DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise is Here, and It’s Awesome!

DJI sure has been busy this year, with some more yet to come, I’m sure. Not all of DJI’s newest and coolest get the same type of release, though.

As we’ve recently seen with the DJI Avata, usually there’s a whole rumor mill built, and it starts churning out its product. “Rumors” start to swirl around a month or two prior to being actually released.

Then the day comes, and there’s a flurry of activity, with videos and a whole plethora of information being dropped on us.

All of this is meant to hype, and, well, sell us the new product. It’s always the same for most of DJI’s new products, whether it’s a drone or a camera, or a gimbal system, what have you.

Then, we have the more subtle releases, and some of these can be downplayed so much they even get overlooked.

Take, for instance, the newly released DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise systems, of which there are two to choose from. This was a played-down release of something truly industry-changing.

I am very glad to finally be able to discuss these new DJI drones, as they are awesome. DJI outdid themselves on these. I knew these were coming, as a friend of mine was a beta tester. It’s been difficult keeping my mouth shut; it really has.

Now though, we can get into it. As a reader, you may or may not know that I am a certified ITC thermographer, and as such, I use a thermal system in my business, generally, for commercial roof surveys and other commercial applications.

For this, I use a Matrice 210 equipped with the Zenmuse XT2 Thermal camera. It’s a large system and draws a bit of attention whenever in use. It’s also very costly, or was when it came out. Still is, even in a secondary market.

Earlier this year, we were greeted with the DJI Matrice 30T. A very nice system, very nice. Somewhat large and still in the high end of the price bracket coming in at $15,000.00.

Believe me, when I say, it’s one I have been looking closely at, since the 210 is getting on in age.

Which brings in my friend, who had the joy and privilege of beta testing the new Mavic 3 Enterprise systems. I can’t tell you who he is, as he’s got a sweet arrangement, and we don’t want to ruin that.

What I can tell you is that both of the new Mavic 3 Enterprise Drones fly and operate just as well as the Mavic 3 itself and is the one I believe I’ve been waiting for.

Let’s take a look at what DJI has brought to us now.

It’s inevitable as time goes by that technology will not only increase in its capacity but will also get smaller. That’s what we have here in the new DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drones.

It comes in two options: the DJI Mavic 3E and DJI Mavic 3T.

Both are based on DJI’s new flagship, the Mavic 3, and are designed to fulfill a wide range of use cases. Boasting a flight time of 45 minutes, this allows for more time in the air per battery.

The DJI Mavic 3E #

The DJI Mavic 3E is an easily portable commercial drone. It’s designed for highly efficient mapping and surveying operations while forgoing the need for Ground Control Points.

By combining a 20 MP wide-angle camera with a 4/3 CMOS sensor with large 3.3μm pixels, as well as an Intelligent Low-Light Mode, the Mavic 3E provides increased performance in dim, low-light conditions very well, which is something DJI cameras have struggled with in the past.

It also has a new up-to-56x hybrid zoom camera that has a 162mm focal length for 12MP images, as well as a mechanical shutter to prevent motion blur and support rapid 0.7-second interval shooting.

It’s similar to the one found on the Phantom 4 Pro, and a much-appreciated change over the digital shutter.

The DJI Mavic 3E and 3T are both outfitted with the DJI O3 Enterprise Transmission, and possess a maximum control range of 15 km, allowing the Mavic 3 Enterprise drones to fly further and transmit more stable signals even at their maximum distance, with a live feed rate and a high frame rate at 1080p/30fps.

The Mavic 3 Enterprise series also features improved obstacle sensing and navigation systems.

Both the Mavic 3E and the 3T are equipped with a DJI AirSense system, which receives ADS-B signals from traditional aircraft in the area to warn drone pilots of other air traffic nearby.

The DJI Mavic 3T #

The DJI Mavic 3T features the Mavic 3E’s 48 MP camera with a 1/2” CMOS sensor, alongside a thermal camera with a Display Field of View (DFOV) of 61° and a 40mm focal length with 640 × 512 px resolution.

The thermal camera supports point and area temperature measurement, high temperature alerts, color palettes, and isotherms in order to aid professionals in locating hot spots and making quick decisions.

It has a simultaneous split-screen zoom, a super cool feature, I might add. The Mavic 3T’s thermal and zoom cameras support 28× continuous side-by-side digital zoom.

