DJI’s family of portable drones is renewed at rapid frequency and each upgrade pushes subsequent models towards ever more advanced performance. This is the case with the Air 3 that we tested.
After hours of use in varied weather conditions in photos and videos, it is clear that the Air 3 makes the Mavic 3, as well as the recent Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro, look really old. Its technical characteristics should appeal well beyond the designated target. The Air 3’s battery life and image quality have made huge strides compared to the Air 2S; this is also the case for flight automation, particularly for obstacle detection and integration of waypoints, which were not available in previous versions. The rise in power of the 48 Mpx sensor should also give pause to users tempted by a larger, more expensive Mavic 3, while waiting for a future Mavic 4…
Strong points
- Image quality.
- Autonomy.
- 2.7K vertical shooting mode.
- POI 3.0.
- APAS 5.0 obstacle detection.
- POI 3.0 (Point of Interest) function.
- FocusTrack.
- O4 video transmission (up to 20 km).
- New DJI RC 2 remote control with 5.5 inch screen.
Weak points
- Small and easy to lose sight of.
- Brightness of the DJI RC 2 remote control screen.
- Optional AC adapter.
NB: The reported price drop is calculated by comparing the lowest price of the day with the average of the lowest prices charged by all merchants for the product last month, with security rules to exclude the prices of stores whose the VAT policy is not clear (so-called “gray” stores, typically in the case of imports from China).
Alternatively
DJI now has a mini-drone whose functionalities have no reason to be ashamed of those of more efficient and higher-end models. The Mini 3 Pro is very maneuverable, fast and offers great flight comfort. Battery life has been improved, providing up to 34 minutes of autonomy depending on flight conditions. We also welcome the arrival of the new DJI RC radio control and its 5.5-inch screen which will prevent the user from monopolizing their smartphone for all flight operations, the pre-installed DJI app taking over all the controls of the designed version for mobile devices.