DJI Mini 4 Pro vs DJI Mini 3
Both are under the 250-gram line, so the legal position is identical and the decision comes down to the rows tinted below — the specs where these two actually differ. The DJI Mini 3 is the cheaper of the two at ~$598.
| Drone | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bundle price | ~$1,099multi-battery bundle | ~$598multi-battery bundle |
| True first-year price | ~$1,099 | ~$598 |
| Flight min per $100 | 3.1 | 6.4 |
| Rating | No cited rating | No cited rating |
| Takeoff weight | 249 g | 248 g |
| FAA registration | Not required | Not required |
| Remote ID | Built-in | Built-in |
| Sensor size | 1/1.3" | 1/1.3" |
| Sensor area | 69.1 mm² | 69.1 mm² |
| Megapixels | 48 MP | 48 MP |
| Max video | 4K/60fps HDR, 4K/100fps slow motion | 4K/30fps |
| Colour depth | 10-bit | 8-bit |
| Log profile | D-Log M | — |
| Gimbal | 3-axis | 3-axis |
| Obstacle sensing | Omnidirectional | None |
| Claimed flight time | 34 min | 38 min |
| Tested flight time | — | — |
| Battery | 18.96 Wh | 18.1 Wh |
| Transmission | O4 | O2 |
| Max range | 20 km | 10 km |
| Max speed | 36 mph | 36 mph |
| Wind resistance | Level 5 (10.7 m/s) | Level 5 (10.7 m/s) |
| Service ceiling | 4000 m | 4000 m |
| Internal storage | 2 GB | None |
| Controller | DJI RC-N2 (phone required); DJI RC 2 with built-in screen at extra cost | DJI RC-N1 (phone required); DJI RC with built-in screen at extra cost |
| Return to home | Yes | Yes |
| Geofencing | Yes | Yes |
| Care plan (1 yr) | Not in our snapshot | Not in our snapshot |
| US availability | Limited | Limited |
| Released | 2023 | 2022 |
| Flight claim measured at | DJI's 34 minutes is measured flying forward at a constant speed in windless conditions on the standard 18.96 Wh battery. The 45-minute figure printed elsewhere needs the 28.4 Wh Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, which pushes takeoff weight past 249 g and cancels the registration exemption in the US. | DJI's 38 minutes is its Max Flight Time footnote: "flying forward at a constant speed of 21.6 kph" in a windless wind-tunnel test at sea level, camera in photo mode, until the battery is depleted. The separate 33-minute Max Hovering Time is the figure DJI measures "hovering in a windless laboratory environment" from 100% to 0%. Neither includes a landing reserve. |
DJI Mini 4 Pro
Omnidirectional sensing on a 249-gram airframe was this aircraft's trick, and only two newer, dearer aircraft here — the Mini 5 Pro and the Antigravity A1 — match it. Binocular vision on all sides plus a downward 3D infrared sensor means the Mini 4 Pro will stop for a branch it is backing into, which matters far more than it sounds once you fly near trees. The 1/1.3-inch 48MP sensor records 4K/60 HDR and 4K/100 slow motion at 150 Mbps in 10-bit D-Log M, so the footage grades rather than just plays. O4 transmission is rated to 20 km in FCC regions, which is far beyond any legal line-of-sight flight but does mean a clean 1080p feed at the distances people actually fly. The caveat is the one everyone trips on: the 45-minute battery is a separate, heavier pack that takes the aircraft over the registration threshold, so the honest number for a registration-free flight is 34 minutes.
Full spec sheet →DJI Mini 3
Everything the Mini 4 Pro has except the sensing and the frame rates, for a good deal less money. Mini 3 carries the same 1/1.3-inch 48MP sensor, the same three-axis gimbal and the same true vertical shooting, then stops at 4K/30 in 8-bit with no log profile and no obstacle detection beyond the downward vision system. Its 38-minute headline is the most quotable example of why this site records flight conditions: DJI measures it cruising forward at a constant 21.6 kph in photo mode, in a wind tunnel, until the battery is depleted — and quotes a separate 33 minutes for hovering in a windless lab. Fly it with the camera rolling and land with a reserve and you are in the mid-twenties. As a daylight stills and simple-video aircraft that never needs registering, it still holds up; as a drone to fly through anything, it does not. There is one more consideration for anyone comparing it against a Mini 4K at a similar price: the Mini 3 has been out long enough that the accessory market is deep and second-hand batteries are plentiful, while the newer aircraft is still building that.
Full spec sheet →