Phantom 4 vs Inspire 1

[herein2014]

I dont mean to be arrogant but it doesn't come to a price question.

But my thought comes more to best value for the money


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I agree with everyone else, if I were not flying professionally and if the Inspire Pro with the X5 hadn't come out I would have never bought the Inspire. The Inspire takes longer to set up, everything is more expensive, and the flight time is greatly reduced. Even now for real estate listings below $300K and for construction site customers I use a P3 (shh don't tell them I told you that). Also whenever I want to get some non-business related footage, the P3 is plenty good enough for me.

If I were just starting out like you are, I would get the P4, mainly because of the longer battery life and redundant IMUs and Compasses vs the P3. If money really doesn't matter to you and you don't mind waiting, then I would wait and at least compare the Inspire 2 Pro to the P4. In no cases would I get the Inspire 1 non Pro version vs the P3 or P4.

 

[Juventino]

Consider the differences, if you see the need for an Inspire where you can have dual operators. Where one person can just control the flight and the other person controls the camera. Also you can shoot videos in 360° and never get the propellers in the shot also as many have said that you can upgrade the camera further down the road. So X3 or X5 now but possibly better later on...

If you don't need the dual operators and the 360 camera, I would much rather get the Phantom 4.

 

[msinger]

Also you can shoot videos in 360° and never get the propellers in the shot also as many have said that you can upgrade the camera further down the road.

FWIW, this is extremely hard to pull off with a single operator. And, the same can be done by yawing with a single operator.

 

[John Locke]

Don't forget portability. Ever traveled on vacation with an Inspire? It's a hassle, where the Phantom is easily carried on an airplane as carry on luggage using a backpack. Same with bicycles, Phantom is easy to backpack and ride to unique unpopulated flight locations, otherwise difficult to access with Inspire.

 

[ianwood]

Phantom, great consumer drone. Inspire, great enthusiast (X3) / professional (X5) drone.

 

[Cale262]

Size and weight are the only thing that stopped me from going the Inspire route. The Phantom line is small, light, easy to manage and transport. I think you need two people to get the most out of the inspire as others have already stated.

 

[Deanster]

My observation is that people who need the Inspire are VERY VERY clear they NEED the Inspire. They know they need the 360-degree camera, or the dual-operator capability, or the X5 camera. Most of them own a P3P/A also, as a backup or for higher-risk situations

Similarly, there's a group of enthusiasts who have become frustrated with a P3, and are willing to pay for the upgrade to Inspire. They also own a P3P/A, and want the additional capability.

Unless you're in one of those groups, Inspire is a tough recommendation. I don't own one, but I don't think it's a good choice for a first 'real' drone.

So, from the P4/Inspire options you asked about, P4 seems like a no-brainer, given what you've said so far. But, from a price/performance perspective, there's another option to discuss.

I'd agree with the poster above that the current price/performance winner is the P3A. At $799, you get 2.7K/12MP video/images, Lightbridge, 20 mins flight time, etc. In effect, you get the vast majority of the P4's capabilities at 55% of the up-front cost.

Unless there's something you NEED in the P3P/P4, it's awfully tough to argue that you get your money's worth relative to the P3A, IMHO.

P4 if you just can't live with anything but the niftiest rig - it looks like a great option, but... a $700 upgrade from the P3A? That's a tough hill to climb for most users.

 

[Justgregg]

how do you know a p4 can out perform an inspire when nobody has one yet. My inspire kicks my P3p butt when it comes to stability!

 

[Curasail]

Biggest mistake l made with the P3P purchase was that it's sat in its case due to strong winds blowing 90% of the time. Going to be the same scenario with the P4 l'm sure? Purchased the Inspire 1 V2 since and happy with that especially with the Autopilot app. Horses for courses of course but l wonder how many people really fly 3 miles out and need the sport mode? The P3P is still amazing especially the camera performance if the settings are correct. The grass is always greener eh?

 

[Justgregg]

Huh...i bought a gopro hard case for 349.99

 

[ianwood]

Had the Inspire out in 25MPH winds two days ago on a shoot. It was getting pushed around but it was solid. The P3 and P4 could certainly handle it too but they wouldn't get the shot.

 

[ringolong]

This might help.
Phantom 4 or Inspire?

 

[ftolino]

I have an Inspire 1 a phantom 3 advanced Anna Phantom 4 and to be honest I Phantom 3 you'll get more flight time out of all of them maybe not the best video but it's an overall good machine. I really like the inspire and the Phantom 4 but the Phantom 3 will get longer range and it's a little easier to use my personal opinion

 

[ftolino]

And all the parts for the Phantom 3 are a lot cheaper just don't get them Phantom 3 standard that works off of Wi-Fi

 

[John Locke]

I have an Inspire 1 a phantom 3 advanced Anna Phantom 4 and to be honest I Phantom 3 you'll get more flight time out of all of them maybe not the best video but it's an overall good machine. I really like the inspire and the Phantom 4 but the Phantom 3 will get longer range and it's a little easier to use my personal opinion

Try linking your P4 craft to the Inspire RC. I've gone over 12,000' with my P3 with stock antennas on an Inspire RC, no surfer. Make sure you're using a custom channel with 4mbps bit-rate, that will improve distance considerably. When I use a windsurfer I'll expect to easily get 20,000 with the Inspire RC and P4 craft if the battery will go the distance, depending on the wind. I didn't get this kind of distance with my stock P4 RC, I was always losing control signal before video signal, and it was moderate distances of 3000 to 4000' with windsurfer.

 

[Sim597]

Love my inspire! Very stable and can fly in windier conditions than a p3. I fly both, and the inspire makes the money when the wind kicks up.

But, he's not asking about a P3 vs, and Inhave to say, Msinger makes good points in other post also, about the 360* gimbal is nice, as are the raised gear, but for hobby type fun and movies they just aren't essential and flight times ? 18minutes vs 24-25minutes, and finally, isn't the P4 faster then the inspire in sport mode? I've been blown away by the wind it can handle, the P4 that is, of course bringing it in, especially threading the needle through trees, can get pretty dicey, the P4 has a much smaller surface area, and with plenty of power to weight, so the wind thing isn't really an issue. With all that said, if I had the money, I'd love to get the next gen inspire, or a used one sooner on CL, it's not that I am not a fan.