DJI Air 2S Fly More Combo (DJI Smart Controller) $1499 + Free Shipping

The fact that the Mini 3 is the same size as the Air 2S and has a similar number of features means the weight has to be skimmed off in four places. This could make the Mini 3 less desirable.
The plastic body. I suspect the Mini 3 will feel and be much more fragile. This likely won't matter because a crash bad enough to break the Mini 3 will probably still break the Air 2S, but I wonder if there will be issues surrounding just normal handling of the Mini 3 when not flying.
Motor size - A small difference in weight but this is likely why the Mini 3 will have a much slower max speed than the Air 2S and thus significantly worse wind performance. We already know the Mini series struggles in wind, so the Mini 3 will probably be similar.
Battery - Unless DJI made some pretty interesting advancements in battery technology in the last 2 years, the batteries are likely to be similar weights so this won't make much of a difference between the Mini 3 and Air 2S. However it is possible they removed the smart battery circuitry for the Mini 3 battery meaning if you want to store your batteries you will have to discharge them manually. Not a big issue, but it might mean the Mini 3 batteries will need to be replaced sooner than the Air 2S.
Heat dissipation. I suspect this is the biggest area where the weight was shed. The Air 2S has spectacular heat dissipation capabilities. If the Mini 3 does not have a fan or heat sync this will either lead to over heating issues (like the Mini 1) or it will mean the processing power on the drone will be significantly less than the Air 2S which would be noticeable with image processing and stabilization, or on things like Active Track / POI.
All that being said the Mini 3 comes with all the same features and a pro controller for the same price as the Air 2S, it has better battery life, and it is 2 years newer so less likely to be discontinued.
TLDR I'd say it's a draw between the two drones in terms of value, so it really depends on what you need. Do you want better wind performance or better battery performance? Do you want a vertical camera, or a bigger sensor with better image processing? Do you care about being under 249g, or do the regulations where you live not matter?

It's also important to note the camera on the Air 2S, at least on paper, is much better.
The Mini 3 uses pixel binning, just like the original Air 2 which also claimed 48MP (but is only like 12MP in reality), and the 2S has significantly better picture quality, even though it's advertised as 20MP.
Now for low light. If you Google "best aperture for low light", what comes up? F/2.8. What does the Air 2S have for an aperture? F/2.8, the same as the low point for the Mavic 3.
The Air 2S is a VERY solid feeling drone that stays nice and cool. The Mini 1 and 2 have much more brittle plastic and also get MUCH hotter because of the tiny heatsink and no fans, which the 2S has.
The Air 2S is still one of their premium drones and was just given full RC Pro support while the Mini 3 has a very watered down version of the Smart Controller.
The Mini 3 is intriguing, especially with the overweight batteries you can get for longer flight, but I just can't buy a product that intentionally is made with problems just to keep the weight down. My Air 2S will be my primary until either the Mavic 3 is being phased out and goes on a huge sale, or there's a new Air with significant upgrades.

Mini 3 has same wind resistant as air2. Check the rating and YouTube reviews lol. It can hang with the big boys now with the new prop design.

I shoot mostly at beaches with a lot of wind. I sold my air2 and pre ordered mini 3

Wow, a fat 1% back. In store credit! How does DJI stay in business?

By making the best drones in the world and having almost no competition?

Skydio seems to be even better with the Skydio 2 getting great reviews and having more advanced features.