DJI Mini 4K 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 4K is the cheaper of the two at ~$449.
| Drone | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bundle price | ~$449multi-battery bundle | ~$598multi-battery bundle |
| True first-year price | ~$449 | ~$598 |
| Flight min per $100 | 6.9 | 6.4 |
| Rating | No cited rating | No cited rating |
| Takeoff weight | 246 g | 248 g |
| FAA registration | Not required | Not required |
| Remote ID | Built-in | Built-in |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/1.3" |
| Sensor area | 28.1 mm² | 69.1 mm² |
| Megapixels | 12 MP | 48 MP |
| Max video | 4K/30fps | 4K/30fps |
| Colour depth | 8-bit | 8-bit |
| Log profile | — | — |
| Gimbal | 3-axis | 3-axis |
| Obstacle sensing | None | None |
| Claimed flight time | 31 min | 38 min |
| Tested flight time | — | — |
| Battery | 17.32 Wh | 18.1 Wh |
| Transmission | O2 | O2 |
| Max range | 10 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 | None | None |
| Controller | DJI RC-N1 (phone required) | 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 | 2024 | 2022 |
| Flight claim measured at | DJI quotes 31 minutes for a single 2250 mAh battery in windless conditions. It is a hover-and-cruise laboratory figure, not a number from a windy afternoon with the camera rolling. | DJI's own wording: 38 minutes "hovering in a windless laboratory environment, in photo mode (without photo taking operation during flight), and from 100% battery level until 0%". That is a hover, not a flight, and it runs the pack flat. |
DJI Mini 4K
Three hundred dollars is the entire point here. Strip a Mini down to a 1/2.3-inch 12MP sensor, 8-bit 4K/30, and a downward vision system with nothing looking forward, keep the three-axis gimbal and the GPS return-to-home, and you get the cheapest genuinely stable aerial camera DJI sells. Nothing about the footage will impress anyone who has seen a 1/1.3-inch sensor at dusk, but in daylight it is sharp and level, which is more than any sub-$200 quadcopter manages. O2 transmission is rated to 10 km and holds a 720p feed rather than O4's 1080p. Treat the lack of obstacle sensing as the defining spec: this aircraft will fly into a branch at full speed without hesitating, so it belongs in open fields while you learn.
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 hovering in a windless lab, in photo mode, running the battery from full to empty. Fly it forward 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 →