I'm so sick of Dji.

RCP1 · Mar 27, 2026

Hi all. Please dont get me wrong. I've been flying dji for about 10 years now and I LOVE my dji drones but I've had enough and there are not many options left to keep me flying with my P3 ADV, P4 STD and Mavic2 Zoom. There are no new flight batteries being produced by dji (as far as I know) as well as dji Assistant (I may be mistaken here).
How can dji simply piss all over it's customers like this? All they want us to do is buy a brand new drone from them. What are we to do when we cant buy a brand new flight battery?
I cant wait for the day when another company reverse engineers dji equipment and knocks dji off the top of the heap for less money and I do believe it's coming soon.

How do you guys that have spent thousands of dollars feel only to be told.... "SORRY, we cant help you with a new battery any longer" and the third party batteries wont work or will work until the first firmware update" Never mind the price and warranty of a new battery, it's sickening! "
What do you all think?
Thanks all for reading my rant.
Rob.

jaja6009 · Mar 28, 2026

There is nothing new about DJI having all products reach EOL, End of Life.
It happens with every single product and will happen with their current products.
While it does indeed suck, Autel is no different.
The Mavic 2 series has been out since 2018/19 and I was able to buy new DJI batteries for it in 2025. 6 or seven years is not too bad.
My Phantom 4R was serviced and replaced early last year under their Maintenance program right before it was canceled in the US, so it was still serviced.

Your results may vary, but I have found DJI's products to be outstanding, their service to be top notch and the lifespan of their products to be satisfactory.

RCP1 · Mar 28, 2026

The Mavic 2 series has been out since 2018/19 and I was able to buy new DJI batteries for it in 2025. 6 or seven years is not too bad.

I understand your point exactly but now what will you do when you need a new battery? New manufactures are getting closer every day to cloning dji drones. I understand that copyright issues may possibly be an issue. Please dont get me wrong, I'm a big fan of dji with exception to their battery availability.
It's 2026 and there are drones out there that can do everything but tie your shoes. Why cant someone make an even more intelligent battery that's immune to firmware updates etc: at an honest price? I will never trust my drones to an aftermarket flight battery. One lost Phantom 3 Pro was enough.
Cheers, Rob.

DoomMeister · Mar 28, 2026

All electronic consumer goods have a life cycle and reach a point where the manufacturer no longer supports the product for service, support, and consumables as it is economically infeasible to do so.

I don’t think you would have an issue with 3rd party (aftermarket) batteries that are designed to work in a drone that is in EOL status by the parent company as there will be no firmware updates for such a product.

As for DJI’s stance with support in the USA I find it hard to fault them due to the stance of our federal government making the claims they do without substantiating their claims in a public manner. The US government has shown ZERO proof in an open forum that can be fact checked by qualified non invested parties.

While in don’t own any DJI products I do own and fly another Chinese based company Yuneec. All of their customers have been left high and dry for the last two years and they’re prosumer drone users for the last 5 years. Our YuneecPilots members have been a mainstay in keeping these drones flying.

You could try Skydio, but you’ll find they have no interest in serving the prosumer market. Only making scads of money off of the US taxpayers, by outlawing the only real competition to their product for law enforcement, first responders, and businesses that are based on infrastructure inspections and agriculture.

msinger · Mar 28, 2026

RCP1 said:
What are we to do when we cant buy a brand new flight battery?

You haven't been able to find any 3rd party batteries that work?

For the Phantom 3, for example, people are selling OEM DJI batteries on eBay. That said, those batteries are rather old at this point.

captainmilehigh · Mar 28, 2026

msinger said:
You haven't been able to find any 3rd party batteries that work?

For the Phantom 3, for example, people are selling OEM DJI batteries on eBay. That said, those batteries are rather old at this point.

Agree. My P3S batteries are over 10 years old.....but with regular care they seem to be holding on for now.

My next choice would be aftermarket batteries from "Expert Power." They have good reviews and a product warranty.

Some info on 'Expert Power' drone batteries.......

