DJI’s cheaper Mavic drone is nearly here – and I might regret buying the Mini 3 Pro
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Just when you thought your wallet was safe from a dangerously tempting new tech purchase, DJI casually drops a new teaser (opens in new tab) for what appears to be the next drone – and the rumors suggest that a cheaper version of its flagship DJI Mavic 3 will be released during the ‘Explore Vivid’ event.
The launch of the so-called DJI Mavic 3 Classic is scheduled for November 2 at 9:00 AM EDT / 1:00 PM GMT (which is November 3 at 12:00 AM AEDT). And the big clue that it could be a new Mavic is that camera lens in the teaser.
It looks identical to the Hasselblad camera on the DJI Mavic 3, just without the telephoto lens and branding. And this matches some recent leaks, plus an FCC filing, that suggest a DJI Mavic 3 Classic is on the way to give drone fans a more affordable way to own a flying Micro Four Thirds camera.
As a DJI Mini 3 Pro owner, I am concerned about this. Not because my compact drone and a DJI Mavic 3 Classic would be direct rivals in any way – the Mavic series is now DJI’s premium range, while the Mini series offers a taste of its power in a bundle of less than 250 g that neatly in a small camera bag.
But if the Mavic 3 Classic arrives at a competitive price, it could rise to the top of our guide to the best drones. After arriving in somewhat rough shape almost exactly a year ago when it launched almost exactly a year ago, a series of firmware updates have seen the DJI Mavic 3 live up to its early promise as an aerial powerhouse with few peers.
The 20MP Four Thirds camera is excellent and much larger than the 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor in my Mini 3 Pro. That means it handles noise really well at higher ISO settings, making it suitable for shooting in gloomy conditions (here in the UK that’s our standard weather). The Mavic 3’s camera also has an adjustable aperture, which allows you to easily make exposure changes in the sky.
Despite all this, I never really considered the DJI Mavic 3 when it first landed, due to its high price tag. The standard version costs US$2,199 / £1,879 / AU$3,099, while the Fly More Combo cost US$2,999 / £2,549 / AU$4199 at the time – more than the cost of the full-frame Sony A7 IV. Not prohibitively expensive for a professional aerial videographer, but a bit over the top for an amateur in a cost of living crisis.
It is not yet clear how much the DJI Mavic 3 Classic will cost, but rumors include DroneXL (opens in new tab) have suggested it could land for $1,400 (about £1,200 / AU$2,150) or even less. When you consider that the DJI Mini 3 Pro’s RC Smart Controller bundle – meaning you don’t have to use your phone to control the drone – costs $909 / £859 / €829, that should make some drone buyers a can give a break.
On the other hand, the reason the DJI Mavic 3 Classic is expected to hit that lower price tag is because it probably lacks one of its sibling’s most interesting features…
Zoom and gloom
According to leaks from the reliable @DealsDrone (opens in new tab) account on Twitter (below), the Mavic 3 Classic will likely lack the telephoto camera seen on DJI’s current flagship. That means, as DJI’s invite suggests, it will only offer a single 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor for video and stills.
That’s not a disaster, as our DJI Mavic 3 review found the camera’s performance “nothing less than excellent.” But with the Mavic 3’s 162mm telephoto zoom, which is significantly inferior to the main camera, you can now take raw photos. And this lens’ ability to compress your image and introduce a dramatic “parallax effect” in the background has led to some of the more interesting drone videos I’ve seen this year.
So while a DJI Mavic 3 Classic, if that’s indeed what DJI is announcing next week, would undoubtedly be an upgrade to my Mini 3 Pro, it might not change the game in terms of types of aerial photos and videos I could shoot. But if you’re still debating between a Mavic 3 and an Air 2S, it’s well worth waiting until next week to see what new craft is added to the DJI fleet.
Of course, there’s a chance that DJI’s launch is for another product, such as a DJI Pocket 3 with a Four Thirds camera. That’s another product I’d love to see in DJI’s lineup. But so far we haven’t seen any leaks for a new Pocket and all signs are pointing towards a new drone.
What’s not clear yet is why DJI’s launch teaser carries the tagline “Explore Vivid.” Could it be a reference to the Mavic 3’s versatile Hybrid Log Gamma update, which gave the drone an HDR format that’s also compatible with most displays? Potentially, but luckily we have less than a week to find out what is (certainly) DJI’s last launch of the year.