DJI Phantom 4 Pro review

DJI Phantom 4 Pro is yet another drone model released by DJI, a Chinese company that is famous for their high-end and high quality drone models. Often dubbed as the iPhone of drones, DJI drone models are one of the most popular drones on the market today due to their high-end features, design, and functionality. To keep its reputation going, DJI continues to release new models quite often by improving the already great highlighted features. Today, we are going to take a look at the DJ Phantom 4 Pro drone model.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Features and Specifications

As an enhanced version of the previous model the original Phantom 4, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro has a number of big improvements. DJI has taken many of the design attributes, electronic components, and features from the original DJI Phantom 4 and put it into the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. In addition, they have also upgraded certain features and added some new features.

The most obvious new feature in the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is the new 5-direction obstacle avoidance system. Previously, the DJI Phantom 4 can only detect obstacles from the forward direction. This new version DJI Phantom 4 Pro has different sensors on its front back, left, right, and bottom. They are always scanning the drone’s surrounding and to assist to it to avoid obstacles and things like trees, buildings, and other thing that it might encounter during its flight.

Another huge improvement from the DJI Phantom 4 is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro’s camera. It uses a new hardware with 1-inch image sensor, which is four times of the size that was previously used in the original Phantom 4. This camera can shoot 4K resolution videos at up to 60 frames per second and can take images of up to 20 megapixels. Furthermore, DJI has added in the aperture control and a mechanical shutter to quality and stable pictures. Overall, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro’s new camera is better, bigger, and more customizable.

For an extra USD 300, you can also get the Phantom 4 Pro Plus controller with a built-in touchscreen display. So, you do not have to connect your smartphone to the controller using a cable and you do not have to worry about smartphone’s battery life. You can also avoid from getting interrupted with incoming calls and messages.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Build Quality and Design

With a design that is nearly identical to the original DJI Phantom 4, DJI Phantom 4 Pro has the same hull shape except for the small differences where DJI places the new sensors. As a result, it is as strong and sturdy as the previous model. DJI has done an impressive job of being able to equip this new DJI Phantom 4 Pro with new features and yet maintaining the same shape.

However, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is not as portable as the DJI Mavic Pro if you are looking for a portable solution. Unlike DJI Mavic Pro, you cannot fold the arms of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and you cannot take off the landing gear because DJI did not design the DJI Phantom 4 Pro with a portability in mind although it is still small enough for you to put inside your backpack if it is necessary.

Battery Life and Recharge Time

Under optimal conditions, DJI claims that the DJI Phantom 4 Pro can last on the air for at least up to 30 minutes but this is based on optimal and ideal conditions. Unfortunately, the real world conditions are not always ideal or optimal.

Based on some of the tests by other reviewers, they claimed that their DJI Phantom 4 Pro lasted for around 28 minutes and 8 seconds on air before the battery life becomes critically low on optimal conditions. Hence, this is not very far off from the time claimed by DJI.

Under more demanding conditions, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro still averaged around 26 minutes and 50 seconds of flight time. Although you cannot expect to get the full 30 minutes on the air, the drone’s endurance is excellent and it is one of the best that these reviewers have seen.

For the battery recharge times, it will take around 1 hour and 30 minutes to get the battery up to 100% from a nearly empty battery of 10 percent remaining. In most cases, you will get your drone down before it reaches critically low battery levels so a routine recharge should only take around 15 minutes or less. This is a remarkable feat by DJI because other drones such as the Yuneec Typhoon H requires more than 2 hours to charge up its battery.

Flight Performance

Similar to the DJI Phantom 4, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro offers almost the same flight specifications in terms of agility and speed. Fortunately, this is not a disappointment because DJI Phantom 4, its previous model, is still considered as one of the most nimble quadcopters available on the market.

In terms of speed, both the DJI Phantom 4 and the Pro version can reach up to 45 miles per hour or 72 kilometres per hour. You can also reach higher speeds provided if there is a good tailwind behind you. While it may not be the fastest drone available on the market as there are some models that can go up to 55 or even 60 miles per hour, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro’s speed is sufficient for most of the users.

The key different here is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro can fly up to 31 miles per hour with full multi-directional obstacle avoidance unlike its predecessor, the DJI Phantom 4. This is important because it is during these high speeds that you need obstacle avoidance the most. Therefore, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro can fly at decent speeds while dodging and weaving through obstacles on its own with minimal controls.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Automony

In addition to bringing the standard autonomous flight modes from the original DJI Phantom 4, DJI also uses some of DJI Mavic Pro’s features and added a few new extra features.

The original DJI Phantom allows you to set the drone to orbit a point in space by using the Point of Interest Mode, to repeat the same flights along a pre-set path by using the Waypoints, to follow your movements by using the Follow Me mode, and to adjust how it responds to your joystick control by using the Course Lock and Home Lock. These features are also added to the DJI Phantom 4 Pro along with a couple of new features such as Terrain Follow, Tripod Mode, and a new range of Active Track abilities.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Range

The range of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro is also significantly better than the original DJI Phantom 4. Similar to the DJI Mavic Pro, DJI equips the DJI Phantom 4 Pro with the new OcuSync video transmission technology and this stretches the maximum range of the drone and provides a live high definition video feed from the camera from a distance of up to 4.3 miles away. Nevertheless, this range is also possible under the most optimal conditions.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Camera

If there is any reason for you to buy the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, it is the camera. DJI has put some serious effort into improving the DJI Phantom 4 Pro’s camera image capture system. As a result, DJI Phantom 4 Pro still has one of the best cameras equipped on a quadcopter.