The Chives King: How He Earned Four Mavic 3 Drones for Free

The DJI Mavic 3 hit the market on November 5, 2021 — and let me tell you, my journey with this drone has been nothing short of eventful.

As an eager early adopter, I was convinced that the Mavic 2 Pro had held its value exceptionally well. So, without hesitation, I splurged on the RC Pro version at full price. Little did I know what lay ahead.

1. First off, the main camera of my initial unit suffered from color inaccuracies and dust issues. A replacement was in order.
2. Then came the motherboard troubles. Shockingly, even the replacement camera had foreign particles inside, obscuring half the view — something that’s hard to believe in a product of this caliber.

To make matters worse, the obstacle avoidance system failed mid-flight, later diagnosed as another motherboard glitch. In total, I ended up replacing the Mavic 3 not once, not twice, but four times — all free of charge (refer to page 7).
3. The RC Pro version took a price dive, earning me a refund of 2,000 DJI coins.

4. Firmware updates for the telephoto lens and various other improvements kept rolling in.
5. Fast forward to April 2025, when the Mavic 3 Pro made its debut. I jumped on the upgrade bandwagon, adding an extra $6,000 to snag a bare Mavic 3 Pro.

This year, fate led me to a refund of $9,988, which I promptly exchanged for a Mini 4P. Can anyone out there top my misadventures?

Looking ahead to next year, the P6 is on my radar, and whispers of the Mavic 4 Pro are already swirling. But this time around, I’m steering clear of that first-release hype.

Let me be clear: I adore the DJI brand. Please don’t mistake my frequent critiques on my homepage for anything less than constructive feedback. I genuinely hope they tighten their quality control and deliver products that match their stellar reputation. Updates? Absolutely fine. But hiding or cutting features? That’s a bridge too far.