Should you buy the DJI Mavic 3 standard kit or Fly More Combo?

If you’ve read our DJI Mavic 3 review you’ll be in no doubt that it’s a brilliant drone that’s going to literally fly off the shelves. And when you consider that it delivers the kind of video and stills quality that we expect from a modern mirrorless camera, plus it has superb stabilisation AND it can fly, its price (GBP £1,879 / USD $2,199 / AUD $3,099) doesn’t seem unreasonable. It also came out on top in our head-to-head between the DJI Air 2S vs DJI Mavic 3 drones. 

In addition to the standard kit, DJI also offers the Fly More Combo but there’s a significant step up in the price (GBP £2,549 / USD $2,999 / AUD $4,199) that’s likely leaving you wondering if it’s really worth it. If you're after the best drone but you're concerned about spending extra on gear you might not need, we're here to let you know how the two kits compare.

• DJI Mavic 3 too rich for your tastes? Check our best cheap drone guide
• Alternatively, take a look at the best kids drones

What's in the box as standard?

When you buy the standard kit you get the drone and everything you need to get it airborne. That includes the RC-N1 Remote Controller, spare control sticks and an Intelligent Flight Battery that gives you enough juice to fly for up to 46 minutes. In reality, you’re more likely to get around 36 minutes, but that’s still a good duration for a single battery. 

The only problem is that after you’ve done all the pre-flight checks, updated the firmware (there’s always a firmware update), driven to your careful selected location, made a few more checks and set-up the drone, the flight time seems like a small proportion of the faffing about time. And in your haste to not miss the good light, there’s always a tendency to take to the air before it gets really good. So you’re always going to want at least one extra battery. 

A single Mavic 3 battery costs GBP £179 / USD $209 / AUD $289 and in the Fly More Combo you get three in total, which means that’s GBP £358 / USD $418 / AUD $578 of the difference between the standard  and Fly More Combo accounted for.

What are the benefits of the Fly More bundle?

One big bonus of the Fly More Combo is that you get a 3-way charging hub (GBP £69 / USD $89 / AUD $119 when bought separately). This allows you to connect all three batteries for charging. It charges them one at a time rather than all at the same time, but it means you don’t have to keep an eye on them to make the best use of the available time, and more significantly, you don’t have to charge them in the drone.

There's also the bag to consider. DJI has a habit of including the weirdest bags in its Fly More Combos, and the Mavic 3 is no exception. It’s a sling bag (or possibly an overgrown bumbag – that's a fanny pack to US readers) that has organisable space for storing the folded drone, spare batteries and the controller, but it also converts into a backpack that gives you extra room for stashing stuff like a jacket and a packed lunch. 

When it’s in backpack mode, the access to the spare batteries is slowed by the need to undo a couple of clips as well as open the zip, but it’s more convenient than carrying two bags. It also keeps your drone nice and safe during transport.

However, it retails for a whopping GBP £219 / USD $319 / AUD $379 by itself. Hop over to Amazon and you’ll soon find much more affordable and conventional options available.

Anything else to consider? 

DJI also includes 6 pairs of Low Noise propellers in the Fly More Combo, rather than 3 in the standard package. These would set you back GBP £19 / USD $19 / AUD $29 a pair and they’re something that you should carry just in case. Flying with a damaged propeller can result in an expensive crash.

The final main extra inclusion with the Fly More Combo is also something that you’ll need - a set of ND4/8/16/32 filters. They’re essential for keeping the shutter speed in step with the frame rate for video and sold separately, they retail for GBP £129 / USD $179 / AUD $229.

Should you buy the DJI Mavic 3 standard kit or Fly More Combo?

The DJI Mavic 3 is a serious bit of kit and if you’re serious about flying it and getting the best results possible, you need at least one spare battery, a couple of pairs of spare propellers and set of neutral density filters. If that’s all you want, then it’s cheaper to buy the standard kit and the extras separately. 

Even if you only go for two batteries, I think it’s worth buying the 3-way charger, but that still keeps the overall price way down on the Fly More Combo price.

Totting up the cost of all the items in the Fly More Combo, there’s a considerable saving over buying them individually, however, the bag is vastly overpriced and I’d be inclined to go for the standard kit plus the key extras separately, then get an alternative bag for a fraction the cost of DJI’s offering.