DJI has unveiled a new version of its popular high-end consumer Mavic drone. It's called the Mavic 3 Classic and brings a lot of the important features from the Mavic 3 but in a more affordable package, and you don't lose as much as you might assume you would. 

The DJI Mavic 3 Classic is available in a few configurations from today. You can get the drone only (with no controller) for £1309/$1469/€1499, or you can buy it with either the display-less remote controller for £1399/$1749/€1599 or with the 5.5-inch display-equipped controller for £1529/$2049/€1749. 

That's a considerable price cut on the original Mavic 3 which starts at £1729 in the UK, or $2049 in the US. 

The camera is still based an a 4:3 20-megapixel Hasselblad sensor capable of recording video up to 5.1K/50fps, or 4K/60fps with 12-bit RAW photographs or 10-bit D-Log video capabilities. 

Like its predecessor, the colour processing is done using Hasselblad's 'Natural Colour Solution' which aims to deliver dynamic colours that are also accurate to what you see with your eye. 

There's no telephoto zoom lens on this version however, but you do still get a very powerful and capable drone with lots of built in smarts. 

mavic 3 classic photo 1

Its flight and obstacled avoidance is powered by DJI's APAS 5.0 system which can not only avoid obstacles like trees and buildings, but plans a route around them. Plus, its return-to-home feature scans the surroundings before plotting its path back to its starting point. 

This feature is enabled by the drone's all-direction eight sensor system in combination with its GPS navigation. 

Other specs include up to 46 minutes of flight time from a full battery, and the O3+ transmission system which can transmit 1080/60fps video from drone to controller from up to 15km away. Plus, with Wi-Fi 6 onboard, you can transfer files from drone to phone at speeds up to 80MB/s. 

The DJI Mavic 3 Classic goes on sale today, with a Fly More kit available as an additional extra which gives you additional batteries, properller blades, a charger and a carrying bag for £599/$639/€529.