DJI Mavic 3 Cine vs Inspire 2: Which drone suits pro creators best?

DJI Mavic 3 Cine vs Inspire 2
(Image credit: Adam Juniper / Digital Camera World)

In this DJI Mavic 3 Cine v Inspire 2 comparison, we take a look at the bewildering choice that faces high-end video creators and help decide whether the newer Mavic 3 (with its long-awaited firmware update) is the right drone choice, or whether you’ll need to go big with the more established, but undeniably powerful, Inspire 2. 

The Mavic 3 Cine and Inspire 2, both from DJI, target professional video capture and – where most drones use microSD cards as their capture format – these offer the opportunity to record to faster SSD memory which, in turn, makes possible the use of Raw and ProRes video (which is less compressed, which is not only good for quality but quicker to edit with).

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Header Cell - Column 0 DJI Mavic 3DJI Inspire 2
Take-Off Weight899g (Cine)Max 4250g (3440g + camera)
Size347.5×283×107.7 mm424 x 424mm x 318mm
Folded size221×96.3×90.3 mm-
Diagonal span380mm605mm (excluding props)
SensorsAll-roundForward, up, downward
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Header Cell - Column 0 DJI Mavic 3DJI Inspire 2
Horizontal Speed72kph / 44.74mph72kph / 44.74mph
Ascent Speed5 m/s5 m/s
Descent Speed3 m/s3 m/s
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Header Cell - Column 0 DJI Mavic 3DJI Inspire 2 + Zenmuse X5S
Axis-3 (pitch, roll, yaw)
Tilt-135˚ to 100˚-130˚ to 40˚
Roll45˚20˚
Pan+/- 27˚ +/- 320˚
Tilt speed100˚/s180˚/s
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Header Cell - Column 0 DJI Mavic 3DJI Inspire 2
Range - FCC (USA)15km (9.3 miles)7.2km (4.3 miles)
Range - CE (UK/EU)8km (5 miles)3.5km (2.2 miles)
Phone gripN/A (screen included)iPad mini / Smartphone
Live View quality1080/60720
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Row 0 - Cell 0 Mavic 3Inspire 2 + Zenmuse X5SInspire 2 + Zenmuse X7
Resolution20 MP20.8 MP24 MP
Resolution (Tele)12 MP20.8 MP24 MP
Sensor size4/3-inch (1/2-inch for tele)4/3-inch (17.3 x 13mm)Super 35 (23.5 x 15.7 mm)
ISO Range100-6,400100-25,600100-25,600
FOV84˚ (main)72˚ (with supplied lens)Depends on lens
FormatsJPEG or DNG (Raw)JPEG or DNG (Raw)JPEG or DNG (Raw)
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Row 0 - Cell 0 Mavic 3 CineInspire 2 + Zenmuse X5SInspire 2 + Zenmuse X7
Resolutions5.1K @ 50fps 
4K @ 120fps 5.2K @ 30fps 4K @ 60fps 6K @ 30fps
Bitrate H.264 / H.265200 Mbps100 Mbpsunknown
SSD Write speed471 MB/s525 MB/s525 MB/s

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Adam Juniper
Managing Editor

With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones. 


Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 


He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones, The Smart Smart Home Handbook, 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook