Hi I have the DJI mini 4 pro and the mini 5pro. I am thinking of getting the air 3s too but after watching some utube videos about comparisons with the mini 5 pro I’m having second thoughts due too the similar features . I only make videos for myself and share some on utube and local FB pages. Any advice from air 3s owners would be very welcome
I been looking into this too as I am not sure if its the Mini 5 Pro or the Air 3s I go for. I think if you have the Mini 5 Pro already there is very little point to get the Air 3s as you have stated they have a lot of the same features.
The only thing that stood out to me for a reason to get the Air 3 is was the optical zoom due to the second camera on it and even though they say both are basically rated for the same wind loads of people seem to suggest that larger / heaver drones are way more stable in higher winds. And I guess the last bit would be the flight time.
At the moment I am still leaning towards the mini because of its compact size. I love being able to just put mine in a back pack and take it with me where as the Air 3s is a fair bit larger I am just not sure how happy it will be being put into a day pack like I do with the mini 3 I have.
Personally if I had the mini 5 pro - I would not be bothering with the Air 3S - if you had the mini 4 pro then mmm I would be tempted to just have both.
I’d agree.
The Air 3S will gain two years of near restriction-free flying from 1st January 2026, but as Peter said, if you’ve already got the Mini 5 there’s probably not much to be gained by having the Air 3S @Johnno63
If you’re really keen on the Air 3S I’d probably keep the Mini 4, sell the Mini 5 while it’s still worth something, then invest in the Air 3S.
Or… do nothing, sit tight, and wait for the new DJI Air 4 
I recently bought an Air 3s. As OPs have suggested, Pros of the Air 3s are flight time, wind stability, faster (for those long flights where you can get to your target faster), zoom for atmospheric circular flights (such as circular tracking of an object or person, where the closer focus aspect really does make a difference. Manual control of panoramas (Free Pano) (Mini 4 pro doesn’t have this, but the 5 does). Frustrating for composition on my 4. Cons might be: It’s noisier even at altitude, so more noticeable to other people (if that is a negative to you), the weight, for those backpack days or impromptu flights where carrying weight might be an issue.
Air 3S owner here. Don’t underestimate the usefulness of the 70mm telephoto camera on the Air 3S. If it weren’t for that, the two drones would be almost identical in specification, and from 2026 will be subject to the exact same flying restrictions/permissions. So the choice is a simple one:
Flimsily constructed Mini 5 Pro, or robustly constructed Mini 5 Pro with a 70mm telephoto. I know which I preferred, and I haven’t once regretted my choice for a moment.
Another advantage of the Air 3s which is sort of covered by stability in higher winds but also the ability to return home in stronger winds. Not so much due to the weight, which is why it is more stable, but the bigger motors and props.
Personally, I have not found my Mini 5 Pro to be flimsy. It has been surprisingly robust, even in relatively strong winds halfway up Snowdon.
What I particularly value about it is its portability. Anything bigger and I would need a larger, heavier backpack (current one is 29L), which would not be ideal when walking in the countryside or hiking up mountains, which is often when I want to use my drone.
That is not to say I wouldn’t like a larger drone with one or more telephoto lenses for specific landscape photography tasks. However, given I have the Mini 5 Pro and it does a lot of what the Air 3S does, for me, it is probably now worth waiting to see what the Air 4 looks like (hopefully, with its UK1 class mark) or taking out a mortgage and getting the Mavic 4 Pro (and flying a bit further away from people).
Which why I think it’s the perfect flying platform for my out to sea flights.
Same here when chasing windsurfers.
Hey, I also do many of drone videos of Windsurfers and Wingfoilers. I’d be interested to see some of your videos (and happy to share my own) if you have a link? 
One here
But obviously there are others on my page.
Nice, video - I’ve ‘liked’.
I’m down in the South East so regularly windsurf / wingfoil on Bewl Water Reservoir, but also go to the local coast too. I recently recorded testing of a hovercraft on Bewl with my Mavic Pro which was interesting: https://youtu.be/bo6eVi6IkqM
My other channel with windsurf / wingfoil videos is at: https://youtu.be/6cia3TqQFis
I’d go with the Air 3s and keep the Mini 4 Pro.
As Jen said the Telephoto Lens is so damn useful and along with the obvious advantage of seeing a bigger drone further away it has helped me maintain VLOS while capturing some pretty good images for editing.
I’ve had the Air 3s since July and can honestly say it is better than my mini 4 Pro in every aspect bar one; portability.
I will keep my mini 4 Pro for taking abroad, or on long hikes, but will use the Air 3s pretty much exclusively come Jan 26.
