Over the past 8 years, drone noise levels have shown no improvement

[nswsyw]

I recently upgraded from the Air 3S to the Mavic 4 Pro and noticed a significant increase in noise. This aligns with DJI's official specs, which list the Air 3S at 81 dB and the Mavic 4 Pro at 83 dB. I’m puzzled by some YouTubers claiming the Mavic 4 Pro is quieter—my tests clearly show otherwise. Even at 100 meters altitude flying at moderate speed in a quiet suburban area, the Mavic 4 Pro’s noise is distinctly audible from the ground and noticeably louder than the Air 3S. The supposed "lower frequency" noise of the Mavic 4 Pro doesn’t make it any less intrusive.

Curious about drone noise reduction progress, I purchased a second hand Mavic Pro Platinum to compare with my other drones, testing whether DJI has made any strides in noise control since the Platinum’s release 8 years ago.

Test Method: I conducted tests in my garage, with each drone hovering at 1.2 meters above a landing pad. I measured noise levels using an iPhone app from a fixed position 6.5 meters away, averaging the results over an extended period.

Test Results:

• Mavic Pro Platinum: 70 dB
• Mavic 4 Pro: 72 dB
• Neo: 74 dB
• Mini 4 Pro: 64 dB
• Matrice 4T (default props): 74 dB
• Matrice 4T (low-noise props): 72 dB

The Mavic 4 Pro is consistently 2 dB louder than the Mavic Pro Platinum, a difference clearly perceptible to the human ear. I also found no evidence that the Mavic 4 Pro’s noise is “lower frequency” or more pleasant than the Platinum’s. The Neo’s small propellers produce a particularly harsh, high-pitched noise, making it louder than the Mavic 4 Pro and a staggering 10 times noisier than the Mini 4 Pro. The Mini 4 Pro stands out as one of DJI’s quietest drones, consistently measuring 8 dB lower than the Mavic 4 Pro—a 6.3-fold difference despite being only about a quarter of the Mavic 4 Pro’s weight. This suggests noise may scale non-linearly, increasing faster than weight.

Another observation which might prove this guess: the Matrice 4T is only 160g heavier than the Mavic 4 Pro but produces 2 dB more noise with default propellers. Switching to its bulky low-noise propellers, which reduce flight time, brings it down to the Mavic 4 Pro’s noise level.

Based on my testing method and corroborated by various online video reviews and DJI's published noise ratings, I’ve compiled approximate noise levels for other drones I didn’t test:

• Mavic Pro: ~74 dB
• Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom: ~71 dB
• Mavic 3/3 Pro: ~71 dB
• Air 3/3S: ~70 dB
• Phantom 4: ~82 dB

DJI made significant noise reductions from the 2016 Phantom 4 to the Mavic Pro, followed by another 4 dB drop with the 2017 Mavic Pro Platinum. However, progress stalled afterward, with the Mini 3/4 Pro being the only notable improvement since, achieving a 6 dB reduction. Meanwhile, the Mavic series has seen a gradual noise increase as airframe weight grew. The Air 3S roughly matching the noise level of the similarly sized and weighted Mavic Pro Platinum.

I hope this provides useful insight for others interested in drone noise performance.

 

[Max Headroom]

I like the noise

 

[Rchawks]

My complaint is with the beeping noise from the devices. I just use earplugs before power up as a way to deal with the sound.

 

[Max Headroom]

I like the noise

Joking aside I find the Mini 3 a lot quieter than the Mini 2 someone said the rubber ends on the props make them much quieter.

 

[JeffreyS]

I've seen a linear improvement in sound levels going from the Phantom 4 Pro, Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 3 Pro and now the Mavic 4 pro. If I don't waste time ascending to altitude, then there's very little chance of bothering anyone.

 

[mavic3usa]

The FPV world of DJI drones are in need of the most help. The NEOs and Avatars are absolutely horrendous. I guess we're not going to get much improvement until the stealth drone becomes a thing.