DJI Phantom 4

Are you looking for a real estate drone? Aerial real estate photography is becoming more popular all the time. In some markets, it is almost a requirement that a listing has photographs, and often video, taken from the air. Professional pilots today can earn fees starting at $200 for a 30-minute job. So what is the best drone for the job? And what do you need to know before you fly? We are here to help.
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What the heck is going on with the DJI Phantom 4? Where is the new DJI Phantom 5? And what are DJI’s plans with the DJI Mavic 2? These are questions that our readers have been asking us a lot over the last few weeks. And, after a lot of digging around and talking to a number of people close to DJI, here are the latest DJI rumors and news updates. With the exception of the Phantom 4 Pro RTK version, it is game over for the DJI Phantom 4. This news, that we reported on earlier this year, has now also been confirmed by Romeo Durscher, DJI’s Director of Public Safety Integration in this video below. We have reached out to DJI for an official statement on the Phantom 4, but have not received an answer as of yet.

For updated DJI rumors on the DJI Phantom 5 and DJI Mavic 2, see part 2, part 3 and part 4 that will come online later.

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With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considering to loosen the regulations for flying drones over people, drone parachutes have become of greater interest to many drone pilots. Recently we wrote about how Indemnis Nexus parachute met the strict safety standards. Today, we have two videos that show the ParaZero SafeAir parachute system tested by Billy Kyle and Ready Set Drone.

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The Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 has been out of stock since early November 2018. And, now, the regular Phantom 4 Pro is officially out of production, according to the official DJI website. So even though you may be able to pick one up at the retailer of your choice, you can no longer get a Phantom 4 Pro (or V2.0) from the drone maker itself. The question is why? Is it related to DJI’s fraud case? Perhaps the DJI severed the relationship with some of its suppliers? Or is it because the Phantom 5 is indeed around the corner? Obviously, we hope for the latter but this tweet about the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 may indicate differently.

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In this short but beautiful YouTube video, legendary surfer Derek Ho is almost hit by a Phantom drone as he surfs the Bonzai Pipeline. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t provide us with a lot of background information other than that it was shot with a Phantom drone as well on January 13, 2019.

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One of our readers just notified us that the DJI Inspire 2 Cinema Premium Combo is no longer available online. I have checked a number of countries around the world and it seems that it is no longer available anywhere. Even a Dutch DJI retailer lists the product as “temporarily not available.” We do not think this is an indication that an Inspire 3 is around the corner, although we sure do wish it is. However, we do wonder if this is related to the supplier issue mentioned by DJI that caused the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 to be out of stock for more than 5 weeks now.

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The Phantom 4 RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) is an enterprise version of the popular prosumer DJI Phantom 4 Pro. With a price tag of $6,500, the Phantom 4 RTK may seem expensive to the uninitiated. In reality, this system comes at a price that is about a third of the cost of existing precision drone mapping and surveying solutions. It also looks like the Phantom 4 RTK will outperform existing solutions in many ways. As a result, DJI is poised not only to dominate the drone mapping market. More importantly, the Phantom 4 RTK will accelerate the adoption of drone mapping and the growth of a disruptive technology. The Phantom 4 RTK changes everything and here are the 5 reasons why!

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Roughly two weeks ago we learned that the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 was out of stock on DJI’s official online store. This happened around the same time that the “Because Life is Big” event was announced so for a short time it seemed that a Phantom 4 replacement might be on the way. Now, we know that that wasn’t the case. Afterall DJI launched the DJI Osmo Pocket instead. But, what is the real story with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0? We asked DJI and here’s what they told us.

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At first glance, the Mavic 2 Pro (1,499) seems like the obvious successor to the Phantom 4 (also $1,499). The Mavic 2 has equivalent specifications in almost all areas, but it folds into a fraction of the size of the Phantom 4 Pro. The Mavic 2 Pro also sports 10-bit color on a Hasselblad-branded camera and several new automated flight modes among other improvements. With these upgrades it seems like the Phantom 4 is finished, right? Despite the apparent advantages of the Mavic 2 Pro, the Phantom 4 Pro still has some key features that give it an edge for some pilots. In this comparison, I dive into the specs, discuss the hidden pros and cons of each drone, and tell you which is best for specific applications.

