Mavic 3 Classic and Air 2S: what are the improvements?
On 2 November, DJI unveiled a new drone in the Mavic series: the Mavic 3 Classic.
· 4 min read
DJI Air 3 and Mavic 3 Classic: are they the same?
Archive article. Article from 2023: some of the models mentioned are no longer in production. Today the equivalent model is DJI Mavic 4 Pro. Discover DJI Mavic 4 Pro
Table of contents
Yesterday DJI launched its new foldable drone, part of the Air series: the DJI Air 3!
From the first Mavic Air to today, it can be said that this series has followed a consistent line on which all of its development has been based and which is carried forward today with the latest product in the series: affordable and efficient enough. The Air series, in fact, has always been much cheaper than the Mavic series aircraft; indeed, while the DJI Air 3 costs more than all the aircraft released so far in the Air series, it remains cheaper than the Mavic series (even compared to the by now veteran Mavic 2 Pro).
In absolute terms there are no technological novelties released for the first time with the DJI Air 3, but rather important improvements have been introduced from the series' point of view.
The similarities
With 46 minutes of flight time, 43 km/h wind resistance and an operating temperature between -10° and 40°C, we can't deny that the DJI Air 3 is very similar to the DJI Mavic 3 Classic. There are other technical elements the two aircraft have in common, from the 8GB of internal storage to the presence of omnidirectional sensors on the aircraft, but the similarity that matters most under the new EASA regulation is certainly the weight category: both aircraft fall into class C1, with the advantage of already being certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Where are the differences?
The main differences can be seen in the features of the component that has sparked the most curiosity, namely the camera (or rather, the cameras).
The DJI Air 3 in fact has two cameras, a wide-angle and a telephoto, both in 4K up to 100fps, unlike the Mavic 3 Classic, which records in 4K at up to 120fps, and in 5.1K at up to 50 fps.
So where does the DJI Air 3 come out ahead? Certainly in photo resolution, at 8064×6048 on both the wide-angle camera and the telephoto, against the 5280×3956 of the Mavic 3 Classic's camera. The sensor of the DJI Air 3, however, loses the comparison, as it has a 1/1.3" CMOS sensor that can't match the 4/3 sensor of the Mavic's camera, although it has 48MP compared to the latter's 20MP.
In addition, the transmission system of the DJI Air 3 is based on O4 technology, which has a more efficient download speed than that of the Mavic 3, which is instead based on the O3+ system.
Conclusions
The DJI Air 3, while not bringing entirely revolutionary features to the remote piloting sector, fills a slice of the market admirably, certainly more accessible than the Mavic series, and offers a good compromise between cost and quality. The C1 certification brings the Air series in line with the new EASA regulation, which will make the classes officially effective from 2024.
Going back to the initial question, the answer is NO. As similar as they are, the DJI Air 3 and the Mavic 3 Classic are NOT the same drone, not even in terms of features, since there is a substantial difference.
What accounts for the difference of almost 600 euros between the two aircraft?
Mainly the size and quality of the sensor and, even though the DJI Air 3 has a dual camera, the one fitted on the Mavic 3 Classic is decidedly better compared to DJI's latest release.