ExpertPower produces
high-capacity intelligent replacement batteries for popular DJI drones, including the Mavic Pro and Phantom series. These LiPo batteries offer competitive flight times, integrated safety protections (over-charge/heat), 1-year warranties, and real-time data sync with the DJI GO 4 app. They are designed to be reliable, budget-friendly alternatives to OEM drone batteries.

Key Features of ExpertPower Drone Batteries:

Compatibility: Designed for DJI Mavic Pro, Platinum, White, and Phantom 3 and 4 series.
Intelligent Features: Built-in LED indicators show battery levels, and they support real-time data monitoring via the DJI GO 4 App.
Safety Protections: Integrated systems prevent overheating, over-charging, and short-circuiting.
Performance:
- Mavic Pro (11.4V 3830mAh): Provides up to 27 minutes of flight time.
- Phantom 3/4 (15.2V 5870mAh): Offers up to 30 minutes of flight time.
Warranty: 1-year manufacturer warranty and 30-day return policy.

Commonly Available Models:

DJI Mavic Pro Replacement: 11.4V 3830mAh Lithium Polymer (LiPo).
DJI Phantom 3/4 Series Replacement: 15.2V 5870mAh.
DJI Mavic 2 Series Replacement: 15.4V 3850mAh.

msinger · Mar 28, 2026

captainmilehigh said:
My P3S batteries are over 10 years old.....but with regular care they seem to be holding on for now

Same, but I'm not sure they still last as long when flying. The Phantoms rarely come out these days.

RCP1 · Mar 28, 2026

Thanks for the reply's all.
I'm not afraid of a 3rd party battery failing, they're only $70 but I am afraid of my $1200-$1500 drone sitting at the bottom of a lake or 300 feet in a tree.

RCP1 · Mar 28, 2026

captainmilehigh said:
Agree. My P3S batteries are over 10 years old.....but with regular care they seem to be holding on for now.

My next choice would be aftermarket batteries from "Expert Power." They have good reviews and a product warranty.

Some info on 'Expert Power' drone batteries.......

ExpertPower produces
high-capacity intelligent replacement batteries for popular DJI drones, including the Mavic Pro and Phantom series. These LiPo batteries offer competitive flight times, integrated safety protections (over-charge/heat), 1-year warranties, and real-time data sync with the DJI GO 4 app. They are designed to be reliable, budget-friendly alternatives to OEM drone batteries.

Key Features of ExpertPower Drone Batteries:

Compatibility: Designed for DJI Mavic Pro, Platinum, White, and Phantom 3 and 4 series.

Intelligent Features: Built-in LED indicators show battery levels, and they support real-time data monitoring via the DJI GO 4 App.

Safety Protections: Integrated systems prevent overheating, over-charging, and short-circuiting.

Performance:

Mavic Pro (11.4V 3830mAh): Provides up to 27 minutes of flight time.

Phantom 3/4 (15.2V 5870mAh): Offers up to 30 minutes of flight time.

Warranty: 1-year manufacturer warranty and 30-day return policy.

Commonly Available Models:

DJI Mavic Pro Replacement: 11.4V 3830mAh Lithium Polymer (LiPo).

DJI Phantom 3/4 Series Replacement: 15.2V 5870mAh.

DJI Mavic 2 Series Replacement: 15.4V 3850mAh.

I'm very familiar with 3rd party batteries. One 3rd party battery cost me a $550 P3 Pro on it's second flight. I have faith in used dji batteries as long as they have low charges but more than 50 charges and I cant fly the way I prefer to. I test them in a very low, close area until I'm comfortable.

captainmilehigh · Mar 29, 2026

msinger said:
Same, but I'm not sure they still last as long when flying. The Phantoms rarely come out these days.

Yep, they do discharge a bit faster as they age.......I just pay attention to the inflight battery levels a little closer these days.

JoeShmoe · Mar 29, 2026

They are under no obligation to produce new batteries for their old products. Try to get a security update for Windows 95. Or a new engine for Corolla 200x. None available.
Best we can do is to snatch NOS batteries off ebaywhen someone closes a hobby store. Or gobble them up when DJI is dumping old stock on the market once they announce end of life for another product line.

