Smart Controller should be the Only way to fly M2 and MA2 manually.  It's 100% worth it.  I don't have an MA2 so I'm not sure what it looks like but when I fly the M2 under all conditions w/ Yagis, it always performs properly.  The feed is super quality.

Hello there AntDX316. Thank you for reaching out and for posting your valued insights with regards to this matter. Thank you for your support and keep on flying.

I agree that the Smart Controller definitely has advantages.

Hopefully with the update released today for the Smart Controller it will iron out some of the bugs that Mavic Air 2 users have been experiencing.

Smart Controller should be the Only way to fly M2 and MA2.
Excepting of course, the other ways that work just as well or even better.

It should not be the only way,  I would prefer to choose a smaller remote, like the standard remote.

DAFlys Posted at 1-12 01:19
It should not be the only way,  I would prefer to choose a smaller remote, like the standard remote.

But the screen brightness is bad.  Not being able to see the dark areas makes you more likely to crash as your flight path confidence goes down.

AntDX316 Posted at 1-12 04:30
But the screen brightness is bad.  Not being able to see the dark areas makes you more likely to crash as your flight path confidence goes down.

No,  with phone 12 pro max the screen is just fine thanks.

I agree, without condition :-)  
And I'd add to that, including the functionality of the Go4 application.  Such settings that allow:
-proportional control adjustments to the sticks,
-Offline Maps, etc.
...are key features missing from the Fly App,

DAFlys Posted at 1-12 04:57
No,  with phone 12 pro max the screen is just fine thanks.

it gets dimmer under the sun

WebParrot Posted at 1-12 08:32
I agree, without condition :-)  
And I'd add to that, including the functionality of the Go4 application.  Such settings that allow proportional control adjustments to the sticks, Offline Maps, etc. are key features missing from the Fly App,

If I need a map I use Mobile Hotspot on the phone.

AntDX316 Posted at 1-12 10:07
If I need a map I use Mobile Hotspot on the phone.

Yes, of course.
But;
1- a primary purpose of the Smart Controller is to loose the independence on the phone;
2- creating a mobile hotspot requires a vendor upgrade costing between $10-$15 a month (and it would only be used for flying)
3- it's currently a common feature on all the other control applications (for nearly 4 years) and commercial applications.
4- operating maps are critical for the safe operation of the device

AntDX316 Posted at 1-12 10:07
it gets dimmer under the sun

Yes it does but I can see it fine and Id prefer not to carry double devices.

WebParrot Posted at 1-12 10:12
Yes, of course.
But;
1- a primary purpose of the Smart Controller is to loose the independence on the phone;

It already has it so I use it.  I don't really use it anymore unless I need it to enable a DJI Fly Safe unlock.

DAFlys Posted at 1-12 10:16
Yes it does but I can see it fine and Id prefer not to carry double devices.

The Smart Controller is in the same bag as all the batteries and a selected M2.  I can put the Standard controller inside instead.  Only need to use the Standard controller or ipad if you need to use those mapping apps but when I'm mapping, I use the P4PV2.0.

MA2 remote doesn't work with M2P.
SC doesn't work with MM2.
Goggles/GogglesRE doesn't work with MA2 and MM2.
Any battery hub or charger doesn't work each others.

Come on DJI, get these things in order, you can do better...

AntDX316 Posted at 1-12 10:19
The Smart Controller is in the same bag as all the batteries and a selected M2.  I can put the Standard controller inside instead.  Only need to use the Standard controller or ipad if you need to use those mapping apps but when I'm mapping, I use the P4PV2.0.

Hmm lets try a weight test.   

iPhone 12 Pro Max (228grams) + Standard Remote (320grams) = 548grams vs Smart Controller (630grams) + iPhone 12 Pro Max (228grams) = 858grams

So Smart controller is causing me to carry 310 grams more and I'll need a bigger bag as the normally the phone will be in my pocket not the bag.

And SC is an outdated product already with 32 bit CPU. Also there are much better screens in the market with higher brightness and contrast anymore.

Don't buy Smart Controller, it has to be updated soon. These kind of items should be renewed in about 2 years at least.

DAFlys Posted at 1-13 00:12
Hmm lets try a weight test.   

iPhone 12 Pro Max (228grams) + Standard Remote (320grams) = 548grams vs Smart Controller (630grams) + iPhone 12 Pro Max (228grams) = 858grams

The Smart Controller is balanced.  I can use it in most conditions w/o issues.  If you don't want to upgrade, it doesn't matter.  Those that somehow crash their drone because they couldn't see dark areas, or get crap shots that are framed forever because they couldn't see have to live with it.

KnNLmS Posted at 1-13 03:13
And SC is an outdated product already with 32 bit CPU. Also there are much better screens in the market with higher brightness and contrast anymore.

