Hello!
Looking for some advice from iPad users out there.

I've been looking to get an Ipad to fly my Mavic for a while now, time has come and I'm currently deciding between Ipad mini 4 and Ipad 9.7 (6th gen 2018)
These are my thoughts on both:

Ipad mini 4: small, lightweight, easy to carry, easy to mount on controller. - Way outdated in terms of performance/price.
Ipad 9.7: Bigger screen, A10 chip. twice the performance of the ipad mini 4 but same price, high perfomance/price ratio. - Bigger, heavy.


So if the ipad 9.7 can fit in the controller easy, and is not that heavy i'd go for it, any advice from someone that actually owns one? How big/heavy really is?

Thank you!

Hi there,

After struggling to see all the relevant info displayed on my iPhone for some weeks, I invested in an iPad mini. Only problem was mating it with the M2P controller. Then I stumbled upon a video put up by a guy who figured it out: If you pop out the rectangular plastic slider on the left-hand arm of the controller, remove the cable that links the controller to your display, spread the arms wide, the mini fits perfectly, even leaving room to access the power & volume controls on the left side of the mini. Only other thing required is a cable to link from the bottom USB socket on the controller to the lightning  connector on the right side of the mini. It makes for a nice, compact package with an oh-so-much more readable screen for my aged eyes! Highly recommended.

For comfortable work (without brakes), a tablet with 4GB RAM is required.
This condition is satisfied by Ipad 10.5 Pro 2018.

sinloi Posted at 2018-10-11 05:11
Hi there,

After struggling to see all the relevant info displayed on my iPhone for some weeks, I invested in an iPad mini. Only problem was mating it with the M2P controller. Then I stumbled upon a video put up by a guy who figured it out: If you pop out the rectangular plastic slider on the left-hand arm of the controller, remove the cable that links the controller to your display, spread the arms wide, the mini fits perfectly, even leaving room to access the power & volume controls on the left side of the mini. Only other thing required is a cable to link from the bottom USB socket on the controller to the lightning  connector on the right side of the mini. It makes for a nice, compact package with an oh-so-much more readable screen for my aged eyes! Highly recommended.[view_image]

What about performance? Does it lag at all with your Mavic 2?

Ali3N Posted at 2018-10-11 05:26
What about performance? Does it lag at all with your Mavic 2?

I’m in the same boat with you.  I have the Mini 2 and it fits the controller perfectly and is light and well balanced, I LOVE the fit and feel.  It also seems to run the DJI Go 4 app satisfactorily in spite of not being on the recommended devices list.  But I’d like a little more headroom in terms of processor power and RAM and am seriously looking into the Mini 4 as well.  If the Mini 2 runs Go 4 “ok” for me, I can’t help but think that the Mini 4 would run it nicely with no lag.
I have concerns too about the outdated performance/price on the Mini 4 outside of using it just to run Go 4.  I hate spending that much on something that would basically be 100% dedicated to flying my M2…….but I may wind up doing just that.

So far it seems to work just fine.

Honestly, I'd spend a little more and get the smallest CrystalSky monitor. iPads and tablets have awful glare in bright sunlight, and I frequently find myself in situations where I can't see what I'm filming.

I thought about the Crystalsky aswell. But it’s just to expensive for just a screen. I can justify my iPad purchase bc I will be using it for other stuff aswell.

My iPad 4 runs very good.  I teamed it up with an anti-glare screen which helps quite a bit.  I picked a refurbished unit from FleaBay since it was purchased to fly with.

Sato Zoom 2 Posted at 2018-10-11 05:34
I’m in the same boat with you.  I have the Mini 2 and it fits the controller perfectly and is light and well balanced, I LOVE the fit and feel.  It also seems to run the DJI Go 4 app satisfactorily in spite of not being on the recommended devices list.  But I’d like a little more headroom in terms of processor power and RAM and am seriously looking into the Mini 4 as well.  If the Mini 2 runs Go 4 “ok” for me, I can’t help but think that the Mini 4 would run it nicely with no lag.
I have concerns too about the outdated performance/price on the Mini 4 outside of using it just to run Go 4.  I hate spending that much on something that would basically be 100% dedicated to flying my M2…….but I may wind up doing just that.