Kitchwiz · Mar 30, 2026

My Opinion don't really matter but I do come from an electronics consumer famaliarity of how things work with consumer electronics .
It mostly stems from Focus of the technolegy . I used to frequent the Ham radio hobby and app of its components .
I used to get so pisseed off when the mfgs would discontinue a model after 5 years . It was much needed as the electronics industry grew the need grew with it. Imagine how much revenue would be lost if a mfg continued to support a product 10 years after its life expectancy. I would think it would be like maytag . It almost went broke producing parts 30 plus years on a model washer that was only supposed to last 10 years .. The focus on new brands is what makes sense .. Automakers are the same way . Autozone and advanced utilized 3rd party vendors to keep your 35 year old truck running. You think auto makers still make parts for your 35 year old truck?
Nope your lucky if it 7 years.. Same with cameras same with boats, AC units .
Buy your battery from a good reputable source and keep flying..
I just purchased 2 batteries for a P2 vision those suckers are better than the original ones..

RCP1 · Mar 30, 2026

I hear you but HAM radio will probably never go away. I was an operator for many years (N1WOX) on 10 meters and 6 meters a few tube amplifiers. It was a lot of fun. I still have boxes of QSL cards from around the globe. I let my license lapse in approximately 2006-2008 because the internet took over.
I do miss it at times but most all of my operator friends are 6 feet in the ground.
I still own my Kenwood TS440S/AT. My ICOM 6 Meter radio and a 2 meter radio.
Ham radio took a big hit when the internet got popular. Like I said previously...We need Flight Batteries but why cant a 3rd party clone a dji battery that we dont really need to worry about. Is it a copyright issue?

Tech companies can clone almost anything so why cant they clone a reliable flight battery? I'll fly my P3 ADV on a knockoff battery because it's not worth much anymore but I paid very good money for my P4's and my Mavic 2 Z. I think I paid about $1200 for my Kenwood TS440S/AT radio and that will always work as long as there's another HAM to talk to.
Thanks Kitchwiz
Rob.

Chrislaf · Mar 30, 2026

I still occasionally fly my Phantom 3 Standard which will be 10 years old in December. I keep it flying by using aftermarket batteries, mainly PowerExtra which have been reliable and solid and have long outlasted the original DJI battery. Some of the PowerExtra batteries which I have retired have almost 200 charge cycles on them. Batteries are still readily available on Amazon or Aliexpress or as others have mentioned eBay. If you shop carefully you can get replacements at reasonable prices.

I still love my P3S and keep it useful by using it for Light Painting duties.

I am amazed that it still flies just as well as it did the day I bought it and that I can still buy batteries for it if I want to. Do I expect DJI to still support such an old drone - NO!!

Chris

RCP1 · Mar 30, 2026

Thank you Chris. The highest cycle dji P3 battery I own has 77 cycles on it and it's getting pretty soft so I dont trust it or use it any longer. I'll try the PowerExtra batteries and I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks so much!
Rob.

Chrislaf · Mar 30, 2026

If you order from Amazon you can always return them if they are shipped by them. I did get one that I had to send back to get replaced.

Chris

RCP1 · Mar 30, 2026

Chrislaf said:
If you order from Amazon you can always return them if they are shipped by them. I did get one that I had to send back to get replaced.

Chris

Thanks Chris but as I posted above "I'm not afraid of a 3rd party battery failing, they're only $70 but I am afraid of my $1200-$2500 drone sitting at the bottom of a lake or 300 feet in a tree.

"

Peter the 1 · May 17, 2026

Morning. Bit of a late comment but I bought 3 aftermarket batteries, for my Phantom 4 pro, off Aliexpress about 1 1/2 yes ago and they are still going strong. Never had any issues since new. With regards to firmware updates for old drones, I don't do them as I don't think that they make any difference on a 10yr old drone. I still have one original DJI battery which is still hanging in there but the aftermarket ones work just as well.
I've attached a screenshot of the Aliexpress seller. They sell all sorts of aftermarket DJI batteries.
As I said, the batteries that I got from them work fine but as usual, if you buy aftermarket batteries, always proceed with caution until they have proven to be reliable.