DJI Mavic 3 Pro – Battery (All You Need to Know)

The DJI Mavic 3, Mavic 3 Classic, Mavic 3 Enterprise, and now, Mavic 3 Pro. They all have at least one thing in common – the batteries they use for flight.

Although larger and heavier than its predecessor the Mavic 2 Pro, the Mavic 3 Pro has much improved flight times from the batteries.

Whereas the Mavic 2 Pro achieved 31-minute flight times, the Mavic 3 Pro has a whopping 43 minutes of flight.

In this article, we’ll be looking at all aspects of the Mavic 3 Pro batteries including charging methods, how-to’s, charging the various remote controllers, and general battery care tips.

Mavic 3 Pro Intelligent Battery #

What do DJI Intelligent Flight batteries do? The purpose of the “intelligent” function of DJI batteries is to prevent thermal damage.

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

There is also overcharge protection.

This means that if you forget to unplug your charger or remove the batteries from the hub, there is less concern for fear of them overcharging and causing safety issues.

Similar to the Air 3 and Mini 4 Pro, when the Mavic 3 Pro’s battery is left idle, there is an auto-discharging function that is activated:

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

The auto-discharge function of the Mavic 3 Pro battery (and other newer models) is completely automatic.

This is different from prior models of DJI drones, where the starting time for this process could be manually set or modified.

This particularly came into play for commercial pilots. If you flew jobs every four days, you could set the discharge function in the DJI Go 4 app to discharge after, say, five days.

Now, manually setting any battery discharge function is no longer an option. This might have been done so we have one less thing to think about.

» MORE: DJI Mavic 3 Pro Review (I have NEVER flown a drone that I enjoyed so much)

General Information #

DJI offers the flexibility of Mavic 3 Pro batteries being charged using various wattage chargers.

For the fastest times for the Mavic 3 Pro batteries, either a 65-watt or 100-watt PD charger is recommended. You’ll appreciate the speed as well.

DJI of course recommends using their branded chargers, however, we have used various 3rd party 65-watt and 100-watt chargers in the past with no issues.

While we don’t necessarily advocate this, it is up to the owners’ discretion as to what sort of charging solutions they’re comfortable with.

Our Pick

Charging Times #

The Mavic 3 Pro batteries are 15.4 V 5000 mAh, weighing 335 g.

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

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

Although the Mavic 3 Pro can be operated in temperatures ranging from 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 C) to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 C), like with most new DJI models, the batteries must be charged at temperatures ranging between 41 degrees F (5 C) and 104 degrees F (40 C).

» MORE: DJI Mavic 3 Classic vs. Mavic 3 Pro (Here’s My Choice)

LED Light Indicators #

The top/front of the Mavic 3 Pro 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%

» MORE: DJI Mini 2 SE Battery (All You Need to Know)

Charging the Mavic 3 Pro Battery #

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

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

To charge batteries while inserted into the Mavic 3 Pro:

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

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

To charge batteries in the three-battery charging hub:

Step 1: Insert all of the Mavic 3 Pro 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.

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

» MORE: How to Charge Mavic 3 Battery (Explained)

Updating the Mavic 3 Pro Battery (Firmware Update) #

Because DJI updates its batteries periodically, with enhancements and added functionality, the firmware on the intelligent batteries needs to be updated just like the aircraft firmware.

If there is a battery firmware update included in the current Mavic 3 Pro firmware update, this can easily be done.

After running the Mavic 3 Pro firmware with one set of batteries in the drone, insert the next set of batteries into the Mavic 3 Pro and run the firmware again when prompted.

You will want to repeat the process for all of the batteries you have for your Mavic 3 Pro, no matter how many you have.  

If you have batteries that are not up to date, when these are inserted into the Mavic 3 Pro, DJI Fly will alert you with an “inconsistent firmware” message. You will then be presented with a prompt to update the battery.

Failure to update the battery will most likely keep you from being able to take off.

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

Charging the DJI RC Pro, DJI RC, and RC-N1 #

Like the front of the Mavic 3 Pro batteries, the fronts of the DJI RC Pro, DJI RC, and RC-N1 all have 4 LED indicator lights.

To check battery power while any of the remote controllers is off, press the power button once.

Below are the various LED status indicators and corresponding battery levels for all three 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 the DJI RC Pro, DJI RC, or RC-N1, 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 Mavic 3 Pro Battery Tips #

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

Charge using a power bank #

If you have a 100-watt PD power bank, this can be used to charge the DJI RC Pro, DJI RC, RC-N1, a battery inserted in the Mavic 3 Pro 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, Mavic 3 Pro, or charging hub.

The various batteries will charge, however, the charging hub will only charge at 60 watts.

» MORE: How to Charge DJI Avata Battery (Controller & Motion Controller)

Mavic 3 Pro battery won’t turn on #

There may be times when the Mavic 3 Pro 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 Mavic 3 Pro. The charging process will deactivate hibernation mode and jumpstart the battery.

Avoid flying down to 0% #

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

It is suggested to land the Mavic 3 Pro 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: DJI Mini 3 Pro Battery Won’t Charge (Here’s How to Fix It)

Rotate battery usage (Sequential Usage) #

As battery health is an important topic, rotating out batteries helps to extend their health and life. If you have multiple batteries, label them in succession (i.e. 1,2,3) and use them in that order when you fly. 

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.

» MORE: Drone Battery Care (All You Need to Know)

Retiring batteries and safe disposal #

As a general rule of thumb, commercial drone pilots retire batteries that have reached 200 cycles.  This is a good practice for all drone pilots.

Retiring batteries after 200 cycles ensures the safety of the drone and others nearby, as the battery could sooner or later suffer failure.

Drone battery cycles basically means every time the battery is charged.  The DJI Fly app gives detailed information related to the battery’s cycle and voltage.

If you would like to safely retire and dispose of your Mavic 3 Pro batteries yourself, you can discharge the battery fully and immerse it in salt water for 8-12 hours, then dispose of it.

As an alternate method, you can hand-deliver them to any local outlet that accepts Lithium-ion batteries for disposal.  You shouldn’t ship your batteries to a disposal facility due to their volatility. 

» MORE: How to Safely Dispose of LiPo Drone Batteries