![]() In terms of flight dynamics, flight felt good save for one thing attempting to climb during hard forward flight felt like hard work. The Mini 3 Pro also adds the fun QuickShots from the Mini 2 (they require no collision sensors). The drone’s other on-board software either matches or eclipses the 570g Mavic Air 2, which included an earlier iteration of APAS, as well as subject following features ActiveTrack, Point of Interest and Spotlight. That needs to be enabled in the menus, but when tested we found it worked with well-defined objects (like, ahem, journalists), and ones with more troublesome outlines: specifically trees in the wind. The drone also sports DJI’s APAS 4.0 collision avoidance system, which means it’ll plot a course around an object – like a tree – and carry on even if, as pilot, you just hold the stick forward. In our testing, at least, we got no false alerts though the sensors didn’t spot some tall grass blades. As with nearly all recent DJI drones, the controller offers a Cine, Normal and Sport modes – the later of which is too fast for the collision sensors to be enabled. Operating the drone is pleasingly straightforward, and first-time pilots will appreciate the genuinely well-implemented guidance. Of course these maximum flight times are based on steady forward flight in still air – in practice we found we would definitely have got a ‘return to base’ warning before twenty five minutes, but we were also not blessed with a single perfectly still day to fly on. While we only tested the standard battery – indeed this is the only one which keeps the take-off weight below 249g – we certainly appreciated that DJI will be offering a choice this time, with a 47min ‘Intelligent Flight Battery Plus’ (3850mAh) on offer as well as the 34min ‘Intelligent Flight Battery’ (2453mAh). It would have been nicer to have a clip-on protective case like that with the Mavic 3 that design seemed far more gentle to the gimbal and on this drone the gimbal certainly looks delicate. The new gimbal design, which allows the camera to be turned from horizontal to vertical shooting, also looks markedly different to predecessors and – sadly in comparison to the Mavic 3 – marks a return to a fiddly plastic covering for transport. ![]() On the other hand the taller fuselage means the legs don’t seem to require opening in sequence, so set-up is easier which is greatly appreciated. This quirkiness is especially apparent when the aircraft is in flight as it sits at what looks an uncomfortable angle. That said, there is something indescribably lumpy about the shape from certain angles, no doubt because of the raised vision sensor mounts. The Mini 3 has an all-new form factor which, for those used to DJI products, offers no major surprises – it has the same folding leg design. (Image credit: Adam Juniper/Digital Camera World)
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