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DJI Mavic 3 After The Firmware Update Review

There has been so much criticism of DJI Mavic 3 since they released it earlier than it should have been. Even until today so many of its specs and features need grave attention. Despite all that, the new DJI Mavic 3 has a lot of positives due to DJI’s other drones which have no comparison in specs, performance and features. 

Despite all that, the new DJI Mavic 3 comes with a lot of 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera, 5.1K video, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, 46 minutes of uninterrupted flight and advanced auto return. Not just that, we can get video footage delivered from a distance of 15 km due to its improved transmission. 

We are going to review DJI Mavic 3 which we believe can raise the bar for other drone brands releasing to compete against DJI drones. 

DJI Mavic 3 Specs Features And Performance Overview 

Sublime Imagery 

DJI Mavic 3 has 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad Camera which has its own standards in the field. If you look at the footage or photos captured through it we will notice the added artistry of 12.8-stop dynamic range which will be very detailed. 

DJI Mavic 3 is The True Longest Flight Time Drone 

DJI Mavic 3 not only claims to provide us the flight of 46 long minutes which makes it the drone with the longest flight time but actually is the closest to have achieved the longest flight time. Of course a lot goes into this as the flight duration of a drone depends on its settings and features we use. So the lighter settings will always increase flight duration while others consume the same instantly. 

So we can get the best shots without worrying about anything. 

Safety 

Drone safety is always something that worries everyone despite being equipped with obstacle sensing, object following and so on. However, Mavic 3 has already cracked this hack as it comes loaded with Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing that ensures its safety a hundred fold. So we don’t have to be worried, rather continue with our professional drone flying and footage transmission. 

Longest Flying Range 

Obviously the range was another issue that all the brands were striving to improve on. Even though many claimed to provide the longest drone flying range, most of them all caused crashes by losing transmission and the drones were lost forever. 

Mavic 3, on the other hand, offers a long range of 15-km transmission range with its O3 plus Transmission system which let’s users capture the drone shots while being completely standing far away from the vantage point. This way Mavic 3 provides drone lovers with the longest possible transmission range and they can explore and capture more.  

Smart Return to Home Point 

Smart Return system in Mavic 3 to get back to Home Point ensures how they have upgraded the system. This makes the drone reach home point fast and safely as it automatically optimizes itself for that. 

So it does not matter if the battery has run out or the pilot wants it to hit back home, it works both ways and the quadcopter always returns home, which makes it easily manageable and desirable. 

Film Editing Pro Footage 

So this might be a bit confusing but if we use the Mavic 3 Pro Cine Premium version which uses Apple ProRes 422 HQ encoding system. Basically what Apple ProRes does is the footage is delivered with more detailed information that helps in post processing and the quality of footage is just mind blowing. 

A Note of Advice For New Drone Users

One thing everyone should keep in mind before ordering Mavic 3 is that despite any model Cine Premium or Combo, a lot of things still need to be included in the package. For instance despite Mavic 3 earlier release the firmware has been updated recently. So we should not make any assumptions once the whole packaged Mavic 3 has been released. Just scroll below we have added Editor’s and chunks from Public reviews on Social media including Reddit and Amazon and so on. 

Mavic 3 Details

Brand DJI
Control TypeRemote Control
ColorGray
Video Capture Resolution4K HD, FHD 1080p
Remote Control IncludedYes
Battery Cell CompositionLithium Ion
Batteries IncludedYes
Wireless CommunicationTechnology Cellular
Weight 895 Grams
Video Output Resolution1920×1080 Pixels

Mavic 3 Early Flaws or Features Let’s Know About Both in Detail

When they initially released Mavic 3 many customers had registered their disagreement on a number of issues on Reddit, Amazon and other popular platforms which we have mentioned below. 

Mavic 3 Controller – Some of the users believe the controller that comes with Mavic 3 should have been of a higher quality instead of the same one that comes with Mavic Mini 2. If someone wants the better controller they have to spend $12,00 more on it. 

Care Refresh or DJI Insurance – For just Care Refresh or the Dji insurance the user has to pay $400 which is a little more as it should have been included in the package already since the customer has to pay much already. In case you lose it and might lose money on both counts, insurance and of course whatever paid for the drone.