Don't buy Smart Controller, it has to be updated soon. These kind of items should be renewed in about 2 years at least.

It does what it needs to do.  64-bit only matters if you are using other apps that would benefit from it.  All we need it to do is to live feed us, control the drone, and nothing else.  The more compatible the better from what I've seen in life.  Newer doesn't always mean better, it sometimes usually means something won't work.

If they go DJI FPV V2 w/ the new controller, it would probably look the same.  Having more unnecessary frame rate in the air will just have the drone require more battery.  Unless they are going to go smaller with the chip sizes, battery life should be less.  The drone does what they need to do and that is shoot video and photos.

Not being able to use mapping software such as Pix4D or DroneDeploy w/ the SC could be considered bad, but that is what the standard controller is for.

I think the SC is the right idea. It consolidates everything in a device that DJI controls, so it's simpler to develop for with less dependencies on 3rd party hardware and OS's. Having to support multiple hardware/operating system platforms is a nightmare for any software/firmware house. So paring that down to one platform that's fully in your control is the way to go. That's how Apple makes their stuff so much better than their competition - they build almost the whole thing from the ground up.

As for using outdated hardware/OS in the SC, I agree with antdx316. How many times have we needed to revert to older firmware in our DJI aircraft because the new one broke something critical? Same thing with this - conservatism is often a good thing because an older version of an OS or hardware platform can be what works the best at the time. If you control that update cycle, you can take the time needed to get the newer stuff working and then release it yourself at a time of your own choosing, after you've got it working the way you need it to.

So I hope DJI consolidates on the SC for as much of their products as possible. I think it's a good move.

LOVE my SC.  Now DJI, let me use it with my mini 2 please.

AntDX316 Posted at 1-13 04:55
The Smart Controller is balanced.  I can use it in most conditions w/o issues.  If you don't want to upgrade, it doesn't matter.  Those that somehow crash their drone because they couldn't see dark areas, or get crap shots that are framed forever because they couldn't see have to live with it.

Thats my point,  it should not be the only way to fly the drone,  they should keep the options of both.

DAFlys Posted at 1-13 07:48
Thats my point,  it should not be the only way to fly the drone,  they should keep the options of both.

oh, I didn't mean the "only" option

I should've added only way to fly manually.

AntDX316 Posted at 1-13 07:56
oh, I didn't mean the "only" option

I should've added only way to fly manually.

ok. understood.

sounds like the sc update to compatible with m2 is not going to happen.

The Saint Posted at 1-13 11:32
sounds like the sc update to compatible with m2 is not going to happen.

Why even fly the MA2 when you have the M2P?

The SC has a 5.5" screen.  I may as well use my phone if that is all I get. And the screen is in the wrong position relative to the controls. Right now I am happy with my 8" tablet screen mounted ahead of the sticks.

AntDX316 Posted at 1-13 14:02
Why even fly the MA2 when you have the M2P?

M2, not MA2. I think he means the Mini 2.

GaryDoug Posted at 1-13 15:15
M2, not MA2.

That was for someone else.  I have the ipad on the standard controller for mapping too but it's just too heavy.

AntDX316 Posted at 1-13 15:16
That was for someone else.  I have the ipad on the standard controller for mapping too but it's just too heavy.

Not for me...with the neck strap.

The Saint was referring to the Mini 2, not the MA2.

im pretty bad about these things but not unlike many others here.  i have the m2, m2, and ma2.  at this point, i'm sorta collecting drones.

the smart controller gets you the brightness that makes all the difference when flying which is why i really wish it would work with mini 2.

My SC still have compass issue when flying MA2.  The MA2 orientation is correct, but the orientation of the controller is off by 270 or 180 degree, even I have updated the latest FW v01.000.0880  
Anybody has the same issue?
Need help

GaryDoug Posted at 1-13 15:25
Not for me...with the neck strap.

I've tried that.  The Smart Controller is a lot better.

With DJI, you always have to decide which bugs and problems make your life the least miserable. And make your equipment choices based on that. With the SC, two of the major problems I've already run into are the reduced range and unreliable connection between the DJI goggles and the MP2.

The reduced range is a bit of a mystery, but it acts like the transmitters in the SC have a bit less power output than the standard controllers. Either that, or the antennas have less gain and/or efficiency. According to the specs, the stock controllers have less than or equal to 26dbm EIRP output, and the SC has 25.5dbm EIRP output on both bands. But 1/2 a dbm is only bout 50 mw difference. That should only be barely, barely detectable and only at extreme ranges - the difference is a lot more noticeable than that though (feels more like 2 or even 3dbm down on the SC over the stock controllers). But I can live with this though, as the connection is only somewhat reduced in reliability over the stock controllers for my 2 aircraft (MA2 and M2P). And I don't fly miles and miles away either.

