The Phantom 4 looks like an iPhone with its glossy white body, which makes sense considering Apple was the only distributor until the end of March. The Phantom 4 drone has many small changes from the Phantom 3, which is partly due to DJI hoping to alleviate some of the problems earlier versions had. The DJI mantle is one that’s difficult to live up to – such is the price of success, as people always expect the moon with every generation. The Phantom 4 takes all the expectations set by its predecessors and easily outstrips them by combining all the best features they had to offer. Can be charged from any 5V/1A mobile phone charger or USB jack on computers/Laptops.
The left stick flies forward, backward, to the left, and to the right. Once it’s powered on, give the Phantom a minute to ensure that it’s locked onto GPS satellites, and to make sure that the home point is correct. Satellite status is displayed in the DJI Go app, as is the home point. If you’re using a smartphone, you’ll see a world map as a small embedded window in the live feed.
It’s been less than a year since the release of the Phantom 3 Professional, but drone technology is advancing rapidly, and now DJI has introduced the dji mini 2 fly more combo. It’s a refinement of the Phantom 3 Professional, with a beefed-up design, improved intelligent flight options, and a new and very clever object-avoidance system. The Phantom 4 is a refinement of the Phantom 3 Professional. There are tweaks to the camera’s performance, but the major upgrades are the robust design, improved materials, and clever flight aids using new sensors. This makes the Phantom 4 a worthwhile upgrade over the Phantom 3 Professional, and an even better choice for photographers who need a sturdy piece of kit that will deliver great results.
It’s fast (up to 45 MPH fast in S-mode), responsive, and the maximum transmission range is 4.3 miles, up from 3.1 on the vanilla . This is certainly a big leap, and perhaps a bit of peace of mind for pilots, although we’re not sure how many people are really taking advantage of the full range. Nonetheless, having the increased maximum is certainly still an advantage, since range will be dramatically decreased in non-ideal transmission scenarios. The Phantom 4 landing gear is a bit wider, providing slightly more stability for landings. Its downward-facing sonar system, the Vision Positioning System, gets an upgrade, too, allowing stabilized flight up to 32 feet above the ground without the aid of a GPS signal. The motors are slightly more powerful and raised higher from the chassis.
We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Ever since DJI announced the supposed end of the Phantom series in early 2019, users felt there was a gap in the DJI lineup between the consumer-grade Mavic series and the professional-grade Inspire series. There are also noticeable changes in the Phantom 4 appearance. The unibody construction has a glossy, sophisticated look and feel.
Version 2 of theDJI dji drones Pro Plusincludes all the same great features as the original Phantom 4 Pro. It boasts several enhancements, including improved resolution for on-controller live-view streaming, enhanced connectivity, and more. Like the original, the Phantom 4 Pro Version 2 features a 3-axis-stabilized gimbal camera with a 20MP 1″ CMOS sensor capable of shooting up to 4K/60 fps video and photo bursts at up to 14 fps. It also utilizes the FlightAutonomy system, which includes dual rear-vision sensors and infrared sensing for a total of five directions of obstacle sensing and four directions of obstacle avoidance. Instead of Lightbridge, the Phantom 4 Pro Version 2 now uses Ocusync, enabling improved live video stream performance.
That being said, the Phantom 4 is great fun to fly and the video footage is just so jaw-droppingly beautiful that you’ll never tire of looking at it. Even if you don’t use it as a still photography tool, being able to explore a location from a first-person perspective without leaving your seat is simply incredible. There are several apps available which give you a broad idea of where you can and cannot fly, but judging by others’ experiences, many local authorities are still not aware of the flight restrictions. I also appreciated the fact that the most important features in the Go app are also accessible via the controller’s hardware buttons. The mapping functionality of the Phantom 4 quadcopter is also amazing.
Draw a route on the screen, and the Pro V2.0 will move in that direction while keeping its altitude locked. This allows the pilot to focus on camera control and enables more complex shots. Just tap an area on the screen and the drone will go there, using obstacle avoidance to arrive safely.