who is thinking about go for Air 3 instead of A2s?

im sure it's tempting for current air2s flyers but i think it's a hair under to hold off....not forever but prob just until the end of the year.

Battery and O4 are gamechangers and the pricepoint is very atractive in my opinion

Dual lens looks promising as well as the battery charger hub. The new charging hub can take the low batteries and transfer the charge to a battery with more juice.

But like most, will wait for further reviews and like past DJI products, a few more firmware iterations ie fixes.

Air 3 beats it in every single category, its an easy pick. Also the camera is better, and it especially blows it away in low light and night shots. Its actually even slightly better then Mini 3 camera even if its same sensor size. If i didnt have a drone and was looking between the two, yes, definitely Air 3.

Until I see a RAW image from the Air 3 and am convinced that the image quality is superior to that of the Air 2S I am on the fence.

i like this guy reviews

Also I heard the Air 3 has waypoints so the Air crowd won't have to be as worried as the SDK right away.

I would sit and wait for the Air 3s or Pro whatever it will be called. Just for the sensor to be better. This sounds to me as a step back, if double lens is excluded.

Darkozi Posted at 7-25 08:48
I would sit and wait for the Air 3s or Pro whatever it will be called. Just for the sensor to be better. This sounds to me as a step back, if double lens is excluded.

It is not a a step backwards.

Mastoras Posted at 7-25 07:44
Air 3 beats it in every single category, its an easy pick. Also the camera is better, and it especially blows it away in low light and night shots. Its actually even slightly better then Mini 3 camera even if its same sensor size. If i didnt have a drone and was looking between the two, yes, definitely Air 3.

It doesn't?

Cost: 2x the cost of a used perfect condition air 2s, air 2s with flymore is $600-700 USD

air 2s batteries are $30-40 new on ebay (air 3 is like 3x this)

air 2s can use the old smart controller OR the new smart controller, the air 3 can't

air 3 has a smaller sensor and arguably worse footage, although its close

air 3 has a lower resolution, 4k vs 5.4k

THE ONLY things that the air 3 is better with is battery length, zoom capabilities, and obstacle avoidance.

Its too close to the mavic 3 series in price (classic is about the same price or less used, and is better)

Freetime Posted at 7-25 10:06
It is not a a step backwards.

heres a few points it is

4k vs 5.4k

1/1.3" vs 1"

New controller and batteries which are likely not compatible with the old setup, which the air 2s can do

Pricier accessories ($159 battery vs $34 on ebay for air 2s, new)

only advantages:
Obstacle avoidance (shouldnt be relied on anyway for filming)
Zoom camera
Flight time (but at 5x the battery cost, 50% more flight time seems not very important)

djiuser_R2E4mZMfdqKW Posted at 7-26 13:27
heres a few points it is

4k vs 5.4k

A new dual camera setup,new updated controller with better signal,46 minute battery life.
Wow real downgrades.I have an Air 2 and to put it bluntly the battery life plain sucks.The
new stacked CMOS sensors in the Air 3 will probably equal or most likely surpass the image
quality of the Air2s.So if you are happy with the basically garbage flight times on the air 2 s
more power to you I guess.When camera still photo comparisons start coming in between the Air 3
and Air 2s.Guess which will win ,it has too, new technology versus a two year old sensor.1" or not
Out with the old and in with modern technology.

Freetime Posted at 7-26 17:49
A new dual camera setup,new updated controller with better signal,46 minute battery life.
Wow real downgrades.I have an Air 2 and to put it bluntly the battery life plain sucks.The
new stacked CMOS sensors in the Air 3 will probably equal or most likely surpass the image

Never said it didn’t have ANY upgrades

You claimed it was an upgrade in every way

It is not, it has a lot of compromises
“Upgraded controller” that isn’t compatible with ANY other drones, what a lame controller

, where the Dji air 2s can use the old smart controller and the newer one,

It’s a shame this new drone is just full of compromises, and sure it had a worse battery life, but the batteries are $35 per, versus $159, I can get 5 batteries for the same price as one…..

djiuser_R2E4mZMfdqKW Posted at 7-26 17:53
Never said it didn’t have ANY upgrades

You claimed it was an upgrade in every way

It is not sinking in yet is it.lol.But it will.
We differ here and a lot will agree with me here,so let go of the old technology.
All done.

