ok so ive been trying to pull the trigger on a new drone for like a month now and im completely stuck between the mini 4 pro and the air 3. i know this comparison gets asked a lot but hear me out because my situation is a little specific.

im mostly shooting travel content, some landscape stuff, occasionally i'll be in places where i need to stay under 250g which is why the mini keeps calling me back. but then i look at the air 3's dual camera setup and the longer flight time and i start second guessing everything again.

the thing that keeps tripping me up is the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance on the mini 4 pro ? that actually matters to me because i fly in some tight spots. the air 3 has it too but from what i understand the mini's implementation is basically the same? or is it slightly worse because of the form factor? genuinely not sure.

also the price difference isnt massive but it's not nothing either, especially if you're going fly more combo. anyone who has actually flown both please weigh in because youtube reviews are all over the place and half of them feel like sponsored garbage

i went through this exact same thing last year and ended up with the air 3 and honestly have zero regrets. the medium tele lens is the thing that pushed me over ? once you start using it for landscapes or compressing backgrounds it's really hard to go back to a single focal length. the mini 4 pro is genuinely excellent though, i flew one for a couple weeks before returning it, nothing wrong with it at all.

the 250g thing is real if you fly in europe or plan to do national parks in the us, but if that's not a regular concern for you i'd lean air 3. flight time difference is also noticeable in practice, not just on paper. you get more comfortable doing longer shots without that low battery anxiety creeping in.

obstacle avoidance is comparable, dont stress about that part. both will save your butt in most situations.

just chiming in as someone who went the other direction ? kept the mini 4 pro and skipped the air 3. for travel the weight really does matter, not just legally but just like physically carrying it everywhere. i hike a lot and shaving grams adds up. the image quality from the mini is so good now that unless you're doing paid client work i genuinely dont think most people would notice the difference in a finished video.