Today at the IFA show in Berlin, DJI introduced two (not entirely) new drones and the new ‘Sphere’ mode for the Spark. The new Mavic Pro Platinum offers increased flight time and reduced noise levels. The new Phantom 4 Pro comes in a new Obsidian color and has an improved gimbal.
The new Mavic Pro Platinum
This is DJI’s first improvement of the original Mavic Pro. By integrating new electronic speed controllers (ESC’s) and newly designed propellers, DJI has been able to reduce the noise levels by 4dB. This may not sound like much but DJI claims that this is an effective 60% reduction in power noise levels measured from 1 meter away. We will have to see what this means in real life situations but making any drone quieter is always a good thing. Btw – the new propellers can also be fitted on the regular Mavic Pro.
The overall flight time has also been increased by 11%. This means that you now should be able to fly the new Mavic Pro Platinum for 30 minutes.
To top it all off the new Mavic Pro Platinum comes in a new attractive platinum colored body shell.
The new Mavic Pro Platinum is available for pre-order at $1,099, with the Mavic Pro Platinum Fly More Combo at $1,399. Shipping will start in September. The Fly More Combo will ship later this year.
The ‘new’ Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian
The Phantom 4 Pro can now be had with a new color called Obsidian. A dark gun-metal-like gray that does offer a welcome variation to the iconic white Phantom we all know so well. More important than the color update is the improved gimbal. It is now a magnesium, electroplated and anti-fingerprint coated gimbal that, according to DJI, requires a higher standard manufacturing technique.
The new Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian is available for pre-order for $1,499 starting today. Shipping will start in September.
New ‘Sphere’ mode for the Spark
The Spark, (first impression here) will soon receive a new firmware update that together with the still to be released new DJI GO $ mobile app, will add the new ‘Sphere’ feature. This mode allows you to take a panorama photo and lay it out in a spherical shape to create that tiny world effect.
This new feature will be added along with the earlier announced photo and video improvements:
• A new gesture to start and stop video recording
• Enhanced QuickShot video features for more cinematic control
• A 180-degree photo shooting mode and improved photo image resolution
• Full integration with the DJI Goggles
• Optimisation of the PalmLaunch function for better stability after takeoff
• Improved control accuracy under the QuickShot Dronie mode
Note: don’t forget to download the latest version of the Spark firmware before September 1st or you will not be able to fly the Spark until you do!
[…] year. The Chinese drone manufacturer may already have hinted to this with the introduction of the Phantom 4 Obsidian late last year. An attempt to get us used to a new color scheme for DJI […]