P3P or 3DR Solo? What's the main difference?

nickyb · Sep 24, 2015

Hi,

Am about to buy a P3P as I think its a great piece of hardware for all the right reasons. However I've noticed the new Solo from 3DR which looks also an interesting bit of kit.

I already have a GoPro 4 with 4K so could use that, although I understand the gimbal for the Solo is extra.

3DR keep touting its the most advanced SMART drone on the market. Personally I like the P3P as its backed up by DJI vast customer base etc..

What is the main difference do members think?

swoopair · Sep 24, 2015

3DR = 800m distance
P3P = 2000m distance

There's way more to compare, but that was the seller for me initially.

nickyb · Sep 24, 2015

swoopair said:
3DR = 800m distance
P3P = 2000m distance

There's way more to compare, but that was the seller for me initially.

Wow...a no brainer then, P3P it is. Thanks.

atki · Sep 24, 2015

P3 actually can get 7kms+ in the right conditions, try achieving multiple times the distance with a wifi solo.

That's just one of many reasons why p3 is superior.

StevenQX · Sep 24, 2015

P3 is a great flying camera. Solo is a toy

sdharris · Sep 24, 2015

Of course everyone keeps their Phantom in line of sight anyway so the distance specs do not make much difference ;-)

But a better GPS in the Phantom 3 is a pro, and not crashing when GPS if lost is another. Better camera in the Phantom 3 although not removeable so you couldn't get the same look to your vides without work in post if using multiple cameras.

3DR including smart shots in their own software is great although third party developers are catching up now for the Phantom. The SOLO looks better though in my opinion. Also has a lot more potential with addons but I think the SOLO 2 will be released before those addons are readily available.

nickyb · Sep 24, 2015

StevenQX said:
P3 is a great flying camera. Solo is a toy

And an expensive toy, considering you need a GoPro and a Gimbal to add to the Solo's cost.

Meta4 · Sep 24, 2015

The thing 3DR did best was their marketing that made prospective customers believe they had a better product and service.
Unfortunately they haven't delivered as well as they marketed.
Apart from costing so much more, the Solo falls short in performance especially in using wifi. Lightbridge is about 1000% better than wifi and anyone that has used it would never go back to the old wifi technology.

Check our sister forum to see what owners thing of their Solos ... 3D Robotics Drone Forum

nickyb · Sep 24, 2015

Meta4 said:
The thing 3DR did best was their marketing that made prospective customers believe they had a better product and service.
Unfortunately they haven't delivered as well as they marketed.
Apart from costing so much more, the Solo falls short in performance especially in using wifi. Lightbridge is about 1000% better than wifi and anyone that has used it would never go back to the old wifi technology.

Check our sister forum to see what owners thing of their Solos ... 3D Robotics Drone Forum

Thanks, WiFi connection seems a bit backward to me for UAV connection, Light bridge seems to do the trick.

mrtibbs · Sep 24, 2015

Over on RCG there are TONs of bad feedback ...from poor control issues to limited flight with camera and gimble weight ...just not good ...reading up made my decision a easy one.

rrmccabe · Sep 24, 2015

Solo definitely has its issues but I would consider the P3 a "toy" before I would the Solo.

It should be a better product all around (except for distance). I just don't think they are capable of making it happen in a timely manner.

Their support will hands down spank DJI if you are concerned about that.

The product was over marketed and shipped before it was ready. You still cant control the camera via the app and that is probably a month away.

But the Solo is not a toy by any means. The only question in anyone's mind should be is 3DR capable of getting it right.

And yes I have owned a Solo. For now I prefer the P3

John Locke · Sep 24, 2015

nickyb said:
Thanks, WiFi connection seems a bit backward to me for UAV connection, Light bridge seems to do the trick.

Correct! WiFi is so 2014. 3DR needs to partner with Connex for video link if they ever plan to catch up with DJI.

Andrea · Sep 24, 2015

rrmccabe said:
Solo definitely has its issues but I would consider the P3 a "toy" before I would the Solo.

It should be a better product all around (except for distance). I just don't think they are capable of making it happen in a timely manner.

