. I flew in circumstances that I wouldn’t dare put my Mini 4 Professional in. Take a look at the aggressive palm tree swaying within the wind in that picture above. In the meantime, the Air 3S held regular.
Nonetheless although, don’t count on to fly the Air 3S in a full storm. Preserve it away from rain, and keep away from heavy winds.
However with the DJI Mini 4 Professional, you even must maintain it away from sturdy breezes. Positive, the Mini 4 Professional has good wind resistance of 10.7 m/s (24 mph). That’s fairly distinctive for a sub-250g drone. Nonetheless, its light-weight body might be pushed round in significantly turbulent circumstances. Whereas it’s higher than its predecessors, I’d hesitate to fly it in sturdy winds.
Winner: The DJI Air 3S reigns supreme for windy circumstances, however the Mini 4 Professional is not any slouch for its dimension.
Measurement and portability
The ability within the wind has to do largely with the Air 3S’s larger, heavier body that may anchor it towards gusts. However for vacationers who need the smallest, lightest gear, that’s a disadvantage relative to the DJI Mini 4 Professional. At simply 249g, the Mini 4 Professional is ultra-portable. In actual fact, I might match it into a bigger jacket pocket (like a snow jacket).
For what it’s price, the DJI Air 3S is definitely compact and foldable relative to one thing like a Phantom or Encourage. Additionally notice that the Air 3S’s 724g weight means it requires registration in most nations (together with the U.S.), including a little bit of problem.
Winner: The Mini 4 Professional is the last word selection for portability and comfort.
Digicam high quality
The Air 3S’s twin digital camera system (extensive and telephoto) is a step above the remaining, permitting you to both body huge landscapes or zoom in on particulars. There’s a 1-inch CMOS wide-angle, plus a 1/1.3-inch (medium tele). It captures 4K/60fps video, HDR, and 10-bit shade, and its D-Log capabilities shine for professional-grade enhancing. Whether or not you’re framing an enormous panorama or zooming in on particulars, the Air 3S delivers.
Listed below are some pattern pictures I filmed in Oahu to offer you a way of the picture high quality on the DJI Air 3S:
The DJI Mini 4 Professional is, properly, less complicated. It has a single 1/1.3-inch sensor that helps 4K/60fps and HDR. That’s good, nevertheless it’s simply so arduous to compete with the DJI Air 3S. Positive, the video high quality is similar to the Air 3S in good circumstances, nevertheless it lacks a telephoto lens and superior shade profiles like D-Log. That is perhaps limiting for creatives and professionals.
Winner: The DJI Air 3S takes the crown for superior digital camera options. For what it’s price, the Mini 4 Professional holds its personal for informal or semi-professional use.
Battery life: who’s the true winner right here?
The DJI Air 3S provides as much as 45 minutes of flight time. That’s spectacular towards all rivals, interval.
Now the DJI Mini 4 Professional additionally provides 45 minutes, form of. The first battery will get you simply 34 minutes of flight time, which continues to be fairly good. To get 45 minutes, it’s important to improve to the “Clever Flight Battery Plus,” which entails an additional value. This battery can be heavier (which places you over the 249 gram threshold).
The “Plus” battery for the Professional retails for $95 when bought a la carte, so issue that into your determination if value is necessary to you. Or, you should purchase a DJI Mini 4 Professional Fly Extra Combo Plus with DJI RC 2, which prices $1,159 and consists of the Mini 4 Professional drone, a DJI RC 2 Distant Controller, three Clever Flight Battery Plus, and some different equipment. That’s a greater deal than buying every little thing a la carte (although three batteries is perhaps overkill).
Winner: Tie
Associated learn: DJI Air 3 vs. DJI Air 3S: is it well worth the improve?
Clever Options whereas flying
Each of those drones provide omnidirectional impediment sensing, which permits the drone to see objects in entrance, behind and on sides. And when it does, fairly than carry on flying, it’ll merely hover in entrance (or navigating intelligently round, relying on the flight mode). It’s spectacular, and classifies it as considerably crashproof.
Each drones have computerized flight modes that enable it to fly pre-programmed paths. With the DJI Mini 4 Professional, comes clever flight modes akin to:
- MasterShots: Delivers dynamic digital camera motion templates tailor-made for portrait, close-up, and long-range pictures, making certain you nail each shot
- QuickShots: Supplies Dronie, Circle, Helix, Rocket, Boomerang, and Asteroid strikes for extra model outcomes
- Hyperlapse: Supplies Free, Waypoint, Circle, and Course Lock modes with limitless taking pictures time and helps compositing whereas taking pictures
- Panorama: Helps taking pictures 180, Broad Angle, Vertical, and Sphere panoramic images to seize landscapes
However the DJI Air 3S turns it up additional with waypoint missions and Free Panorama mode. So far as impediment sensing, it’s a wiser model of it because of forward-facing LiDAR know-how, which is especially helpful if flying in low gentle.
The Air 3S additionally has a Subsequent-Gen Good RTH (Return-to-Residence). It makes use of real-time imaginative and prescient positioning and map building applied sciences to memorize flight paths, which is helpful should you took off with out connecting to satellite tv for pc indicators (which is usually inevitable when launching from sure places, akin to balconies).
Watch the Air 3S execute a flight returning to house routinely at 2:44 on this clip:
Winner: The Air 3S edges out for its barely smarter options.
DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional: different variations
These are the large variations, however the DJI Air 3S has made some tweaks from the DJI Mini 4 Professional that don’t get talked about sufficient in the details, however do make an actual distinction.
Constructed-in storage: I’m loving the 42 GB of inside storage on the DJI Air 3S vs. simply 2 GB on the DJI Mini 4 Professional. 2 GB is nice should you’re in a pinch and, perhaps, forgot your microSD card. 42 GB makes it so that you don’t even want a microSD card. Much less stuff is a win throughout.
Extra space environment friendly: No, not that form of house, because the Air 3S is definitely larger. I’m speaking about digital house. The Air 3S employs a extra superior video encoding compression algorithm that reduces video file sizes by over 30%. Sure, that’s with out compromising picture high quality.
DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional: which do you have to purchase?
In the event you’re somebody who likes touring along with your drone, both the DJI Air 3S vs. DJI Mini 4 Professional are a superb guess.
- The DJI Air 3S is finest for you if… you’re an expert or fanatic who prioritizes stability, superior digital camera options, and artistic management in difficult circumstances. You don’t thoughts a bigger dimension in favor of a extra highly effective drone. Take a look at my full DJI Air 3S assessment.
- The DJI Mini 4 Professional is finest for you if… you worth both dimension or value. For vacationers or informal pilots looking for a light-weight, easy-to-use drone with wonderful efficiency for its dimension. It’s not as highly effective, nevertheless it’s neither as giant nor as expensive. Take a look at my full DJI Mini 4 Professional assessment.
Are you on the lookout for a professional-grade powerhouse (DJI Air 3S)?
Would you favor an ultraportable companion (DJI Mini 4 Professional) on your subsequent journey?
Both means, DJI has you lined.
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