Phantom 3 SE vs Xiaomi Mi drone 4K:entry-level drone at war

DJI has just released a somewhat brand new drone called the Phantom 3 SE, while the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K will go on sale at March 3. Many people maybe not sure which one to go with, we’ve decided to do a comparison of features and specs.

MAXIMUM SPEED

The Phantom 3 SE has a claimed top speed of 57 km/h, while the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K can fly up to 57.6km/h.

Winner: Xiaomi Mi drone 4K

MAX FLIGHT TIME

The DJI Phantom 3 SE can fly for 25 minutes, and the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K can fly for up to 26 minutes.

Winner: Xiaomi Mi drone 4K

MAX DISTANCE

Both of them have claimed a max distance of 4km.

Winner: Tie

CAMERA

Both the DJI Phantom 3 SE camera and the Xiaomi Mi drone 4K are capable of 4K video. The former is capable of shooting both JPEG and DNG photos, while the latter could shoot JPEG and RAW photos.

We won’t know how the image quality of the cameras compare until they’re pitted against one another.

Winner: Uncertain (for now)

STABILIZER

Both drones feature a gimbal for 3-axis stabilization.

Winner: Tie

INTELLIGENT FLIGHT MODES

The Phantom 3 SE will return to you at the press of a button.Built-in GPS records your Phantom’s takeoff point and remember it as you fly. Then at your command, or if the control signal is ever lost, your Phantom comes back to you instantly.

There are also the drone-standard features you would expect, including takeoff, landing, return to home and point of interest functionality.

Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K has an auto-pilot feature included along with the easy to use flight controls. It has automatic takeoff and is also capable of landing and returning to you with just a simple command from the handheld controls.

Winner: Uncertain (for now)

PRICE

The Phantom 3 SE costs $430 while The Xiaomi Mi Drone 4K costs $460.

Winner: Phantom 3 SE

Conclusion

Both of them are entry-level drone with an afforable price. DJI is the old brand and professional, but Xiaomi drone is one of the new players in the drone industry. So consider well before buying.

 

 

 

 

The post Phantom 3 SE vs Xiaomi Mi drone 4K:entry-level drone at war appeared first on Drone Inner.

Get your Hover Camera in 2018

The commercial drone market is literally soaring right now so any new addition will attract some attention. So to the latest craze in the drone market: Zero Zero Robotics’s Hover Camera.

At a price point on the low side in this group of $599, is it a good choice for new flyers? Let’s take a look.

# “Hover Camera might be a nice product but their service sucks. Be warned, if you email them it will take them a week to respond to you. I purchased in October and in December still have not seen my order moved from “payed” in “my orders” on their website. Despite the fact they had a sale in the last two weeks before Xmas for people to buy it and have it shipped before Dec 25th (if you lived in USA or China). Meaning they decided to give priority with their stock to people who send them their money 2 weeks ago vs people who purchased almost 3 months ago, even if not in US or China it makes no sense since they know international shipments take longer. After a week of waiting for an answer to my email about it they told me mine would ship in last week of December, and guess what….not! Very bad customer service.”

# “Almost mid-January and still nothing…I have canceled my order because they keep lying to me and pretending it’s being shipped “this week” for the past 3 weeks but it actually isn’t. I have been following a few posts on their facebook page where people complain about the Hover Camera customer service and delays in delivery and it made me decide to cancel. It also seems their QA is very bad with many persons having to return the product as soon as they got it because it would only work for a few seconds then die…imagine the wait time on that. Having to return it and then wait for them to decide to repair, then ship back…maybe get it in 2018 when there would be plenty of better products out there.”

# “I have wasted my money for Hover Camera! Arrived after waited 3 long months to be delivered. When I received it, It was faulted Hover device did not work. (after battery gets charged fully, nothing wrong with batteries). When I made a claim to them, they asked me to make video to proof that is faulty. Now they recommend me to ship it back to them for customer service I have to pay for shipping to China and it’s not going to be new product.

My advice is for you all don’t buy it!”

# “I wouldn’t buy Hover Camera if I were you. I received one with a defective battery. I contacted them right after opening and they never responded to me to fix the issue they caused. I had to pay for a broken product. Waste of money.”

