The major players in the commercial drones space have released their new models just in time for a holiday season that should cement UAVs as a mainstream gadget. But which one of this year’s models is right for you? Let Dronelife break it down for you:
DJI Inspire 1
Let’s get this out of the way: DJI’s new Inspire 1 is the most expensive consumer drone on the market. The Inspire’s most basic bundle still costs over $1,000 more than the cheapest of this year’s new models. But it is also far and away the most technologically advanced. So what do you get for such a hefty price tag?
For starters, the Inspire 1 gets about 18 minutes of flight time per battery, has a max speed of 22 m/s and is fully compatible with DJI’s pilot app, LightBridge video downlink and Ground Station for automated flight.
But the real value is in the camera- the Inspire 1 has the best ready-to-fly drone/camera combination money can buy. The 4K camera shoots at 30fps, has a resolution of 12 million pixels, supports Adobe DNG, live streams in 720p to your smartphone/tablet and is controlled by a 3 axis stabilized gimbal. Speaking of the gimbal, users can control it with a smartphone (just like the gimbals on DJI’s Phantom drones) or a second controller ($650)- so aerial photography is now even more efficient as a two-man job.
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What’s more, the Inspire’s arms lift over the main body after take off, allowing the camera 360 degrees of unobstructed vision.
The Inspire 1 also has a camera on the bottom of its body which allows for position hold without GPS connectivity within 2 meters above ground level.
Oh, and the camera is modular which means it’s easy to replace or upgrade… and DJI has hinted other packages are on the way.
3D Robotics X8+
3D Robotics’ X8+ is a serious piece of hardware that lends itself much more to the tinkerers- the technologically savvy drone enthusiasts who want to understand what makes it tick. As the name suggests, the X8+ is an octocopter. It can be purchased barebones for $1350 and users can customize it out from there, but to roughly equate it with the Inspire 1 (with a gimbal, camera and inherent FPV capability), the cost rises to $2209.
The X8+ gets about 15 minutes of flight time and can carry payloads up to 800 grams. It also features the increasingly popular “Follow Me” functionality, wherein the drone will follow a GPS beacon (your smartphone, for example you) at a specified altitude and angle.
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Like the Inspire 1, the X8+ has a modular payload. Unlike the Inspire 1, however, alternative payloads for the X8+ are available now- you can outfit the drone with an array of gimbals, cameras and sensors allowing for all manner of data collection during an automated flight.
Parrot Bebop
The final new drone for Holiday 2014 is the Bebop by Parrot. The Bebop improves upon Parrot’s extremely popular AR Drone series in almost every way: increased range, flight time, controller options, camera capability and battery life (sort of).
The 14 megapixel camera uses a 180 degree, internal fisheye lens to produce extremely stable HD photos and videos.
Using your smartphone or tablet as a controller, the Bebop is ready to fly out of the box. The (free) app used to fly the drone also controls the camera and saves any recorded media right to your device’s photo gallery.
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A fully charged battery provides 11-12 minutes flights but, unlike the other models on this list, the Bebop comes standard with two LiPo 12000 mAh batteries. The package also comes standard with easily installed propeller guards for added safety.
The Bebop is smaller and lighter than the Inspire 1 and X8+ so it is more susceptible to wind and the elements, but if you don’t want to fuss with complex systems and want to fly as soon as possible, you can’t go wrong with the $499 price tag.
The Hammer, the Drill and the Screwdriver
To put this comparison in terms of more widely recognized technology: if the Inspire 1 is a Mac, the X8+ is a PC and the Bebop is a Kindle Fire.
The Inspire 1 has a sleek look that is sophisticated in its simplicity. It’s easy to use, difficult to take apart, and exceedingly efficient at basic drone functionalities the industry has come to expect (i.e. taking pictures and videos). It’s about to experience an influx of apps due to DJI’s recently released SDK and it’s easily the most expensive model.
The X8+ has a much more traditional appearance- it doesn’t look like a prop from the Star Wars set. The guts are much more user friendly and customizable, making the X8+ an all-purpose tool for those who take the time to understand its inner-workings. It’s much easier to fix when broken, and provides a rig that is easier to upgrade in the coming years as UAV technology becomes more powerful.
The Bebop is the cheapest and most accessible option. Just like how anybody can click to buy on Amazon, anyone can tap to fly with Bebop. If your primary reason for buying a drone is entertainment, the Bebop is easily the best option. You can use it to complete some simple tasks (inspecting your gutters or taking drone selfies, for example), but for raw processing power, look elsewhere.
To see a comparison of these companies’ other drone models, check out Drone Duel Part I.
Alan is serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, and a drone enthusiast. He co-founded DRONELIFE.com to address the emerging commercial market for drones and drone technology. Prior to DRONELIFE.com, Alan co-founded Where.com, ThinkingScreen Media, and Nurse.com. Recently, Alan has co-founded Crowditz.com, a leader in Equity Crowdfunding Data, Analytics, and Insights. Alan can be reached at alan(at)dronelife.com
R U RETARDED ? COMPARE THE INSPIRE TO THE BEBOP. THATS LIKE COMPARING A VW TO A PORSCHA
Actually vw and Porsche are the same company. So pick a different analogy.
