The Cost of a Phantom

[480sparky]

Well, it y'all think they're too expensive, you've found a niche market. Make a Phantom knock-off, and sell 'em like hotcakes for $299. You'll be freaking filthy rich!

 

[Meta4]

I'm just curious. Why do Phantom's cost so much. Think of what $1,000 can buy you these days in technology. And what is a Phantom, 4 motors, a circuit board w/ typical electronics (compass, gps, gyro) and a plastic shell. Just wondering what others thought.

I agree with the OP the Phantom is overpriced. For the price that DJI gets there should have been no issues with the cracks in the arms.

Anyone thinking the Phantom is expensive should have a look at the competition.
Look at Walkera or 3DR and see what you get for the $$.
They are all offering old tech wifi, good for only 5-600 metres and only offering things in the P2 range.
The P3 is still far beyond the competition.

Have a close look at what 3DR charges for the Solo. Now tell me the P3 is expensive.

 

[zrherda]

I'm just curious. Why do Phantom's cost so much. Think of what $1,000 can buy you these days in technology. And what is a Phantom, 4 motors, a circuit board w/ typical electronics (compass, gps, gyro) and a plastic shell. Just wondering what others thought.

It amazes me people feel this way about any modern technology. You have a device that can fly over a few miles while filming in amazing quality all from the comfort of your back patio and we are unimpressed. Lol the Phantom 3 is an incredible piece of machinery.

 

[Fplvert]

It amazes me people feel this way about any modern technology. You have a device that can fly over a few miles while filming in amazing quality all from the comfort of your back patio and we are unimpressed. Lol the Phantom 3 is an incredible piece of machinery.

 

[kenjancef]

Try building one from scratch... you'd be surprised at how much you spend. I have wanted to total up the amount I've spent in the past month for parts for my build, but I'm afraid to. It's probably more than I spent on my P2 Non Vision/H4-3D combo... motors, flight controller, ESC's, GPS/Compass, battery, charger, transmitter/receiver... then all the screws, nuts, connectors, solder, filament for 3D printer... I could add it up if ya want...

 

[FASTFJR]

I'm just curious. Why do Phantom's cost so much. Think of what $1,000 can buy you these days in technology. And what is a Phantom, 4 motors, a circuit board w/ typical electronics (compass, gps, gyro) and a plastic shell. Just wondering what others thought.

I think if you can make it a lot cheaper, do it and sell it

 

[dogerki]

Yeah, but you got 4 engines, (75+ in my opinion) sensors, (30+) GPS/Compass (50+) Able to connect get live stream over 2 miles away (150/200?) 30 minute flight battery (150) a camera you can control miles away (200 or 100 depends) The programming (15+ for the developers) Calibration, a controller with a lot of functions (50) blades (20+) the body (50) the motherboard (50+)
which is still around 600 dollars, because i'm way below price

 

[kenjancef]

Ok... here's the breakdown of my build...

Pixhawk flight controller - $200
(4) AX-4008D 620kV motors - $130
(4) Lumenier 30A ESC - $120
(4) 10x4.7 propellers (CW and CCW) - $15
3DR Ublox GPS/Compass - $80
Turnigy 5,000mAh battery - $50
Battery charger - $50
Turnigy 9x9 radio controller - $70
FrSky D8R-XP receiver - $30
Soldering iron/solder - $45
Filament for 3D printer - $40
Misc. hardware (screws, nuts, connectors
wires, PDB, etc.) - $60 (plus/minus)

Grand Total - $890

So I am actually closer to a P3A than anything... but this is pretty fun, and I get to learn how it all works. I'm sure I could have skimped on a few things, especially the Pixhawk, but why not just go for it... lol...

 

[kenjancef]

Quick shots of how it sits right now... waiting on the motors from China... hopefully by next week... The receiver should come in either tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

[ianwood]

Drones are going through massive price erosion and DJI leads on functionality. Functionality that cost $10,000 three years ago is $1,000 today. You can't build anything for the same price and get the same performance and ease of use.