Scan forums or some social medias like Facebook, you could find many responses toward Hover Camera customer service like these above.

The post Get your Hover Camera in 2018 appeared first on Drone Inner.

Why I choose the yuneec Q500 as my first drone?

If you are shopping your first drone, or you are searching a drone which is easy to fly and has a noticeable camera. Then I’d like to recommend you the Yuneec Typhoon Q500, just as I choose the Typhoon Q500 as my first drone.

When we choose drones, one model rules the skies. DJI’s Phantom drone, the Phantom 4 in particular.

Though similar in size, weight, and price, the Typhoon is no Phantom knockoff. It’s not a Phantom killer, either. Both have their strengths, and which one is best for you depends largely on what you plan to do with it. The Typhoon’s camera produces excellent results, and while the drone is slower and more sluggish than others, it’s remarkably easy to pilot. It’s a drone for people nervous about trying to control a $1,200 piece of flying equipment.

The Typhoon Q500 looks a bit more aggressive than DJI’s shining happy drones, with sleeker lines and a back end that resembles the head of the space-creatures in Alien. It’s also larger than the more familiar Phantoms, and made of plastic far flimsier than I’m used to seeing. That’s partly due to the fact that the Typhoon Q500 landing gear (and gimbal) can be snapped off with no special tools and stored in a much flatter package.

Unlike DJI’s offerings, the Typhoon’s base controller ships with a built-in screen in the form of a small Android device sporting 480p resolution. On one hand, it’s nice not to have so many different parts to keep track of. But there’s no way to add a bigger, clearer screen when, for example, a new iPad mini is released (the mobile device I currently use with the Phantom 3).

The screen is bright, though flying in direct sunlight remains difficult. To be fair, that’s true of every screen I’ve ever used to fly a drone. Yuneec helpfully includes a sunshade that attaches, awkwardly, to the controller with suction cups. It doesn’t completely solve the problem, but it does help.

I found the controller familiar enough to all but eliminate a learning curve. First-timers should have an easy time with it. The Typhoon’s video and still image capture buttons are chunkier than anything I’ve used, but that makes them easier to find without looking down at your hands. The included app is intuitive enough that I never cracked the manual. The touch screen is responsive as well, which is good because some of the menus and buttons are really tiny.

The Typhoon’s flight control system is great overall, it makes flying dead simple and trumps everything I’ve used save the new controller for the Phantom 3.

If you are a green hand, Yuneec Typhoon Q500 is quite a good choice.It might take a fairly skilled pilot to take advantage of all these options and features, but at the end of it all, it’s more than worth it.

 

 

The post Why I choose the yuneec Q500 as my first drone? appeared first on Drone Inner.

The Highly Competitive Consumer Drone Market

Consumer drone technology has gained incredible popularity in the past year. Drone companies are fighting tooth and nail to create unique, intuitive and innovative drone technology that not only stand out in the market, but also more affordable. However, some have succeeded while others have been held back, whether it’s funding, lackluster sales or insufficient R&D capabilities to innovate. The ruthlessness of the competition has shown its form this past year as a surprising number of drone companies or tech companies entering the drone arena have experienced different downfalls.

Just last month, drone startup Lily Robotics announced it was shutting down. Despite its 34 million USD in pre-orders, the startup was unable to secure financing to unlock its manufacturing line. “We have been racing against a clock of ever-diminishing funds,” founders of Lily drone stated.

Forbes reported how Lily’s demise is [just] the latest high-profile blunder in the difficult drone industry. “Late last year, GoPro, which had been promising a flagship drone for more than a year, had to recall its quad-copter, Karma.”

The recall was mainly a result of battery malfunctions that had its drones losing power mid flight. Soon after, the decision to cut about 200 jobs in an attempt to reduce operating expenses was announced. CNN Money noted that this came “just weeks after GoPro posted a significant sales decline and larger-than-expected net loss for the the third quarter [of 2016].”

Layoffs have darkened even Parrot’s story, which has a more extended history of building drones. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would be laying off a third of its employees (290 employees), in its drone division. Parrot’s struggle comes hand in hand with its attempt to gain consumer market share that is currently dominated by DJI.

