DJI drone Mini 3 Pro first review: smashing stereotypes

At Internet companies, almost every job title is labeled. for example:

"Programmers repair computers."
"Public relations are good for drinking."
"Those who engage in technology are prone to hair loss."

However, the reality is this:

Most programmers will just let you reboot and try.
There are not necessarily more wine bureaus doing public relations than you.
Not only those who engage in technology, all Internet people are prone to hair loss.

These prejudices against internet companies are, in trendy terms, stereotypes.

This word, which originated in the printing industry, is now used to describe certain general and general impressions of people as solid as poured lead.

In the digital realm, stereotypes abound, too. For example, you can think about your own impressions of folding screen mobile phones, tablet computers, and smart watches.

Entering the topic of today's article, the DJI Mini 3 Pro drone. This is a product that I have experienced for nearly a month. It has been a long time and I have experienced a lot.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence, it would be this: It wants to break your stereotypes about drones. For me it worked.

small ≠ weak

Small = weak, big = strong, this seems to be an unbreakable "truth". Therefore, electronic products with the name "mini" are often interpreted by the public as reduced allocation and entry.

This stereotype, DJI Mini 3 Pro wants to break it.

When the fuselage is folded, it is only the size of a palm. The actual measurement is 247.4g, which is less than a pack of pure milk.

With such a mini body, it is difficult to associate it with words such as professionalism and performance, right?

DJI Mini 3 Pro says: No.

Essentially, as a flying camera, image quality is its core competitiveness.

In the compact body of the Mini 3 Pro, a 48-megapixel 1/1.3-inch sensor is packed, the aperture is increased to f/1.7, and it supports dual native ISO.

Whether it is the photosensitive device or the dynamic range, the quality has crushed the previous generation, crossing the threshold of the quasi-professional level. The degree of involution makes the Mavic series sweat.

You can observe the photos and video screenshots straight out of the Mini 3 Pro. Whether it is picture detail or layering, it is by no means entry-level and can be created with confidence. .

At night, with a large aperture and a 2.4μm four-in-one pixel, the Mini 3 Pro can also ensure excellent picture purity and rich picture details.

It is worth mentioning that the ISP (image signal processing) of the Mini 3 Pro has been improved to support 4K HDR video and time-lapse video shooting. These improvements also make it more professional.

The picture quality is unbelievable, and so is the battery life.

On the premise that the imaging system has been greatly upgraded and the weight of the Mini 3 Pro has not changed, the battery life does not drop but rises. Up to 34 minutes of battery life with the standard battery.

How did DJI do it?

The secret lies first in the newly designed battery. While only 0.5g heavier than the previous generation, the rated capacity of the new battery has increased by 203 mAh.

Another point is hidden in the newly designed fuselage structure. The Mini 3 Pro is similar in size to the Mini 2 in its folded state. But after unfolding, you will notice a big circle.

Among them, the increased blade area greatly improves the power efficiency of the Mini 3 Pro, which is conducive to improving the battery life.

There is also a secret that can only be discovered when flying.

The new configuration of Mini 3 Pro is designed with a rearward fuselage inclination, so when flying forward, the windward surface of the fuselage is smaller, which reduces wind resistance and saves energy consumption.

If you think 34 minutes of battery life is not enough, the Mini 3 Pro has an alternative: a long-range version of the flight battery, which lasts up to 47 minutes. The price is that it is 40.5g heavier.

Longer battery life brings a sense of happiness. I don’t panic when shooting time-lapse videos, the error tolerance rate is higher, and I can have more time to adjust the composition and parameters.

Toy-like body, professional-grade picture quality and battery life.

DJI Mini 3 Pro gives people a "sense of disobedience" just like its name: "Mini" can also be "Pro". This is the first stereotype it breaks, small ≠ weak.

Drone ≠ difficult

Today, drones are not a new thing. But think about it carefully, how many friends have bought drones around you?

I am a handful.

In the eyes of the public, it seems that only "ruthless people" can play drones: the wallet must be thick, the courage must be strong, and the skills must be strong. In short, one word – too hard.

The DJI Mini 3 Pro wants to break this stereotype.

Compared with the Mavic series, its price can be accepted by more people. To cross the threshold of wallet, as well as the threshold of psychology and operation: you have to dare to fly, you can fly. This looks hard doesn't it?

DJI Mini 3 Pro says: It's not that hard.

The reason why we dare not fly is because we are afraid of bombing the plane. Prosecution and going home hurts money and hurts.

Looking back at the DJI Mini 2, there is a paradox: it is aimed at beginners, but it does not have good obstacle avoidance. Every time it is released, it may be a release.

The Mini 3 Pro discovered this problem and stuffed the front and rear binocular visual obstacle avoidance on the fuselage. And the visual range of the front-view camera reaches 105°, which is connected with the visual sensor below to form a complete field of view.

