Drone Upgrade

[Jack Matthias]

It wise for me to upgrade to the 4 pro now or is the 5 on the horizon? Thanks

 

[LarBear360]

It wise for me to upgrade to the 4 pro now or is the 5 on the horizon? Thanks

I saw a few peeps speculate the 5 would be here in time for Christmas, but nobody really knows. I have to wonder what they can do to make it any better or advanced.

 

[msinger]

is the 5 on the horizon?

A new Phantom model is always on the horizon. Nobody knows when the next Phantom will be announced though. You'll know it's nearing when we start to see some legit photos of it leaked.

 

[GadgetGuy]

A new Phantom model is always on the horizon. Nobody knows when the next Phantom will be announced though. You'll know it's nearing when we start to see some legit photos of it leaked.

One thing is for sure. Whenever it is announced, it will be at least 6 months to a year before all the P5 bugs and manufacturing defects are worked out. If you need anything reliable in the next year, the P4P is finally pretty mature at this time, almost a year after it's initial release. At least you will know what you are really getting. My advice from 5 years experience as a DJI customer, stay away from any newly released ver 1.0.0 of all DJI products. The early adopters are the real beta testers.

 

[Meta4]

One thing is for sure. Whenever it is announced, it will be at least 6 months to a year before all the P5 bugs and manufacturing defects are worked out. If you need anything reliable in the next year, the P4P is finally pretty mature at this time, almost a year after it's initial release. At least you will know what you are really getting. My advice from 5 years experience as a DJI customer, stay away from any newly released ver 1.0.0 of all DJI products. The early adopters are the real beta testers.

The P4pro didn't have any major issues, or even minor ones that I'm aware of.
DJI seemed to have got that one right.
I bought one as soon as they were released and have had no problems at all with it.
The next Phantom might be just as good ... or perhaps not?.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

The P4pro didn't have any major issues, or even minor ones that I'm aware of.
DJI seemed to have got that one right.
I bought one as soon as they were released and have had no problems at all with it.
The next Phantom might be just as good ... or perhaps not?.

I agree, the P4P seems pretty stable, strong and capable.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The P4pro didn't have any major issues, or even minor ones that I'm aware of.
DJI seemed to have got that one right.
I bought one as soon as they were released and have had no problems at all with it.
The next Phantom might be just as good ... or perhaps not?.

I beg to differ. Count yourself lucky. I went through 10 P4P's over the first 4 months to find a good one, and then bought another one. Of those two, both have had to be sent in for warranty repairs at least once. Lots of problems with gimbal flips with OA off, and 4K 4096x2160 60fps video glitches which have yet to be resolved. Only by flying with OA turned on and at 4K 3840x2160 60fps will the video and gimbal issues be resolved. It took 3 months for the lousy range issues to be resolved, ultimately by flying exclusively with Auto 5.8Ghz, which is completely counterintuitive. Battery life is disappointing, too, unless OA is turned on. OA also recently failed on my one good bird, leading to a fatal drowning in saltwater. My other now has a shaky gimbal. It is the best Phantom yet, but getting a good one has been difficult. The workarounds which make it the best Phantom took 6 months to be discovered. I'm still waiting for a problem free one that endures. Fortunately, the warranty covers the issues, but it's still a PIA to go through to get them fixed. Best Buy no longer allows returns on DJI drones because of all the returns they had on the P4P. The forum is filled with issues of early purchasers having to return 3 or more P4P's to get a good one. The rest had to send theirs in for warranty replacement with DJI, only to receive a replacement with the same issue. It has been a rough road for the early adopters. I wish I had been lucky like you.

 

[John Locke]

The forum is filled with issues of early purchasers having to return 3 or more P4P's to get a good one.

I agree, the P4P has been riddled with issues, so much so that I finally created a list of things to look for to validate your new P4P, HERE. It's really important to buy from a source that allows exchanges for replacement craft within 30 days, like Amazon. B&H is OK too, but they have an odd return setup that's run by a third party. My feeling is you have about a 30% chance of having an issue when buying right when new models are released, and the more complex these drones get, the higher that percentage will get even higher............until the day DJI decides to develop an outgoing test process to weed out the problems BEFORE shipping.

I think everyone has figured out that DJI absolutely does not test production drones before they ship. There are way too many defects for obvious things that would have been rejected if they even turned on the craft and LOOKED at the camera. The crooked camera issue is a classic problem that hundreds have reported and returned their craft for replacement.

It took me 3wks to find a problem with my gimbal. It wasn't crooked, it was vibrating when the craft tipped about 25 degrees to the left. This created major jello in the video. This wasn't apparent until one day I was hovering in a wind from the left (what are the odds) and I noticed all the jello in the video, something I've never seen before. It was easily reproducible with motors off and the craft turned on, simply tilting the craft sideways in all directions and LISTEN to the gimbal, and feel it. This is something DJI could have done as an outgoing test, but so far, they don't test craft. I bought this P4P craft in May, over 6mos after release. Fortunately DJI replaced gimbal and camera, but when I got it back it was crooked! When someone suggested to do a DUAL AXIS gimbal calibration, that fixed the crooked camera. It works fine now, and best of all DJI didn't mess with my old firmware, Yay!

