Phantom 4 Pro - questions on aftermarket

[Brojon]

1st - I did search - honest I did. The signal to noise ratio is too low on this one.
I decided to get a P4P and of course have been reading up on it. I currently own a Mavic Pro.
I'd like to go ahead and get an extra battery or two. I notice a few aftermarket batteries but knowing that these things are "smart" and communicate with the bird I don't figure you can be too careful.
Are there any "approved" 3rd party batteries? I see these batteries on Amazon and the price point is significantly lower than dji. - but are they any good?
Recommendations on gear is always appreciated since I will be needing a case and other spares.

 

[msinger]

Are there any "approved" 3rd party batteries?

Approved... as in approved by DJI? No. Their warranty will only cover you if you're using OEM DJI batteries.

 

[Brojon]

Approved... as in approved by DJI? No. Their warranty will only cover you if you're using OEM DJI batteries.

Naw - bad choice of words for the interwebz - I meant as in "I've been using them for a year and have not had any problems" approved.

 

[msinger]

Ah. Well, start with the reviews here on Amazon. Those are real users of that product.

 

[Brojon]

Ah. Well, start with the reviews here on Amazon. Those are real users of that product.

I'm not at all convinced by most Amazon reviews - the folks on here wouldn't BE here if they didn't actually have and fly these birds.
I've just seen too much what I think of as ballot stuffing on Amazon. In fact I hear they developed some AI to filter that stuff out.

 

[msinger]

Stick around then. Maybe some non-Amazon shoppers will drop by and share their feedback.

 

[lannes]

Be careful with the battery capacity these 3rd party are only 5350mah, while the P4P can use the the genuine DJI 5870 mAh battery for extra flight time.

I would just stick with the genuine DJI 5870 mAh battery, although they are more expensive, the loss of P4P using clone batteries is more of an issue.

These are probably only useful for flying around the garden and in the house, so if you have a failure it's salvagable

 

[Brojon]

Be careful with the battery capacity these 3rd party are only 5350mah, while the P4P can use the the genuine DJI 5870 mAh battery for extra flight time.

I would just stick with the genuine DJI 5870 mAh battery, although they are more expensive, the loss of P4P is using clone batteries is more of an issue.

These are probably only useful for flying around the garden and in the house, so if you have a failure it's salvagable

Yep - they are actually same capacity as the P4 batteries.

 

[FlyingUser]

Buying aftermarket raises some questions:
what about battery failures and coverage? (DJI care*)
what about non-battery related warranty issues? (probably depends on the retailer where you bought the bird...)
what about the batteries themselves: capacity, cycle life?? Reliability of the bird-battery communications? I often use aftermarket batteries for cameras, but they don't have to stay in the air, worst case I have to swap a battery unexpectedly.

The P3 has been around for a longer time, here are some real stories here: REAL STORIES OF AFTERMARKET BATTERIES

*regarding care, two exceptions mention batteries:
10) Damage resulting from unauthorized circuit restructuring, or the use of incompatible batteries and charger. Aftermarket might be deemed incompatible...
11) Damage resulting from using under-charged or defective batteries. Meaning we don't cover our own crap either...