so ive had the Mini 4 Pro since around late last year and figured id share some actual thoughts since most reviews out there are just unboxing videos or paid stuff that glosses over the real annoyances

the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance is genuinely better than i expected, coming from the Mini 3 Pro where id lost a couple shots because the side sensors just werent there. but heres the thing ? in bright midday sun the APAS sometimes hesitates in a weird way, like it sees something that isnt really there and just stops. happened to me twice over a field with no obstacles anywhere near me. not a dealbreaker but worth knowing

image quality step up is real but honestly not as dramatic as DJI made it sound. the D-Log M is nice if you grade footage, otherwise auto mode looks basically the same as my old Mini 3 footage after color correction. battery life with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus is great though, been getting close to 32 mins in calm conditions which is way better than i was getting before

anyway if youre already on the Mini 3 Pro i genuinely dont think its worth the upgrade unless obstacle avoidance is important to your shooting style. if youre coming from a Mini 2 or something older then yeah its a big jump. curious if anyone else has noticed that APAS thing or if its just my unit

the APAS hesitation thing ? yes, 100% seen this. i thought it was just me being paranoid but its definitely doing something weird in high contrast lighting situations. i fly a lot around water and it sometimes just kinda pauses and rotates slightly for no reason. i chalked it up to reflections off the surface messing with the sensors. still love the drone but thats one thing that caught me off guard

on the Mini 3 vs 4 debate, i actually went back and forth for a long time before pulling the trigger on the 4 Pro and i think if youre doing any kind of paid work the obstacle avoidance alone justifies it. had a close call on a Mini 2 a while back near some powerlines i hadnt spotted and now i just dont want to fly without it

this is really helpful, im currently trying to decide between the mini 4 pro and just getting a used mini 3 pro to save some money. im pretty new to all this so the obstacle avoidance sounds like it might be good for me while im still learning? dont want to crash an expensive drone on my second flight lol. does it work well enough that a beginner can rely on it or should i still just be super careful anyway