Mavic 3 is Overpriced – Some reviewers say Mavic 3 has a huge price point. For Mavic 3 Drone, RC Pro, 1 Extra Bat, ND Filter, Hub and Care Refresh the customer has to pay $4600. This price point is huge for a drone. Although with its superb drones DJI is the go-to brand for those who can afford, yet to reach a massive number of users they need to think about the price point, it could become their selling point. 

Video Freezing – Some users claimed they faced video freezing on the standard controller at the height of 1000ft. 

Firmware Issue – The firmware update of Mavic 3 has been very much on the news everywhere on YouTube, Reddit and other popular platforms. The users have experienced very slow GPS locks even after 10 minutes. Just before the update it would get ready in the matter of a minute, cold warm GPS boot all locations. Comparatively, it had fewer firmware issues before the firmware update. It should have been fixed instead, of course this issue will get resolved soon and not all of the users have experienced this. 

Technically, the new firmware update waits until it gets the most accurate GPS lock and then lets the user fly it. If it does not get the accurate GPS lock in the nick of time, the flight gets delayed. 

Many users are of the view that this slow GPS lock is the bug in new firmware. But it’s not true. Actually it’s there to fix early hardware issues which were in the early firmware. 

Automated RTH Issue – Many customers say RTH gets stuck many times. Some of them have lost their drones due to this issue. Of course it will get fixed yet it should not have been the issue in the first place; it already works for other DJI drones. Such a big let-down for many. IfAir2 , Air2s, Mini2 and mini you know their return to home works just fine. Since Mavic 3 comes with an automated or Smart RTH feature, it is actually causing an issue for some users.  

Mavic 3 Losing Connection – There are few users of Mavic 3 who claim to have lost connection without going any distance. These two cases in particular on Reddit shared their grievances over losing connection which you can read here and here

The Good Features of Mavic 3 

There are many users who have loved this product. What made people shell dollars on this drone are mentioned below:

Longest Flight Duration Better Than Any Other Drone

There are many positive reviews about Mavic 3. There are many users who have found the flight time of Mavic 3 very exciting. They have enjoyed long flights and have piloted it over the desired ranges. 

Optical Zoom 

If you use its optical Zoom the footage details are mind blowing, like no other drone could do that before. Youtube videos are loaded with amazing footage short on Mavic 3 that provides great details in the images and the 7x optical zoom, even the digital Zoom is amazing. Included is stills from one of his videos going from Normal to Full Zoom, It’s Awesome and just unbelievable for a camera of this size.

Long Distance Flights 

Many users claim they enjoyed long distance flights which they only dreamed about with the previous models of DJI. The same users also think most of the criticism is just useless and before time. Those who are criticizing should have waited a little longer as it was released 2 months prior to what it was scheduled for. 

Some more details about Mavic 3

So unlike few users who faced issues with distance coverage, transmission and Automatic RTH, there are still hundreds of other users who enjoyed all these features. If you are buying something especially electronics make sure that you buy it when it’s exclusively available on the market. Many those who pre-ordered it and were provided before the firmware update ran into issues in the early stages, especially the Cine Premium model is awesome in many ways. 

Many claim they are surprised by the quality and features they have received and truly loved the product. That’s what makes Mavic 3 an amazing drone despite all the criticism it received initially it’s still top selling drone on every marketplace.

DJI Mavic 3 After The Firmware Update Review
Final Thoughts
Picture Quality
88
Smart RTH
90
Battery Life
89
Remote Control
90
Optical Zoom
80
Video Quality
94
Obstacle Avoidance
89
Reader Rating0 Votes
0
Pros
Media Video/Photos - Huge upgrade you will notice the photos have depth and great detailing which is a rare liberty.
Totally beginner friendly.
Awesome camera quality. It can give us amazing footage in the auto mode.
Good battery life. Mavic 3's battery life is a big selling point alone.
Different modes. It has different modes. Just make sure in Sport mode, the drone can travel much faster (up to 47 mph!) and obstacle avoidance is not active in Sport mode.
Cons
Obstacle Avoidace - For many it's still a big problem. The drone has eratic flight without turning on Obstacle Avoidance
Zoom Focus - The quality is reduced on a full zoom which still DJI team has to work on.
Transmission - Some times it loses connection which was experienced by some users
Overpriced
Accessoreis are very expensive
Firmware issues. Some users have faced firmware issues even after firmware update
89
It has a final score of 4.3/5