As is now mandatory for DJI launches, the DJI Mini 3 Pro has appeared in another huge leak that seemingly reveals everything about the incoming drone – and it's shaping up to be my ideal flying camera.
Just two days after a huge photo leak revealed the Mini 2 successor's design from every angle, the Dutch retailer TopRC accidentally published a listing (now removed) for the drone, which spills the beans on all of its specs and features.
The listing is pretty much a roll call of all the things I want in a drone, with the exception of its rumored price tag. My four main issues with the DJI Mini 2 are its lack of obstacle avoidance sensors, absence of ActiveTrack subject-tracking, its slightly small sensor and the limited battery life.
The Mini 3 Pro will, according to the listing, fix all of those things, while somehow keeping the drone under the 8.8 ounce / 250g limit which means you won't need to register it in many countries (even if I will need to do that here in the UK).
Eyes in the sky
So what's new? The leak says that the drone will have tri-directional obstacle detection (that's forwards, backwards and downwards), which will be a big bonus, particularly for amateur fliers like me. I've had some pretty close shaves with branches and water with the Mini 3 Pro's predecessors, so those built-in smarts will be invaluable – particularly as it's likely to be a pricey drone that I'd rather didn't get clotheslined by a tree.
A lack of obstacle avoidance is also one of the reasons why the Mini series has traditionally lacked subject-tracking powers, outside third-party apps like Litchi. But those will apparently also come baked in with FocusTrack, a mode that'll include ActiveTrack 4.0 (for following subjects at a consistent distance), Spotlight 2.0 and Point of Interest 3.0 (for circling around larger focal points). Together, these should make the Mini 3 Pro a powerful tool for people who, like me, are more interested in shooting polished visuals than becoming a master pilot.
There's also the promise of improved image quality. According to the leaked listing, the Mini 3 Pro will have a 1/1.3in CMOS sensor with HDR powers and dual native ISO. The latter will effectively give the drone's sensor a second native sensitivity level at a higher ISO – combine that with the lens' bright f/1.7 aperture, and it should be far more usable in low light.
Elsewhere, it seems the Mini 3 Pro will very much be a compact version of the aging Mavic Air 2. It'll apparently have a 4K/60p video mode (up from 4K/30p on the Mini 2), which should be handy for creating half-speed clips, and there's also apparently a 48MP raw mode. I'll be keen to try out the latter though, as the Mavic Air 2's similar mode was quite disappointing, producing washed-out, desaturated images.
According to the listing, we'll also get a few minutes of extra flight time compared to the DJI Mini 2 (up to 34 minutes, from 31 minutes), plus the promise of even longer battery life from a mysterious new Intelligent Flight Battery Plus. That's expected to produce an impressive 47-minute flight time, albeit with some extra weight that'll push the drone over the 8.8 ounce / 250g mark.
Delays and doubts
So is the Mini 3 Pro a sure-fire hit? It's certainly piqued my interest, as someone who likes to travel light. This is one of the main reasons why I mainly use Fujifilm's X-series system, whose camera bodies and lenses tend to be lighter and less bulky than full-frame and ideal for the things I like to shoot (mainly street and landscapes).
With similar dimensions to my XF55-200mm lens, the Mini 3 Pro could slot neatly into my existing camera bag for trips to the great outdoors, with the only question being which controller to get with it. Given my commitment to lighter loads, the DJI RC-N1 (which hosts your phone) is likely more sensible than the new, leaked DJI RC controller and its built-in screen.
But there are still a few doubts surrounding DJI's next drone. Firstly, according to the reliable @DealsDrone , DJI may have delayed the Mini 3's release date to May, later than the previously expected April. It's not yet clear why this might be the case, but if it's related to the current lockdowns in China, then further delays and stock shortages certainly seem possible.
Then there's the drone's pricing. This latest leak had the Mini 3 Pro (with RC-N1 controller) listed for €829, which works out at around $789 / £749 / AU$1,399. If that's accurate, then it'll be a significant leap from the DJI Mini 2 ($449 / £419 / AU$749). That means the bean-counting part of my brain will start to wonder if it'll be better to wait for Mini 2 discounts during Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday .
The final question mark surrounding the Mini 3 Pro, for those in Europe, is its expected lack of 'CE Class' labeling. Some new European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) drone regulations are due to come into force on January 1 2024 (a year later than previously planned), which will leave drones launched prior to then in a slight limbo. It'll still be possible to fly these drones from 2024 and beyond, but they won't have the EASA's new category labels – and that creates some doubt about which category drones like the Mini 3 Pro will be permitted to fly in.
