so ive had the Mini 4 Pro since last spring and figured id share some real thoughts now that the honeymoon phase is over. i see a lot of reviews that are basically just rephrasing the spec sheet and it drives me crazy

the good stuff first ? obstacle avoidance is genuinely useful, not just a gimmick like i expected. ive saved the drone at least twice from my own dumb mistakes in tighter spots. video quality is really nice for the price range, especially in the golden hour kind of light. the 34 min battery life is closer to 28 in real conditions but thats fine, i always fly with 3 batteries anyway

now the stuff nobody talks about ? the RC2 controller feels pretty cheap in the hand and the screen washes out badly in direct sunlight. like badly. i was flying at the beach in august and could barely see anything. also the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance sounds great on paper but it gets confused really easily by thin branches or wire fences and just stops the drone mid air which is annoying on a moving shot

overall its a solid drone and i dont regret it but if youre choosing between this and saving up a bit more for the Air 3 i honestly think the Air 3 is the smarter buy unless weight and portability are a priority for you. curious if anyone else has had the same screen issues with the RC2 or if mine is just bad

yeah the RC2 screen issue is real, its not just yours. i returned my first controller thinking it was defective and the replacement was basically the same. theres a setting buried in the display menu to crank brightness but even maxed out its still rough on sunny days. some people just use a hood over it which looks ridiculous but whatever works i guess

i do think youre spot on about the Air 3 comparison. i had the mini 4 for about two months before trading up and the dual camera setup alone made it worth it for me. the wide angle lens on the Air 3 is something i use constantly now and i miss it whenever i fly a friends mini. but yeah if youre backpacking or traveling light the size difference does matter

this is really helpful thanks, im actually trying to decide between these two right now and most of the youtube comparisons feel kinda sponsored lol. one thing i wanted to ask ? does the mini 4 pro handle wind okay? i live near the coast so its pretty much always gusty where i fly and a friend told me the lighter weight is actually a disadvantage in wind which surprised me