I'm upgrading from my mavic mini to the Mavic Air 2, I was looking at the possibility of purchasing the smart controller to go along with it, what makes it different from the normal controller and phone? I mainly want it because I use a phone case with an otter box and I have to take it off everytime I want to fly and it gets annoying.

Any opinions are welcomed.

No... total garbage and a waste of money.

mAIRs Posted at 12-28 12:03
No... total garbage and a waste of money.

Can you explain why if you don't mind?

I have the Mavic Air 2 as well and have wondered if the smart controller would be worth it.

I have the Smart Controller and in MY opinion, it's worth it.  The main reason is exactly the reason you mentioned.  I constantly had to remove my phone from it's Otter Box case in order to fly.  I could have my phone in my hand all day and no one will call or text.  But as soon as I plug it in, phone calls and texts come in.  Another great reason is that the Smart Controller can be used with multiple Drones that DJI offers that has the OCCUSYNC technology.  I think the Mavic Mini 2 will be Smart Controller compatible in a future firmware update.
It's not a cheap piece of equipment but in my personal opinion and use, it's well worth.

It's absolutely worth it if only for the bright screen and not having interruptions from the cell phone.

Planner68 Posted at 2020-12-29 16:52
I have the Smart Controller and in MY opinion, it's worth it.  The main reason is exactly the reason you mentioned.  I constantly had to remove my phone from it's Otter Box case in order to fly.  I could have my phone in my hand all day and no one will call or text.  But as soon as I plug it in, phone calls and texts come in.  Another great reason is that the Smart Controller can be used with multiple Drones that DJI offers that has the OCCUSYNC technology.  I think the Mavic Mini 2 will be Smart Controller compatible in a future firmware update.
It's not a cheap piece of equipment but in my personal opinion and use, it's well worth.

How well does it do on a bright sunny day with the sun overhead?
                                                                                        .... sun high, but in shade?

Thanks,

Tightloops Posted at 1-26 07:04
It's absolutely worth it if only for the bright screen and not having interruptions from the cell phone.

How does it do on a sunny day with sun overhead?     or same with shade from a tree?

Bill in Ohio Posted at 5-13 09:08
How does it do on a sunny day with sun overhead?     or same with shade from a tree?

It does good. Alot better than phone, or tablet.  I can actually see with the smart controller.  

Planner68 Posted at 2020-12-29 16:52
I have the Smart Controller and in MY opinion, it's worth it.  The main reason is exactly the reason you mentioned.  I constantly had to remove my phone from it's Otter Box case in order to fly.  I could have my phone in my hand all day and no one will call or text.  But as soon as I plug it in, phone calls and texts come in.  Another great reason is that the Smart Controller can be used with multiple Drones that DJI offers that has the OCCUSYNC technology.  I think the Mavic Mini 2 will be Smart Controller compatible in a future firmware update.
It's not a cheap piece of equipment but in my personal opinion and use, it's well worth.

I hope the mini 2 is compatible soon.

Planner68 Posted at 2020-12-29 16:52
I have the Smart Controller and in MY opinion, it's worth it.  The main reason is exactly the reason you mentioned.  I constantly had to remove my phone from it's Otter Box case in order to fly.  I could have my phone in my hand all day and no one will call or text.  But as soon as I plug it in, phone calls and texts come in.  Another great reason is that the Smart Controller can be used with multiple Drones that DJI offers that has the OCCUSYNC technology.  I think the Mavic Mini 2 will be Smart Controller compatible in a future firmware update.
It's not a cheap piece of equipment but in my personal opinion and use, it's well worth.

Can you use it in bright sunny day with sun overhead?

I was looking into the same thing.  The brightest phone on the market is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G at 1500 nits peak.  The next highest is the Iphone 12 Max.
I could not get a Samsung S21 Ultra to compare against my 1000 nit peak S20 Ultra in direct daylight.  However in the store both phones were compared in their brightest settings, the S21 Utra was noticeably brighter.  My S20 Ultra looked good in overcast and shade, but was to hard to see well in direct light.  

I just bought the Smart Controller (1000 nits) and tried it out.  I really like it.  Bright (not as bright as my Crystal Sky 7.85 Ultra at 2000 nits) It is crisp, and easy to view.  With the sun high and reflecting, that is a problem that is easily solved by simply tilting the display a few degrees to the side.  The view was easy to see and bright enough to comfortably use.

Bill in Ohio Posted at 5-13 11:34
Can you use it in bright sunny day with sun overhead?

Thanks, I bought the Smart Controller and I like it and the ease of use.

I am planning to buy one too

Got one a couple weeks ago. Great to use just one controller between the Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic 2 Pro. I've tried the standard Mavic controller with a couple different phones and an iPad Mini and there's just no comparison. The image is bright even in the sun although I'm still trying to find a sunshade that I like. Yeah, the price is outrageous but I'm glad I bought it.