As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
When DJI, one of the biggest and most successful drone companies, unveiled the DJI Phantom 4 in March, most people were excited about it. This is because the Phantom 4 was considered a leap technologically from the previous Phantom 3. However, the biggest question is, is it worth the extra buck or is it an overstated product? We highlight some of the differences between the two models.
Obstacle avoidance
When it comes to obstacle avoidance, the two models have a stark difference. The Phantom 3 came with two cameras. The first camera was meant for video shooting while the other camera was for stability. However, the Phantom 4 comes with three more cameras to improve its stability and to ensure obstacle avoidance. This means that the Phantom 4 can be used even by first time drone users who may not be experts in flying as the risk of crashing is greatly diminished.
Speed and Agility
When it comes to speed and agility, the two models differ greatly. The Phantom 4 comes with an additional feature known as the sport mode. This feature lacks in the Phantom 3 model. The sport mode disables the obstacle avoidance feature which in turn increases the overalls speed to about 45mph. This makes it fly 10 mph faster than the Phantom 3 which makes it relatively more agile. This mode is bets used to shoot videos and take photos that are beneath the drone and not the ones in front.
Battery Life
The battery life in the Phantom 4 has been enhanced to provide more extra battery time than the Phantom 3. You get to enjoy 25 percent more battery time than in the Phantom 3. While this may not sound like a huge difference, it is important to note that every extra minute as far as drone flying is concerned make a whole lot of difference. In addition to that, the battery comes with extra connection pins to allow the battery charger to monitor the battery.
Subject Tracking
The Phantom 3 had a feature known as Follow Me feature that used GPS to track the user and return to the user whenever you wanted it back. However, the Phantom 4 comes with a new feature that the manufacturers call the active track feature. This allows the drone to actively follow a subject that is being recorded or shot by visually tracking the movements of the subject. With this feature, you are able to avoid the often disturbing jerking of the drone when you have to track the subject manually.
Setup
The Phantom 3 was one of the simplest drones to setup and hit the ground running. But when the Phantom 4 was introduced, it had even better qualities that made it easy to setup. For instance, the Phantom 3 required that you patiently take the time to screw the propellers in place using a screw driver. This process is usually a painstaking one and the problem was fixed with the Phantom 4 that comes with self locking, easy release nodes that make it easy to set it all up.
Reliability and redundancy
When the Phantom 3 was first introduced, it easily passed as one of the best and most reliable civilian drones in the market. This is because it has a gyro, a compass and an accelerometer. On the other hand, the Phantom 4 comes with two gyros, dual compass and two accelerometers to increase the overall stability of the drone. These sensors not only help the drone in maintaining its stability but they also give the drone the ‘brain’ to understand its flight and keep its course.
The camera
The camera of Phantom 3 was good by civilian standards because it was one of the best at the time. However, the Phantom 4 comes with an extra lens that reduces the image distortion when you are taking photos and videos. The lens also serves to increase the clarity and sharpness of the video which makes the camera superior to the Phantom 3.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.
