Hey guys, looks like Mini 3 was about to release soon, here's a few picture of Mini 3 scale model and the person doing the test flight for the Mini 3.

Before reaching the actual release date, let see what would you guys think for it ?

In the in-flight shots, do the sorrounds of forward-looking-sensors? remind anyone of a distended 'ovipositor' laying an egg?

I've watched too many BBC Life etc. videos with turtles laying eggs or something lol.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-15 21:43
In the in-flight shots, do the sorrounds of forward-looking-sensors? remind anyone of a distended 'ovipositor' laying an egg?

I've watched too many BBC Life etc. videos with turtles laying eggs or something lol.

Lol mate, it does looks like the frog-shape drone. But this frog flies around the sky

If the pictures are no fakes, the unpleasant "noses" left and right of the gimbal start making some sense: No legs, thus the noses protect the camera if the drone tipples forward on sloping ground.

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Landey Posted at 4-16 00:11
If the pictures are no fakes, the unpleasant "noses" left and right of the gimbal start to make some sense: No legs, thus the noses protect the camera if the drone tipples forward on sloping ground.

Yup, the side cheeks of the drone that's what I name it .
I heard the gimbal might have vertical and horizontal recording, not sure its true or not but will see later.

I will buy it.  but not with that controller,  I will wait for the RC Pro to support it if the Smart Controller doesn't get an update.

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 01:06
Yup, the side cheeks of the drone that's what I name it .
I heard the gimbal might have vertical and horizontal recording, not sure its true or not but will see later.

I am happy you wrote "cheeks", not "buttocks".

Regarding vertical recording: Would be one of my fears.
Sure, there are situations where it could come in handy, like recordings of towers, tall buildings and the like.
But we all know the two main faults spoiling so many videos: using digital zoom and filming in upright/portrait orientation.
So let's just hope there won't be an option for setting portrait mode as standard. ;)

DAFlys Posted at 4-16 01:09
I will buy it.  but not with that controller,  I will wait for the RC Pro to support it if the Smart Controller doesn't get an update.

Nice, I double the feet of the Mini 3 might wiggle as their center or gravity was shorten

Landey Posted at 4-16 01:23
I am happy you wrote "cheeks", not "buttocks".

Regarding vertical recording: Would be one of my fears.

Yeah, but I can't tell that it won't, since the gimbal I can see that it does can do vertical shot though, but will see the fly apps and the reviews later.

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 04:37
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Great shots.  I'm looking at buying the Mini 3 Pro but will definitely have to fly the "ugly" off of it.  

What's the weight (in grams)?

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 04:37
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That's great pictures, Edwin!

In reality, it doesn't look as bad as on the first photos.
Also the ridiculous outdated camera design is gone, different gimbal now makes the but..., no, cheeks make more sense.
No upwards obstacle avoidance as the usual YouTube clickbaiters advertized, but I need to say I now like number 3 far better than before. ;)
But lets wait for the camera pictures.

I was excited about this but wont make a decision until I see how DJI reacts to the Mini2 FW issues. That will be pivotal for any future purchase decisions.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 4-16 05:14
Great shots.  I'm looking at buying the Mini 3 Pro but will definitely have to fly the "ugly" off of it.

Yeah, the landing might get wiggle due that the center of gravity was shorten, unlike mini 2 which was wide leg spread

Johnny_J Posted at 4-16 05:17
What's the weight (in grams)?

The pictures shown 249g.

Landey Posted at 4-16 05:52
That's great pictures, Edwin!

In reality, it doesn't look as bad as on the first photos.

Thanks, credit to dealsdrone as they are the one share it. And yeah, the picture quality will definitely need to see it first hand through some youtubers after they release it into the public.

These photos show that the drone can perform very well. Here I see longer propellers than in mini 2. The propeller rotation plane inclined at an angle to the body will result in lower aerodynamic drag in fast flight. I will not be surprised if the drone has a maximum speed of 19 m / s. The gimbal, however, is supported on both sides of the rhinoceros. Gentlemen, this is the drone of the future!

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 04:38
Nice, I double the feet of the Mini 3 might wiggle as their center or gravity was shorten

Good point about the undercarriage. I suppose small bumps on the main body have less mass than landing legs at the end of the front arms. Also landing legs on the front arms would, with the new arm pivoting arrangements, 'complicate' the folding the arms for storage.
But I can forsee possible drone tipping and prop damage in windy landings, à la  Phantoms, all good for DJI's selling of props I suppose lol.

