DJI Phantom 4 – Best quadcopter of the year 2016?
After the popular Phantom 3 series, DJI finally released the latest Phantom 4 quadcopter.
The Phantom 4 hysteria started about two months earlier than the official release day announcement.
Frank Wang, the founder and CEO of Dajiang Innovation Technology (aka DJI), affirmed that the PH4 is “The sexiest drone that DJI ever designed” and hi welcome us to the era of “VISION“.
The Phantom 4, thanks to the optical sensors, is the first consumer quadcopter that can “see” around itself and can change its flight path independently. The anti-collision system helps to automatically avoid obstacles and prevent crashes.
PH4’s new “TapFly” feature allows the pilot to tap way-points in real-time on their mobile devices through the DJI GO APP (available for both iOS and Android devices).
Another awesome feature of the DJI PH4 is the “Active-Track” which allows the quadcopter to follow you as a person not just your cell phone’s signal. “ActiveTrack makes science fiction a reality. Whether you are running, driving, rafting and more, the Phantom 4 uses an advanced combination of computer vision, object recognition and machine learning to track you as you go. Circling a moving object used to only be achievable by the most seasoned of pilots, now everyone can do it with a flick of the thumb. The entire time that ActiveTrack is running obstacle avoidance is too, so it will decide whether it should continue following, avoid an obstacle or simply stop.” – Source DJI’s website.
Both flight speed and flight autonomy of this new model where improved in comparison with the previous series. According to the advertised specs, this new Phantom 4 has an increased in effective flight time of 25% compared to its predecessor the PH3 Professional.
DJI Phantom 4 highlights
- Multiple flight modes (“Position mode”, “TapFly”, “ActiveTrack”, “Sports modes” and “Altitude holds”);
- Collision avoidance;
- Automatic flight logs;
- Intelligent flight positioning (both GPS and GLONASS);
- Dual compass modules and dual Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs);
- Customizable remote controller;
- Redesigned propellers (push-and-release);
- 3 axis brushless gimbal;
- UHD camera with 4K@30fps;
- High speed recording (1080p@120fps) for slow motion videos;
- In photo mode, the camera can shoot images with 12MP in Adobe DNG RAW format;
- About 28 minutes flight time;
- Up to 5km HD real-time image transmission;
- Ultra high capacity 6000 mAh Li-Po battery;
Of course, these high-end features have its price. This new model can be ordered for $1400 from DJI’s online store here. Yes, it is about $400 more expensive than the Phantom 3 Professional.
Unlike the DJI’s previous drone family, the PH4 will be available in only one model without having a cheaper version called “Phantom 4 Standard” or something similar.
DJI Phantom 4 motto: “VISIONARY INTELLIGENCE . ELEVATED IMAGINATION“
Image credits to DJI