Up to date Could 2026
Contents
In case your Mini 2 works, save your cash. The Mini 3 Plus is the one improve price paying for, and provided that voice or picture messaging in an SOS issues to you.
After spending a whole bunch of hours on the path with each of those, they each do the core inReach performance like SOS and monitoring completely high quality. The benefit of the Mini 3 is that the brand new touchscreen makes it simpler to make use of, and the voice messages on the Mini 3 Plus are a characteristic I’ve been utilizing increasingly in on a regular basis messaging.
Video
Right here’s a video of me testing these two units facet by facet so you may see the distinction.
What Modified
The Mini 3 redesign improves usability whereas preserving the core inReach performance intact. The largest change is the touchscreen and up to date interface, which makes typing messages and navigating menus sooner. The Mini 3 additionally provides a shade show, primary basemaps, a siren, and voice instructions. For emergency communication and occasional messages, the expertise is similar to the Mini 2.
| Function | Mini 2 | Mini 3 | Mini 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core inReach (SOS, messaging, monitoring) | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Touchscreen | No | Sure | Sure |
| Emergency Siren | No | Sure | Sure |
| Primary Navigation (waypoints, programs) | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Basemap Web page | No | Sure | Sure |
| Colour Display screen | No | Sure | Sure |
| Voice Instructions | No | Sure | Sure |
| Multi-GNSS | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Multi-Band GNSS | No | Sure | Sure |
| Ship Photographs | No | No | Sure |
| Ship Voice Notes | No | No | Sure |
Battery
The Mini 3 and Mini 3 Plus use a bigger 1800 mAh battery versus the Mini 2’s 1250 mAh. On paper that appears important, however in actual path use the distinction isn’t dramatic. The Mini 2 already has wonderful battery for day hikes and multi-day journeys. The larger battery on the Mini 3 principally offsets the upper energy draw from the brand new display and Certus satellite tv for pc system on the Plus. Finish consequence: battery life between units feels pretty related.
| Gadget | Official Battery (10-min inReach monitoring) |
|---|---|
| Mini 2 | As much as 336 hours |
| Mini 3 | As much as 350 hours (~14.5 days) |
| Mini 3 Plus | As much as 350 hours (~14.5 days) |
GPS
The Mini 2 already will get a strong GPS repair by way of multi-GNSS. The Mini 3 and Mini 3 Plus add multi-band GNSS, which helps in canyons, dense forest, and steep terrain. In follow the distinction is modest: barely sooner place fixes, identical general expertise.
The onboard maps on the Mini 3 are primary, so all three units nonetheless operate primarily as backup navigation instruments. The chipset improve helps positioning for monitoring and messaging, not main route-finding.
| Function | Mini 2 | Mini 3 | Mini 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-GNSS | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Multi-Band | No | Sure | Sure |
| GPS Repair Pace | Good | Higher | Higher |
| Navigation Use | Backup solely | Backup solely | Backup solely |
Messaging
That is the place the Mini 3 Plus really adjustments what an inReach can do. The usual Mini 3 nonetheless makes use of Iridium Quick Burst Information (SBD), identical because the Mini 2, so the messaging expertise between these two is equivalent. The Mini 3 Plus switches to Iridium Certus, a higher-bandwidth connection that helps picture messages and 30-second voice notes. These value greater than commonplace texts.
Day after day, I don’t ship photographs a lot. Voice notes are extra helpful: file a message, the recipient will get each the audio and a transcript. In an SOS scenario, with the ability to describe an harm or ship a photograph of terrain might make an actual distinction.
| Function | Mini 2 | Mini 3 | Mini 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Messaging Protocol | SBD | SBD | Iridium Certus IMT |
| Two-Means Textual content | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Picture Messaging | No | No | Sure |
| Voice Notes | No | No | Sure |
| Efficiency Underneath Tree Cowl | Good | Higher | Greatest |
| Emergency Comms | Textual content solely | Textual content solely | Textual content, picture, voice |
Dimension
The Mini 3 and Mini 3 Plus are barely bigger and heavier than the Mini 2, as a result of bigger battery and touchscreen. In follow the distinction is sufficiently small that almost all hikers gained’t discover it on a shoulder strap or pack clip. When you’re counting grams, the Mini 2 remains to be the lightest possibility.
| Spec | Mini 2 | Mini 3 | Mini 3 Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 100 g (3.5 oz) | 125 g (4.42 oz) | 125 g (4.42 oz) |
| Dimensions | 2.04 x 3.90 x 1.03 in | 2.17 x 3.90 x 1.06 in | 2.17 x 3.90 x 1.06 in |
Mini 1
Numerous hikers are nonetheless on the unique inReach Mini. The core performance is unchanged: SOS, two-way messaging, presets, and monitoring all work the identical. What you miss are the usability upgrades: no multi-GNSS, no multi-band, no touchscreen, and the older interface. When you primarily carry an inReach for emergencies and occasional messages, the Mini 1 nonetheless does the job. If the battery is fading, substitute kits can be found and might prolong its life with out upgrading.
