Mini 3 Pro vs. Mavic 2 Pro (Which is Better?)

Like every new drone that the Chinese company introduces, the DJI Mini 3 Pro has been the talk of the town. Is it, though, the ideal drone for you? Not everything brand new is the best option.

The old DJI Mavic 2 Pro is still a great alternative to the Mini 3 Pro. It offers similar photo and video results, with improved flight speeds, an omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system, and great third-party app support.

Before rushing out and purchasing DJI’s most recent release, the Mavic 2 Pro is something to think about unless you want to enjoy the unique regulations provided to the mini-drones.

In this comparative article, we will provide you with all the details you need to evaluate these two drones side by side.

Both aircraft share many traits even though they fall under different classifications, which can lead you to believe that they are completely different.

Who will win in the end?

We are going to skip any more introductions and go right to discussing how the Mini 3 Pro and the Mavic 2 Pro compare since you came here to learn about them.

DJI Mini 3 Pro

Release date – May 2022
Fly App – DJI Fly

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Release date – August 2018
Fly App – DJI Go 4

Prices #

Since the new Mavic 3 was released a few months ago, the price of the Mavic 2 Pro has greatly decreased, making it still an interesting option.

In the secondhand market, you can get one of these drones for around $800, including the fly more combo. If you wanted to buy it new, with the right amount of patience, you could get it at a massive discount.

The Mini 3 Pro, on the other hand, just came out, so, at the moment, you can only get it for the recommended selling price.

As we will see later, the Mini 3 Pro is a fantastic and innovative drone, but is it worth the huge price increase? Should you instead get the Mavic 2 Pro?

Hopefully, at the end of this article, you will be able to answer both questions for yourself.

Take a look at the following chart to compare the prices:

DJI Mini 3 Pro (Including N1 remote)
$759
€829
£709

Fly More Combo for DJI Mini 3 Pro****

$189
€189
£159

DJI Mavic 2 Pro
$1,599
€1,499
£1,349

DJI Mavic 2 Pro Fly More Combo****

$399
€350
£299

Design & Size #

The new DJI Mini 3 Pro comes with many of the features that we all wanted, but no one expected its amazing new design change.

This advancement results in superior flying performance, enabling the aircraft to fly longer and have better wind resistance.

When comparing one aircraft to another, we can see that this design is arguably the most innovative we have seen in recent years and that the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is an older model.

In terms of size, it is evident that we are talking about two drones that belong to different categories. The Mavic 2 Pro weighs close to a kilogram, whereas the Mini 3 Pro weighs less than 250g.

This is a very significant factor for you to consider when buying a drone because drones weighing less than 250 grams benefit from particular regulations that make them ideal for capturing images and videos of your vacation.

However, lighter does not always equate to better. Since the Mavic 2 Pro weighs more than three times as much as the Mini 3, it can handle strong winds better.

This is important if, for instance, you want to use your drone for aerial mapping or hyperlapse videos.

You will be better able to choose which drone to purchase if you are clear on what you want to use it for. Due to its ability to fold up and its low weight, the Mini 3 is the ideal aircraft for travelers.

Remember that the Mavic 2 Pro isn’t as portable.

DJI Mini 3 Pro

Weight – 249 g
Measurements – 251×362×70 mm

DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Weight – 907 g
Measurements – 322×242×84 mm

The Camera #

The drone’s camera is arguably its most crucial component because it records videos of your working sessions or vacation activities.

These drones appear to have comparable cameras when evaluated on paper, but the Mini 3 comes with a unique gimbal design that might become the new industry standard for DJI drones.

This gimbal is remarkable in that it allows the operator to instantly transition from shooting horizontally to shooting vertically.

Although you can generate vertical footage by editing your photographs or videos, it is much more convenient to receive the results you want straight away in the format that you planned.

» MORE: How to Produce Vertical Content with a Drone

Vertical footage is the norm on various social media platforms, such as TikTok.