I wonder where the antennae have been moved to?


Ooh I wonder if the circled areas are crash damage? It's the second photo I have seen showing the apparent displacement of one of thoses protective? shoulders, and from memory it is the same shoulder. I wonder if the photos are of the same drone or if it indicates a possible trend/pattern of damage?

nOxxxx Posted at 4-16 06:55
The propeller rotation plane inclined at an angle to the body will result in lower aerodynamic drag in fast flight.

If you care to check the other Minis and the M2P/Z you will find that this is NOTHING new, you will also find that plane of rotation of at least the rear propellers is tilted sideways as well. Even Phantom 3 motors and propellors 'lean', that scared the 'do-da' out of me when I first saw it, I though the/my-drone's body shell was warped.

I suspect that this is, in part, due to the lean of the resulting thrust assiting with yaw control, yes I am aware that motor-torque reactions are or maybe, part of yaw control but tilting the thrust vectors surely helps too.

Ahhhhh interesting.

Posts 21 and 22 are identical (post 22 is a copy and paste of post 21) EXCEPT that in post 21 I had 4 asterisks instead of  the "do-da" I typed/changed in post 22.

I wonder if it is the asterisks that caused triggered the auto censor?

If so, it seems strange that it allows people to swear (slang for copulate or copulating) but not to use multiple asterisks.

nOxxxx Posted at 4-16 06:55
These photos show that the drone can perform very well. Here I see longer propellers than in mini 2. The propeller rotation plane inclined at an angle to the body will result in lower aerodynamic drag in fast flight. I will not be surprised if the drone has a maximum speed of 19 m / s. The gimbal, however, is supported on both sides of the rhinoceros. Gentlemen, this is the drone of the future!

Exactly my thoughts!
The forward speed will be high. I always wonder why they havn't done this a long time ago.
I can't wait until I tried the max speed with the speed limit removed on this machine :-)

I think the engines have a new steel and aluminum construction. The upper part, where the propellers turn, is probably aluminum. Perhaps this is a deliberate effort to find ways to slim down one part in order to make reserves for other items. All this to meet the extremely stringent requirements up to a weight of 250g.

ZOOF Posted at 4-16 06:03
I was excited about this but wont make a decision until I see how DJI reacts to the Mini2 FW issues. That will be pivotal for any future purchase decisions.

Yeah, definitely, soon will show some youtuber's doing tis review for us

nOxxxx Posted at 4-16 06:55
These photos show that the drone can perform very well. Here I see longer propellers than in mini 2. The propeller rotation plane inclined at an angle to the body will result in lower aerodynamic drag in fast flight. I will not be surprised if the drone has a maximum speed of 19 m / s. The gimbal, however, is supported on both sides of the rhinoceros. Gentlemen, this is the drone of the future!

Thanks mate, will see more reviews from others soon related to mini 3 after the unpacked date .

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-16 07:02
Good point about the undercarriage. I suppose small bumps on the main body have less mass than landing legs at the end of the front arms. Also landing legs on the front arms would, with the new arm pivoting arrangements, 'complicate' the folding the arms for storage.
But I can forsee possible drone tipping and prop damage in windy landings, à la  Phantoms, all good for DJI's selling of props I suppose lol.

Yup, as far as what I'm concern on an uneven surface such as the road or the grass area which landing and take off might be disadvantage to it, which means we will need to hand land or takeoff or use a landing pad every time when we wish to fly mini 3  .

The antenna probably at the wings area.

I think that would be not perfectly screw or apply the casing on, that's why it loosen up.

Sean-bumble-bee Posted at 4-16 07:34
Ahhhhh interesting.

Posts 21 and 22 are identical (post 22 is a copy and paste of post 21) EXCEPT that in post 21 I had 4 asterisks instead of  the "do-da" I typed/changed in post 22.

I had no idea what are you trying to describe lol

Bodkins Best Photography Posted at 4-16 07:51
So both the charging port and the sd port are still exposed?  Lame.  Stability also looks terrible while on the ground.  Ventilation seems minimal now. And the controller looks like a terrible design with the controls ABOVE the screen!  

