Hi guys i,m new here, i couldn't find an introductory section so here i am :-) I am Stephen and a semi pro rally car driver amongst other jobs:-)... so looking forward to a new adventure.
I am in the market for a new drone and i am doing the research i need before i commit to buy so it would be great to get some help from the people in the know, i have looked at the spark and because i am in the uk with no permit this may be my best option,however i also looked at the mavic air which looks great but the mavic pro has caught my attention and i think its the one for me but i have one question on these mavic pro models. On Various videos and info that i can see the platinum version should be around $100 more than the first edition mavic although the prices here in the uk are around £300 apart for fly more options on both models...what is the reason for this??

I have also been reading that a new mavic 2 could be released soon but i dont need to wait about tbh,maybe spark with 1080p or mavic air 4k will do me, i will mostly be heading for the hills with my drone tbh and fly as high as i am permitted to do..legally permitted i understand the rules of flight but the best camera(4k) available is also what i want which is why the higher end drones have caught my eye.

I realise too that i have asked a question about the mavic and also requested other advice on which drone to choose so apoligies for that, i just didn't want to add congestion to the forum with seperate threads.

Any advice is well appreciated

Stephen

We are living in the UK!! Main reason for the price difference is the Platinum uses a different and more efficient motor ESC resulting in quieter and more efficient flight. The Platinum has only been out a few months. The Mavic Pro series will give you are more stable connection than the Spark. As for the video it depends what you are going to do with it, for the main 1080p will probably do for most part. All this talk of Mavic 2 is producing some good second hand deals with big savings to be made.

Well, do you want to buy the Volkswagen or the Skoda?

A new MAVIC2 so soon means they didn't get the first model quite right so you would be buying in to MAVIC#1 Old Technology.

The Mavic Air is a noisy, short-flight toy with a 4K camera, (everyone knows that DJI birds get about 20% less flight-time than advertised Hover-time), so you wont get you're high-altitude dream, for just $250 more you can buy a real Quadcopter, the PRO and DOUBLE the flight-time.

Remember, if you want to DVR 4K on you're smart device you will have to buy a new iPad Pro, even my iPhone 6S+ can only cope with 1080p 30fps vids in the App.

Welcome to the forum Stephen,

The Mavic Pro Platinum is the refreshed version of the original Mavic Pro which includes FOC ESC's and winglet props that have upgraded the propulsion of the Mavic Pro. This will give you around 25 minutes of flight time off of one battery rather than around 22 and reduce the noise from the motors by around 60% - making the drone much quieter and help to prevent it from annoying other people when you're out there. Other than that you have the platinum paint job which enhances the cosmetic look of the drone. I have the Platinum edition and it is a great drone and definitely worth the extra £100 when it first launched.

As new drones are released (Alpine White, Platinum, Air) the original becomes less desirable to new buyers so DJI have recently reduced the price tag of the original Mavic Pro from £1,359 to £1,149 for the fly more combo - this is a massive saving and as much as I love the platinum the upgrades are not worth the added £310 as it now stands...

The Mavic Air looks like a great Mini drone packed with the latest tech. The image processor is actually the same as the P4P though the sensor is the same as the Mavic Pro. The live feed to your device over the GO 4 app is in 720p HD on all of DJI drones except the Mavic Pro series which can increase that to 1080p FHD. The chosen resolution is recorded to the micro SD card i.e. 2.7K, 4K etc to import to a computer for proper editing. The Mavic Pro has the best image transmission quality using OcuSync.

To list all of the pro's and con's to each will be huge. IMO the original Mavic Pro fly more combo is now the best value for money, the Platinum will offer the longest flight times and quietest flight for a premium and feels less buggy than the original, the Air is cheaper at £949 and will be great to learn on and is packed with the latest tech but uses an enhanced WiFi so the transmission quality will not be as good and the range a lot shorter - though will be good enough. Flight times on the Air are reported to be around 17 minutes in real time so thats around 8 minutes less per battery than the platinum. 3 Mavic Air batteries will give you roughly the same flying time as 2 Platinum batteries.

Good luck in your decision and no, I wouldn't hang around for a Mavic 2 - it will be months if one is released then a very long wait time for shipping... & If that drone has a 1" sensor it will make the Platinum price tag look cheap LOL

As for the Spark - nah!

Andy

Thankyou all so much for the replies...i realise there is going to be many questions like mine so i really do appreciate the response i have recieved considering i am a new kid on the block so to speak.

@Captain thanks for the detailed reply, i now know and realise the mavic pro was discounted as opposed to the platinum...makes perfect sense and explains things to me now so thanks for that.

I,m gonna go for the mavic pro fly more option from john lewis...strangly there is 2 options at the £1150 option ,one with an sd card option and one without so i know which one to order unless anyone else can advise with a difference, great thing with JL is the 2 year warranty unlike other crooks from currys or argos...argos will not even state warrantys...need to ask which i have and its 1 year:-(

I can also buy the lower noise props which i know wont be the 60% sound reducer like the platinum but heho i will be delighted with the pro mavic none the less...Captain has confirmed things for me but i understand the drone is my choice alone.

However i do have some concerns now regarding my smartphone so any help again will be appreciated,smartphones are not my thing and a simple text//call/email and occasional whatsapp is all i need as i dont do facebook etc...looking at what skymax has said i now need an ipad pro?

I currently have an iphone 5s on council payg so to speak which i know will need updated for many reasons if i want to control a drone...i have looked at my nieces iphone 6 which she does not use but needs a new screen which i can have replaced...this is where i was at as i realise a bigger screen is required which makes sense but now i,m not so sure.

Do i need a top of the range iphone for a dji mavic pro? if so which model...i can buy into an iphone 7 contract through Virgin Media as i already have a high end contract with them with bb/tv

I,m not interested in what i can view while controlling the drone, more what i can record on the drone 4k wise while in use if that makes sense.

Thanks again all you guys and sorry for all the questions

Stephen