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Image: DJI<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nThe cost of everything from gas to groceries is endlessly rising, but DJI seems to be the only company tackling inflation head-on, by releasing more affordable versions of its most popular drones. First it was the DJI Mavic 3 Classic<\/span>: a cheaper version lacking the original Mavic 3’s telephoto lens<\/span>and now it’s the DJI Mini 3, which sacrifices the Pro version’s best feature<\/span>: automatic obstacle avoidance.<\/p>\nWhen the DJI Mini 3 Pro arrived back in May<\/span>, earlier this year, it was a testament to the years the company has spent honing its drone building skills. Even with a folding design that made the drone small enough to stash in a coat pocket when collapsed, it still included a camera with a 1\/1.3-inch CMOS sensor capable of capturing 4K video at 60fps in portrait or landscape orientations, a wireless video transmission range of 12 kilometers, improved flight times, and \u201cTri-Directional Obstacle Sensing.\u201d That least feature uses forward, backward, and down-pointing sensors to help the drone detect and actively avoid obstacles in its flight path. It also did all that while weighing just 249 grams, allowing it to be used by amateur pilots for non-commercial recreational purposes without having to register the DJI Mini 3 Pro with the FAA.<\/p>\nThe one big downside to the DJI Mini 3 Pro<\/span> was its $669 price tag, which didn’t include its required controller. Despite being an ideal drone for amateur enthusiasts not wanting to have to go through the FAA registration process, the Mini 3 Pro was far from cheap, but that’s where the new DJI Mini 3 enters the picture, shedding the ‘Pro’ designation and about $260 off the price tag for the drone by itself.<\/p>\n