DJI Air 3S

Even DJI is a victim of a trend that's simmering in the market right now - a desire to launch many models to satisfy all kinds of customers clashes quite directly with a clear common thread between those products. Exactly which Razer mouse should you buy? Or what about LG's professional monitors? It's a jungle, and it's pretty much meant to be.

So does it make sense to buy a DJI Mini 4 Pro or do you go for an Air? And should it be an Air S model or do you move up to the Mavic? There are steps, of course, and unique features, but the uncertainty is meant to ensure that you buy something a little more expensive than what you really need - just to be on the safe side.

Anyway, this is where the press can help you, and I'm here to tell you that the DJI Air 3S is the best drone they've ever produced, and it's undoubtedly the one most semi-professionals (besides the happy amateurs who can "just" buy a Neo) would recommend going forward.

This is mostly because Air 3S finally manages to present itself effectively as a jack-of-all-trades drone where there are virtually no compromises. There's now 42GB of internal space in addition to the SD card slot, you can now fly for 45 minutes on a single battery charge, there are two distinct camera lenses in the form of a 1" CMOS wide and a 1/1.3" 3x telephoto that shoots smooth 4K/120fps, 1080/240fps or just the most razor-sharp 4K/60fps you'll see from a consumer drone in a long time. There's also the best Fly More Kit to date with a sturdy bag, easily replaceable propellers and a simple protective glass for the drone's gimbal (instead of the Mavic model's rather poor Fly More Kit with accompanying straitjacket).

It weighs a hefty 721 grams, so you'll need a licence, but these can be taken online in an instant and you're flying (get it). However, the heavier weight also means it's far more stable upwind than even a Mini 4 Pro and DJI's ingenious packing system means it's quick to get in and out of a bag. Either way, you should get your kit with the RC-2 controller, which features pre-prepared antennas that make it a joy to fly and watch via the camera on the controller's 5.5" 1080p 700 NITS screen.

The Air 3S has all the features you've come to expect from DJI, and it all works flawlessly thanks to tuned sensors and software. ActiveTrack 360 has never felt better, where you make a little box around a subject on your RC-2 and it not only follows that subject, but can pan around while avoiding obstacles. There's also HomePoint, which allows it to automatically return to its starting point should a problem arise.

Whatever the features, they use amazing lenses, and while I don't know if this is the first time DJI has offered this feature, it's the first time I've personally tried shooting panoramas where the camera knits together 21 frames horizontally. Combine that with shooting in 10-bit 4K at 60fps, as well as new 10-bit D-Log M and HLG modes, and you have a hugely versatile camera system. For our EV Hour videos, it's really something special.

The best part comes in the form of the Fly More Kit's new wide-angle, which you can stick on yourself in a snap. This upgrades your centre wide to 114 degrees, which just about qualifies it as an ultra-wide. For those of us who want dramatic, wide FOV in our videos, this is pure genius, and swapping lenses is as seamless as on a DJI Osmo Pocket 3. The effect is huge.

Whether it's the lenses, the footage, the battery life, the build quality, the software-based features or the amazing Fly More Kit, there's so much to love about the Air 3S that it becomes the defacto drone here at Gamereactor. Wow, DJI needs to do something completely different with the Mavic series if it's going to do anything going forward.