After the obstacle avoidance function is turned on, when the drone detects an obstacle on the flight path, it will automatically hover or detour. With the three-way obstacle avoidance system, novices can fly easily.

It is not shy to say that the DJI Mini 3 Pro is the first drone I experienced independently. Previously, when flying drones such as Mavic, veteran pilots were "guarding" them.

After nearly a month of experience, it is still alive, I believe you already understand what I mean.

You can only fly if you dare to fly. Skills need to be honed slowly, but the Mini 3 Pro also provides some shortcuts, so that you can shoot good videos even when you are just getting started.

Mini 3 Pro is equipped with the popular "Master Lens". After selecting the subject, it will automatically complete various classic lens movements such as "swipe the pot" and "snap shots".

Send it to the circle of friends, don't be timid.

Another new addition is Smart Follow. You only need to select a moving object as the tracking focus, and the drone will automatically follow and shoot.

It is very useful to photograph people running, cycling, or recording self-driving trips.

The addition of the new version of the remote controller with screen also makes flying easier. It automatically connects to the drone when you turn it on, without taking out your phone or worrying about phone calls interrupting the shooting.

In the actual experience, the highest brightness and anti-reflection effect of this screen are better than those of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, and there is no pressure for outdoor use.

From one-key takeoff to one-key return. There are three-way obstacle avoidance protection throughout the whole process, the help of the master lens, and the support of strong battery life. The Mini 3 Pro makes the trivial matter of getting started with a drone really turned into a trivial matter.

Innovation is constantly breaking stereotypes

In our impression, the field of view of the drone lens should be head-up or down. After all, in the perspective of God, who would look up?

DJI's gimbal structural engineer jumped out of this mindset.

They redesigned the Mini 3 Pro's gimbal to open up an upward shooting angle, a feature first implemented on a consumer drone.

In actual use, this function of shooting up from a large angle is also very useful. Shooting buildings can create a shocking sense of oppression. At the same time, with the sky as the background, the picture is clean and easy to compose.

After practicing a few times, you will be able to shoot the same effect as a rocker arm. Both the perspective and the gameplay are innovative.

In addition to "looking up at the sky", the Mini 3 Pro's gimbal can also turn the camera vertically with one click, and shoot vertical-screen videos at 4K/30fps, which is convenient for publishing to short video platforms.

The birth of Mini 3 Pro can be said to be inseparable from the group of engineers who dare to challenge stereotypes.

There is also an interesting story to corroborate, which is about the layout of the rear-view obstacle avoidance module.

According to past practice, the rear vision obstacle avoidance sensor should be placed on the tail of the drone. But in the new configuration of the Mini 3 Pro, doing so is blocked by the arms or paddles.

After many rounds of grinding, there is still no perfect solution. At this time, the design team came up with a bold idea to put the rear-view sensor on the head of the drone.

This reverse thinking solves all problems:

The vision behind the drone will not be blocked, and the drone does not have to adjust the configuration for this, thus sacrificing battery life and heat dissipation, which can be said to serve multiple purposes.

When it comes to cooling, the Mini 3 Pro doesn't go the extra mile either.

After the performance is greatly improved, the power consumption of the Mini 3 Pro is directly doubled compared to the previous generation. In order to ensure the cooling effect, the easiest way is to add a fan to the fuselage.

But pulling one hair and moving the whole body, as a result, the bottom line of 249g is difficult to keep. The design of the mini series is like dancing with shackles.

In the end, the engineer did not choose a conventional fan to dissipate heat. Instead, by optimizing the structural design, the rear paddle disc was raised, and the wind blowing directly from the rear paddle disc was poured into the two air inlets at the rear.

The paddle wind moves forward from the tail and smoothly blows into the interior of the aircraft, taking the heat of the radiator out from the air outlet of the head, which is equivalent to playing the role of forced convection by a fan.

It not only saves the weight and space of the fan, but also achieves efficient heat dissipation. This clever adjustment of the configuration has achieved a win-win effect.

DJI Product Manager Luka, learned a lot from the Mini 3 Pro project. He said:

In the process of research and development, our biggest experience is to break through the inherent cognition and have the courage to overthrow and start over.

In fact, every advancement in technology is inseparable from those who have the courage to break through the inherent cognition and overthrow and start over.

When kerosene lamps were considered the best lighting tool, Edison brought the electric light.

When VW praised the horse-drawn carriage as the fastest form of transportation, Benz brought the car.

When the public felt that the fan was the best tool to relieve the heat, Carrier brought the air conditioner.

Stereotypes need to be broken, and should be broken.

Apple tells us that your next computer doesn't have to be a computer. DJI tells us that with a small broad, a small achievement can be achieved.

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