Freetime Posted at 7-26 18:00
It is not sinking in yet is it.lol.But it will.
We differ here and a lot will agree with me here,so let go of the old technology.
All done.

Don't get me wrong, the air 3 is cool

but at that price point, a use mavic 3 classic, or a mavic 3 pro is better,  its not a "budget option" anymore

an air 2s is literally half the cost, and cross compatible,

the air 3 is a one off drone with technology that only supports itself, and isnt even as good as similarly priced drones, like the mavic 3 classic, and is WORSE in someways than way cheaper drones.

Let go of a bad decision, get the mavic 3 pro if you wanted an upgrade, or wait for the air 3s

Air 3

djiuser_R2E4mZMfdqKW Posted at 7-26 17:53
Never said it didn’t have ANY upgrades

You claimed it was an upgrade in every way

Every new dji controller was only compatible with one dji drone on release except crystalsky , yet in a matter of a short time firmware was released to make them compatible with other drones. If you expected anything different you’re completely naive.
There are many many good improvements, but there is not a single dji drone on the market that has everything on a whishlist .

djiuser_R2E4mZMfdqKW Posted at 7-26 13:27
heres a few points it is

4k vs 5.4k

It’s not about 50% more flying time, how many shots missed bringing craft to land to change batteries only to realise you may never get that light again. And for someone who is comparing 5.4 k to 4k you should understand this , you also can’t compare the price of air2s now to the release price of air3 , thats just nonsense.

Question: does the 3 have waypoints? Besides in hyperlapse? Has anyone actually seen this in all the demo videos? (I have yet to wade through all the hype, sorry)Edit: Yes, according to the manual, it does have waypoint flight. Which has been promised for the 2S for years - come on DJI, you can still add it!

Also: will it work with the RC Pro upon arrival? Or is it a wait until they send out a firmware upgrade?

I have the air 2s and feeling I should stretch the funds and get the Mavic 3 Pro?
I’m after image quality and was hoping the air 3 would inherit the original Mavic 3 lens/sensor set up without the Hasselblad colour configuration

sduck Posted at 7-27 06:39
Question: does the 3 have waypoints? Besides in hyperlapse? Has anyone actually seen this in all the demo videos? (I have yet to wade through all the hype, sorry)Edit: Yes, according to the manual, it does have waypoint flight. Which has been promised for the 2S for years - come on DJI, you can still add it!

Also: will it work with the RC Pro upon arrival? Or is it a wait until they send out a firmware upgrade?

Yes it has full waypoints and no out of the box it will only work with the two remotes it's sold with. I would imaging compatibility will come shortly and this is always the way dii release its new products.

I would love to upgrade in a heartbeat.  I just purchased my Air2S in January.  I love the drone, don't love some things.  But I can't afford to Spend all the money I did to go for an upgrade so close right now.  I have 8 batteries, a nanuk case and I paid for the warranty from DJI.  I have to at least fly it for a couple years before upgrading to a new drone.  That is pretty much what I did with my Phantom 4 Pro.  With the onset of the Remote ID coming up.  I didn't want to mess around with getting a module for it so I decided to purchase a new drone that had it built in.  Maybe someday down the line I will buy a module for it when they are cheaper.  But I can't justify spending $300 for a module right now.  I would rather spend it on a new drone.  The Air 2S is still a great drone hands down.  Granted it doesn't have all the cool features the Air 3 has, but that goes for all new products that come out.  I will be all in when they have the Air 3S or Air 4.  But for now I have my Air2S.

I have the Air 2S and use it for still photography. I was very keen on buying the 3 based on the jump from 20 to 48MP.
But having just watched a few reviews I am hearing the the 48mp is a bit of a myth. Is there a way to see example RAW files?

Also, which DJI do people recommend for still photography (that is £1500 or below).

fansc10478d9 Posted at 7-28 09:15
I have the Air 2S and use it for still photography. I was very keen on buying the 3 based on the jump from 20 to 48MP.
But having just watched a few reviews I am hearing the the 48mp is a bit of a myth. Is there a way to see example RAW files?

