The DJI Phantom 4 Drone – Overview And Special Features

DJI has added yet another drone to their Phantom lineup with the new DJI Phantom 4, which features automatic obstacle avoidance and enhanced camera and flying options. Equipped with a 12MP sensor and F2.8 lens, this quadcopter can shoot Raw stills and take videos in 4K/UHD at 30p. It has a flight time of 28 minutes, with an increased price of $1399, as compared to the previous Phantom 3 Professional's $1259 price tag.

The DJI Phantom 4 will be sold on DJI and Apple on their online and flagship stores until April 1 2016, and all orders are going to start shipping by March 15.

“With the Phantom 4, we are entering an era where even beginners can fly with confidence,” said DJI CEO Frank Wang. “People have dreamed about one day having a drone collaborate creatively with them. That day has arrived.”

What’s new and special?

The DJI Phantom 4 is the first consumer drone that uses highly advanced computer vision and sensing technology that makes professional aerial imaging much simpler and advanced. It also expands on the last Phantom drones by including new on-board intelligence that makes using the drone and its features like Obstacle Sensing System, ActiveTrack and TapFly.

The Phantom 4 uses an Obstacle Sensing System that has 2 forward-facing optical sensors for scanning obstacles and automatically moves the drone around the obstruction, leaving little room for collision and keeping the flight direction constant.

If it so happens, that the system cannot make the drone move around the obstruction, it will slow down, stop and wait for the user. Even when the quadcopter’s “Return to Home” function is being used, Obstacle Avoidance helps in lessening the amount of risk of collision.

With its new ActiveTrack feature, the Phantom 4 takes drones to another level altogether! It allows fliers using the DJI Go app (iOS and Android) to track and ensure the camera stays centered on a particular subject as it moves, by just ‘tapping’ the subject on their mobile or tablet screen.

The drone can better understand 3-dimensional images and lets the flier have full control over the camera’s movements with this ActiveTrack mode as well – you can move the camera around the subject being filmed, and a pause button on the remote controller lets the drone come to a halt and hover.

The other new function, TapFly in the DJI Go app, allows fliers to double-tap a particular destination on the mobile or tablet, and the quadcopter will estimate the best flight route to get here, all while avoiding any obstacles. By tapping again on another spot, the drone will smoothly change over to the new destination.

Better camera capabilities and enhanced specs

The DJI Phantom 4’s camera is still one of the best when it comes to aerial photography. The aerial-optimized 4K imaging device has also been upgraded to feature enhanced optics for improved corner sharpness and decreased chromatic aberration.

The new drone also features DJI’s signature Lightbridge video transmission system that lets fliers have a real-time view in HD of what the camera is recording on their mobile or tablet, till a distance of around 5 kilometers (3.1 miles).

The exterior of the Phantom 4 has been redesigned to highlight its aerodynamic lines. The frame has a lightweight composite core for added stability and agility while flying, and the core also has a remodeled gimbal that has now been positioned for a better center of gravity and to lessen the risk of propellers coming in the recordings and pictures.

Modifications have also been done to the motor’s efficiency, power management and the addition of a new intelligent battery, have all contributed to this extended flight time of the Phantom 4. The flight time is now up to 28 minutes, which gives users more time flying in the air!

The DJI Phantom 4 has been created with consistency and reliability in mind, and features push-and-lock propellers for faster installation and flight security, as well as inertial measurement units (IMUs) and dual compasses onboard.

Apart from its intelligent and easy to use functions, the Phantom 4 has been created for fliers to have fun with! It has a new Sport Mode created for advanced flyers, which allows them to exactly know what drone racing feels like. In this mode, the drone can fly at 20 meters per second (45 miles per hour) and can also ascend and descend much faster.