Still, despite all of these potential issues, I can't see them being complete deal-breakers for me. While I would prefer the DJI Air 2S ' 1-inch sensor for still photography, the size and rumored features of the Mini 3 Pro make it, on paper, my ideal drone. Naturally, I'll wait until we've fully tested the drone before making any rash decisions, but the main question for me now is more when I'll be able to buy it, rather than if.
Pixel Watch leak suggests Google is going in a drastically different direction to Apple
We've been hearing rumors about the Google Pixel Watch since before the average Fortnite player was born, and every so often interest in it sprouts for a brief moment of time - that's happening again in early 2022, as people seem to think it's launching soon.
This is especially the case because someone left a smartwatch in a restaurant, and photos of it made their way to Android Central . While I'm taking this with a big pinch of salt, due to some discrepancies in the story and the fact that this might be a prototype or similar, it's got lots of people excited for the debut Google wearable.
The pictures roughly line up with renders that we've been seeing for ages now, which makes it more likely that these images are legit, but they reinforce an idea those renders gave us: the Pixel 6 could be a very fragile and dainty watch.
Look at that image: it's a minimalist - some may say 'chic' - watch with sleek curved sides and no bezel to speak of. It bears more than a passing resemblance to the Zepp E smartwatch from 2020, which was good to look at but I did worry that a strong gust of wind could break it.
The pictures also show both a crown and a side button, which admittedly gives it more design elements than the Zepp - but it's still an understated device.
Between the renders and photos, it now seems pretty certain that this is the direction Google is moving in with the Pixel Watch. I can't help but wonder why, especially with Apple seemingly going the other way.
A rugged Apple Watch
There have been quite a few reports now that suggest Apple is working on a rugged - or durable - Apple Watch, perhaps to accompany the Apple Watch 8 , but more likely coming later.
We first heard this in mid-2021 , but later information painted a clearer picture of what to expect: apparently this rugged Apple Watch will be designed for extreme sports. Knowing what Apple's home state of California is like, Tim Cook is probably already testing it in the surf, up the mountains, in canyons, or somewhere even more dangerous - Dan Flashes .
Rugged tech is a growing trend - we've seen loads of rugged smartphones , and even some smartwatches that are designed for heavy outdoor use. A great example is the Honor Watch GS Pro - it has a hardy design, a really long-lasting battery life, and modes that help you in the outdoors, like a GPS tracking mode that navigates you back to your expedition start point.
It's likely Apple is looking in this direction, though I don't imagine it'll go all the way - 'long-lasting battery life' and 'Apple Watch' are two phrases that don't belong in the same sentence, for example. But it wouldn't be a total surprise to see an Apple Watch with tools designed for outdoorsy people.
A feature high on our 'rugged Apple Watch' wishlist would be a physical bezel because this design feature can be fantastic for protecting watches from scratches and bumps that'd otherwise scratch the display.
Previously, Apple Watches haven't had much of a physical bezel, and it doesn't sound like the Google Pixel Watch will, either. And in both those cases, flimsy and dainty smartwatches are becoming more and more of a problem.
The problem with design over functionality
Where I live in the UK, we're going through a cost of living crisis, making luxuries like gadgets less necessary compared to things like rent, food, and quirky shirts from charity shops (that's thrift stores, if you're in the US). So, the devices that do go on sale, really need to justify their existence and their purchase.
That means they need to last a long time. I don't want to buy a phone only for it to break after a single drop, or to only last a year or two of use before I need to buy a new one.
No, hardy smartphones are super important because they last us years and years without us having to buy a replacement. And that's why a rugged Apple Watch would be super useful for active people and the 'couch-inclined' alike - it'll keep ticking for longer.
But not only that - a recent Google Pixel Watch price leak points to it being incredibly expensive, likely on par with the Apple Watch 7 . If you're paying a lot of money, you want your watch to have loads of useful features - and judging by our time with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (which runs the same Wear OS 3 software the Pixel Watch will), and looking at the images mentioned above, I'm not sure the Pixel has a particular edge.
Obviously time might prove us wrong, but there's nothing about these pictures that really seems to justify the high price tag. Looking nice isn't justification enough. I want useful features and tools.
And I don't count 'showing you notifications' and 'counting your steps' as useful features. Not only are they so commonplace on wearable gadgets that they barely register to me anymore, but I'd argue that these features aren't actually that useful to the vast majority of people. Does having your wrist, instead of your pocket, buzz really save you that much time?
And sure, fitness tracking is useful - except bespoke fitness trackers are far more affordable, and running watches are better for the task. Plus, I've learnt to enjoy workouts more when I ditch my smartwatch .
Honestly, I really understand why smartwatches aren't on everyone's wrists yet (at least, via my own anecdotal experience) - for my needs, they don't have a real selling-point feature right now.
