When every gram matters: How DJI made the Mini 3 Pro

DJI Mini 3 Pro, the tech giant’s newest and most powerful sub-250-gram drone, is a huge leap forward in terms of hardware and performance. As pre-orders pour in from across the globe, a DJI product manager reflects on the company’s revolutionary Mini series and discusses how the team approached the task of exceedingly high expectations to design the Mini 3 Pro.

DJI product manager Lee, who prefers not to reveal his full name, has been working on the lightweight drone series since the OG Mavic Mini of 2018. This was a time when more and more countries were in the process of defining major drone laws and weight categories.

“Ultimately, many countries adopted a weight of 250 grams as the dividing line for drones that were considered more safe,” Lee recalled. “This line gave us a clear starting point: make a drone 249 grams or lighter.”

In addition to regulatory compliance, Lee’s team was tasked to fulfill two other goals: ensure that the drone…