Yeah, I know what you mean . Mine is a 4. I justified the expense in that both my phone (a 6) and my iPad (1st generation) are pretty long in the tooth, though, aside from comfortably running the drone, they both still do what I need from them. What really frosted me was having to replace my 2009 PowerBook in order to view 4K & do some editing. Controlled obsolescence. Don't you just love it!

I like the size and weight of the iPad Mini 4. I haven't had any trouble running mine with DJI GO.

As @sinloi noted above, you can fit the iPad Mini 4 into the remote controller arms like this:



If you find that makes the remote controller too awkward to hold, then use a tablet mount like this DJI mount:

https://store.dji.com/product/ma ... oller-tablet-holder

You can find a list of commonly used tablet mounts here.

I have been trying to decide between a IPad and this:
https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-An ... lenovo+tab+4+8+plus
It does work with the DJI Go App.

I started out with the mini 4 from day one and haven't regretted it.
Perfect fit for the controller. Screen perfect size to watch and with 128GB have had no problems.

I took an Ipad 10.5. with 512GB. It's more powerful then my laptop. I use it also to import the clips from microsd and mount them with Lumafusion. It is very powerful and quick with h.265 rendering

I have an iPad 6th Gen also but haven't tried flying with it just yet.  I'm going to get the bracket for it soon.  It's used for editing my videos.

B1houdini Posted at 2018-10-11 07:41
I started out with the mini 4 from day one and haven't regretted it.
Perfect fit for the controller. Screen perfect size to watch and with 128GB have had no problems.

Glad to hear this !  I just upgraded from Mini 2 to Mini 4 today, haven't set it up to fly with it yet though......
My Mini 2 actually worked ok, so I'm hopeful the Mini 4 will be just fine.......

I would not have purchased the mini 4, since this is a 3-year hardware,
maybe in a year it will be slow as the mini 2 and 3 that runing dji go
If you are open to non-Apple products,
I would suggest you consider the xiaomi mi pad 4 8inch ,
its fit to the mavic mount without a problem, like ipad mini
I bought it myself and it start from 165$ for 3gb + 32gb and powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660. replace my mini ipad 2 ,  

B1houdini Posted at 2018-10-11 07:41
I started out with the mini 4 from day one and haven't regretted it.
Perfect fit for the controller. Screen perfect size to watch and with 128GB have had no problems.

This is a great choice. I may actually go for this one.

Kingram Posted at 2018-10-11 07:14
But whatever you go for try to wait a few more weeks when almost  everything goes on sale on Black Friday.
[view_image]

Thnx for the tip, can you recommend some websites to get a good deal on an ipad?

I use iPad Air 2 and it works perfectly so far including the latest app version.

Fly safely
Alex

Ali3N Posted at 2018-10-11 12:39
Thnx for the tip, can you recommend some websites to get a good deal on an ipad?

https://blackfriday.com/

https://www.bfads.net/

www.slickdeals.net

www.dealnews.com

Black friday sales start November 23rd.

While waiting for my M2P I went through the same decision process. I decided I did not want an adapter to hold the monitor and block the view of the controller. So started looking for a iPad 4 mini. The A8 processor is fast enough and more to do anything I want related to support for flying the Mavic 2.
I found one on Craig's List for $225. It was still in the plastic wrapped box from the factory even in the bag from the Apple Store. Never opened or used. It was purchased in 2016. Was a little concerned about the battery but since it had never been charged felt it was workth the risk for this price.  It works great. Really like the way it fits nicely in the controller. The only thing I like better is the M2P!
It can be a bit tough to remove the mini from the controller slots. I have found that using two hands is best. I use both thumbs on the controller and index fingers on the mini at the top just at the open areas (left and right) between the controller and the mini and push. The mini slides out and I have good control. I do this on a flat surface as not to drop the mini as it slides out...

