DJI Air 3 – Battery (All You Need to Know)

The DJI Air 3 has proven to be a true successor to the ever-popular DJI Air 2S.

One of the much-needed areas of improvement would be the intelligent flight batteries. The DJI Air 2S batteries were rated for a maximum flight time of 31 minutes.

The DJI Air 3 has greatly surpassed that, by 48%, with flight times of 46 minutes.

We’ll be looking at all aspects of the Air 3 batteries including charging methods, how-to’s, charging the remote controllers, and general battery care tips.

Air 3 Intelligent Battery #

What’s intelligent about DJI’s Air 3 flight battery?

DJI intelligent flight batteries have smart technology built into them that monitors and keeps the battery safe from damage and swelling due to sitting idle for extended periods.

Additionally, there is protection against overcharging.

You can keep the batteries plugged in for a little while without fear of them overcharging and causing safety issues.

For the Air 3, there is an auto-discharging function that is activated when the battery is left idle:

• 3 days idle: the battery will auto-discharge to 96% of the battery level
• 9 days idle: the battery will auto-discharge to 60% of the battery level to prevent swelling.

The auto-discharge function of the Air 3 battery (and other models) is completely automatic now. In prior models of DJI drones, the starting time for this process could be manually set or modified.

For instance, if you flew jobs every four days, you could set the discharge function in the DJI Go 4 app to accommodate this.

Now, manually setting any battery discharge function is no longer an option. This is probably for the best for many of us.

» MORE: DJI Air 3 Review – Is This the Drone for You?

General Information #

Like many of the newer DJI drones, the Air 3 batteries can be charged using various wattage chargers.

For the fastest times for the Air 3 batteries, either a 65-watt or 100-watt PD charger is recommended.

Although DJI recommends using their branded chargers, we have used various 3rd party 65 and 100-watt chargers with no issues.

This, of course, is up to the owners’ discretion.

» MORE: How to Fly DJI Air 3 Drone (With DJI RC 2)

Charging Times #

The Air 3 batteries are 14.76 V 4241 mAh, weighing a little over the entire weight of the Mini 4 Pro, at 267 g.

Below are the charging times for the Air 3 battery, from 0% to 100%:

• 80 minutes (with DJI 65W Portable Charger)
• 60 minutes (with DJI 100W USB-C Power Adapter and Battery Charging Hub)

Although the Air 3 can be operated in temperatures ranging from 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 C) to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 C), the batteries must be charged at temperatures ranging between 41 degrees F (5 C) and 104 degrees F (40 C).

Our Pick

LED Light Indicators #

The top of the Air 3 battery has a power button and 4 LED indicator lights.

The indicator lights give a quick display of the approximate battery power remaining in the batteries. To quickly check battery power while the battery is off, press the power button once.

Below are the various LED status indicators and corresponding battery levels:

LED 1LED 2LED 3LED 4Battery LevelLED OnLED OnLED OnLED On88% – 100%LED OnLED OnLED OnLED Flashing76% – 87%LED OnLED OnLED OnLED Off63% – 75%LED OnLED OnLED FlashingLED Off51% – 62%LED OnLED OnLED OffLED Off38% – 50%LED OnLED FlashingLED OffLED Off26% – 37%LED OnLED OffLED OffLED Off13% – 25%LED FlashingLED OffLED OffLED Off0% – 12%

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Special Feature #

New to DJI drones, and currently exclusive to the Air 3 is the Power Transfer feature.

This is where the remaining power from multiple batteries will then be transferred to the battery with the highest remaining power.

This means that instead of having three partially powered batteries, you can now have one fully charged, or close to fully charged, battery for your next flight, extending the amount of shooting time significantly.

To perform this power transfer:

While the three-battery charging hub is unplugged, press and hold the black function button. The light will briefly turn yellow, then green.

After this the lights on the batteries will blink, indicating power transference. To cancel the transfer, press and hold the function button again.

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Charging the Air 3 Battery #

As is the case with DJI’s newer line of drones, there are various ways to charge the Air 3 batteries.

Charging can be done with either the battery inserted into the Air 3 or through the charging hub.

To charge batteries while inserted into the Air 3:

Step 1: Open the SD card and USB-C port on the back of the Air 3.

Step 2: Using a 65-watt charger, plug the included USB-C cable into the USB-C port in the rear of the Air 3. The LEDs on the battery will indicate charging.

