DJI Mic 3 Review: Wireless Microphones That Outperform All Rivals!

The DJI Mic 3 doesn’t just surpass its competitors; it leaves them in the dust. It makes you wonder what brands like Sennheiser, Rode, and Shure were doing all this time! After several weeks of testing and filming, it’s time to share our first impressions of these wireless mics, which address nearly all the shortcomings of the previous generation…

Why Are They Everywhere?

DJI only entered the wireless mic market in 2021, yet in just a few years, it has not only taken over the web but also more traditional markets (TV, broadcast…), even though the manufacturer had never really proven its expertise in audio until then.

Despite this lack of experience, DJI has managed to create a product that meets the modern needs of creators, YouTubers, and even small productions that need reliable, compact, high-performance, and practical equipment.

For example, the two mics and their receiver fit into a box… which also acts as a charger, which itself can be recharged via USB C. With an iPhone or Mac charger, you can recharge all three devices.

Another stroke of genius, the receiver easily clips onto an iPhone, a DSLR or any camera, thanks to a clever system of interchangeable tips: Lightning, USB C, jack, hot shoe… it’s compatible with 100% of cameras on the market. You can even get digital sound with some Sony bodies (requires additional accessories)

Additionally, DJI was the first to enable internal recording on the transmitters: if the connection drops or if the camera has recording issues, you don’t lose your work! With a capacity that has increased from 8GB to 32GB, you can store more than 50 hours of high-quality sound on each mic!

Everything Miniaturized!

In just a year, DJI has managed to almost magically miniaturize its mics: from 28g, they now weigh just 16g each, about the weight of two AirPods! When clipped to a collar or a shirt, this helps avoid distorting the clothing.

Logically, the box and the transport case are also more compact and can almost fit into a jeans pocket! Previously, the pouch was quite bulky and difficult to carry without a bag.

While no functionality has been lost on the onboard electronics, DJI had to remove both the integrated USB C port from each mic and the jack that allowed for a lavalier mic to be connected. However, with such reduced weight, the format is now closer to that of a Lavalier mic, although some creators are already expressing their concerns… Rest assured, the Mic 2 remains in the catalog.

Clever Features

DJI has listened to its customers by integrating some really smart features. For instance, the magnets placed behind a garment, which allowed the mic to ‘float’ on a shirt, used to escape and stick anywhere. Now, the magnet is fused with the clip, preventing any exposed magnetized surface on the mic. Nice touch!

Another neat find, the windshields are customizable, allowing you to match them with your clothing and it’s likely that additional colors will be offered. Candice even found a perfect match with her top! Next step, offering customizable cases?

About the windshields, you can leave them attached to the mics, no need to detach them to store them in the box. It’s a real time-saver on a shoot, even though you’ll see in the video, I find the Mic 3 to be much more wind-sensitive than the Mic 2, where the windshields better surrounded the capsule. For those of us who often film in the south of France, with the mistral, it’s a real disappointment!

Also, these windshields are more difficult to remove from the mics, and we often fear breaking the attachments… The same goes for the box and the transport case, which is a bit tight, forcing us to exert effort to fit the charger or to remove the cables.

Lastly, the small USB C/Lightning adapter used to escape from the receiver, especially when pushed into the iPhone’s port. Now, it will be locked, and you’ll need to press a release button to replace it. It might seem trivial, but it’s one of the new features I was most looking forward to!

Four Mics and Improved Quality

One might think that DJI would be content with slightly improved sound quality, but the manufacturer has really pushed its own limits!

You can now connect 4 mics per receiver and even 8 receivers among themselves (requiring an advanced camera system). This is really great for cross interviews or podcasts. We haven’t been able to test it, but with specific cameras or computers, you can retrieve the 4 tracks independently (quadrophony) – though it might be possible on the iPhone, but not on XLR/Jack bodies, which only have 2 tracks.

In terms of sound quality, as you’ll see in the video, I find that the Mic 3 offers greater clarity and dynamics, delivering a sound less muffled than the Mic 2, which was somewhat below a good Sennheiser AVX. Here, the voices are much clearer, better balanced, and more detailed. We also did a little comparison with a few guitar chords in the video, so feel free to take a look!

It’s new, and now possible to record in 24Bit 48Khz uncompressed directly on the receiver. Ideal for capturing music or singing, or for a small production, but be wary of the deployment platform, as YouTube and social networks apply quite aggressive compression, which makes this option almost redundant for online publication.

Speaking of sound quality, I must admit that DJI is one of the few to offer a mic that hardly ever cuts out, even at trade shows, in buildings or in the city. The robustness of the connection is impressive. You can even force the receiver into indoor or outdoor mode to adapt the frequencies. We’re really seeing here all the expertise of the drone manufacturer, adapted to sound capture.

Tone, Gain, and Noise Reduction on the Fly

The DJI mics are quite omni-directional, and tend to capture a lot of surrounding noise.

The manufacturer has integrated a noise-canceling system since the Mic 2 that focuses on the voice. While I was very excited initially, I found the degradation too pronounced for most of our productions.

With the Mic 3, you now have 2 levels of noise reduction, a very light Basic mode, and a very strong Strong mode. The former is less effective but has the merit of not too drastically destroying the voice. The latter is more aggressive but still degrades the quality too much for our uses. I much prefer the integrated AI in Final Cut Pro for post-production, but on a quick shoot or for posting directly to social networks, it can be handy in a challenging environment!

Another novelty, you can slightly modify the voices, with 3 settings:

The idea is appealing, but the result isn’t always easy to discern during a shoot. Again, I prefer to set my levels in post-production, as the degradation at the time of recording remains irreversible.

However, I am much more excited about the automatic gain. In dynamic mode, the receiver will level out changes in level, reduce peaks and saturation, and boost the gain if the voice becomes softer… It’s not perfect, but it avoids a lot of work in post-production! If you often turn your head during an interview or a shoot, it’s really effective.

For professionals or those who want the best possible quality, being able to record in 24 or 32-bit floating remains THE best option offering maximum possibilities in editing. But you will necessarily have to go through internal recording, and thus, synchronization with timecodes etc. For us, it’s a workflow too long and complex but we rejoice that DJI still offers this possibility.

Note that the increase from 8GB to 32GB of internal memory also allows for recording 56H (against 14H) on each mic! It’s incredible!

Range and Battery Life

DJI announces having increased the transmission range from about 250m to 400m, thanks to an automatic switch between 2.4 and 5Ghz frequencies.

In practice, we’ve gone from about a hundred meters to around 200m with the Mic 3. Our tests were conducted in a city park, with all the associated interferences. This remains an excellent score, even though with internal recording, you can afford to push these limits.

Regarding battery life, DJI announces 8 hours per transmitter and 10 hours per receiver. From our side, we filmed for half a day, and we’re around 50% so the contract is respected. 2 hours of shooting consume about 20% of the battery.

The case allows for charging the mics 2.5x, so you still need to think about recharging it from time to time! This function remains very handy when you’re out filming for several days. Moreover, a quick 5-minute charge offers 50 minutes of recording, which is quite helpful for the end of busy days!

Verdict: Even Better

Can you do better when you’re already the leader? DJI proves once again that in just a year, the manufacturer can halve the weight of its products while improving their features.

The DJI Mic 3 addresses all the small, annoying flaws of the Mic 2 like the slightly high weight of the transmitters, the problem of locking the USB connector, and the need to remove the windshields to charge… Not to mention the automatic gain or the improved noise reduction.