I am loving my P3S - It is the best $349 I've spent in a long time.  I've had it for about 9 months now - done the Argtec thing, bought Litchi, have a cool backpack case etc.  

Now I'm thinking of upgrading - but I'm wondering if I want to stick with DJI.  I have been lucky enough not to need DJI support/service, but in reading this forum and other independent forums, it's more satisfying to put a sharp stick in your eye than deal with DJI support staff.  When (not if) y'all get your next drone will you be getting a DJI product?  I have been looking at Autel Robotics products for instance.

So, what will you do?

I would stick with DJI.  

I would buy refurbished and I would buy it on sale.  Personally, I'd get either the P3A/P or a Mavic Pro/Pro Platinum.  

I'd check it out thoroughly the first seven days.  If there's an issue, return for a full refund thereby avoiding the support/service dilemma.

Presently, no other drone manufacturer even comes close to DJI products. They have their faults, yes, but they do make truly marvelous drones.

We appreciate  you posting on the forums. We do try to improve our customer service. However, this is a process and every day is a learning experience. As a suggestion, why not continue to keep the P3 S as a back up and upgrade? You would not regret it.

Thank you both for your thoughts as well. We appreciate you both flying DJI drones will continue to do our best in providing a standard that the industry can look forward to.

Oh yeah, definitely keep the old drone!  Lots of great reasons to keep it.  It's great to have a back up in case something goes wrong, plus you can use it for search and rescue if your drone ever goes down somewhere like in a big field of tall grass.  

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-9-20 07:31
Presently, no other drone manufacturer even comes close to DJI products. They have their faults, yes, but they do make truly marvelous drones.

Actually there are many drones that outshine the Phantom. Even outperform the Inspire series.

But at what cost? You would be looking at spending tens of thousands, to get an entry level pro quad copter.

As an example, imagine a large multi rotor, slinging a $60,000.00 camera.



RedHotPoker

Ha, definitely keeping the old drone.  I'm being seduced by Autel's rep and specs.  I'm a few months away from pulling the trigger on anything - and my spending range will be around $1k or so.  Still a hobbyist.  I think DJI set the standard for top of the line consumer drones (I look back at my Parrot with wonderment).  But I think there are quads in that price range that compare favorable to the Phantom line, and while I appreciate that customer service has a learning curve and is improving, the horror stories I've read make me leary.  

Porktree Posted at 2017-9-20 12:44
Ha, definitely keeping the old drone.  I'm being seduced by Autel's rep and specs.  I'm a few months away from pulling the trigger on anything - and my spending range will be around $1k or so.  Still a hobbyist.  I think DJI set the standard for top of the line consumer drones (I look back at my Parrot with wonderment).  But I think there are quads in that price range that compare favorable to the Phantom line, and while I appreciate that customer service has a learning curve and is improving, the horror stories I've read make me leary.

My very first RC anything, was my Parrot AR Drone 2.0.  It was a lot of fun, considering its simplicity.

Looks like they are having a difficult time competing against the other drone companies.

Parrot Eliminating a Third of its Drone Staff
Drone maker Parrot is laying off 290 people from its drone division, which represents around a third of its employees. The decision to reduce its expenses by laying off employees comes after the company reported $90 million in revenue for Q4, missing its $106 million target.

Parrot has had a difficult time competing in the consumer drone market. DJI, a Chinese company, has a much larger share. It'll begin shifting more of its attention towards commercial drones, a very different market.

The company announced the layoffs in conjunction with its latest quarterly earnings report.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-9-20 12:22
Actually there are many drones that outshine the Phantom. Even outperform the Inspire series.

But at what cost? You would be looking at spending tens of thousands, to get an entry level pro quad copter.

I would sure hate to see that thing tangled up in a tree!

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-9-20 15:34
I would sure hate to see that thing tangled up in a tree!

Why would you be flying anywhere near a tree with a pro drone?

Sounds like deliberate pilot error. And you get what you "play" for...

Stick to the lower priced hobby drones. Then you can fly through the rainforests without a real concern.


RedHotPoker

Got a mavic in my future. My P3S has been fine and I did get a Yuneeq Q500 to compare it with sadly they were for the most part on the same level. My brother has the P4 which is a lot better than the 3S and an improvement over the 3A.  I like the Inspire line but I'm not going to drop that kind of cash for what I do. I fly large scale planes and heli's and would rather put the thousands toward that. When my biplane gets picked up next week I'll pick up the little mavic everything about it fits my wants for now.

