DJI Air 3s vs Mini 4 Pro: A Deep Dive Comparison

How does the DJI Air 3s compare to the DJI Mini 4 pro? Let's compare the differences between these two drones by breaking down all the footage photo and other differences and see if the DJI Air 3s or Mini 4 pro is the right drone for you.


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Jake Sloan
PO BOX 212445
Anchorage, AK 99521

DISCLAIMER:

This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

00:00 Intro
00:12 Footage samples
00:58 Disclaiming and US Customs issue
01:47 Dynamic Range and Image comparison
02:53 Slow Motion comparison
03:43 Photo comparison
04:29 Low Light comparison
05:39 Camera comparison 24mm vs 70mm
06:53 vertical video comparison
07:44 active track comparison
08:20 obstacle avoidance comparison and failure
09:44 size and travel comparison
10:39 wind handling comparison
11:18 top speed comparison
13:21 sound comparison
13:53 battery life and flight time
14:25 hot and cold weather performance issues
15:13 price comparison
16:00 outro

[InfiniteSuccessAcademy]

Wow, I can't believe some of the places those helicopters are landing! Thanks for a great video. I have M4P with the plus batteries and the Mini 3 with the normal batteries, which fit the M4P as well. I do find that with the plus batteries, the M4P is a bit more stable in the wind that with the normal batteries, but you are absolutely correct about the wind being an obstacle at times. I always check my UAV report and won't fly the M4P when the wind speeds are 35km/h (21 mph) or more. It's just not worth crashing the drone.

[MarkH]

Great comparison video Jake! I think the Air 3S is better, overall.The 70mm lense really adds versatility selecting shots. Nice having better low light abilities. Definitely like the greater flying speed, too.

[fitxforxbattle]

Hey man, just wanted to let you know, just came across your channel today via the Mavic 3 vs Mavic 3 Pro vs Mavic 3 Air - and I am typically pretty particular about who I subscribe to, but your reviews are top tier. I subscribed to you half way through the video. You waste no time, get right to the point, and you’re a professional photographer with knowledge and experience that inspires my own creativity and helps me find the best tool for what I’m looking to do. Salud good man! Thanks

[YoungBlaze]

Hey did you ever do the video where you use the Holly Land Mics but showed how you use them covering them under clothing without them being visible as well as the DJI mics?

[DustinHasVideos]

Thank you for covering all the info that matters for comparing!

[LegionofDune]

I have both, I love both of them and they are great. If someone needed to only have one drone, I would say the mini four pro is perfectly fine for someone who is just beginning. I use my drones in the dunes in California and out there. It can get very windy. For me the air 3S is obviously the better of the two but I still get a ton of use out of my mini for pro. Especially For stealth reasons

[cotyoran]

Great Mini series... I didn't have a noticable problem on very windy air with Mini 4 Pro. Good portable one. Respect DJI...

[adampetten]

This is the video I was looking for! Mini vs air is hot right now and hard to decide for non pros for sure like myself

[chrisandrew]

Many thanks Jake - this is a great review of the two drones - very helpful

[Rob......]

Thank you for this fascinating upload. I'm always keen on seeing drone advances, and DJI is certainly making a huge impact.

As an experienced, professional game dev and photographer...
It's hugely important you include shooting (photos/video) in unprocessed RAW. PC/MAC editing software is, as we all know, infinitely better at post-processing your captures.

Notice also, that low fps (30/60 typical examples) shooting will AUTOMATICALLY result in very, very significant blurring the more an object/the background pans across the screen. There's nothing that you can do here, and it's 100% expected, OTHER than selecting a higher fps capture, if available, and trying to match screen movement with that fps rate.
A MASSIVE downside of these drones - and 4K/8K makes LITTLE/NO difference here - is that everything that's panned across the screen is going to be blurred. To stop this instantly, you need...
1) An fps capture speed (shutter speed for stills) - 'consistent' with
2) The captured resolution, and, the speed of the screen/object, panning/movement within each captured frame.
Notice that this 'very revealing' test is absent in almost all reviews. Yes, DJI is that big ;)

A very simple computer analogy - a blurring disappears once your game engine is able to perfectly match the monitor's refresh frequency (unless, as is now ubiquitous, the settings have a 'blur On/Off' toggle) - that 'excuse' is used more and more by poorly optimised games.

[IslandFilmMaker]

I enjoyed this video that compared the DJI Air 3S and Mini 4 Pro. It was nice to see a side-by-side comparison of these two drones. However, it's late in 2024, and I'm wondering if it might be better to wait and see what the Mini Pro 5 will offer. I'm hoping it will have a 1-inch sensor. If it does, I'll be sold!

[InnerSanctum]

I was recently delayed by customs but it only took a couple weeks to clear. Well worth it for the Mini 4K sale for $239!! I've been flying it for almost a week now and I honestly don't see a reason to even upgrade. 10km distance and 31 minute flight time is all I really need.

[derricksmith]

Great vid Jake. That 70mm makes it awfully tempting to upgrade for me.

[nicholaslu]

Just ordered the Air 3s. I have owned the Mini 3 for a while now and recognize its limitations. Hopefully this newest iteration of the Air model can solve some of the problems I have faced.

[SlimFoti-kwyp]

Hi Jake, I hope you don't mind me asking, what camera did you use to film the outdoor scenes? Its looks awesome.

[yuanzofficial]

YES this is the review ive been waiting for!

[DAXimusTT]

Awesome review. I've been super content with my Mini4 Pro. 2:05 Can I ask what backpack you're using?

[octaviodasilva]

Thanks for the Video. Would like to see the Picture comparison at the same time and location

[annaaslanyan]

Hi im buying for my husband and he is not a beginner but I would say he’s still got much to learn. Which would you say is best bang for my buck between these two? And why? Please and thank you

[ThePNWRiderWA]

This is an excellent comparison video. I have the 3, 3s and mini 4. The one I personally use the most is the 4 because of its convenience.

I did a lot with the 3 over the summer when I traveled across the western states and the 70mm was nice. I have not flown the S yet as I just got it when I traded in a bunch of camera stuff I was not using.

The main reason I wanted, it was the speed while tracking vehicles