If this is legit, I'll be waiting for the mini 4.

Yup, I believe that's their final product. Normally when this final product leaked to the public, it means its near the date of unpacked of Mini 3 this month.

But I agree most of what your mention here , it does weird and stability also shorten up to middle of the drone, I think they probably deliver this type of drone to hand held fly or landing user, since their wings were heighten up than mini 2, so the wings won't easily hurt the user fingers

nOxxxx Posted at 4-16 11:22
I think the engines have a new steel and aluminum construction. The upper part, where the propellers turn, is probably aluminum. Perhaps this is a deliberate effort to find ways to slim down one part in order to make reserves for other items. All this to meet the extremely stringent requirements up to a weight of 250g.

Yeah, probably too, as the wings at the back of the drone flip more higher than the mini2, they probably give user more easy to hand depart or landing than depart from the surface.

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 20:38
I had no idea what are you trying to describe lol

post 21, which is mine, is under 'moderation'.
Except for the subsitution, in post 22,  of "  'do-da'  " for four asterisks that were/are in post 21, post 21 and post 22 are inentical.
I was commenting on the apparent fact that the 4 asterisks appear to be responsible for post 21 being moderated whilst in other threads swearing goes un'moderated '.
Post 23 is just an observation on two posts in this thread and not really related to teh subject matter of this thread.

Bodkins Best Photography Posted at 4-16 07:51
So both the charging port and the sd port are still exposed?  Lame.  Stability also looks terrible while on the ground.  Ventilation seems minimal now. And the controller looks like a terrible design with the controls ABOVE the screen!  

If this is legit, I'll be waiting for the mini 4.

Open ports won't cause a major difference regarding water resistance and additional protection. That plugs we sometimes see are usually meant for waterproof devices, which the Mini 3 definitely isn't; just everything is exposed to the weather. Thus sealings at one single place wouldn't make a difference.

Controllers with the controls above the screen also aren't that bad because this makes for a better weight distribution. Screen above the controls always make the controller top-heavy. This leads to stronger muscle tension in the thumbs for compensating the weight, often causes the thumb twitching and ruining pans.

ZOOF Posted at 4-16 06:03
I was excited about this but wont make a decision until I see how DJI reacts to the Mini2 FW issues. That will be pivotal for any future purchase decisions.

That's a very good point!
I am NOT convinced that the present firmware really is that bad, I didn't see a single proof, just clickbait YouTube videos carefully set-up for the Mini 2 failing - in unfair and artificially created situations where each and every drone must fail.
But I strongly dislike that DJI locked firmware downgrades, the only means for getting rid of real errors introduced by a firmware. This a move that should never have happened.

Just imagine the typical situation: You're on vacation with your drone, firmware update introduces a fault making it impossible to take off at your holiday location, forcing you to wait for the next update to repair it - after your vacation is over.

Such ideas strongly increase my "buying resistance".

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 04:38
Nice, I double the feet of the Mini 3 might wiggle as their center or gravity was shorten

Its a belly lander like the FPV drone.

Edwin T Posted at 4-16 06:04
Yeah, the landing might get wiggle due that the center of gravity was shorten, unlike mini 2 which was wide leg spread

    No doubt about that.

DAFlys Posted at 4-16 23:42
Its a belly lander like the FPV drone.

That's a great term for the legless Mini3.

DAFlys Posted at 4-16 23:42
Its a belly lander like the FPV drone.

Yeah, maybe the belly was way too big, that's why they put it for belly landing instead of usual long front legs

Now I'm starting to doubt that when landing on the hood of the car, will it be more slippery than usual ?

Looks like old german car Trabant

Landey Posted at 4-16 22:16
That's a very good point!
I am NOT convinced that the present firmware really is that bad, I didn't see a single proof, just clickbait YouTube videos carefully set-up for the Mini 2 failing - in unfair and artificially created situations where each and every drone must fail.
But I strongly dislike that DJI locked firmware downgrades, the only means for getting rid of real errors introduced by a firmware. This a move that should never have happened.

Thats i prefer old Spark or Air 1. You can start from hand by power button, and make 3 photos without pairing controller, phone and drone. Quick and easy on vacations. And you no need to carry big bag for this unwanted stuff