I waited over 6mos for the P4P to get sorted out before I bought one. I remember this forum riddled with issues on initial releases, mostly gimbal flips (still to this day that's not fixed). @Meta4 was one of the lucky ones that didn't have to deal with any of these anomalies. But even waiting 6mos to buy my P4P, I had an issue. I'm of the opinion that whether you buy when released, or 6mos later, you can have issues either way. There will be less risk if you wait 6mos, but you're still at risk, until the day DJI develops an outgoing test process, which might cost them $10/drone. We can only hope.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

If this will be your first drone, I would go so far as recommending a P3P. It’s a nice craft to learn on, and if you are not planning to take professional photographs or video, it’s a great choice. With the P4P, all the basic manual flying controls worked for me right out of the box. It took a lot of time to debug the Intilligent Flight Modes.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

I agree, the P4P has been riddled with issues, so much so that I finally created a list of things to look for to validate your new P4P, HERE. It's really important to buy from a source that allows exchanges for replacement craft within 30 days, like Amazon. B&H is OK too, but they have an odd return setup that's run by a third party. My feeling is you have about a 30% chance of having an issue when buying right when new models are released, and the more complex these drones get, the higher that percentage will get even higher............until the day DJI decides to develop an outgoing test process to weed out the problems BEFORE shipping.

I think everyone has figured out that DJI absolutely does not test production drones before they ship. There are way too many defects for obvious things that would have been rejected if they even turned on the craft and LOOKED at the camera. The crooked camera issue is a classic problem that hundreds have reported and returned their craft for replacement.

It took me 3wks to find a problem with my gimbal. It wasn't crooked, it was vibrating when the craft tipped about 25 degrees to the left. This created major jello in the video. This wasn't apparent until one day I was hovering in a wind from the left (what are the odds) and I noticed all the jello in the video, something I've never seen before. It was easily reproducible with motors off and the craft turned on, simply tilting the craft sideways in all directions and LISTEN to the gimbal, and feel it. This is something DJI could have done as an outgoing test, but so far, they don't test craft. I bought this P4P craft in May, over 6mos after release. Fortunately DJI replaced gimbal and camera, but when I got it back it was crooked! When someone suggested to do a DUAL AXIS gimbal calibration, that fixed the crooked camera. It works fine now, and best of all DJI didn't mess with my old firmware, Yay!

I waited over 6mos for the P4P to get sorted out before I bought one. I remember this forum riddled with issues on initial releases, mostly gimbal flips (still to this day that's not fixed). @Meta4 was one of the lucky ones that didn't have to deal with any of these anomalies. But even waiting 6mos to buy my P4P, I had an issue. I'm of the opinion that weather you buy when released, or 6mos later, you'll have issues either way. There will be less if you wait 6mos, but you're still at risk, until the day DJI develops an outgoing test process, which might cost them $10/drone. We can only hope.

Curious about your comment that b and h used a 3rd party for returnd? How does this impact the customer.

To the OP- I picked up my NIB P4P few weeks ago so based on that the P5/MP2X will be announced any minute.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Curious about your comment that b and h used a 3rd party for returnd? How does this impact the customer.

To the OP- I picked up my NIB P4P few weeks ago so based on that the P5/MP2X will be announced any minute.

I agree. It actually is a significant benefit that B&H uses another company that specializes in drones, for any drone returns, rather than an in house camera guy. I have done three separate P4P returns through B&H. It worked flawlessly. B&H initiated the return and had me call the drone company directly to complete the return. The drone company immediately answered the phone (no 2 hour hold time like DJI!) asked a few questions about the reason for the return (manufacturing defect), provided the shipping label, and each drone was checked in and evaluated within 24 hours of receipt. In each case, my B&H refund was processed by the next day. Compare that to my DJI return of a P4P shipment that was never opened, still in the sealed China shipping box, where DJI took a week to log in the return, and a month to actually issue my refund! I highly recommend B&H over any other vendor!

 

[Jack Matthias]

I agree. It actually is a significant benefit that B&H uses another company that specializes in drones, for any drone returns, rather than an in house camera guy. I have done three separate P4P returns through B&H. It worked flawlessly. B&H initiated the return and had me call the drone company directly to complete the return. The drone company immediately answered the phone (no 2 hour hold time like DJI!) asked a few questions about the reason for the return (manufacturing defect), provided the shipping label, and each drone was checked in and evaluated within 24 hours of receipt. In each case, my B&H refund was processed by the next day. Compare that to my DJI return of a P4P shipment that was never opened, still in the sealed China shipping box, where DJI took a week to log in the return, and a month to actually issue my refund! I highly recommend B&H over any other vendor!

Does B&H price match? I have a discount for djis website.

 

[rcflyingaddict]

I agree. It actually is a significant benefit that B&H uses another company that specializes in drones, for any drone returns, rather than an in house camera guy. I have done three separate P4P returns through B&H. It worked flawlessly. B&H initiated the return and had me call the drone company directly to complete the return. The drone company immediately answered the phone (no 2 hour hold time like DJI!) asked a few questions about the reason for the return (manufacturing defect), provided the shipping label, and each drone was checked in and evaluated within 24 hours of receipt. In each case, my B&H refund was processed by the next day. Compare that to my DJI return of a P4P shipment that was never opened, still in the sealed China shipping box, where DJI took a week to log in the return, and a month to actually issue my refund! I highly recommend B&H over any other vendor!

