DJI Mavic 3: Everything We Know So Far

The DJI Mavic 3 was revealed on November 4, 2021 intended as a top-tier consumer drone. This device is not meant as a starter drone, of that you can be sure. With a starting price of approximately $2200 USD, you'll do well to make certain that you've first tried drones with fewer AAA features and far smaller price tags.

The Mavic 3 series has a quoted max flight time (without wind) of 46 minutes and a max hover time (no wind) of 40 minutes. That adds over 10 minutes beyond the max flight and hover times for the Mavic 2 Pro.

The Mavic 3 series has a max ascent speed of 6 m/s (P mode) or 8 m/s (S mode), and a max descent speed of 6 m/s (P mode). Near sea level with no wind, this drone has a max flight speed of 21 m/s (S mode).

The DJI Mavic 3 has some heavy duty camera power, coming with a custom Hassleblad configuration made specifically for flying. The Hasselblad L2D-20C aerial camera array works with one main wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens.

The 12MP telephoto camera works with a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor with a 15-degree FOV, 160mm format (35mm equivalent), and an f/4.4 aperture, with focus range starting at 3m.

The 20MP main wide-angle camera has a 4/3 CMOS sensor with 24mm prime lens with an 84-degree FOV, 24mm format (35mm equivalent), and an f/2.8-f/11 aperture. Focus range for this camera starts at just one meter – that's entirely too close for a human being's comfort, with a drone all flying right up in their face if you do, if you ask me.

This drone works with Obstacle Avoidance, HyperLapse video capture, ActiveTrack, QuickShot, Enhance Pi Assist, and Panorama capture. It'll also have additional features that'll be launched with software updates after the device is available to the public.

The drones DJI Mavic 3 and DJI Mavic 3 Cine are extremely similar. The big difference comes in the DJI Mavic 3 Cine's internal SSD for a whopping 1TB of onboard data storage. The Cine model also includes a 1 Gbps high-speed data cable (or they call it a DJI 1/Gbps Lightspeed Data Cable) that works with its USB-C port.

The Mavic 3 has microSD data storage* and a USB-C port. This port works with any of the three USB-C cords that the package includes – micro-USB, USB-C, or Lightning.

*Mavic 3 works with SDXC or UHD-I microSD cards with data capacity up to a size of 2TB.

The other major difference comes in the controller included with the package. If you're buying either the DJI Mavic 3 or the "DJI Mavic 3 Fly More" package, you're getting a DJI RC-N1 Remote Controller without access to OcuSync 3.0. That's a feature included with the DJI Mavic 3 Cine when it's paired with the new Pro controller.

This device has the ability to stream 1080p video at 60 frames per second to a connected DJI Smart Controller – that's a first from DJI. The streaming of the video to the controller will work with the DJI Smart Controller V2.0. This controller has its own display and works with DJI's own software on top of Android: O3, using OcuSync 3.0 image transmission technology (that's the 1080p60fps). This super-fast transmission tech works up to a distance of 15km (that's 9.32 miles).

Internet connectivity with this controller device works with WiFi or with a special 4G LTE dongle. This controller also has the ability to connect to other devices via Bluetooth, and itself has a fairly limited battery life (if we're comparing to smartphones, that is), at around 3 hours before it needs a recharge.

This controller's touchscreen display is 5.5-inches diagonally with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and 1000 cd/m2 max brightness. The controller has both touchscreen and hardware controls and customizable buttons. This machine has a 5000mAh battery inside, and it weighs in at approximately 750g (right around 1.65 pounds).

This drone will be released in three packages. One is just the drone, you'll find that listed as the DJI Mavic 3. That has the standard DJI RC-N1 remote controller, the standard DJI Mavic 3, and a single battery. The DJI Mavic 3 Fly More Combo has three batteries and a DJI Convertible Carrying Bag.

The DJI Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo has the carrying bag, three batteries, a DJI Mavic 3 ND Filters Set, three batteries, and a pair of DJI RC-S2 Smart Controller Control Sticks (one pair). Most importantly, this combo has a DJI Mavic 3 Cine and a DJI RC Pro controller.

The standard Mavic 3 will cost approximately $2200 USD, Mavic 3 Fly More will run closer to $3000 USD, and the Mavic 3 Cine Combo will cost a cool $5000 USD! You'll be able to start ordering these drones today from places like Adorama and the DJI store proper.