I was looking forward to getting my hands on an easy-to-use hobby drone that wouldn't hate me for eventually breaking it. He DJI Mini 3 It's been at the top of my list – it hits the mark as a compact drone that you can fly without having to go to flight school – and I'll probably go ahead and bite the bullet now that it's back at its record price. – especially considering that I may eventually miss the chance to get one. You can get the smaller plane right now for $329 ($90 off) at DJI Online Store for Black Friday.
The package featured here includes a battery (extras are $65 each) and DJI's RC-N1 remote controller. The latter doesn't have a built-in screen, but you can add one that does for another $100. If you're just looking for the cheapest drone you can buy from the brand, there's the $199 DJI Neo, but it doesn't match the imaging capabilities of the Mini 3, although a recent update added vertical video. The Neo also ships without a remote control, but can fly itself using several subject tracking modes, which the Mini 3 lacks.
The DJI Mini 3 weighs just 8.8 ounces (249 grams) and is small enough to hold in one hand or fit in any bag. That's why it doesn't require FAA registration to fly in the US, making it an attractive option for casual users. It has a pretty good camera system with horizontal and vertical 4K HDR video at up to 30 frames per second, or up to 60 frames per second at lower resolutions. You can also use it to take 48MP photos. The resulting images and photographs look great from the many samples I've seen, even if they're not as flexible for advanced color grading as some of DJI's more expensive drones. But you're not really looking for a beginner drone if that's what you have in mind.
Another area that is missing compared to the DJI Air 3 or even the DJI Mini 4 Pro is object avoidance, as there are no front, rear or side sensors. You'd have to pay hundreds more for that privilege, so unless you're interested in dramatically expanding your budget, just get the Mini 3 and be careful when flying it at low altitude or in crowded airspace.
