Having reviewed dozens of drones of all shapes, sizes, and prices, I'd recently come to the conclusion that smaller, lighter, and cheaper drones were the way to go for 90 percent of consumers. But then DJI launched its new premium-priced, jumbo-size flagship consumer drone, the Mavic 4 Pro, and made me fall in love all over again. Yes, this drone is seriously impressive. But before I deep-dive the phenomenally good camera and ridiculously long range, it's important to note that the Mavic 4 Pro will not be officially available in the US. As well as ongoing issues around flight restrictions and security, a DJI spokesperson told WIRED, "Like many global companies, we have had to adjust our market strategy as local conditions and the industry environment have evolved. While we do not have a timeline for when we can introduce the product to the US market, we are closely monitoring the situation and actively exploring every possible solution."

Drones have become an important tool in a creator's bag of tricks, allowing them to capture aerial footage that elevates their videos. And nowadays, they've become more accessible as video quality and features have dramatically improved while prices have dropped. Recent budget-friendly models include DJI's Neo and Flip drones, along with the HoverAir X1 Pro lineup, all under 500. If you've got more to spend, the options are similarly plentiful with drones like the DJI Mini 4 Pro and HoverAir X1 Pro Max. And for the price of a good mirrorless camera, you can get DJI's Mavic 3 Pro that offers awesome image quality, range and other features.

The "Pro" moniker gets thrown around a lot on gadgets that are, at best, built for hobbyists with some disposable income. The original Mavic 3 was already a fantastic drone, but the newest variation packs an entire film studio into a small, flying package (and a high price to match its power). At $4,799, this drone is not cheap, but you can capture high-quality aerial shots! This is just not something that's really feasible without spending tons more. The most stark change in the Pro Cine variant of the Mavic 3 is its triple-camera array.

Last year, DJI showed what was possible in a small drone with the Mini 3 Pro by fitting tons of technology and a high-quality camera into a sub-250 gram drone. Following that up was never going to be easy, but now (after numerous leaks) it's unveiled the Mini 4 Pro with a long list of new features. Aside from one improvement, the camera is largely the same. However, it has new omnidirectional obstacle sensors that eliminate the blind spots on the Mini 3 Pro. It also comes with a new feature called ActiveTrack 360 that lets you program camera moves when tracking a subject.

Following President Joe Biden's announcement that he's running for re-election, the Republican National Committee (RNC) was primed with a new attack ad. However, new for 2023, the ad uses AI-generated imagery to create almost-realistic visions of what might happen. This includes hypothetical domestic and international incidents the RNC suggests might happen if Biden wins again: "This morning, an emboldened China invades Taiwan," a fake news announcer says. The RNC told Axios it was the first time it had used a video made entirely with AI. The ad features a faint disclaimer in the top-left corner noting the ad was "built entirely with AI imagery."

DJI has unveiled its new flagship consumer drone, the Mavic 3 Pro, with a triple-camera setup that includes a new 70mm lens designed for "powerful subject framing." It also includes a new 10-bit D-Log M color mode, improvements in the tele cameras, and ProRes capture on the Mavic 3 Pro Cine option. Like the Mavic 3, it's available in regular and Cine models, with the latter having advanced features for filmmakers like Apple ProRes capture (ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422, and ProRes 422 LT), a 1TB SSD drive and a 10Gbps lightspeed data cable. However, you'll pay a premium of nearly $1,000 to get those. The new 70mm camera has a 1/1.3-inch sensor that's the same size as on the Mini 3 Pro. Though considerably smaller than the 4/3 chip on the main Hasselblad camera, DJI says the camera is designed for a "range of different scenarios from framing intriguing buildings to cars in commercial shoots."

DJI's Mavic 3 is a useful cinematic drone, but its steep price ($1,899 as we write this) can be off-putting compared to the $1,449 of the older Mavic 2 Pro. The company thinks it has a simple solution, though: offer a trimmed-back version. DJI has introduced the Mavic 3 Classic, a new variant that drops the telephoto lens in exchange for a better $1,469 starting price (more on that later). The Classic otherwise includes the features that might draw you to the Mavic 3 in the first place. The centerpiece remains a 20-megapixel, 24mm-equivalent Hasselblad camera that can shoot 5.1K video up to 50 frames per second (4K at 60FPS) and capture 12-bit RAW photos.

When it launched last year, the DJI Mavic 3 grabbed a lot of headlines with features like a big Four Thirds sensor and a second 7X telephoto camera. But it also drew some criticism for going on sale with key features like ActiveTrack and QuickShots still not available. That meant that I and others couldn't assess those features in our early Mavic 3 reviews. And because of that, potential buyers couldn't get a full picture of the drone before paying up to $5,000 for one. Following three major firmware updates in December, January and May, all the promised functions and more are finally here. Now, I'm going to test them out using the same exact drone to see how well they work.

With every release, DJI seems to pack more features into smaller and smaller drones. The Mavic 3 that launched last year was a relatively small drone with a mirrorless camera sensor, pro video quality and more. Now, it has brought a lot of that technology to an even tinier drone, the Mini 3 Pro. At 249 grams (8.8 ounces), the Mini 3 Pro is light enough to avoid most drone regulations. But DJI has managed to fit in a sensor larger than most smartphones, and it can detect obstacles all around.

DJI may have dropped the "Pro" from the Mavic name with the third generation of its flagship drone, but make no mistake--with a brand-new, high-quality camera, two lenses, and full manual exposure control, the Mavic 3 is aimed squarely at video pros. It's a fun drone to fly, but the $2,200 price reflects the camera and lenses, not the flying capabilities. If your primary use for a drone is capturing high-quality photos and videos, this is the best drone on the market by a wide margin. Chances are you don't need footage this good, but it sure is fun and offers incredible results if you can afford it. The Mavic 3 is available in two versions: the standard model, which is what I tested, and a "Cine" version that adds more built-in storage (a 1-terabyte SSD to the standard's 8-gigabyte SSD), and support for ProRes 422 HQ video recording. The ProRes support is a big deal for video pros, and the file size of ProRes footage is the main reason for the larger SSD as well.