DJI Mini 3 Pro launch live blog: all the latest as the drone nears take-off

The DJI Mini 3 Pro has taken off at last – and as the leaks predicted, it's the most powerful compact drone we've seen so far. DJI's short livestream listed the drone's many new features – including obstacle-avoidance sensors and the ability to shoot 4K/60p video – and we now have all of the official pricing and availability on DJI's store.In a nutshell, the DJI Mini 3 Pro is a DJI Mini 2 on steroids, packing the subject-tracking and image quality powers we've seen in far larger drones like the DJI Mavic Air 2. Its camera doesn't quite match the DJI Air 2S (which combines the Mavic Air 2's compact design and the Mavic 2 Pro's image quality), but what it lacks in sensor size it makes up for with the convenience of that sub-250g form factor.That price tag, which starts at $669 / £639 / AU$989 (without a controller) and goes all the way up to $909 / £859 / €829 with the new DJI RC controller, means the DJI Mini 2 will likely remain our pick as the best drone for beginners. But it's now a close-run battle between the Mini 3 Pro and DJI Air 2S for the overall title of best drone.We'll be digging into the Mini 3 Pro's specs and answering all of your questions in our live blog below, so keep reading if you want to get the low-down on our latest discoveries of what is likely to be the biggest drone launch of the year.So, that's a wrap for this liveblog. Decisions, decisions...DJI's livestream was a short-but-sweet introduction to the DJI Mini 3 Pro, but DJI has just published a more in-depth look at the drone below.The video by Denis Barbas shows off some of the impressive (and no doubt, color-graded) footage you can get from DJI's new compact drone. If the Mini 3 Pro lives up to its billing though, it'll likely be a very popular drone – so a quick pre-order seems wise if you want to avoid delays.The other big question for those of us who can't quite justify DJI's latest flying camera, is what will happen to the DJI Mini 2 after 2pm? Looks like I'll probably need to sell something first –now, where's that cat?The DJI Mini 3 Pro has been leakier than a sieve, but that doesn't mean there aren't lots of things we don't know about the drone. According to various leaks, which you can read in our DJI Mini 3 Pro rumor round-up, the drone will likely come with five big upgrades on the DJI Mini 2: a larger 1/1.3in sensor, new obstacle-avoidance sensors, subject-tracking skills (which were a big miss on its predecessor), that new DJI RC controller and a new battery.Looking for a more granular specs breakdown? Join the community at https://t.co/r7tqJekV5hThanks for following and please #retweet this one to thank me 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/sE6pcfbkP0May 3, 2022That new DJI RC controller is, for me, the most exciting feature of the Mini 3 Pro. Using your phone to fly a drone is far from ideal for lots of reasons (battery life, interruptions), but above all there's the friction it adds to your workflow.The latest leaks suggest the DJI RC will be a slightly stripped down version of the RC Pro that you can get with the DJI Mavic 3, though the lower-nits display should still be good enough for most conditions.