Mild Performance Increases at Lighter Weight, Higher Price

DJI revealed their newest top-tier "prosumer" drone, the Mavic 3, available for sale at time of announcement. The successor to their Mavic 2, the 3 asserts DJI's skill in delivering improvements in performance with longer service time, albeit at a much higher price. 

The Mavic 3's primary strengths come from its enhanced camera system, flight time, sensing performance, and transmission range. DJI seems to be approaching the limits of generational advancements, as each new version lacks the dramatic leaps in capability the early models once had. Iterative, consistent improvements are the order of the day, now, and the Mavic 3 delivers. Most impressive, perhaps, is the slight weight reduction even with the changes.

Much of the marketing material at launch touts the “legendary Hasselblad camera” supplied with the Mavic 3, a custom L2D-20C aerial camera array that packs one telephoto and one wide-angle lens. Some in the drone industry may not be familiar with high-end, photographer’s SLR cameras, but the highly respected Swiss manufacturer has a considerable level of cachet. So how does a company that sells 3 1/2 pound cameras more expensive than the average automobile sell its product in a Chinese drone?

Branding, most likely. DJI acquired a majority stake in the manufacturer in 2017, and since then has used the famed company's badging in their higher-end products, a decided marketing edge when courting the customers willing to upgrade their $3,000 drone with each release. It's unknown to what extent Hasselblad was involved with the development and production of the camera system, but cynics have noted similar badge engineering in smartphones, often amounting to little more than a standard plastic camera and the premium company's "Ultra HD HighRES SuperColor Technology" image processing, so their wariness can be forgiven. 

That isn't to cast aspersions towards the camera, though, as all indications on release paint a picture of a competitive performer. It may be wise to assume the Hasselblad nameplate doesn't quite mean that the Swedes magically stuffed their $36,000, 4.7 pound H-6D camera into the small 2 pound Mavic. Its L2D-20C packs in a lot of performance for the weight, though, with the wide-angle lens capturing 20MP shots over an 84-degree field of view, and focus range at just 1 meter of distance. Telephoto performance is good for 12MP at a tight 15 degrees.

Flight time is improved by an estimated 15 minutes from the Mavic 2, to 46 minutes of flight time. Battery capacity increased from 3850 mAh to 5,000 while only gaining a scant 38 grams. Improvements to sensors all net slight performance gains in obstacle avoidance, as well as increased transmission capability. The Mavic 3 can stream live view video to the controller at 1080p up to 60 fps over 9 miles away.

In classic high-end drone fashion, DJI offers the Mavic 3 in different option packages for more demanding customers or cinematographers. For the entry level Mavic 3, the Standard trim comes in at $2,200, which includes the bare essentials to take flight and spend some downtime waiting for the single battery to recharge. It is the only trim level to make do with the more basic, screenless remote controller. Upon release, some enthusiasts noted the relative obscurity of the base trim, with retailers placing emphasis on the higher-end versions, not an unusual pricing tactic for premium products. Having an entry-level product piques customer interest, but DJI may feel its bare-bones nature isn’t reflective of the full stature of the Mavic 3.

The pricier, but more comprehensive “Fly More” package brings the price to $3,000, but includes the deluxe RC-S2 smart controller, two more batteries, ND filters, and extra propellers for quick swaps to get back in the air. Its inclusion of better equipment could be seen as the “true” Mavic 3 as a no-compromise, premium machine, and it seems to be held up as the retailer favorite in some regions.

The top trim is the Mavic 3 Cine Premium combo, at an eye-watering $5,000. Changes include the smart controller, built-in 1TB SSD, Apple ProRes 422 HQ video support, 10GB lightspeed data cable, 3 batteries, ND filters, and support accoutrements befitting a more professional mission profile. Perhaps overkill for family video production, its specialty lies in supporting a wide spectrum of content creators, photographers, and creators. 

FMI: www.DJI.com