DJI Mavic 3 Classic live launch: the cheapest flagship drone has landed

A good point made by @JasperEllens (above) for Europe-based drone fans – the DJI Mavic 3 Classic has the all-important CE C1 label, meaning it’s future-proof for new drone laws that will come into force from December 31, 2023.

These CE-class certificates are part of a new European drone certification that actually started in December 2020, but whose standards had still not been confirmed until this year. This has left most new drones in limbo. But in August, the original DJI Mavic 3 got the first “C1” certificate, which it received via a firmware update – and the new Mavic 3 Classic branded it on its arm.

What does this mean in practice? If you’re in Europe or the UK and you’re thinking of buying a Mavic 3 Classic, that means that from 2024 you’ll be able to continue flying in the so-called A1 Open category, rather than being returned to the A3 Open. Category. The latter would have restricted you to flying in areas free of people and at least 150 meters from properties.

It’s not exactly exciting (especially if you live outside the EU), but it’s worth knowing if you’re a Europe-based drone fan.

And what about the prices? You can pre-order the DJI Mavic 3 Classic now for $1,469 / £1,309 / AU$2,299 (drone only) or $1,749 / £1,529 / $2,599 with the excellent DJI RC controller.

A quick glance at the DJI Store (opens in a new tab)it looks like shipping will be ready in 3-7 days depending on where you live.

As before, the Mavic 3 Classic’s Four Thirds camera can shoot 5.1K/50p, 4K/60p, and 1080p/60p video. There are also slow motion modes in the form of 4K/120p and 1080p/200p options. Useful for setting exposure in the air, the 24mm equivalent focal length lens also features an adjustable aperture that can switch between f/2.8 and f/11.

It’s official: the DJI Mavic 3 Classic is here. And as rumors had predicted, it has the same 20MP Four Thirds CMOS camera, 46 minute flight time and O3+ transmission system as the original Mavic 3 drone – it just doesn’t have the telephoto lens of this drone.

Come on a minute…

Alright, so if you’re not already prepped and ready for DJI’s big launch, you have about sixty seconds to secretly open the above live stream on your work computer and settle in.

Time to see if the DJI Mavic 3 Classic rumors were accurate and how much we’ll need to raise in eBay sales next month to afford it…

20 mins to do…

Based on these DJI Mavic 3 Classic leaks, the big question for most people is how much you’re likely to miss this telephoto lens. That’s tricky, because there’s no doubt that the current Mavic 3’s 162mm lens is significantly inferior to its main camera, in terms of outright image quality.

And yet, the effect you can achieve from this unique zoom – including a dramatic “parallax effect” that makes the background appear to be moving rapidly behind your subject – has been behind of some of the most interesting drone videos I’ve seen on YouTube and elsewhere.

Still, in these tough financial times, that extra cost for the standard Mavic 3 is significant, and the Mavic 3 Classic could offer good value for money if that leaked price is correct. It’s still a flying Micro Four Thirds camera, after all.

DJI Mavic 3 Classic – the leaks so far

Based on leaks from @JasperEllens (above) and WinFuture (opens in a new tab), it seems quite likely that we will see a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone land in just over an hour. But what characteristics could it have?

WinFuture claims that the “DJI Mavic 3 Classic is basically almost 100% identical to the regular DJI Mavic 3”, except for one main detail – the removal of the telephoto lens from the current drone.

This was apparently done for cost reasons, allowing DJI to sell the Mavic 3 Classic at a lower price (see the “Is it the price?” post below). If that’s true, here’s how DJI’s drone would stack up in terms of specs:

Camera: 20MP Four Thirds Sensor
Video quality: 5.1K up to 50fps / 4K up to 120fps / FHD up to 200fps
Video transmission range: Up to 9 miles
Storage: 8 GB, expandable via microSD card
Battery: up to 46 minutes of flight
Lester: 895g
Dimensions (unfolded): 347.5x283x107.7mm
Dimensions (folded): 221×96.3×90.3mm

The view from the Mavic 3

Looking for a taste of the kind of video quality you might expect from the DJI Mavic 3 Classic? The one above collects some of the test shots for our DJI Mavic 3 review.