TXBiker63 Posted at 2017-9-20 18:34
Got a mavic in my future. My P3S has been fine and I did get a Yuneeq Q500 to compare it with sadly they were for the most part on the same level. My brother has the P4 which is a lot better than the 3S and an improvement over the 3A.  I like the Inspire line but I'm not going to drop that kind of cash for what I do. I fly large scale planes and heli's and would rather put the thousands toward that. When my biplane gets picked up next week I'll pick up the little mavic everything about it fits my wants for now.

I love RC flying, so much that I bought an Align TRex 700E DFC HV.  It's My very first heli, and build. Yes, I bit off way more, than I can chew. Eyes were bigger than my stomach. I have already reached the point where I need help to complete the build.
These large RC helicopters can be and are very dangerous, even in the hands of a great RC  pilot.
Heck, even a small helicopter could mess you up, so I need to make sure, it gets finished properly.

I know a few drone pilots that got into the Yuneeq Q500. No, they don't compare very well to the Phantom 3 Pro... Not sure how the Phantom 3 Standard ranks compared to the Yuneeq Q500?


RedHotPoker

What really gives DJI the edge is lightbridge.  Nobody else has it.  If you're not impressed with lightbridge, you've never flown lightbridge.  

A couple years ago I watched a youtube interview with Colin Quinn back when he was with DJI.  He was talking about the introduction of the P2V.  He explained that DJI never intended to make money with the P2V - their goal was to provide an integrated camera drone at a price that their competitors wouldn't be able to match (at the time, late 2013, it was marketed at around $1300 or so).  DJI's ultimate goal was to simply break even while at the same time, keep their competitors at bay.  But while the P2V was marketed to photographers, DJI was stunned to find that normal everyday hobbyists wanted the P2V too, and demand was so high, DJI ended up making money anyway, in spite of their goals.  

There are many things in this life I'm happy about, and one of them is that I'm not working for a company that has to compete with Frank.  

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-9-21 03:16
What really gives DJI the edge is lightbridge.  Nobody else has it.  If you're not impressed with lightbridge, you've never flown lightbridge.  

A couple years ago I watched a youtube interview with Colin Quinn back when he was with DJI.  He was talking about the introduction of the P2V.  He explained that DJI never intended to make money with the P2V - their goal was to provide an integrated camera drone at a price that their competitors wouldn't be able to match (at the time, late 2013, it was marketed at around $1300 or so).  DJI's ultimate goal was to simply break even while at the same time, keep their competitors at bay.  But while the P2V was marketed to photographers, DJI was stunned to find that normal everyday hobbyists wanted the P2V too, and demand was so high, DJI ended up making money anyway, in spite of their goals.  

That's interesting, the part about wanting to break even. Who else does that? ;-)

DJI are number one in hobby class and intermediate drone sales.

Align are the worlds leading RC helicopter manufacturers, and biggest seller.

So I feel like I'm in good hands. Hopefully, going forward  I'll never need any company support.
My drone had been exceptionally trouble free.
Am I the lucky one, or just another member of the majority, who have drones that don't need any special attention? Not really a question.


RedHotPoker

RedHotPoker Posted at 2017-9-20 20:18
I love RC flying, so much that I bought an Align TRex 700E DFC HV.  It's My very first heli, and build. Yes, I bit off way more, than I can chew. Eyes were bigger than my stomach. I have already reached the point where I need help to complete the build.
These large RC helicopters can be and are very dangerous, even in the hands of a great RC  pilot.
Heck, even a small helicopter could mess you up, so I need to make sure, it gets finished properly.

My first was a Trex 250 flybarred. Squirrely little thing but took a lot of crap from me. I went to a 550 flybarless and was way happier. The bigger the heli the better for me anyway. Better in the wind and easier to see sadly more costly to rebuild.  I don't 3 D much just sport fly but it gives me my fix. I did have a lot of help from a patient young man who taught me everything he knew. Now I fly a SAB Goblin 770 most likely my last one because it fits my needs so well. Enjoy the 700 it's a solid performer.  

On the plus side for the Q 500 the transmitter has a built in screen and it came with a hand held gimbal for ground use and the 4k camera. The negative is it's slower in forward flight . Flight times on mine anyway were shorter than my P3S.  Same problems with solid software like DJI has. I feel that it would come down to personal preference between the two. I like them both but the yuneeq 4k camera stays on the handheld more than the aircraft.