Even though I didn't take the Honor Watch GS Pro on a six-month mountain-trekking expedition to uncharted lands when I tested it, I still found lots of its rugged features useful in my day-to-day life, and hopefully, if Apple makes a hardy Apple Watch, it'll be the same.
That is to say, a rugged Apple Watch makes sense in 2022, as long as it doesn't have a ludicrous price. I want long-lasting tech with loads of useful features and a rugged watch would do just that. But a flimsy generic-looking Wear OS watch? It doesn't exactly spark joy.
Doctor Strange 2 TV spot teases major ties to a Marvel TV show
A new TV spot for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness contains a major call back to Loki's first season.
The 30-second long promotional video for the upcoming Marvel movie , which you can see in the tweet below, may not appear to tease anything major upon first viewing. However, in a blink and you'll miss it moment at the 0:10 second mark, it's revealed that The Living Tribunal will make an appearance – albeit as an Easter egg or a very brief cameo – in Doctor Strange 2 .
Diehard Marvel fans will know that this isn't the first time we've seen the Living Tribunal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Eagle eyed viewers spotted a Living Tribunal Easter egg in Loki season 1 on Disney Plus , with the head of a Living Tribunal statue seen littering The Void's landscape in episode 5 of the Marvel Phase 4 TV show.
Doctor Strange 2, though, should be the first time that we see a live-action iteration of the Living Tribunal, although there's no guarantee it'll play a major role in the film's plot.
It's unsurprising that the Living Tribunal features in some capacity in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The Sorcerer Supreme's second solo movie has been written by Michael Waldron, who was also chief scribe on Loki's first season. It seems, then, that Waldron has a certain affinity for the judgmental cosmic being.
This isn't the first time that the Living Tribunal has been referenced in the MCU. In 2016's Doctor Strange, Chiwetel Ejiofor's Karl Mordo wields a weapon called the Staff of the Living Tribunal. Meanwhile, the all-seeing multiversal being was initially supposed to appear in Avengers: Endgame, but its appearance was cut from the film's final version.
For more MCU-based content, check out our definitive ranking of every Marvel movie to date . Alternatively, find out when Moon Knight episode 5 will be available to stream on Disney Plus.
Analysis: who is the Living Tribunal?
While the biggest Marvel fans will be well aware of who the Living Tribunal is, more easy-going comic book or MCU fans might not.
So, who – or, rather, what – is the Living Tribunal? In short, the Living Tribunal is a cosmic humanoid entity that oversees every universe in the Marvel comic multiverse. It serves a judge, jury, and executioner for every reality and dimension in order to maintain balance and prevent branching timelines (see Avengers: Endgame and Loki) or the merging of various realities (see Spider-Man: No Way Home ).
In the comics, the Living Tribunal has the power to destroy a single planet if it deems that inhabited world to be a threat to that planet's own universe and the wider multiverse. The Living Tribunal tried to enact such a judgement on earth in Marvel comics, but Doctor Strange was able to convince it against doing so.
The Living Tribunal is most notable for its three-sided head, with each of its faces representing a different facet of its personality. The front facing head, which represents Equity, is usually the one that does all the talking. The partially shrouded face on the right represents Necessity, while the completely covered face on the left presents Revenge/Vengeance. All three heads must agree on a case before the Living Tribunal can step in and potentially take action against a planet, star, or a living creature.
If the Living Tribunal makes more than a passing appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it may be the most powerful entity we'll have seen in the MCU so far. According to a 1992 Marvel comic issue involving Adam Warlock, the Living Tribunal's powers are virtually limitless, and it has the power to stop the Infinity Stones from being used simultaneously. You can see why it would've been a useful ally in the battle against Thanos in Infinity War and Endgame.
Speaking about the Living Tribunal's Endgame that was eventually removed (per ComicBookom ), Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely revealed how it would've factored into the film's final act.
"[Producer Kevin Feige] wanted to make sure we didn't lose the sort of psychedelic aspect of the 'Starlin-verse,' where people travel inside their eyeballs and things like that. And so we stuck the Living Tribunal in the movie," Markus said at Comic-Con 2019.
"So as Thanos and Doctor Strange came to blows, Doctor Strange blew Thanos' mind and sent him through the mindscape. The idea was that [Thanos is] sort of zipping through the universe, being presented with all of his many, many crimes. So bodies are being thrown at him, he lands and things turn into bodies, hands are grasping at him, and it's just really kind of grim. And at the end he gets dumped in front of the Living Tribunal, who judges him guilty."
Given how Doctor Strange 2 will explore the multiverse (and the ramifications of tampering with it), a proper introduction for the Living Tribunal would make a lot of sense. Still, we don't expect it'll make more than a very brief cameo appearance. Although, with the sheer number of surprise characters who may appear in the superhero flick , we may be pleasantly surprised.