If the Mavic 3 Classic does indeed have the same sensor (only without that drone’s telephoto lens), that’ll probably give us a good idea of ​​what to expect.

Our review said that “image quality from the main camera for both photos and video is just excellent overall”, and there’s still really no other drone in the category of weight of the Mavic 3 which matches its 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor.

Is it the price?

How much could the DJI Mavic 3 Classic cost? This is something that the rumors and leaks hadn’t been too clear about until earlier this week.

The Tweet above from regular DJI leaker @JasperEllens on Twitter seems pretty confident that prices will start at €1,499 (for the drone only), with a bundle including the new DJI RC controller costing €1,749.

Based on current DJI pricing, that should be around $1,499 / £1,349 / AU$2,399 for the drone alone, or around $1,749 / £1,599 / AU$2,799 for the DJI RC Controller Bundle . Not cheap, but a decent saving on the DJI Mavic 3’s launch price of US$2,199 / £1,879 / AU$3,099 (which included the older RC-N1 remote).

Ah, making decisions…

As someone who bought the DJI Mini 3 Pro earlier this year, I recently wrote about why I might end up regretting that decision if the DJI Mavic 3 Classic rumors are accurate.

Not that I’m unhappy with the Mini 3 Pro – it’s a brilliant little drone that proved to be a great companion on a recent visit to the UK’s Lake District (where I took the photo here). -above).

But the Mavic 3’s larger body is more stable in windy conditions and getting that Four Thirds sensor for less money than the current model will make it a tempting alternative, especially if you frequently fly in dark conditions.

DJI drones: at the beginning

If you’re new to DJI drones, here’s a quick look at its current lineup. Despite new competition from Autel, DJI is still by far the biggest maker of consumer flying cameras – and its lineup is now split into four sub-brands.

DJI’s entry-level small drones are the “Mini” series, led by the DJI Mini 3 Pro. Directly above them is the mid-range “Air” series, which despite its name is slightly larger and has cameras with larger sensors (like the 1-inch DJI Air 2S, which was previously in head of our guide to the best drones you can buy).

But above the two is the “Mavic” series, which started in 2016 with the DJI Mavic Pro. The DJI Mavic 3, which packs a large Four Thirds sensor into its foldable body, is the spiritual successor to that original model. But with a price tag of US$2,199 / £1,879 / AU$3,099, that’s not exactly cheap – hence the rumors of a DJI Mavic 3 Classic launching today.

Alongside these three main species of DJI drones, a new FPV model called DJI Avata is buzzing. It’s a super fun introduction to FPV flight, but a bit more niche than what we’d expect to see today.

How to Watch the DJI Launch

How can you connect to today’s DJI launch? There is now a placeholder on DJI’s official YouTube channel above, where the announcement will take place today at 9am EDT / 1pm GMT. If you’re in Australia, that’s 12:00 AEDT on November 3.

That means we’re now less than five hours away from official liftoff, giving us plenty of time to dig into those Mavic 3 Classic rumors and figure out if it all makes for a compelling potential Christmas present. As someone who bought a DJI Mini 3 Pro earlier this year, I have some thoughts on this.

Hello, I’m Mark (TechRadar’s Camera Editor) and I’ll be your co-pilot for today’s big DJI launch. I’ve covered and tested DJI drones for years since the original DJI Spark in 2017, so I can’t wait to see exactly what lands today.

“Explore Vivid” from the event doesn’t give much away, but that Hasselblad camera in the teaser poster points to a new drone, like the rumored DJI Mavic 3 Classic. So if you’re on the hunt for a new flying camera (or just interested in where they’re heading next), settle in and join us as we count down to liftoff.