TXBiker63 Posted at 2017-9-21 10:31
My first was a Trex 250 flybarred. Squirrely little thing but took a lot of crap from me. I went to a 550 flybarless and was way happier. The bigger the heli the better for me anyway. Better in the wind and easier to see sadly more costly to rebuild.  I don't 3 D much just sport fly but it gives me my fix. I did have a lot of help from a patient young man who taught me everything he knew. Now I fly a SAB Goblin 770 most likely my last one because it fits my needs so well. Enjoy the 700 it's a solid performer.  

On the plus side for the Q 500 the transmitter has a built in screen and it came with a hand held gimbal for ground use and the 4k camera. The negative is it's slower in forward flight . Flight times on mine anyway were shorter than my P3S.  Same problems with solid software like DJI has. I feel that it would come down to personal preference between the two. I like them both but the yuneeq 4k camera stays on the handheld more than the aircraft.

Sounds like you have been around this fun RC hobby for awhile now?

Yes, Helicopters are a lot of fun. Dangerous, is also exciting...

If you also like real helicopters, you might wish to subscribe to Rotorcraft Pro?

www.justhelicopters.com/MAGAZINE/tabid/420/Default.aspx

The website has lots of interesting videos, the mag is free and mailed out once a month.


RedHotPoker

Hi PorkT,  Hmmmm, My P3S, sent back w/motor screw area cracks while under warrenty is enough said. I may be in the mood next spring for a Mavic. But the Davinci looks so good, as do a few others. Al

My next ride will hopefully a mavic pro.  The portability is killer. And 4K will be a nifty upgrade from the p3s.

fansbdaa961e Posted at 2017-9-23 10:02
My next ride will hopefully a mavic pro.  The portability is killer. And 4K will be a nifty upgrade from the p3s.

You wont regret it. Bought on used on the net few days ago and its fantastic. I'm in CE mode and the battery is your limit not the signal.

Align are the worlds leading RC helicopter manufacturers, and biggest seller.

Align was for quite a while THE leading RC Heli company - it's worth noting that Align is not actually a manufacturer of all its parts .. and second they were not the original designers of the setup.

Align has lost a lot of ground to other Heli producers such as Guaui, Goblin, Upforce, Tarot ...  just to quote a few ...  

Yes I'm a Heli flyer as well .... going back to the early days of 1980's with Glow power and no gyros.



Photo taken all those years ago !!

Nigel

One of the matters that influences my thoughts about 'next model' is the batterys and gear already owned.

I like the P4 ... but takes a different battery to the P3 ... and given that price of DJI batterys, even non-original - makes it a serious matter to change.

I have a dead P3S ... which will have its DJI guts ripped out and i will fit Open Source FC / ESC / GPS etc. with standard 2.4 FrSky radio system. The battery to power it ? Its easy enough to take power from the P3 battery pack in its designed slot in the frame to the new board. So I get a new drone with open source gear but still using the same battery...

The downgrade though will be in camera ... but in terms of flight ? Faster, aerobatic - even flips !! And proper full FPV

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2017-9-23 22:08
Align was for quite a while THE leading RC Heli company - it's worth noting that Align is not actually a manufacturer of all its parts .. and second they were not the original designers of the setup.

Align has lost a lot of ground to other Heli producers such as Guaui, Goblin, Upforce, Tarot ...  just to quote a few ...  

Those were the days lol. My first was a MFA Sport 500. Just a few pieces of aluminum and a piece of ply for the canopy and gas tank to mount. They were a real handful I went through tons of wood mains trying to hover.  My boat trailer finally put an end to that one. With the technology and electronics today my big Goblin will hover hands off for a short period.

I'll pick up a P4 around the holidays if the price drops.
I have an Aultel Premium, it is an excellent drone. The controller is second to none, stout, comfortable, enough quick pick buttons plus a display so you can fly it without adding anything.
I picked up the P3SE and love it but I would think it's pretty close to the P3S.  If it was your first drone I would recommend it 100%  but too close to the P3S as a second.
There is some latency on the iPad with the P3SE but that doesn't bother me because the videos are excellent.
I would say the DJI drones have a better hover hold than the Autel but not an issue for me.
I don't have anything to add as far as Autels service because I never had to use it, same with DJI.

I’m shooting for a refurbished mavic 1 next year for around $600. After the mavic 2 has landed.

I fly to shoot video and stills. So my P3P does the job excellently. If I was to upgrade, I would be looking at the best aircraft with the best camera, and that is the P4P, no contest. I am hoping to see a 4K camera that shoots RAW, until that arrives, I am happy with what I have.