Is the Mavic Air 3s worth the upgrade?
- Thread starter bmoore1118
- Start date
I have had the Air 2S for 4 years and still love it. I like the real 20MP sensor and 22mm equivalent camera, though it does get a bit noisy in the shadows, and you may need to swap to get good even sharpness with the wide lens. I looked at the Air 3S intending to get it, but didn't like the Quad Bayer sensor which is really only 12.5MP. It seems very prone to moire and colour artifacts around highlights. It may have been improved by firmware since I looked at samples though. It looks a great drone from the flying point of view, and the 70mm camera is a great addition. I held off and got the Mavic 4 Pro Creator combo, and have been very pleased with it. I mainly shoot stills, so although it also has a Quad Bayer sensor, the 25MP stills are superb, maybe aided by the Hasselblad input. The 100MP mode isn't really worth bothering with, like the 50MP mode in the Air 3S, mainly there for marketing purposes. The two tele cameras are also remarkably good, even in low light, though only 12MP of course. The wide camera being 28mm rather than 22mm is less limiting than I expected, the increase in sharpness and evenness to the edges being worth the compromise.
I'm keeping the Air 2S as it's a load smaller than the Mavic 4 Pro, and in the UK has just gained equivalency with sub 250g mini drones for a couple of years at least if C1 certified. The original Air 2S wasn't, but could be upgraded for some time by DJI. I dropped mine just a foot or so onto grass when messing with ND filters in the cold, but it messed up the gimbal alignment. I got it repaired (replaced) very reasonably in March last year by DJI, and the newly made Air 2S had a C1 sticker. The Air 3S is certainly a good deal, and many people are getting great results from it.
I'm keeping the Air 2S as it's a load smaller than the Mavic 4 Pro, and in the UK has just gained equivalency with sub 250g mini drones for a couple of years at least if C1 certified. The original Air 2S wasn't, but could be upgraded for some time by DJI. I dropped mine just a foot or so onto grass when messing with ND filters in the cold, but it messed up the gimbal alignment. I got it repaired (replaced) very reasonably in March last year by DJI, and the newly made Air 2S had a C1 sticker. The Air 3S is certainly a good deal, and many people are getting great results from it.
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No, it was a replacement manufactured I think in Feb 24. Till recently, you could apply to DJI to get originals upgraded with a sticker and firmware update (they will know your serial number). They stopped this recently I believe.
Are you sure about this? Switching lens even on the A3S will start a new recording. On the Mavic 4 Pro the process (with latest firmware) is somewhat automated. The Air3s will cut off and restart video recordings once file size is 4GB.
In the UK, the CAA rules changed on the 1st January 2026. Drones under 900g can now fly in places that they could not before.
Wreckhunter
Well-Known Member
I would probably go with the Mavic 3 pro because of the main camera not having a quad bayer sensor on it,compared to the stacked sensor main camera on the Air 3S.
Mrktn
Well-Known Member
Yep, C1 251-900g drones can now fly over built up areas in the UK from 1 January 2026