Let us have a closer look at some of its features:

The Mini 3 offers a 48 MP camera, compared to the 20 MP included in the Mavic 2 Pro.More megapixels do not necessarily mean better images, but having more will give you better results in certain scenarios.
Both the Mini 3 and the Mavic 2 deliver 4K resolution footage. However, the Mini 3 Pro records it at 60 FPS, while the maximum frame rate of the Mavic 2 Pro is 30.This is important if you are looking for smoother footage and imperative if you are planning on recording moving objects, such as those subjects found in a mountain bike race.
Both drones are capable of recording at 120 frames per second in full HD resolution, a setting that is considered ideal for slow-motion videos.It is important to note that you can shoot slow-motion videos with the Mini 3 at 4K/60FPS, but you cannot do this with the Mavic 2 Pro, although the results won’t be the same as using 120 FPS.
An important difference between these two drones lies in their CMOS sensor and aperture. The Mavic 2 Pro sensor is slightly larger (1′ vs 1/1.3′), which means that the camera can capture more light.However, the Mini 3 has a wider aperture (f/1.7 vs f.2.8), a feature that also helps the sensor receive a bigger amount of light.
The ISO settings are almost the same between these two drones, the only difference being that the Mavic 2 Pro has a photo configuration of 100-12800, while the Mini 3 Pro is 100-3200.

As you can see in the chart below, a few settings have been improved, while others are quite similar.

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Megapixels****

48 MP
20 MP

Video Resolution****

4K: 3840×2160
4K: 3840×2160

Sensor Size****

CMOS 1/1.3″
CMOS 1”

Video bitrate****

150 Mbps
100 Mbps

Bitrate Transmission****

8 Mbps
12 Mbps

Frame Rate 4K****

24/25/30/48/50/60FPS
24/25/30FPS

HD frame rate****

24/25/30/48/50/60/120 FPS
24/25/30/48/50/60/120 FPS

Slow-motion video****

120FPS @ 1080p
120FPS @ 1080p

Field of View (FOV)
82.1°
77°

ISO Video
100-6400
100 – 3200

ISO Photo
100-6400
100 – 12800

Aperture
f/1.7
f/2.8 – f/11

Zoom
4K: 2x / FHD: 4x
4K: 1.4 x / FHD: 4x

Video format
MP4/MOV
MP4/MOV

Video codec
H.264/H.265
H.264/H.265

Image Format
JPEG/DNG
JPEG/DNG

AEB mode
3/5
3/5

Gimbal #

When comparing these two drones, the new DJI Mini 3 Pro gimbal is possibly the most noticeable improvement.

Its primary feature, as mentioned above, is that it enables vertical photo and video shooting. The redesigned design also allows for a total 180-degree vertical tilt of the camera.

Until now, only the Parrot Anafi drone offered this characteristic in this price range.

The DJI Mavic 2 Pro, in contrast, can only tilt its camera vertically at a conventional 90° angle, so if you want to take vertical photographs or videos to upload on social media with this drone, you’ll need to manually edit your film and convert it to this format.

» MORE: How to Produce Vertical Content with a Drone

Color Profiles #

Color profiles are video-shooting modes that come with DJI drones.

The resulting video is intended for post-production editing, frequently color graded to produce results that are noticeably more vibrant than those achieved in normal mode.

What are the differences in color profiles between the Mavic 2 Pro and the Mini 3 Pro?

They feature different color profiles.

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Color Profile
D-Cinelike
D-Log / HDR

D-Cinelike #

D-Cinelike is the name of the color profile included with the Mini 3 Pro.

This profile, which captures a wider range of colors and is not as flat as other profiles, is used by some of DJI’s higher-end drones.

Color-graded footage has a wonderful look.

D-Log #

D-Log is substantially flatter than D-Cinelike but captures a broader dynamic range. It balances shadows and highlights to prevent them from seeming either dark or overly brilliant.

HDR #

HDR stands for high dynamic range, so as its name suggests, you can also capture a higher dynamic range of colors using this option.

As a result, your movie will appear more colorful, even without color-grading it.

Range & Transmission (Remote Controllers) #

No matter how advanced your drone technically is, as we always point out, you will almost always be constrained by local laws.

In most regions, you are generally required to fly your drone within your visual line of sight (VLOS), so it doesn’t matter if its maximum range is 10 or 12 km.

For those who are not subject to these regulations or who have permission to fly their drones beyond their visual line of sight, such as emergency services, there is not a big difference in range between the Mini 3 Pro and the Mavic 2 Pro.

The fact that the Mini 3 uses OcuSync 3.0, DJI’s newest transmission technology, may be the distinction between these two drones that stands out the most.

With this technology, the user should enjoy a more reliable transmission and have a maximum technical range of 7.4 miles (12 kilometers), compared to the Mavic 2 Pro’s 6.2 miles (10 km).

While the video transmission quality for both drones is 1080p/30FPS, the Mavic 2 Pro’s maximum operating altitude is 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) higher and goes up to 3.7 miles (6 km).