On the subject of noise, I don’t find the Air3s noisier than the mini 4 Pro at all. The Air 3s has a lower pitch than the mini and TBH in my experience is largely ignored past 30m high. The Air 3s is so much more capable in high winds, and whereas the mini is fighting to maintain its pitch with it’s motors screaming, the Air 3s is quite happy. Random, I know, but it reminds me of a time when I was on an old 60ft narrow boat with a 3 cylinder diesel (I think) chuffing away happily on the river Ouse in full spate, and the little fibreglass boats (we called them tuppaware boats), were being tossed all over the place engines screaming like a banshee and getting nowhere fast!
I have no intentions of buying a mini 5 Pro anytime soon, but will no doubt get another mini drone when the Mini 4 Pro gives up the ghost or I lose it in an unfortunate incident (been close a few times but no cigar… so far).
One thing i cant see mentioned is if you want to fly abroad, a sub 250g is a lot more useful. Quite a few countries have either extra restrictions on heavier drones or need registration that often isnt available for an outsider.
A controversial answer here, keep the 5 and buy a used Air2s, a proper 20MB one inch sensor which the 3S doesen’t have at the fraction of the price.
That’ll be the Mini 4 Pro then, as the Mini 5 Pro is over 250g. In EASA countries the C0 rating will be accepted, but globally there are other authorities who are adamant that the drones with the fewest restrictions need to be < 250g… …which the 5 Pro sadly isn’t.
I just can’t help thinking the 5 Pro tried to be all things to (almost) all people, but ended up being neither fish nor fowl… …unless you’re in the market for a super lightweight Air 3S ‘Classic’
Indeed. Play the mini 5 lucky dip OR go for a 4.
To those who “blah police dont have a scales”… In some countries they do (Canada, Singapore, Australia) and in those that dont - they can seize and weight indoors.
It does look like DJI tried to get the 5 to the correct weight, just about failed and decided to go with it and just hope to get away with it globally. It failed. Its an unreliable mess.
Some initial thoughts having moved from a Mini 5 Pro to an Air 3S:
The Air 3S is three times as heavy as the Mini 5 Pro, but it’s not massive. I’m not sure why the hikers complain about the weight of the Air 3S – my loaded backpack is only 4.8 Kg with all my flight kit:
The build quality, fit and finish of the Air 3S is in a different league – the Mini 5 Pro would feel tatty by comparison.
Some say the Air 3S is noisy, but to my ears it is different from smaller drones, but no more intrusive. Audible directly above at 30 metres, but volume drops of rapidly with distance.
I don’t know whether my Mini 5 Pro had a duff camera – it didn’t seem much of an improvement on my Mini 4 Pro. The main camera on my Air 3S is certainly a better example of a 1” sensor than the Mini 5 Pro’s nominally identical camera. The stereos I construct from the Air 3S’s video frames are crisp and contrasty with excellent depth. But adding audio to Air 3S videos involves more steps than with the Mini 5 Pro – the process is the same as for the Mini 4 Pro.
The 70 mm camera provides a way better image than 3X zoom on a 24 mm camera. It’s not as good as the main Air 3S camera, but a match for a Mini.
I use the Air 3S with an RC Pro 2 controller, whose large bright screen makes controlling the drone a pleasure (that’s what I tell my bank manager, anyway). It may be down to the Gain&Expo settings, but the Air 3S seems to fly more smoothly than the Mini 5 Pro in Normal mode, and in a pedantically genteel fashion in Cine mode. The most I’ve had out of it in Sports mode is 46 mph.
A bigger drone has a larger silhouette which I find is easier to spot at a distance, so you can maintain VLoS for longer distances, but the built-in strobes don’t help much in daylight.
A worthwhile upgrade.
I recognise it ultimately comes down to personal preference and use case, but, for me, a 4.8kg pack is already bordering on heavy before I’ve even added the hiking essentials. When I go out for 4+ hours, I’m carrying layers (which take up significant volume), waterproof(s), hat/gloves, sunglasses, sun cream, lunch, snacks, up to a litre of water, a power bank, and possibly even a first aid kit.
I’m not sure where all of that would physically fit in the setup pictured. Adding those necessities to your existing 4.8kg loadout would result in a very bulky, heavy pack that would take the enjoyment out of the walk.
If I were only ever driving to scenic spots and flying near the car, then I would probably prefer a larger drone with more lenses but for genuine portability, the Mini 5 Pro works better for me.
However, if you can afford multiple drones, I can see how the combination of the Mini 4 Pro and the Air 3S might work well. Although, if it were me, I would probably wait to see whether there might be an Air 4 somewhere relatively close over the horizon; particularly since it might carry a UK1 label and avoid all the ambiguity that the Air 3S (and, potentially, the Mini 5 Pro) currently faces in 2028.
The weight difference between an Air 3S and a Mini 5 Pro is less than the weight of a bag of sugar.
Bigger loads need bigger packs.