so ive been going back and forth on this for like two weeks now and i cant make up my mind. currently have a Mini 2 which has been great but im looking to upgrade and keep landing on either the Mini 3 Pro or the Air 3. the price gap is pretty noticeable, around $300-400 depending on what combo you get.

my flying is pretty casual honestly, weekend trips, some hiking stuff, occasional family videos. i dont do paid work or anything like that. the omnidirectional obstacle avoidance on the Air 3 sounds nice but i already have decent habits from flying the Mini 2 so im not sure i actually need it. on the other hand the battery life on the Air 3 looks noticeably better on paper.

anyone been in this exact spot or gone from a Mini 2 to either of these? would love to hear what people actually think day to day not just spec sheet stuff

went through almost the same thing last spring. ended up going with the Air 3 and honestly the battery life alone made it worth it for me. with the Mini 2 i was always stressing about how much flight time i had left especially when i was hiking somewhere and couldnt easily get back to swap batteries. the Air 3 just gives you more breathing room per flight which sounds small but it changes how you actually fly, you stop rushing shots.

the obstacle avoidance thing i thought id never use but there have been a couple times flying near trees in low light where it probably saved me from a very bad day. its not something you rely on but its nice insurance. if budget is tight though the Mini 3 Pro is genuinely a great drone and the vertical shooting mode is surprisingly useful for social media stuff if thats your thing

im kind of in the same boat as you so no real answer here lol but i did go hands on with both at a local shop and the Air 3 does feel more solid in the hand, not that it matters once its in the air i guess. the rep there said the Mini 3 Pro is more popular with travelers because of the sub 250g thing still applying in a lot of places but i dont know how much that actually matters where you fly