Phantom 4 initial thoughts

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Hi, everyone I am a first time poster on this forum but I have been following and reading for quite some time now! I really excited to show you all my first impressions of the Phantom 4 in comparison to the Phantom 3 pro.

File_001.jpeg


Appearance


Right off the bat you notice that the packaging is very lovely. It comes in a gray styrofoam case that holds the phantom and all the things it comes with very nicely. This is a big step up from the Phantom 3. During the first couple weeks that I had my Phantom 3 I didn’t have a case so I used the box to carry everything around which wasn’t the greatest as far as ease of use, so it’s really nice to see that I can take the Phantom 4 right to a nearby park right away. Props to DJI for that.


File_000.jpeg



The Phantom 4 is about the same size as the Phantom 3, but with very subtle differences.

The first thing I tried to do was to fit the Phantom 4 in my Nanuk 950 case, but I instantly noticed that the landing gears for the Phantom 4 are a good size bigger than the Phantom 3s.






The Phantom 4 looks a lot sleeker than the Phantom 3. The Phantom 4 has more of a streamline appearance, compared to the Phantom 3 rigidness, this rigidness is partially due to the amount of vents that the Phantom 3 has. Which the Phantom 4 lacks.

File_002.jpeg




The biggest difference visually with the two Phantoms has to be the gimbal. The gimbal for the Phantom 4 is probably one of the best quadcopter gimbals I have ever seen.


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It feels strong and sturdy, you can’t wiggle it about like you can with the Phantom 3. If I had to come up with a single reason to why you should upgrade I personally believe that the gimbal design has to be it. The gimbal lock that it comes with is simple and easy to remove, I absolutely love it.


Speaking of easy to remove, let’s talk about the Phantom 4’s Battery.



File_004.jpeg



It by far takes 75% less effort to remove the battery of the Phantom 4, which is sad because I got my weekly workout removing the battery on the Phantom 3, so I guess I have to actually go to a gym now.


Also adding ventilation of the battery is pretty neat

File_008.jpeg







The chargers are different now, the Phantom 4 having a white charger to probably match the sleekness of the copter

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The controllers are almost identical except they switched out the matte front for a glossy front, and the bracket that holds the tablet is now made out of aluminum
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Which seems a lot stronger than what it previously was made out of. I know I always had to tighten that bracket so that my ipad wasn’t flailing about everywhere.



Flight


I immediately noticed that P mode in the Phantom 4 is a heck of a lot slower than in the Phantom 3 the controls were a bit lagging and not as responsive as in the Phantom 3. That all changes though when you toggle sport mode on though… Boy can this thing move.. On my initial flight I was able to reach 50 mph going with with a little tail wind. The controls are super sensitive when you toggle sport mode on and rightfully so too. What I found neat was the RPM readout you get at the bottom left when you turn sport mode on. Makes me feel like I’m racing something.


Collision avoidance works which is good, I actually tried it on myself and amazing I didn’t get pummeled in the face my it, so well done DJI.






Unfortunately I have to go to work, I will be back to update this thread and put some more of my thoughts on it tonight. If you have any questions please let me know!
 
Last edited:
Awesome !!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
With the shiny design, missing vents in the top side motor arms, and narrower motor arms that doesn't block as much of the down thrust, is the craft any quieter than P3P in similar scenarios, like a hover, or accelerating?
 
Can you tell us if you can still use the hard P3 case with some slight trimming?
 
With the shiny design, missing vents in the top side motor arms, and narrower motor arms that doesn't block as much of the down thrust, is the craft any quieter than P3P in similar scenarios, like a hover, or accelerating?

It's about similar in noise, it sounds different a little bit lower pitched.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
Can you tell us if you can still use the hard P3 case with some slight trimming?

Yeah you could, but to me the hassle of doing the Phantom and the batteries. I personally would just get another case.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
Thanks, this is awesome. All I care about is the video quality. I'll be waiting to hear from you and others; impressions after the honeymoon period I'd over. Have fun and congrats!!
 
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