The randomly disconnecting goggles from my MP2 when switching aircraft, though, is a show-stopper, but I can still use them with the HDMI output on the SC. The video feed out of the HMDI is significantly poorer than the Ocusync wireless connection, but it's at least usable. It's jerky and jittery (the Ocusync connection is totally smooth), but the image quality is very good. Given that the DJI goggles are end-of-lifed at least 2 years ago, and the MP2 is on the chopping block already, the chances of this getting found and fixed are zero. So I just live with it for now.

The bright screen is another disappointment. It's better than a phone, but it's still not really useable in direct sunlight. I use goggles for most of my flying so it doesn't affect me that much, but I think the screen could stand to be brighter still in a future SC.

So on balance, like all DJI stuff, there are major problems with the SC, but the benefits of it outweigh the drawbacks, for what I do. So I'm going to continue to use mine.  And of course, if the SC catches on, DJI will probably not orphan it and strand you with a dead piece of expensive gear (like my DJI goggles lol) and they'll continue to improve it. I hope...

luciens Posted at 1-17 08:03
With DJI, you always have to decide which bugs and problems make your life the least miserable. And make your equipment choices based on that. With the SC, two of the major problems I've already run into are the reduced range and unreliable connection between the DJI goggles and the MP2.

The reduced range is a bit of a mystery, but it acts like the transmitters in the SC have a bit less power output than the standard controllers. Either that, or the antennas have less gain and/or efficiency. According to the specs, the stock controllers have less than or equal to 26dbm EIRP output, and the SC has 25.5dbm EIRP output on both bands. But 1/2 a dbm is only bout 50 mw difference. That should only be barely, barely detectable and only at extreme ranges - the difference is a lot more noticeable than that though (feels more like 2 or even 3dbm down on the SC over the stock controllers). But I can live with this though, as the connection is only somewhat reduced in reliability over the stock controllers for my 2 aircraft (MA2 and M2P). And I don't fly miles and miles away either.

The goggles are cool for the first couple of minutes but after that, it's just better to not use it imo.  It's disorienting and my eyes start to hurt as well as my head from holding it up.  It has come a long way since first doing FPV back in 2014 but it gets super boring.  Perhaps if you wanted to watch an event from up above w/ the M2Z, then it's cool but just flying to be up in the air with it, is bad.  Still though, if the area is clear I can pretty much gather all the intel I can get from above w/o issue.  It's just having "no mission" is such a waste of time considering your are already skilled to do everything you want to do already.

I've had no massive problems w/ the Smart Controller w/ Yagis on.  W/o Yagis on, I can get problems even at 100m and closer if the invisible interference is great.

The best thing w/ the Smart Controller is being able to see the screen under all conditions.  Well most, unless it's incredibly sunny on the screen.  Once the phone starts to get hot, it gets super super dim.  What should be a quick orbit flight, now took 3x longer because it's hard to see.  W/ the iPad it doesn't matter too much because it's big but I'm only using that for mapping.

im going to agree with the comments on the sc display.  it's bright but there are times when it is not bright enough.  no phone can match it so the sc is better than nothing. the few times i really couldn't see the sc display well enough, i pulled out the external monitor 2200nits and found it to be adequate.  so i would say the next gen dji sc has to be 2000nit or better.

agreed on the goggles as well, i have them for my observers and invited guests as they are no longer cool to use after the first 2 or 3 flights.

The main downside to the goggles is not being able to access the app. Even connecting to the MP2 through Ocusync, where you have access to some of the settings, you don't have all of it. If you're using them through the HDMI out on the SC, you have to put the goggles up to do anything with the app.

OTOH, if you prefer to hand fly the aircraft as much as possible, there's no way to get as good a view of the video downlink any other way. Unless you have a 30" HDTV that goes up to 1500 nits brightness in front of you...

For instance, if you're doing shots at high speeds close to objects, something like the goggles is mandatory, IMO. With a teensy little 5" screen, you just can't see things large enough and in enough detail.  Contour flying close to the ground up and over objects and then down again is another type of shot that you just can't do with a tiny screen 2 feet away from your eyes. You'll stuff the bird into a tree, or you'll greatly misjudge the distance and be too far away, etc.

Some in this forum are vehemently in favor of making the "Smart Controller" available for the "Mini 2". There are, of course, counter-arguments, such e.g. wether it make sense to fly a cheap drone with a luxury controller, or wether technical design differences are cited as counter-arguments.
What has not been discussed so far is a marketing aspect related to the new European drone regulation. This new regulation will make it impossible for the owners of a Mavic 2 to fly legally, without much efford, e.g. within residential areas (open category, A1,A2). All that remains is flying far from any action (open category, A3). So what is the easiest action the troubled drone pilot can take? He also buys a Mini-2 and can do everything he needs with this small drone. If he has a Smart Contoller, it would of course be desirable to use it for the Mini-2 as well.