The iconic quadcopter from DJI, that needs no re-re-introduction, has remained a favorite of many drone pilots even though the competition is heating up. Here are our top ten reasons why the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 (DJI, Amazon) is the one and only drone that can do it all and should be at the top of your list as well.
As you might have seen on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter yesterday, the Chinese drone maker DJI announced that the company is “Introducing the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0,” and that the “DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is back.” This is a bit weird and confusing since the iconic quadcopter has been back in stock for some time now. As you can imagine, the announcement from DJI caused some confusion among drone enthusiasts. Is this a new version of the Phantom 4 drone? No, it’s not. This is the same old, same old. SO why did DJI make this announcement? Let’s take a closer look at what might be going on here.
As we are getting nearer to spring and hopefully better drone-flying weather, DJI has quietly lowered the price on the Mavic 2 Pro (DJI, Amazon) and Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 (DJI, Amazon). Both drones can now be bought at the official DJI online store for $1,599. That is some welcome news for sure!
Greek commercial drone pilot using a DJI Phantom 4 captured amazing footage of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Florida in the eastern Mediterranean. The photos and video footage that was captured by Kostas Klitsogiannis was used in an article and video by ABC News.
DJI released a new firmware update (v01.00.0650) for the DJI Smart Controller (DJI, Amazon), which offers a number of nice new features. However, it does not offer support for the re-released DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 (DJI, Amazon) yet, unfortunately. Hopefully, the Chinese drone maker will add that soon. Other new features include the QuickFly function which as the name implies gets you flying faster. There’s also SkyTalk that enables you to live stream from the drone to third party apps. For all the details and other features read the release below. Be sure to update your DJI SMart cOntroller with the DJI Assistant 2 and not directly through the device.
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is finally back in the official DJI online store. After months of waiting and speculation about its possible return, it is here now. At CES 2020 we saw the iconic drone on display together with some fresh marketing materials, hinting at its return.
Many drone pilots were stunned by the FAA Christmas surprise this year. Hopefully, the following news will bring back a little bit of happiness to this year’s end. Based on a listing of an official DJI reseller it seems that retailers are now restocking the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 and pre-orders are set to start January 7th, 2020.
It will be too late for Christmas, but the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 returns to the official DJI online store in the 2nd week of January, next year. Eventhough the drone will be re-introduced in 2020, it will not feature ADS-B because technically it is not a new drone.
Earlier this month, DJI started asking affiliates to review the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 (DJI, Amazon) as part of a larger review program. And there are a couple of things that stand out right away.
First of all, the name of DJI’s iconic drone is misspelled in the graphics that come straight from the DJI affiliate program: Phanton instead of Phantom. Minor detail, but still… The bigger question though, is why DJI asks affiliates to review the old* DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 when it is out of stock and has been extensively reviewed in the past. Is it because the P4P V2.0 will still make a comeback as we had been told it would in September or October?
*The DJI Phantom 4 Pro was introduced in November 2016, with the V2.0 following in May 2018.
Update: through our sources, we have heard that the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 will be making its return to the DJI online store soon. Fingers crossed!
Update 2: DJI did correct the typo a day after this article was first published on December 10, 2019.
![Monster tarpon caught with help of DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 [video]](https://viptest.dronedj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/Monster-tarpon-caught-with-help-of-DJI-Phantom-4-Pro-V2.0-video.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1600)
How’s this for a Friday afternoon video? Watch this guy catch a monster tarpon with help of a DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. Joshua Jorgensen from the well-known YouTube channel BlackTipH catches a 100-pound tarpon right from the shore with the help of a drone.
Roughly two weeks ago we wrote this piece on the status and price increases of DJI drones in the official DJI online store. As a result of the trade war tariffs, DJI increased the prices on a range of its products, including the DJI Mavic 2, DJI Care Refresh, and batteries for the Mavic and Phantom series. At the same time, the Chinese drone maker also removed all of the DJI Phantom 4 series from their official online store. However, that has now changed. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 returns to the DJI online store albeit at a higher price and unfortunately is still out of stock. The other Phantoms are still MIA.
This doesn’t really come as a surprise, although I didn’t check for it right away when I wrote yesterday’s posts about DJI raising their prices as a result of the trade tariffs taking effect. DJI has now also raised the prices on their DJI Care Refresh packages. Apple seems to be absorbing most of the tariffs so that they don’t impact consumers in the US. So why does DJI simply pass them on to us drone enthusiasts?
Today we’ve learned that DJI has updated their website. From their main site for the US market, you can still view the information of the Phantom Series. However, if you click on any of the ‘Buy Now’ buttons you get the ‘Not available in your country/region’ message from DJI.
As you might have read in our first post today, DJI has completely removed the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 (and all other Phantoms) from their official DJI online store. In that article, we mentioned that we were trying to confirm whether this meant that the iconic drone would no longer make a temporary comeback in September. We now have an answer to that urgent question.