The DJI Mavic 3T also is equipped with the APAS 5.0 system, just like the Mavic 3E, as well as the DJI Airsense System. Both of these drones are better protected than ever before.

There’s more! Improved software for Mavic 3 Enterprise #

The Mavic 3 Enterprise drone series also comes with a variety of new accessories, and more importantly, new software. One of the nicest changes is in the controller.

The New DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drones come with the new and improved DJI RC Pro Enterprise remote controller.

The new controller features a 1,000-nit high-brightness screen for clear visibility in direct sunlight and a built-in microphone for clear communication, and 1.5-hour 65W fast charging.

There is an optionable, sold separately RTK Module that enables surveying professionals to achieve centimeter-level accuracy with support for network RTK, custom network RTK services, and the D-RTK 2 Mobile Station high-precision GNSS receiver.

The D-RTK 2 Mobile Station is DJI’s upgraded high-precision GNSS receiver that supports all major global satellite navigation systems, providing real-time differential corrections.

Another optionable addition is the loudspeaker which enables pilots to broadcast a message from the aircraft during flight to assist in search and rescue operations.

Here’s where some of the big changes are present:

1. The DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise drones have new software that includes the DJI Pilot 2 flight interface. It is much more streamed-lined and user-friendly compared to the DJI Pilot App. DJI made some nice improvements here.

2. The DJI FlightHub 2 cloud operations management software for drone fleets looks like the 3.0 Transmission system. It has really increased connectivity and has improved where this was lacking in the previous version.

3. The DJI Terra mapping software works well, and I look forward to exploring this one much more.

4. The DJI Thermal Analysis Tool 3.0. DJI did a good job of updating this bit of programming. What seemed clunky before is now much more usable. Some things appear to be moved around, but in a way that makes them much easier to access. Nice upgrade for any of those thermographers out there.

New, more advanced security #

When we talk about running surveys and the like, there may be times when you are collecting and gathering sensitive data. It is always important to manage this data properly.

Both of the Mavic 3 Enterprise Series drones offer a new security feature to protect the integrity of photos, videos, flight logs, and other data generated during sensitive flights.

It’s called Local Data Mode.

When activated, Local Data Mode will stop the DJI Pilot 2 flight app from sending or receiving any data over the internet.

This added security assurance for operators of flights involving critical infrastructure, governmental projects, or other sensitive missions could very well be a good selling point for these drone systems.

The radio link between the aircraft and the remote controller features robust AES-256 encryption.

As with any DJI product, DJI Care Enterprise is available. This is a protection plan that provides the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise series with coverage for accidental damage.

DJI also offers a lifetime maintenance program for Mavic 3 Enterprise drones, providing deep clean services, parts inspection, update and calibration, easily worn parts replacement, and core components replacement with an official maintenance report.

So, maintaining and keeping your system airworthy is easier than ever before.

These are features I wish that I had when I got my first Enterprise System, and I am glad to see DJI stepping up for long-term care to these systems.

The best part is the price! #

Much as the size and capacity of technology change over time, another effect is that the prices will usually come down as well. It’s here where we all got a nice surprise, and that is the pricing on the new DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise systems.

The new Mavic 3 E and 3T are affordable like never before. Even its predecessor system, the Mavic 3 Enterprise, is currently priced higher.

Here we’ll just list it for ease of viewing.

Mavic 3E – $3,299.00

Mavic 3T – $4,999.00

RTK Module – $709.00

Loudspeaker – $159.00

100w Charging Hub – $99.00

DJI Desktop Charger 100w – $95.00

Battery Kit (3batteries/ 1 Charging Hub) – $659.00

Propellers (Pair) – $19.00

As we can see, DJI has really done something here. Next to the Parrot Anafi Thermal at $1900.00, this would now be the next most affordable Thermal Camera drone system available.

For the small businessperson or community fire/police departments, this is a much more affordable option and a quality choice to boot.

With the new thermal camera having a Field of View (DFOV) of 61° and a 40mm focal length with 640 × 512 px resolution, it’s certainly of a high enough quality for not only commercial thermal inspections but for search and rescue as well.

I can say with the brief time I had with the Mavic 3T, it’s definitely going to be added to the hanger here in the future as a replacement for the Matrice 210. The thermal quality not only matched that of my Zenmuse XT2, but it may also have even rivaled it by a little.

Having all of that visual power in a small Mavic 3-sized package? It’s a sure win for me!

Fly Safe, Fly Always, Always Fly Safe!

Image Credit: DJI