To charge batteries in the three-battery charging hub:

Step 1: Insert all of the Air 3 batteries into the charging hub.

Step 2: Using a 100-watt PD charger (or slower 65-watt charger), plug the included USB-C cable into the USB-C port on the side of the charging hub.

Note: If you have more than three batteries, the additional batteries can be charged in the Air 3, while the others charge in the charging hub.

» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Pro: How to Charge Batteries (VIDEO)

Updating the Air 3 Battery (Firmware Update) #

While many are aware of the importance of updating the aircraft firmware, the firmware on intelligent batteries, from time to time, needs to be updated as well.

These updates oftentimes contain tweaks to functions within the battery.

If there is a battery firmware update included in the current drone firmware update, updating the battery firmware can be done easily.

You would accept the firmware update with one set of batteries, run the update, then insert the next set of batteries and run the firmware again when prompted.

Simply repeat the process for all of the batteries you have for your Air 3.  

If you have any batteries that are not up to date, upon putting them in the drone, the DJI Fly app will alert you with an “inconsistent firmware” message, with a prompt to update the battery. 

» MORE: DJI Battery Firmware – All You Need to Know

Charging the DJI RC 2/RC-N2 Remote Controllers #

Like the front of the Air 3 batteries, the fronts of the DJI RC 2 and RC-N2 have 4 LED indicator lights.

To check battery power while the remote controller is off, press the power button once.

Below are the various LED status indicators and corresponding battery levels for both RCs:

LED 1****LED 2LED 3LED 4****Battery LevelLED OnLED OnLED OnLED On76% – 100%LED OnLED OnLED OnLED Flashing51% – 75%LED OnLED OnLED FlashingLED Off26% – 50%LED OnLED FlashingLED OffLED Off0% – 25%

To charge either the DJI RC 2 or DJI RC-N2, while connected to a 65-watt charger, insert the included USB-C cable into the USB-C port at the bottom of the remote controller.

The LED indicator lights will blink in succession signifying the remote controller is charging.

» MORE: DJI RC vs DJI RC-N1 (All You Need to Know)

General Air 3 Battery Tips #

There are a few tricks that can be done to make life a little easier when dealing with the Air 3’s intelligent flight batteries.

Charge using a power bank #

If you have a 100-watt PD power bank, this can be used to charge not only the DJI RC 2 and RC-N2 but also a battery inserted in the Air 3 as well as the charging hub.

Like with any standard 65 or 100-watt wall charger, insert one end of the included USB-C cable into the charging brick and the other into either the bottom of the remote controller, Air 3, or charging hub.

The various batteries will charge without issue. But note that the charging hub will only charge at 60 watts.

» MORE: Drone Batteries (In-Depth Information)

Air 3 battery won’t turn on #

There may be times when the Air 3 battery will not turn on, no matter what you do.

Most of the time this is because the battery has entered hibernation mode.

Hibernation mode activates once the battery is under 5% and has been left idle for more than six hours.

Hibernation mode activates to prevent the battery from over-discharging which can cause long-term harm to the battery.

If your battery does not turn on when the power button is pressed, you will need to charge the battery, whether in the hub or inserted in the Air 3.

The charging process will deactivate hibernation mode and jumpstart the battery.

» MORE: LiPo Batteries for Drones (Everything You Need to Know)

Avoid flying down to 0% #

Flying the Air 3’s intelligent flight batteries down to 0% can cause permanent damage to the battery. 

It is suggested to land the Air 3 when the low-battery message appears on the DJI Fly app, or shortly thereafter.

While sometimes this might not be possible to do, due to environmental or location concerns at the time, it is advisable to land as soon as safely possible.

If for some reason your battery(s) has been depleted beyond 15%, it is imperative to recharge the battery up to 60% as soon as possible.

Doing so will aid in maintaining battery health.

» MORE: How to Safely Dispose of LiPo Drone Batteries

Rotate battery usage #

Continuing on the thought of battery health, rotating out batteries helps to extend their health and life. 

If you have multiple batteries, like in the Fly More combo, label the three batteries (1,2,3) and use them in that order. 

If you are not flying all the batteries in one session, you would use the next one in line when flying again, in order.

This helps in preventing the use of one battery, repeatedly over time over the others, thus extending each battery’s life.

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