Earlier today, we updated you on the DJI drone inventory in the official online store. Unfortunately, the price increases are not limited to only the drones. The tariffs also result in a price increase for the DJI Mavic 2 Intelligent Flight Battery and the DJI Phantom 4 Series Intelligent Flight Battery.
On a positive note, at least you can now buy batteries for your DJI Phantom 4, as they have been out of stock at the official DJI online store for a long time.
In August we reported that almost all DJI drones were out of stock on the official DJI online store. Today, we provide you with a DJI drone update. Some drones, such as the DJI Spark and DJI Phantom 4, have been removed entirely from the DJI store. Whereas other drones like the DJI Mavic 2 Pro have become available again but at significantly higher prices. What is going on here? Let’s take a closer look.
Note: be sure to check these retailers’ sites (Adorama, Amazon, B&H, BestBuy, DroneNerds, or eBay) if you’re looking for a specific model that is no longer available through DJI directly.
Update: the article now includes an official response from DJI. See below.
A lot of people want to know what the best drone is, but that is actually a very difficult question. My favorite drone is the Mavic 2 Zoom, but I wouldn’t recommend that drone to everyone. I don’t think the best drones of 2019 are here yet as Skydio and DJI have some drones in the works. There are still some excellent options out there, though.
Your purpose and budget are two hugely important factors when looking for a drone. If your goal is to have fun, then I would recommend one of the inexpensive drones on my list. If aerial photography is your focus, then the best beginner drone has been the DJI Spark, but it isn’t one I’d recommend to professional or semi-professional pilots. I’ll take a look at the entry-level competition as well as some of the higher-performing birds, like the Mavic 2 Pro.
The world’s largest drone maker, DJI, has almost no drones available at their official online store in the US. We just checked their website and put together a little overview to show that almost all DJI drones are out of stock at the official DJI online store.
Yes, you read that correctly. The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced is back in stock at the official DJI online store. After months of being out of stock, as were many of the accessories, the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced is back for now. We do not know how many are available or for how long DJI will offer them online, but if you have been waiting for the iconic quadcopter’s return with its 1-inch sensor and mechanical shutter. Well, this is your chance.
Note: we expect the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 to make its return shortly as well. The latest news is that it will be back in September.
Update: less than one hour after posting this article the Phantom 4 Advanced was out of stock again.
Yes, you read that correctly. The latest news is that the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 production is rumored to restart. The iconic quadcopter that is so popular among enthusiasts and professional or commercial drone pilots is expected to become available again mid-October. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 will only be back for a short few months until an upgraded version of the DJI Mavic 2 will come out late January 2020, which we now believe will be called the DJI Mavic 2 Pro+ and DJI Mavic 2 Zoom+.
Update: According to the latest rumors the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 production is likely to restart as early as September. Furthermore, DJI also mentions the name DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0+ on their EU Declaration of Conformity website. Might we see a slightly improved version of the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 when it makes its temporary return? We will find out soon. This article is an updated version of the article that was originally posted on July 10th, 2019.
Speak of the devil. Yesterday, I posted this article and today I receive an email from DJI informing me that the Phantom 4 Series Intelligent Flight Battery is back in stock at the official DJI online store. So if you need one, or two, or three…
Earlier this week, the Phantom 4 Series Intelligent Flight Battery was back in stock in the official DJI online store, and it sold out in a matter of hours. We don’t know how many batteries were available, or for how long they were available. But, according to members of the Drone U community, they sold out very fast. Checking the DJI store right now will show you that the Phantom 4 Series Intelligent Flight Battery is out of stock again. We wrote earlier that the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is rumored to make a temporary comeback around mid-October this year. Could the short-lived availability of the Phantom 4 battery be an early sign of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone going back into production?
Shenzhen we have a problem! Currently, professional videographers, drone mappers and serious hobbyist pilots cannot buy a new DJI Phantom 4 Pro. DJI has stopped the production and discontinued the Phantom series. See their website and listen to Romeo Durscher. At the same time, the Chinese drone maker also informed us that all new drones over 250 grams from January 2020 onwards will have ADS-B receiving capability built-in (great news!), however, this implies that we are almost certainly not going to see any new drones from DJI at all this year. This puts many drone pilots in a tough situation. May we, therefore, suggest to DJI to start up the production of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro again to carry us through to the next year.
Please vote in our poll below if you support this and let us know in the comments below how not being able to buy a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone is affecting your business or hobby right now. Thank you.
Today, the Wall Street Journal [paywall] published a piece on how ‘commercial property joins the tech revolution as spending soars’. One of the aspects of the commercial property industry is the increase in the use of drones. For instance, one of the world’s largest property developers, Hines, is using drone technology to monitor its Texas Tower project in downtown Houston several times per week.