Increasing it to something like 32GB gives users who either didn’t know they’d need a microSD card on their first voyage, or those who left the card in their computer at home (yes, it’s happened to me), extra space that’s very much needed. I’d love to see DJI increase the base storage inside all of its drones, but especially in higher-end models like the Air 3. You’re definitely going to want to add more storage to the Air 3, as the internal storage can easily be filled up with video after a single flight, maybe two. You can opt to use the Air 3’s 8GB of internal storage, or you can add a microSD card with up to 512GB of extra storage. When it comes to storing your epic photos and videos, you have a couple of options. Then when you’re more comfortable with the drone, and perhaps you want to get more creative, you can start adjusting your shots. If you’re someone who just wants a drone to fly around and take photos or record video without giving it much thought, then you can totally ignore the telephoto lens and forget about switching between the two. But it was something that I found distracting and took away from the overall experience at times, which is something I didn’t expect at all going into my time testing the Air 3. Indeed, that’s one of the key selling points of the Air 3, along with long battery life and improved transmission. Do I use the more traditional wide-angle camera, or do I opt for the 3x telephoto? I’d waste a few minutes before each shot going back and forth between the two, trying to figure it out. Preprogrammed flight modes are appealing for noobsĮven though I spent a lot of time using some of the preprogrammed flight modes to capture shots, I often found myself somewhat frozen during flights trying to figure out which camera was the right one for the shot. That’s 40 minutes of hovering time, which is in line with DJI’s own estimates. I did a hover test on a calm day and was able to squeeze out 37 minutes of flight time, with an estimated 3 minutes left on the controller, before the Air 3 was forced to land.

I haven’t been able to do that with any of DJI’s drones in the past. I was able to routinely put the Air 3 up and set it to record for 25 minutes or longer. It also makes it possible to take extra long HyperLapse shots. That’s a ton of uninterrupted time in the air, and a feature that’s sure to help you get the shots you want without having to wait for the batteries to recharge. That means if you opt for the DJI Air 3 Fly More Combo, which comes with a total of three batteries, you have a potential of 2 hours and 18 minutes of flight time in the bag with you at all times. That’s a 50% increase of flight and hover time compared to the Air 2S, which offered 31 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. With the Air 3, however, DJI has boosted battery life to a potential 46 minutes of flight time, or 42 minutes of hovering time. Its ability to safely and confidently follow someone is surely boosted by its new obstacle-sensing smarts.įlying a drone can be incredibly fun, but each flight inevitably comes to an end due to one factor: battery life. I didn’t experiment with the Air 3’s new ActiveTrack 5.0 feature, which allows the drone to lock onto and follow a subject such as a person on a bike or a car. And it makes flying the Air 3 fun, because you’re not having to overanalyze everything around you at all times (although you should still be cautious). This is a big deal, especially for new pilots who don’t have a ton of confidence in their piloting skills. I tried a few times to fly the drone into a light pole, my shed and other random items, and each time the Air 3 either stopped completely or adjusted its flight path to go up and over (in the case of the shed) or around the item. Think of Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing and avoidance features as a very basic automated version of flying a drone. You can have it bypass the object, avoid it, or brake and allow you to navigate around the item. Using the RC-N2 controller, you’re able to tell the drone exactly what you want it to do when it detects an obstacle in its path. This allows it to look for and automatically avoid obstacles in its flight path in every direction, thanks to various sensors placed on the drone itself. The DJI Air 3 is the most advanced DJI drone I’ve flown when it comes to obstacle avoidance, thanks to its Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing technology. Each one of them has some level of safety features, such as various levels of obstacle avoidance or ADS-B technology to alert you to any aircraft in the area. I own and have flown several DJI drones over the last few years.

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