IPad mini 4 fitted with mavmount and hoodman sunshade. Perfect so far even in the harshest of sunlight no issues.

This one is really nice :
https://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Me ... d+M5+Android+Tablet

I too use an iPad Mini 4 with no problem. I even get it into the controller with a thin TPU case still on and a hood to boot.

txtechnonerd Posted at 2018-10-11 14:31
I too use an iPad Mini 4 with no problem. I even get it into the controller with a thin TPU case still on and a hood to boot.

[view_image]

what hood is that?  considering getting the mini4 as well  

Hi. Thanks for your inquiry. I would recommend checking as well if the mobile device is compatible with your drones, hopefully, you'll get the best recommendation and feedback from our valued customers who are using this same device. Thank you for the support.

Here mipad 4 8 inch, share gps info an internet from my mobile via bluetooth, flight with him from almost the beginning without problems.

I got a Mini 4 yesterday and love it.  Noticeably brighter screen than my Mini 2 and less glare.  Powerful enough to run the Go 4 app very smoothly. It's very light and balanced in my hands, not awkward at all.

Hey fellow pilots, I want to throw my hat into the ring. I purchased a refurb iPad mini 4 as a dedicated viewing device and I couldn't be happier. After watching a few YouTube videos on different mounting options, I chose to go with the PGYTECH tablet mount / holder on Amazon. It ran about $25 USD.  So when it is installed, the mount is placed in the controller arms upside down as to allow easy viewing of both screens. As I have large hands there is also ample clearance for you to manipulate the sticks and have a firm grip. Fly safe, fly smart...
I hope this helps.

Controller, tablet handheld

Kingram Posted at 2018-10-11 13:54
https://blackfriday.com/

https://www.bfads.net/

Thank you for taking the time to share this out! Great info!

pooch Posted at 2018-10-11 14:50
what hood is that?  considering getting the mini4 as well

I got it on Amazon. It's from some company called N.Oranie and they've got several sizes. I think I got the 168mm version.

I've got the 10.5 for the reason like you mentioned I can use it for other things. Never had one single issue. Best addition to my drone bag I ever bought (albeit a bit pricey)

I pad mini 4 fits really well and have had no issues with this set up

Depending on what I'm imaging, or where I'm traveling,  I'll use an iPad Mini 4 in a MavMount, a Huawei X2 or iPod Touch 6th Gen (dedicated to use with Spark) or an iPhone 7.  The iPad mini 4 is dedicated to flight as it is also use with each MavicPro, Spark, Parrot BeBop2.  As part of pre-flight setup I delete all apps from memory and do a memory-clear to clear any legacy code from previous flights.  [Simply said, press the off-button until the "off" slider appears, then -ignore the slider- press and hold the "Home" button until the home screen appears  . . . .   Then I open the Go4 App.

It’s a pitty that the ipad mini is so expensive and not upgraded since 4 years.

IPad Mini works fine and never has video lag.  The real issue is the sun glare.   Cloudy days are fine.   You can get by if you can find a shady spot.

I purchased the CrystalSky Ultra.  What a piece of junk.   Bright screen but the screen lags so much and the touch screen is not very responsive.   I had to cancel a return to home and the screen would not recognize my touching the X.  The drone kept fighting me and wanted to ascend then fly over trees and land through the trees..   I finally got it to return safely but my hands were by the. Shaking.

I purchased the iPhone XS Max.  6.5 screen diagonal .  Not as bright as CrystalSky it at least it works.   Flying with CrystalSky is like taking off without the steering wheel

I got an iPad 12.9" pro. Great in the sun. one of my friends has iPad mini 4 no issues except bad in sunlight, needed shade behind me or a sun hood. And processor and memory for is not the big factor. Wondering which iPad modelyou are using.

I use the larger IPad and I love it.

I use the larger IPAD and it fits well in the controller and the weight is really not noticeable!