Mini 3 vs Mini 3 Pro Differences

[FlyingFilmmaker]

I put together a short video breaking down all the (major) differences between the Mini 3 Pro and the new Mini 3 and thought it might be helpful for those wondering exactly what's different on the cheaper drone. Really not thrilled with how many features they cut from the Mini 3 considering it's only $200 less than the 3 Pro.

 

[BroomRider]

So, I'm understanding that those 2 fwd-facing “ports” that are in the same place, but smaller than, the fwd vision sensors on the M3P, are, on the Mini 3, are merely cosmetic. No fwd-facing phasers then…

Good to know that the shady marketing is alive & hard at work in DJI.

As always, “read the specs, read the specs, read the specs”.

Anyone have any idea why the new Mini 3 has a (slightly) longer flight time over the M3P?

From what I recall & could tell, both weigh the same, so I'm guessing that the extra flight time might be due to the lower current draw from the reduced features of the Mini 3.

Frankly, all considered, I've no idea how DJI could think that the Mini 3 would be much of a viable option when comparing a refurbished (or used) M3P, or even some older Mini class models.

Anyone getting their intro into drone flying would likely quickly outgrow the Mini 3.

 

[FlyingFilmmaker]

So, I'm understanding that those 2 fwd-facing “ports” that are in the same place, but smaller than, the fwd vision sensors on the M3P, are, on the Mini 3, are merely cosmetic. No fwd-facing phasers then…

Good to know that the shady marketing is alive & hard at work in DJI.

As always, “read the specs, read the specs, read the specs”.

Anyone have any idea why the new Mini 3 has a (slightly) longer flight time over the M3P?

From what I recall & could tell, both weigh the same, so I'm guessing that the extra flight time might be due to the lower current draw from the reduced features of the Mini 3.

Frankly, all considered, I've no idea how DJI could think that the Mini 3 would be much of a viable option when comparing a refurbished (or used) M3P, or even some older Mini class models.

Anyone getting their intro into drone flying would likely quickly outgrow the Mini 3.

Basically! I was thinking that they should have put some little red lasers or at least red LEDs where they took out the obstacle avoidance sensors. Really unimpressed with the Mini 3 for the price, but they probably sold plenty over the holidays to people who don't know much about drones and might not even care.

As far as the longer flight time, since they cut active track, obstacle avoidance, 4K 60, and 10 bit color which would all be relatively processing power intensive, I think they may have used a less powerful CPU/processor which draws less current. At least that's what I'd guess.

 

[RogerDH]

Basically! I was thinking that they should have put some little red lasers or at least red LEDs where they took out the obstacle avoidance sensors. Really unimpressed with the Mini 3 for the price, but they probably sold plenty over the holidays to people who don't know much about drones and might not even care.

As far as the longer flight time, since they cut active track, obstacle avoidance, 4K 60, and 10 bit color which would all be relatively processing power intensive, I think they may have used a less powerful CPU/processor which draws less current. At least that's what I'd guess.

It appears to be the same camera, so I'd guess that it's the same "system on a chip" (SOC), which DJI buys from a third-party supplier (e.g. Ambarella), but with some features omitted from the software, so the Pro would be decidedly better. I'm just guessing, though; in the past, they have ordered customized versions of a supplier's standard SOC (e.g. to remove features that are only useful for phones or action cameras), so it's possible that they ordered one with a downgraded main CPU for the Mini 3, but I doubt that the small price difference would justify the hassle. As I understand it, the components in most DJI drones represent only about 20% of the cost, so they had a lot of headroom to sell the Mini 3 for less than the Pro even if it has the same SOC.

 

[Droning on and on...]

As far as the longer flight time, since they cut active track, obstacle avoidance, 4K 60, and 10 bit color which would all be relatively processing power intensive, I think they may have used a less powerful CPU/processor which draws less current. At least that's what I'd guess.

Not necessary.

Simply not having to perform those tasks will reduce the load the cpu (and the imaging SOC, the motors, and other stuff) handles.

I can easily see this resulting in the relatively small gain in flight time.

 

[FlyingFilmmaker]

It appears to be the same camera, so I'd guess that it's the same "system on a chip" (SOC), which DJI buys from a third-party supplier (e.g. Ambarella), but with some features omitted from the software, so the Pro would be decidedly better. I'm just guessing, though; in the past, they have ordered customized versions of a supplier's standard SOC (e.g. to remove features that are only useful for phones or action cameras), so it's possible that they ordered one with a downgraded main CPU for the Mini 3, but I doubt that the small price difference would justify the hassle. As I understand it, the components in most DJI drones represent only about 20% of the cost, so they had a lot of headroom to sell the Mini 3 for less than the Pro even if it has the same SOC.

@RogerDH @mightypilot2000 Good points. Good chance they used the same chip with some features reduced.

 

[thewishy]

I'd be really interested to see some unedited normal profile 4k30 shot in similar conditions on both drones. I'd like to see if the 100mbit x264 vs 150mbit x265 causes a substantial drop in video image quality.
I fly a Mavic 3, obviously the image quality will be a drop for both, but there are situations where 250g makes it a lot easier to fly...

Re extended flight time, collision sensors need power and processing. Even with the same SOC, if utilisation is lower, power consumption is lower.

 

[davedrone 178]

I've owned the Pro model for a few months but picked up the regular 3 last week to compare.
I'm not getting the same results from the cameras utilizing the same settings. The regular 3 has a sharper picture to a point where it looks over-sharpened. Even when I add+1 of sharpening in the "style" setting of the Pro, it's not as sharp but gives a smoother picture with less noise. Can't figure it out. Returning the regular 3 to Amazon.

 

[thewishy]

Thanks, that's really useful. I did wonder if DJI might adjust the image to make it less suitable for image snobs.

I'm a steady and careful VLOS pilot, so partial coverage with distance sensors isn't going to bring a lot of advantage, and I find the automatic modes like hyperlapse and quickshots a bit boring. So the other features don't worry me so much, but image quality is king...

 

[dvsls]

I've owned the Pro model for a few months but picked up the regular 3 last week to compare.
I'm not getting the same results from the cameras utilizing the same settings. The regular 3 has a sharper picture to a point where it looks over-sharpened. Even when I add+1 of sharpening in the "style" setting of the Pro, it's not as sharp but gives a smoother picture with less noise. Can't figure it out. Returning the regular 3 to Amazon.

I was thinking about returning the Pro to get regular Mini 3, how's your experience with the PRO so far? Still better quality compared to the simple M3?

 

[chong67]

I sold my Mavic 3 and got the Mini 3 and very happy with it.

I mostly do photography and 360 Pano. The Pro and the non Pro have the same sensor, so in photography, they are the same.

The non Pro you have to be extra careful as its only sensor is downwards.