so ive been going back and forth on this for like three weeks now and i cant make up my mind. i fly mostly on weekends, nothing serious, just hiking trips and some landscape stuff around where i live. my budget is kind of flexible but not like... unlimited. the mini 3 pro is sitting at a pretty solid price right now and honestly for what i do it probably covers 99% of my needs but then i keep reading about the air 3's dual cameras and the longer obstacle avoidance and i start second guessing everything again.

the omnidirectional obstacle sensing on the air 3 is the main thing pulling me toward it. im still not the most confident pilot and ive had a few close calls with trees. but then again the mini 3 pro has that extended battery life with the plus batteries and its under 250g which matters where i live for registration purposes. does anyone actually fly both of these and can give me a real world take, not just spec sheet stuff

had the mini 3 pro for about eight months before i upgraded to the air 3 and honestly the jump was more noticeable than i expected but maybe not in the ways you'd think. the dual cameras on the air 3 are genuinely useful, not just a gimmick - being able to switch to the medium tele while keeping the wide framing in your head is something i didnt know i wanted until i had it. that said if youre mostly doing landscape hiking shots the mini 3 pro footage is stunning and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference on anything smaller than a big TV. the weight thing is real though. i had to register when i switched and it adds a tiny bit of friction to just grabbing and going. if obstacle avoidance is your main concern the air 3 is genuinely better there, the mini 3 pro's system works but its not omnidirectional so you do have blind spots.

im basically in the same boat as you lol, ended up just getting the mini 3 pro last month because the price dropped and i convinced myself id upgrade later if i outgrow it. so far no regrets but i havent tried an air 3 so i cant really compare. the plus batteries are great tho, getting close to 45 min in calm wind is pretty wild for something that small