Their support will hands down spank DJI if you are concerned about that.

The product was over marketed and shipped before it was ready. You still cant control the camera via the app and that is probably a month away.

But the Solo is not a toy by any means. The only question in anyone's mind should be is 3DR capable of getting it right.

And yes I have owned a Solo. For now I prefer the P3

rrmccabe is very active in both forums (phantompilots and 3drpilots), he (used to) own both quads so I would trust him.

What he doesn't mention is the price point.
With the P3A being able to shoot videos at 2.7k I would go with it, saving a few money against the P3P and the SOLO (money that you will spend in an additional battery and in a case for the bird).
4k is hard stuff to deal with (for my PC, 2.7k is very hard as well).
I bet that even if I won't be crashing my quad anytime soon, in a few years I will be upgrading it with a newer one with better performances (longer battery life and interchangeable lenses, to name a few). That quad will probably have 4k... and my future PC will be able to handle it easily.

Another huge benefit of the P3 versus the SOLO is that the P3 is a very integrated device, you don't have to worry about connecting gimbal, camera and make them work: everything in the P3 works fine just out of the box.
Of course you can't use your gopro...

nickyb · Sep 24, 2015

Andrea said:
rrmccabe is very active in both forums (phantompilots and 3drpilots), he (used to) own both quads so I would trust him.

What he doesn't mention is the price point.
With the P3A being able to shoot videos at 2.7k I would go with it, saving a few money against the P3P and the SOLO (money that you will spend in an additional battery and in a case for the bird).
4k is hard stuff to deal with (for my PC, 2.7k is very hard as well).
I bet that even if I won't be crashing my quad anytime soon, in a few years I will be upgrading it with a newer one with better performances (longer battery life and interchangeable lenses, to name a few). That quad will probably have 4k... and my future PC will be able to handle it easily.

Another huge benefit of the P3 versus the SOLO is that the P3 is a very integrated device, you don't have to worry about connecting gimbal, camera and make them work: everything in the P3 works fine just out of the box.
Of course you can't use your gopro...

Thanks for the detailed answer. P3 for me.

hudiaratama · Sep 24, 2015

P3P

Off course this is Phantom forum

DiluxEdition · Sep 24, 2015

Guy at the field returned his Solo to Best Buy the other day and picked up a P3.
When they asked him why he is returning the Solo, he said "It Sucks!"
The customer service person said "Wow, no1 ever said anything like that about a product before."

B- Scene Films · Sep 24, 2015

For a balanced response, you may wish to ask this question at 3DR Pilots forum to get those folks take on it as well. We have a prejudice here

Andrea · Sep 24, 2015

hudiaratama said:
P3P

Off course this is Phantom forum

True.

To be honest, when I preordered my P3A in april I was a bit concerned about flyaways and compass/IMU issues. Reading through the forums I got worried about the P3 being the wrong choice, while the SOLO seemed to be a much more promising machine.
I like the SOLO shape (it looks much better than the P3 to me), I like the open source stuff in it, I like the idea of being much more easily upgradable than the P3.
But I have the feeling that all this good stuff didn't lead the SOLO to anything good yet.
Don't get me wrong: I wish my Phantom had an open source heart. I wish I could connect it to my PC to plan proper routes with a groundstation software which is not limited to a tablet screen (by the way, my AR.Drone 2.0 could!).
But these devices are concentrated technology, and what really matters is their behavior in the sky now. What will happen in months or years simply doesn't matters, because you can be sure that in months or years technology will make another jump.
With my P3 I didn't experienced any flyaway tentative, the bird has always flown rock solid, GPS has never been an issue, warming up times are barely noticeable and RTH never failed. Lucky or not, I never had a single crash, apart from a flip-over due to my (stupid) tentative to spin down motors doing a CSC with the bird already landed.
Lightbridge is just incredible, having all the controls (perfectly working...) of the bird's camera under your finger is amazing, and the app, apart some minor glitches, is very well done.
As I read somewhere else we all are beta testers for these devices, but after 100km flown with my bird I can say that there's very little that needs to be fixed in the P3... and no reason for the P3 to envy the SOLO.