Hm.... must be just for dji? I had a return for a non dji last week and no 3rd party -- b&h handled it directly.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hm.... must be just for dji? I had a return for a non dji last week and no 3rd party -- b&h handled it directly.

I only know about DJI drone purchases through B&H, and they were all earlier in the year. Things might have changed, or maybe they only use the drone company for drone over $1000. In any event, no one should be disparaging B&H's use of a drone company to handle their drone returns. It works flawlessly!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Does B&H price match? I have a discount for djis website.

They do, or they try to. Discounts for DJI's website won't qualify. However, they will try and match Amazon, and any other competitor. Amazon briefly had the P4P at $1321 plus tax, while B&H and everyone else was at $1499. B&H matched to $1399 without tax.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

So, how many P4P's do you suppose they have sold? Now, how many have reported problems here?
I would bet the numbers would show the problems are not as prevalent as they may seem here.

 

[GadgetGuy]

So, how many P4P's do you suppose they have sold? Now, how many have reported problems here?
I would bet the numbers would show the problems are not as prevalent as they may seem here.

I beg to differ. Just because a problem was not reported by an owner does not mean it doesn't exist for that owner. Using a WAG, I'm going to say 90% of P4P owners are unaware that their aircrafts have all these problems, because they are not using the settings that trigger them. To this day, DJI claims the video glitches in 4K 60fps have been fixed, yet I can reliably reproduce them on every P4P I have ever owned, now at 11 P4P's, if set at 4096x2160 60fps, instead of the default 3860x2160 60fps 4K. Same with the gimbal flips from making left turns at any speed over 30mph, which only happens with OA turned off, which most don't do, as OA is on by default. Many P4P owners only shoot video at 1080p because they lack a computer that can handle editing 4K video. They will never learn of the 4K video defect. Many never shoot continuous flight video that would include video glitches. Some never shoot video at all, shooting only stills, which have their own issues.

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

I beg to differ. Just because a problem was not reported by an owner does not mean it doesn't exist for that owner. Using a WAG, I'm going to say 90% of P4P owners are unaware that their aircrafts have all these problems, because they are not using the settings that trigger them. To this day, DJI claims the video glitches in 4K 60fps have been fixed, yet I can reliably reproduce them on every P4P I have ever owned, now at 11 P4P's, if set at 4096x2160 60fps, instead of the default 3860x2160 60fps 4K. Same with the gimbal flips from making left turns at any speed over 30mph, which only happens with OA turned off, which most don't do, as OA is on by default. Many P4P owners only shoot video at 1080p because they lack a computer that can handle editing 4K video. They will never learn of the 4K video defect. Many never shoot continuous flight video that would include video glitches. Some never shoot video at all, shooting only stills, which have their own issues.

I cannot imagine buying 11 of them, if they are so filled with issues.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I cannot imagine buying 11 of them, if they are so filled with issues.

Despite the issues, the P4P is still DJI's best drone. Once it became apparent what the issues were, and which could be worked around, and which could be fixed with FW updates, and which were manufacturing defects that required replacement, finding good ones became easier. They are worth the trouble. 8 of the 11 were returned for full refunds. I just bought another last week to replace one that drowned (pilot error compounded by OA failure), and am going through the checklist!

 

[Bakersfield Quad]

The deal is, this is a flying computer, basically. Having built, supported and repaired computers for the last 20+ years, I have yet to see one that had 0 issues. Windows is updating constantly, trying to stay ahead of the problems. Why would this computer be any different? Firmware and Software updates are required to keep current with the system. With time, most all bugs will be found, if you have found one, it could be worth up to $30,000 to DJI, the reward for finding these bugs could be worth someone's while if they wished to pursue it.

But, talking about failures and such, we would need more information than a person's experience with purchases. I find it hard to believe that 7 out of 10 P4Ps have problems that require replacement. If that were the case, DJI would go bankrupt in a short time. Failure rates for products are 1-2% typical industry standard.

If these craft were that bad, they would not sell. Retailers would be overwhelmed with returns, DJI would find it impossible to keep up with the repairs.

Quoting a source "Gartner expects “personal” drone unit sales — mostly for photography, where DJI is strongest so far — to grow roughly 40 percent this year to 2.8 million, while it predicts “commercial” drone sales — with uses ranging from mapping to delivery — to grow about 60 percent to 174,000 in 2017."

Using those figures, that means they sold 1.68 million drones last year, 2.8 million this year. That is nearly 4.5 million drones it just two years. If your experience was typical, then of the 2.8 million sold this year, 1.96 million are flawed. With those kinds of returns, no company could stay in business. So, until DJI releases information on failure rates, which I doubt they ever will, I don't think there is as wide spread a problem as it may seem at times and we will never know the whole story. But, if there were that many failures, they would not be in business and having such success, don't you think?