The Verge analyzed why companies may be crumbling under the market pressure, “It’s hard to sustain growth with expensive electronics that get purchased once for niche industries and upgraded rarely over the next two or three years.” This is especially so for companies that only hold single digit market shares, like Parrot and 3D Robotics.

3D Robotics has in fact now redirected its focus to developing software for other drone makers, like Site Scan, an aerial analytics platform. The restructuring has come after 3DR experienced less than satisfactory demand of its Solo drone.

The former chief revenue officer of 3D Robotics himself stated, “It’s just going to be inherently more difficult for a Silicon Valley based, software-focused company to compete against a vertically integrated powerhouse manufacturing company in China.” 3DR CEO puts it simply, “Drones are really really hard to do well and you can’t just buy the parts.”

The challenge for most companies competing in the consumer drone market is getting such complex products out on the shelves at a competitive price and with quick turnaround, which Chinese manufactures like DJI or Yuneec are able to do. Though consumers are interested in diverse styles of drones, consumers look for something that has all three – easy to use, safe in the air and at an affordable price point. It will be interesting to keep an eye on what’s to come as more start-ups and players emerge from the Chinese market.

The post The Highly Competitive Consumer Drone Market appeared first on Drone Inner.

DJI GO vs DJI GO 4:Which one do you use with the Mavic Pro

There are now two separate DJI apps. Which one do you use with the Mavic Pro and why? What the main differences between DJI GO vs DJI GO 4 seem to be? Confusing them right? Below are some frequently asked questions about the two apps.

Why are DJI GO and DJI GO 4.0 separate apps? Why can’t there just be one unified DJI GO app?

DJI GO 4 is specifically designed to be compatible with our newer products. By separating DJI GO 4 from DJI GO, older products won’t be adversely affected by future updates to DJI GO 4, and updates to DJI GO will focus on optimizing and improving the app’s compatibility with older products.

What products are compatible with DJI GO and DJI GO 4, respectively?

Do I need to have DJI GO and DJI GO 4 installed at the same time if I have a Phantom 3 and Phantom 4 Pro?

To use both products, you need to have DJI GO and DJI GO 4 installed on your mobile device at the same time. Please make sure to use DJI GO 4 to activate your Phantom 4 Pro or Inspire 2, rather than DJI GO.

Why does my aircraft not react after I connect to my mobile device (Android) with DJI GO and DJI GO 4 running at the same time?

Due to Android operating system limitations, the aircraft will attempt to connect to the app you opened first by default. In this case, you can clear defaults and then connect the aircraft to the app again.

What are the differences between DJI GO 4 and DJI GO?

The major difference lies in the products supported by each app. Other than some minor user interface variations, DJI GO 4 is quite similar to DJI GO.

Will DJI GO 4 replace DJI GO? Will DJI GO be updated in the future?

DJI GO 4 will not replace DJI GO. Updates will be made to both DJI GO and DJI GO 4. For example, the new Editor from DJI GO 4 will also be added to DJI GO.

Next, let’s take a look at some of the new Editor’s features.

Elaborately Create Your Own Travel Diary

Every time you complete shooting, Editor will create a movie for you to record your life and share with your friends.

Free Music in Various Styles

Up to 53 background songs are available! You can also adjust the duration of the music to make it suitable for your creation.

Simple and Convenient Timeline

An intuitive timeline allows you to view, edit and share your footage in just a few seconds! Each clip’s settings can be tweaked to perfection. What’s more, you can also use videos stored in your mobile device!

Sharing with a Single Tap

After editing your footage, share it to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with just a single tap. Or share it on DJI Skypixel, which connects aerial photographers and filmmakers from around the world.

Capture and Save Instantly

The photos and videos you captured will be automatically cached to the Album, keeping them readily accessible for you to review and edit at any time.

Save at Any Time

You can save your editing progress whenever you want, then continue editing and publish your video later.

The new editor is currently available for DJI GO 4 and will be available for DJI GO soon. Thanks for reading! If you have any editing tips of your own or feedback about the new app, feel free to share in the thread or comments.

( Source )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post DJI GO vs DJI GO 4:Which one do you use with the Mavic Pro appeared first on Drone Inner.