 

[kenjancef]

Drones are going through massive price erosion and DJI leads on functionality. Functionality that cost $10,000 three years ago is $1,000 today. You can't build anything for the same price and get the same performance and ease of use.

Totally agree. Even though I'm building one, I am SO glad I have my Phantom, and I'll keep it going as long as I can. My 8-year-old son can fly my Phantom... can't get easier than that!

 

[kirk2579]

I'm just curious. Why do Phantom's cost so much. Think of what $1,000 can buy you these days in technology. And what is a Phantom, 4 motors, a circuit board w/ typical electronics (compass, gps, gyro) and a plastic shell. Just wondering what others thought.

Funny I ask the same thing about Apple products.

The difference is Phantoms are worth the money!

 

[kenjancef]

Funny I ask the same thing about Apple products.

The difference is Phantoms are worth the money!

OUCH! lol... I am by no means an Apple fanboy, but the iPhone works for me for how I use it... and so does my P2...

 

[RadRich]

He's trolling. The actual drone (props, motor, GPS, shell, etc.) are actually free. It's the camera and Tx that are the most expensive. If you need to replace any of these parts, you're better off buying a new Phantom 3 (doesn't matter which model) take what you need from it, and sell the rest. I'm sure everyone has priced these items so no need to repeat that.

It's like a car. Depending on type, you can buy one for the same price as a Phantom 3, but if you were to part that car out, you'd get far more money from each individual item.

 

[Newly]

I'm just curious. Why do Phantom's cost so much. Think of what $1,000 can buy you these days in technology. And what is a Phantom, 4 motors, a circuit board w/ typical electronics (compass, gps, gyro) and a plastic shell. Just wondering what others thought.

You have to pay to play. Try buying in Canada with a 38% premium attached because the prices are based on US dollars

 

[TMURPHY272]

I'm just curious. Why do Phantom's cost so much. Think of what $1,000 can buy you these days in technology. And what is a Phantom, 4 motors, a circuit board w/ typical electronics (compass, gps, gyro) and a plastic shell. Just wondering what others thought.

What is the best tablet to use with the Phantom Pro

 

[GadgetGuy]

Slightly off topic, but is there any place to buy a new P3P, with new motors and new shell, complete with gimbal and camera, but without the transmitter and battery? Be nice to have a backup available in case of Blackhawk Down, without needing to have to sell off the transmitter from a new purchase. However, if necessary, what's the resale value on a new, unused P3P transmitter? Must be significantly less than DJI sells them for, as everyone who crashes their new P3P , and can't afford to repair or replace it, would have one for sale!

 

[Meta4]

Slightly off topic, but is there any place to buy a new P3P, with new motors and new shell, complete with gimbal and camera, but without the transmitter and battery?

Unfortunately no. I'd love to have a spare so I can enjoy flying slightly risky areas without knowing that a problem will leave me grounded.
At DJI's price for a bare P3 + camera you're better off buying a whole new unit and almost everything on ebay is people selling off the bits after they crashed or lost their bird.

 

[Meta4]

Let's face it everything these a days are over priced.If they weren't selling any they would lower the price but as long as people are paying that price they will keep on charging that.om sure the phantom 3 costed about 100 bucks to make

Actually the P3 is a gift at the price.
Consider how much technology they deliver for the dollars.
Compare the cost of lightbridge on its own and then compare against the competition (none of which are in the same league).
Apart from the cost of parts, there are large unseen costs in development, tooling up and maintaining service networks.
But DJI are making it hard for their competitors to make a profit by pricing the Phantom 3 low and counting on volume sales to bring in profits while gaining a big market share.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Unfortunately no. I'd love to have a spare so I can enjoy flying slightly risky areas without knowing that a problem will leave me grounded.
At DJI's price for a bare P3 + camera you're better off buying a whole new unit and almost everything on ebay is people selling off the bits after they crashed or lost their bird.

Thanks. That's what I thought. Odd that DJI sells the transmitter separately, but not the bird itself. They could immediately sell a bunch more to guys like you and me!

Any idea what a reasonable resale price to expect would be, when selling off the P3P transmitter?