We have tested and reviewed so many drones, there are a few drones that didn’t make the cut this year as our top drones. Among them are the DJI Mavic Pro, GoPro Karma & DJI Phantom 3
With huge advancements in technology & portability and ever changing consumer needs, these drones easily made our list last year, they only just slipped down the league.
This is not to say they are not worthy flying machines, far from it, and that is precisely why we have entered them in our ‘honorable drones section’ along with a detailed review just for you.
GoPro Karma – The Portable Action Studio
Update: The GoPro Karma was no longer being sold due to a recall affecting the batteries on Nov 9th 2016, however it is now back on the market performing the way it was intended to.
What if Milky Way or Reese’s got into the drone business, creating a craft that could be packed with chocolate candy that would parachute into birthday parties and such? That’s kind of what GoPro did, taking its expertise and prowess with shooting action video and packing it into a drone aircraft.
DJI Mavic Pro – Extremely Portable, Dynamic & Responsive
The DJI Mavic Pro completes is one of the best all around drones to have come to market in a while and was currently the ‘must-have’ drone of the season. The killer features of the Mavic Pro are it’s extreme portability, rich controls and ease of use.
Previously, drones have been clunky and difficult to carry due to their lack of portability. You essentially needed an entire suitcase to house one and that resulted in adventurers leaving their drone behind during activities.
The DJI Mavic solves this by folding up into an incredible portable package that you can put into nearly any bag (or a giant pocket) and carry around wherever you go. I have yet to see how durable it is when it’s being throw around all day long however drones are usually built to take hits and keep on flying.
It features a great 4K resolution camera (not quite as good as the Phantom 4 but close enough), 27 minute battery life (which is really long for a drone and a 4km range. When you consider that DJI has made the easiest to fly drones due to their advanced software, there currently is no equivalent on the market. Still not convinced? Read our full DJI Mavic Pro review to learn more about the advanced features it offers, but don’t forget, there have been some major upgrades to this model such as the Mavic Air and Pro Platinum that you might prefer to check out first.
DJI Phantom 3 – Solid, Durable & Pack With Technology
The DJI Phantom 3 is now a few generations in the past, and the good news is that because of that, you can snag one at a low price, which may be falling steadily month by month. Keep in mind that within the 3 series is the Standard, for beginners, and the Pro, for serious photography.
The flight time is billed at approximately 23 minutes. The Phantom 3, currently available at $519 for the standard version and $769 for the professional is larger than most shoe boxes and weighs quite a bit. That said, it packs a powerful punch: thanks to advanced electronics and endurance, you could easily go professional in photography with this one.Here’s what we pulled from the box, besides the quaddie system:
- 1 4480 mAh lipo battery
- Charger + wall socket adapter
- 4 propellers + 4 extras
- Accessories: rubber dampers, landing cushion, spanner, screws)
- Video range extender
- iPhone clamp
- USB cable
- Manual
- Transmitter
Powered by a long lasting 4800 mAh lithium-polymer battery, this baby can remain in the air for up to 23 minutes in a single session. The new highly efficient motors in the DJI Phantom 3 produce longer flight times than previous generations.
Flight Characteristics
The DJI Phantom 3 features an even greater range of up to 3.5 km (almost 2.1 miles) if you’re flying without any obstructions. That’s much further than you should be taking it and in our tests, it didn’t quite make it out that far. Vertically speaking, don’t take the quad higher than 400 feet, even though you could: that’s the maximum allowed by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). Update: DJI has released a firmware that prevents the Phantom from flying above 400 feet which means that you won’t have to worry about breaking any laws.
Should you ever lose control, e.g. by flying too far, the drone will find its way back to you thanks to GPS-powered autonomous functionality. Full disclosure, though: there are reports out there of people losing their devices, so ensure it has proper GPS connectivity and be careful and smart about your application. (None of the other reviews will tell you this)
The “Free Vision” app you use to control your flight is highly intuitive and useful, providing you with a host of real-time flight data.
The drone’s stability is great, you get perfectly calm images from hundreds of feet above ground – in crisp, sharp hi-res quality, and the colours look amazing. More on that now…
Video Features
The Phantom 3 has many variations (standard, advanced and professional) which come with various different cameras ranging from a 12 Megapixel camera that shoots video in pristine 1080p (1920×1080) resolution, with the field of view (FOV) selectable between 90°, 120° and 140° all the way up to a beautiful 4k camera that shoots some of the best video we have ever seen. Needless to say, photos you take look equally amazing, and you can even shoot in RAW picture format!
The video streams reliably to the Free Vision app, which you can install on your Android or iOS device. Then, mount your phone on the dedicated clamp that comes with the transmitter, and you’ll have all your controls right in your hands.
Your remote control capabilities extend past the quad itself, as well: we liked that you can tilt the camera up and down right from the touch-screen interface.
Our Conclusion
The Phantom 3 is the first real consumer drone to produce movie-like video footage. You can get a pretty good deal on them right now since they released the Phantom 4 and the newer Mavics such as the Pro, Pro Platinum & Air. They are excellent drones and you’re winning either way, either in cost or performance. In addition, there is a huge community built around the DJI that will help you learn about this particular RC model when you’re ready to take off.
Unfortunately, DJI is notorious for their substandard customer service – on the other hand, the tutorials available on their website are highly helpful and we consider them invaluable. In any case: bear that in mind when you opt for this otherwise highly interesting, powerful quad.
If you’re getting the DJI Phantom 3, here are all the compatible extras and upgrades that you can get for it.
- DJI Phantom III Professional or DJI Phantom 3 Standard (Required)
- Replacement 4480mAh battery (Recommended)
- Hardshell backpack for DJI Phantom 3 (Optional)
- Propeller guard (Optional)
- Camera lens cap (Optional)
UDI 818A
This 6-axis quadcopter is a good snapshot of what the earlier drones looked like—four circles in a grid pattern. It’s a small indoor-outdoor type with good stabilization, the kind of drone you can get away with crashing.
In the higher price reviews, we find the full DJI Inspire Pro, which is designed with professionals in mind and is made for videographers. Although it’s twice (three times?) the price, it is one of the most powerful, stable and feature rich recording solutions.
So, ready to conquer the air? By now, you shouldn’t have any excuses left to keep missing out on this amazing new hobby.No matter which consumer-level drones you get, know they are called a couple of names, including RC drone, RC helicopter, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), quadricopter and the most common: quadcopter (short: quad).
Of course, we already know about autonomous drones controlled by onboard AI, as well as those controlled by a remote human pilot: they’re in widespread and growing use by military, police, firefighters or public services. In other words, they are no longer just a toy.
But that’s not all. Not by a long shot! And this is where the reviews gets interesting. Give it some time, and you’ll have the first friends using their own drones: as awesome toys and tools that make life a lot easier. Alternately, you could be the first. You could be their heli advisor when they get into drones themselves.
So what makes a good drone? For consumers, even the most basic of today’s remote controlled helicopters come with much more than just a joystick-spiked remote. From built-in HD cameras to the most precise GPS, they can provide myriad fancy features and equipment, depending pretty much only on your budget. The cost of drones can vary a lot from sub $50 for nano quads to over $3000 for the professional solutions like the DJI Inspire. Usually, the ones that cost approximately $700-1000 provide you with the best experience, however when you’re buying a drone, you’re choosing your own personal adventure.