The Osmo Pocket 3 already has good built-in microphones, which raises a fair question: is a separate wireless lav worth carrying at all? This test puts that question to a direct comparison, running an iPhone, the Pocket 3 on its own, and the DJI Mic Mini side by side, including the Mini with its noise cancelling switched on.
Watch the video above for the full listening test, then read on for the size trade-off behind the purchase, how the test was run, and where a lav earns its place.
Why 10 grams was the deciding factor
Pete bought the Mic Mini mainly for size. The Mic 2 transmitter weighs 28 g, and even at that weight it still tugs on clothing. The Mic Mini transmitter weighs just 10 g. It is tiny enough that he compares it to a key fob, and his closing reaction after handling it was that, in person, the size is what blows you away.
There is a clear trade-off, and he accepted it knowingly. The Mic Mini has no internal recording, which the Mic 2 does have. His reasoning is that if the audio printed to the camera is great, the backup recording matters less for his own footage. For commercial shoots, he would still want two sources.
How the four-way test was set up
The comparison covers four sources: the iPhone internal microphone, the Pocket 3 built-in microphones, the Mic Mini on its own, and the Mic Mini with noise cancelling switched on. Noise cancelling is turned on with a button on the transmitter, and a yellow indicator light shows when it is active.
Processing was kept honest across all four sources. A little compression and EQ was applied, and no noise reduction was applied to any source in post. That matters, because it means the differences heard in the video come from the microphones and their placement, not from cleanup work done afterwards in an editor.
Connecting the Mini to the Pocket 3 also took seconds, with no instructions needed. The route was settings, then wireless mic, then holding the link button until it turned blue, at which point the transmitter was connected and ready to record.
What the Pocket 3 mics do well, and what a lav changes
The Pocket 3 built-in microphones are genuinely good. They pick up his voice clearly and reject background noise well, so anyone using the camera on its own is not starting from a weak position. The difference is in how much of the surroundings they capture. A camera microphone records the voice and the environment around it together, because it sits at the camera, away from the person speaking.
A lav changes that relationship. The Mini offers two mounting options, a magnet and a clip, and it can sit high on the chest, close to the mouth. With the microphone that close and moving with the speaker, the voice becomes the dominant part of the recording and the room or street around it falls back. On noise cancelling, his note is a useful one: the best noise cancelling is not maximum suppression, it is keeping voice fidelity while cleaning up the background.
On the road, and at the desk
The driving segment makes the placement point in a practical way. On rough roads, with road noise present and the camera moving around, a lav isolates the voice because the audio source stays put while the camera can bang around. The microphone stays in the same position relative to the mouth, even when the shot itself is anything but steady.
The Mini system is not only for the Pocket 3, either. Pete also uses DJI wireless microphones for live streaming in OBS instead of a boom mic, preferring the clean desk setup that comes from having no boom arm in frame or over the desk. The full kit he bought, with transmitters, receiver, charging case, windscreens and a soft case, cost $240 Canadian.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the DJI Mic Mini transmitter weigh? It weighs 10 g, compared with 28 g for the Mic 2 transmitter. That difference is the main reason Pete bought it, since the lighter transmitter tugs less on clothing.
Does the Mic Mini record internally like the Mic 2? No. Internal recording is the feature given up for the smaller size. Pete’s view is that a strong recording straight to the camera covers his own footage, while commercial work still calls for two sources.
How does the Mic Mini connect to the Pocket 3? Through the Pocket 3 settings under wireless mic. Holding the link button until it turns blue connects the transmitter, and in the test the whole setup took seconds.
Was any noise reduction added in post? No. Only a little compression and EQ was used, and no noise reduction was applied to any of the four sources, so the comparison reflects the microphones themselves.
Verdict
The Pocket 3 built-in microphones hold up well, and for simple pieces to camera they remain a sensible option. The Mic Mini earns its place when voice isolation matters most: outdoors, in a moving car, or anywhere the camera cannot stay close to the person speaking. Its size is the headline, with the lack of internal recording the one compromise to weigh before buying.
For creators who already own a Mic 2 and need that backup recording, the Mini is a second, lighter option rather than an obvious replacement. For Pocket 3 owners who want cleaner, closer voice audio without adding noticeable weight to a shirt, it makes a strong case.
Anyone weighing it up against the Pocket 3 on its own can Check the DJI Mic Mini on Amazon and compare the current kit contents and pricing before deciding.