Introduction
Despite the fact that in April of this year, many were anxiously awaiting the appearance of the notorious Phantom 5, DJI again surprised everyone and replenished the 4th series with another Phantom 4 Advanced drone, which inherited several significant features from its older brother P4Pro and together with this it became a little more accessible.
After this release, many who were in search of a quality drone asked themselves the question: “Should we consider the P4A as an option for a future purchase, or should we still save up and purchase the top version with the letter Pro?”. Before trying to help you make a final decision, let’s delve into the details and analyze in stages all the benefits of new items.
Design and quality
If you have ever dealt with DJI Innovations products, then there will be no doubts about the quality of the P4A performance from the very beginning. The quality of the plastic, as always, is on top, durable, there are no hints of gaps and creaks that are characteristic of the equally famous Yuneec or GoPro Karma drones. In general, the design has remained invariably classic, and we can even say that it is pretty fed up.
Main differences
Of the main differences between the Phantom 4 Advanced and Phantom 4 Pro, only 2 can be distinguished:
- The Phantom 4 Advanced does not have rear obstacle avoidance sensors.
- The Phantom 4 Advanced does not have side IR (TOF) sensors.
Camera
The cameras of P4P and P4A are absolutely identical. There is no difference either in appearance or in the technical component. Both are based on a 20-megapixel 1-inch Sony Exmor sensor. The Sony RX100 Mark 5 is equipped with the same sensor.
Key features of the Phantom 4 Advanced and Phantom 4 Pro cameras:
- Mechanical shutter type
- H.265 video codec (provides better 4K video quality than H.264 like P4 and Mavic)
- ISO range 100 – 12800
- Resolution 20Mp
- 4K video at 60fps.
Below you can see the data that shows how much the camera of these drones has improved in contrast to the discontinued Phantom 4.
In general, both drones have the best current camera among existing drones in this class.
Equipment
It is with the equipment that the main and significant differences between P4P and P4A begin. Namely, the P4Pro equipment operates at two different frequencies – 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz, which in turn avoids signal interference and thereby eliminates almost any interference and delays in the transmission of the video stream.
And the P4A hardware only uses 2.4GHz, so the signal strength and stability is expected to be not as good as the P4Pro. Although we hasten to note right away that according to the official specifications of both drones, the distance is 7km, but still, the advantage at long distances under normal launch conditions will be with the Phantom 4 Pro.
A common plus between the two drones is the presence of a kit with equipment with a built-in super-bright 5.5-inch display (peak brightness 1000 cd/m²). It is also worth noting that the interchangeability of control equipment for both drones is completely excluded!
Sensors
Another important point that makes the Phantom 4 Advanced cheaper is the absence of some sensors that warn the drone against possible collisions in flight.
Phantom 4 Pro Sensors:
- 2 × front sensors
- 2 × rear sensors
- 2 × ultrasonic sensors on the bottom
- 2 × bottom visual position sensors
- 2×IMUs
- 2 × compasses
- 2 × GPS modules
- 2 × TOF infrared sensors on both sides
Phantom 4 Advanced Sensors:
- 2 × front sensors
2 × rear sensors- 2 × ultrasonic sensors on the bottom
- 2 × bottom visual position sensors
- 2×IMUs
- 2 × compasses
- 2 × GPS modules
- 2×
infrared TOF sensors on both sides
Note that the IR sensors (TOF) on the P4Pro are active only in the Tripod and Beginner flight modes, so their absence is an unimportant factor and in practice their participation is a rare case. But the lack of rear sensors in this case acts as a significant drawback, and in fact, at the moments when the shooting was carried out in an autonomous flight backwards, quite a few drones were smashed against the obstacles encountered. For this reason, the Phantom 4 Advanced is no longer able to fly backwards in “TapFly” mode, as the manufacturer has limited its operation.
Flight modes
In general, both drones have identical flight modes: Draw mode, Active track, Gesture, Course lock, TapFly, Point of interest, Waypoints and others.
Battery and flight time
The flight time of the Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced acts as a “calling card” in front of competitors. Despite the fact that P4A is cheaper, this did not affect the time in any way. According to the specification, both received a flight time of up to 30 minutes. In practice, it varies around 27 minutes, which at the current time is the best indicator among drones in its niche. For example, the flight time of the well-known Mavic Pro in practice is 25 minutes, while the GoPro Karma and Typhoon H can only stay in the air for 20 minutes.
Price
This is the most important criterion from which the buyer ultimately proceeds when choosing any product. The DJI novelty was priced at $1349 for a set with conventional equipment and $1649 for a set with equipment with a built-in super-bright display. While the Phantom 4 Pro is $1499 with standard hardware and $1799 with top hardware.
Which one to take?
Let’s start with the fact that the price difference between the standard P4Pro and P4A kits is only $150 and in fact it’s not that much, is it? We offer 3 wise tips from our magazine on how to spend money optimally in this case:
- Add $150 and get a top drone with all the features, sensors and hardware running on 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz.
- You can save money and buy a Phantom 4 Advanced and spend the difference on an additional battery, which will add an additional 30 minutes of flight and, accordingly, more beautiful photos and videos from the air.
- You can wait. Drones, like any tech. products tend to drop in price 5-6 months after release. In this case, patience will help save a decent amount of money.
If you’re wondering, when we asked our friends, “What would they do in this case?” Then all as one answered that: “It is better to pay extra and buy a full-fledged version of the drone”
What choice will you make? Leave your comments below, we think many who are in thought will be interested to know the general opinion on this matter.