The Mavic 2 Pro is the best option if you want to fly your drone at high altitudes, similar to those experienced by mountain climbers.

» MORE: High Altitude Flight: Can I Fly My Drone in the Mountains

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Range
7.4 mi (12 km)
6.2 mi (10 km)

Transmission System
OcuSync 3.0
OcuSync 2.0

Video quality
1080p/30FPS
1080p/30FPS

Max. Op. Altitude
4000 m
6000 m

Speed & Flight Time (Batteries) #

Again, the performance of both drones in terms of speed and duration of the flight is similar.

Each aircraft will be marginally superior to the others in only one area, as was the case in the preceding section.

Due to its newer age, the Mini 3 Pro offers longer flight periods. The newest mini-drone by DJI can hover for a maximum of 34 minutes when using the standard battery.

However, the brand-new intelligent flight battery plus, which offers flight periods of up to 47 minutes, significantly improves upon this. Impressive!

The maximum flight time of the old Mavic 2 Pro, which uses only one kind of battery, is 31 min.

Every extra minute might be viewed as a success because drone technology hasn’t been able to significantly extend flying times in recent years.

Compared to the Mavic 2 Pro, the Mini 3 Pro has substantially longer flight times.

In contrast, the Mavic 2 Pro flies 15 km/h faster than the Mini 3 Pro. This may not be important to some, but for those who plan to record fast-moving subjects, it can make all the difference.

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Flight time
34 / 47 min
31 min

Max Speed
57 km/h
72 km/h

Wind speed resistance
38.5 km/h
38.5 km/h

Obstacle Avoidance #

The Mavic 2 Pro is the undisputed victor in this regard.

Even though DJI added an obstacle avoidance system in its newest mini-drone, the Mavic 2 Pro’s system is omnidirectional as compared to the Mini 3 Pro’s three-way system.

The Mavic 2 Pro is, therefore, less prone to collide with objects.

Although many pilots have experienced mishaps as a result of the Mini 3 Pro’s absence of lateral sensors, the Mavic 2 Pro does a superb job of avoiding obstructions, especially when tracking subjects.

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Obstacle Avoidance
Forward, backward, down
Omnidirectional

FocusTrack Modes #

Tracking modes are an essential feature for many pilots.

If you like to hike, ride a mountain bike, or skateboard, I’m sure you would like to be followed by your drone autonomously instead of having to control it, something that would make both activities complicated.

DJI’s Mini 3 Pro has a better tracking system than the Mavic 2 Pro, as it includes upgraded versions of Spotlight, Point of Interest, and Active Track.

As mentioned earlier, the Mavic 2 Pro is a safer drone when tracking subjects thanks to its omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system.

However, it will be harder for the Mini 3 Pro to lose track of the subject.

You decide what you prefer.

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

FocusTrack Modes
Spotlight 2.0 Point of Interest 3.0 ActiveTrack 4.0
Spotlight Point of Interest ActiveTrack 2.0

QuickTransfer #

QuickTransfer allows the user to quickly transfer files from the drone to his/her device in full resolution.

The Mavic 2 Pro does not have access to this feature because it was first launched with the DJI Mini 2. Compared to earlier DJI drones, the Mini 3 Pro’s QuickTransfer rates have increased.

DJI Mini 3 Pro
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

QuickTransfer Rate
25 MB/s
Not Available

App Compatibility #

If you are an aerial mapper or mission planner, you should be aware that the Mini 3 Pro is not compatible with third-party apps because it is not part of DJI’s software development kit (SDK).

You will have to wait until they include this aircraft in the SDK, which often takes more than a year to happen if you were planning on using the Mini 3 in Dronedeploy, Dronelink, Litchi, or any of the well-known mapping apps.

The Mavic 2 Pro, in contrast, is supported by the most popular mapping and mission planning apps, such as UgCS, Pix4D, DroneHarmony, Dronelink, Litchi, Dronedeploy, etc.

I cannot think of another drone that has more support from third-party apps.

I guess that’s what you get when you’re the old dog of the neighborhood. Everyone knows you and supports you!

Which one should you buy? #

Since it depends on your demands, we are unable to advise you on the ideal drone for you.

Although the video and photo quality produced by these two drones is comparable, they have different flight characteristics and capacities due to their varied weight classes.

You must take into account all the factors we have covered here before making a decision. Fortunately, whichever drone you decide on, you will be making a wise choice because they are both excellent!

That is all for today, pilot! Have you enjoyed this article? Don’t forget that there’s more to read here on Droneblog.