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The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is out of stock! Yesterday, we received the invite for DJI’s ‘Because Life is Big‘ event in NYC on November 28th. Today we learn that the (soon to be replaced?) DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is out of stock. The DJI website does not provide any information on when it may be in stock again. Likely because it never will. It seems that the world’s largest drone maker is getting to introduce the long-awaited DJI Phantom 5 drone.

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DJI just released their latest firmware update for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 (v01.00.22.00). It seems to be a small update that optimizes the sensitivity of the remote controller’s right stick when adjusting camera parameters and another issue related to the restarting the remote controller and not resetting to the correct mode. Let us know if you run into any issues after this update.

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Earlier today, DJI launched the Phantom 4 RTK during the European Drone Summit in Frankfurt, Germany. Of course, regular readers of DroneDJ already knew the RTK version of the Phantom was coming. It makes sense for DJI to introduce the drone right before their own Airworks event later this month in Dallas, TX, during which we expect them to introduce the Mavic 2 Enterprise Edtion.

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A man who flew his DJI Phantom 4 in restricted airspace close Yellowknife Airport, Canada, pleaded ignorance of drone rules for the fourth time. The judge reportedly had difficulty accepting the plea bargain that was proposed by both the prosecution and the defense.

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In a series of price hikes, DJI now also increased the price on the Phantom 4 Pro/Advanced Remote Controller (Includes Display) to $749. The raise applies to both the regular controller as well as the Obsidian black one. We have contacted various sources within our network and they all tell us the same. As a result of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China, DJI was forced to increase the prices on a number of their products. The first price hike we noticed was on the Mavic 2 Fly More Kit and a number of accessories. The second on impacted the Mavic 2 Pro.

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DJI announces the End of Life for the Phantom 4 Pro/Pro+, Phantom 3 SE, Osmo, Osmo+, Osmo Mobile, Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum in a memo to retailers. The announcement comes right after the introduction of the Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro drones last week. Especially the inclusion of the Phantom 4 Pro/Pro+ is interesting as it may indicate that its successor, the Phantom 5 may not be far away.

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With the release of the new Mavic 2 Pro, DJI has single-handedly jeopardized sales of the Phantom 4 series as they introduced a new folding drone that carries a 1-inch sensor. Professional photographers and videographers gravitated towards the Phantom 4 Pro as it featured a camera with a 1-inch sensor and was easy to travel with. Now that they have included a similar camera in a much smaller drone, what’s next for DJI’s Phantom series?

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If you asked me what is the best drone on the market right now my response would be the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. Sure, there are drones like the Inspire 2 that are better equipped, but they have their own set of downfalls. The Phantom series offers the perfect blend of performance, quality, and portability at a reasonable cost which makes the Phantom 4 Pro my all-time favorite drone to use.

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Avid drone flyers often times buy their aircraft depending on the transmission system it operates on. Depending on your needs, this could be the first thing you worry about or the last. Being one of the largest drone companies, DJI uses a range of proprietary transmission systems and it’s incredibly important to know the differences between them. Let’s go over a quick summary.

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Six months after I first got my hands on the Autel Evo at CES 2018, I finally got the opportunity to fly it. It’s not because I was busy flying other drones… but it’s because Autel took that long to bring their foldable drone and Mavic Pro competitor to the market. The official launch of the Evo was last Monday, June 25th and I am going to try and look past its rocky launch because the drone itself is really impressive. Here are some of my first impressions upon getting the drone out and spending some time flying it.

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Chinese drone maker, DJI just started a series of promotions around the world to celebrate things like Father’s Day, Mid-Year and Summer. Or, instead of celebrating, what they are really are trying to do is to get rid off their old inventory ahead of any upcoming new drones. Mavic Pro 2 and Phantom 5, anyone?

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Yesterday and today two new drone videos were posted on YouTube, that show the Apple’s head offices being cleaned and prepped ahead of this year’s WWDC 2018. The first video was shot by Duncan Sinfield with the DJI Inspire 2 and the Zenmuse X7 camera and the second video was shot by Matthew Roberts, who used a Phantom 4 Pro to capture the spaceship-like building. Surprisingly it is still possible to fly your drone over Apple’s office building, in Cupertino, California, after a DJI Phantom 4 crashed on top of the roof back in February.

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