I have heard that people will still recommend the air 2s for still photography.  For video, it will be the Air 3.
If I am in the market to upgrade by then, I will hold off for specs on air 3s or air 3 pro.  

In my case isn't necessary change and in my country dji seller is a lie...

i will be sticking to my Air 2s. Maybe i might look again at air 3s if good improvements but no Air 3 for me.

Air 3 as I already have an Air 2S.

One big gap in the Air 3 is 3rd-Party apps, SDK, and (mapping) automation.  The Air 2S is well-supported by the app ecosystem, while the Air 3 is not likely to be for some time, if ever.  (Mini 3 Pro, same)
The controller does not support third-party apps at all.

It does have Waypoints, but they are very buggy.  The Fly app will crash and exit, or the whole UI freezes up if you have too many waypoints or try to move too quickly on the map.

Further, the waypoints have a mandatory "curve fit" that makes them useless for drawing grids, rectangles.. anything with straight lines.. all waypoint paths are curved.

All in all, as an Air3 owner, I'm now thinking I might add an Air 2S just for ortho maps and such.  Air3 is not fully baked yet.

I have to say, DJI's updates are great, I can't always decide when to buy the right drone.

Air 3 convience me, i desire it i must admit. This EU c1 certification aswell is an true advantage for me

Although the sensor is smaller, the inmage quality is still better. So air 3 for me.

Jake.A Posted at 8-9 04:32
Although the sensor is smaller, the inmage quality is still better. So air 3 for me.

im curious if it is rocessor and software thing or what

A3 is in many ways a big upgrade for sure.

ill borrow Air 3, i  will see if it will be enough for me or ill fall ill to buy it

If you don't have an air 2s. Go for the air 3 is a no brainer. If you already have an air 2s. Why the hell do you need to upgrade?

For Film: Air 3. For photography: Air 2S

djiuser_zKR5HFX3a2EC Posted at 8-31 17:42
If you don't have an air 2s. Go for the air 3 is a no brainer. If you already have an air 2s. Why the hell do you need to upgrade?

For film the telelens adds a whole new perspective. That would be a great reason. Another is way better batteries. Flight times are beter. And flying a set path and repeat it is for me a very nice feature. We shoot long construction projects etc. For photography I'll stick to my Air2s since the tiny sensor and the '48mp' from the Air 3 are insanely bad

I'm new to drones, but...   I strongly considered a heavily discounted (or used) 2S.  However, I did eventually decide to go with the 3 due to the dual cameras/sensors.  

However, I'm deeply disappointed that you can't switch cameras mid video.  I see no reasonable reason why the hardware would prevent this (or couldn't easily been designed to support it).  If it isn't hardware, it's software.  I'm a software guy (30+ years) who has worked with fixed security cameras for a long time so I have some reasonably informed opinions on this.  If this is a software issue then:

1.   It was a really lazy/under enormous pressure Project Manager who made the decision not to support camera switches, or
2.  Some incompetent Software Engineers.  or
3.  Some senior managers that just couldn't see the importance of this feature.

Note that for many, many phone cameras the camera switch is so seamless that you will often not know which camera is actually being used for which portions of a video at the momenet.  If they can do it, DJI can do it!  At a minimum just let me switch cameras.  If the video jumps that is on me.  Yes, ideally one continous zoom would be nice, but I'm not asking for that (now).


I sincerely hope it is just a software issue that will be fixed in a firmware update.

Ken98045 Posted at 9-6 16:57
I'm new to drones, but...   I strongly considered a heavily discounted (or used) 2S.  However, I did eventually decide to go with the 3 due to the dual cameras/sensors.  

However, I'm deeply disappointed that you can't switch cameras mid video.  I see no reasonable reason why the hardware would prevent this (or couldn't easily been designed to support it).  If it isn't hardware, it's software.  I'm a software guy (30+ years) who has worked with fixed security cameras for a long time so I have some reasonably informed opinions on this.  If this is a software issue then:

Thank you for your recommendations. Please rest assured that we will register the information and provide feedback to the related departments for evaluation. In the future, we will optimize and improve the product or service based on user comments. Thank you for your support and understanding.