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I own an Inspire 1, and having a degree in aeronautical engineering and extensive experience with aircraft, I will say that the Lithium Polymers are pathetically under capacity. In electric powerplants on these UAVs, the last thing you want to do is make it seem obvious that the optimal battery size is an afterthought. Fixed wings are less critical due to their inherent aerodynamic energy efficiency over quadrocopters, but as a general rule for quads, you preferably want at minimum 40% of the airframe in battery weight. 8000 mAh would have been the optimum amperage on the Inspire 1, and for those who have flown the quad, we know that little addition of payload would not have compromised the current design. The fact of the matter is we cannot expect glider-duration flight times from these high energy dependent UAVs. If you are serious about endurance, then you need to look into fixed wing and VTOL. DJI is not focusing on delivering high performance solutions. They expect you to spend over 10 grand on serious platforms. Somewhere, they had to keep their profit margins competitive, therefore cutting corners on flight time. People need to realize that flight endurance isn’t nearly as expensive in fixed wing aircraft. These quads have become popular merely for convenience of takeoff and landing as well as hovering capability. Quadrocopters have long since been a fad in the “less functional” aircraft community. Look beyond the batteries as being the weak point, as well. There is no doubt in my mind that energy to weight ratios will continue to increase in Lithium chemistry, but the propulsive efficiency of quads in forward flight is a joke compared to fixed wings, and we must make the best use with what we have. Another quirk I noticed on the Inspire 1 is the fabrication quality of the rotor blades, which again seems to me as if the design team was less concerned with performance parameters and more so with capturing 4K footage. For me the Inspire is a lovely bird, but they really should have allotted for a solid 30 minutes flight time. It is practically a waste for surveying destinations further than 1 mile.
have you heard of the sky prowler ? http://www.krossblade.com/#skyprowler-section
I’m not in favor of the design.
I’m sure battery size wasn’t the issue, Battery COST was. To from a 5700 to an 8000+ mah battery the cost would go to about $300 per battery which makes it unreasonable. in my opinion. It would be nice to have the option though. I would think it wouldn’t be too hard to make a mod kit to be able to strap an 8000 mah, battery to it.
On the Bebop drone i think it is 1200 mAh not 12000 mAh.
Like to find one between 100.00 to200.00
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Seems all makers need to focus much more on battery life bigger/ better cameras don’t mean much if you can’t fly longer than 30mins The current max). I’d rather wait a few years for current bugs to be worked out & MUCH better battery life especially for the prices these go for right now. Seems like battery life is the big elephant in the room, & all makers have to figure that out before asking thousands for their products!
Very true. Can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Yes the battery. I think that should be the focus now…..
Will this article receive an update? There are several more drones out like the Ehang Ghost, Walkera Scout X4, Walkera Tali 500 and so on.
The Inspire 1 is something I really need to get my hands on (if only it wasn’t so expensive). I have used my friends smaller toy drone before (he only paid about $80 for it and it didn’t really do anything and crashed frequently, but it was fun) and that’s it. I have wanted to own a professional one for taking images from the air, and this would be perfect for someone like me. For the price though, I could use that money to put a down payment on a car or something. I was reading about it the other day on my phone’s news app. PN had an interview with them when they reviewed it. Made me want to reach through the screen and steal it from them lol (ref: http://pocinc.net/blog/technology-news/the-new-dji-inpire-1-quadcopter-drone-review-with-interview/ ). I hope it comes down in price a little. Either that or one of the other ones they wrote about. I remember reading about another one they covered that could fly itself without any controller (that was cool).
Most of DJI and 3DR’s drones can fly themselves in some capacity… you don’t need to spend 3K to experience autonomy!
I was just looking at the 3DR Iris+. Basic drone price seems fair. But just like BMW, once you add all the cool options, and a few spare parts you quickly double and almost triple the once fair price.
Hey Droners, the missing feature for DJI Phantom is coming soon. I am currently in development on an iOS app that will bring true “Follow Me” mode to the phantom. You can follow the progress at http://www.followmephantom.com
It gets worse. When you do lose the wifi signal (and I assure you, at some point you will), the automatic return to start feature doesn’t activate until 2 minutes of lost connection. Really? With a max 11 min flight time, unless you’ve been flying for less than 6 or so minutes prior to losing the wifi, the drone isn’t coming back.
Watching your $500 investment fly away while you stand helpless is pretty miserable.
The Parrot Bebop has 1200 mAh batteries, *not* 12,000 mAh. Geez. Did the author of this article even loo at the technical specs on the Parrot Bebop site? http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/bebop-drone/
Notice how on the spec page, the Bebop’s signal range is listed as “N/A”? That’s because WiFi is *horrible* when it comes to range. You may only get a signal from 100 feet away. What a joke.
I personally went through two Parrot Bebop drones. The first one flew straight up into the sky, never to be seen again (even though the max height was set to 6 feet). The second one attempted to do the exact same thing, but this time I was fast enough to hit the emergency landing button, sending it plummeting 40 feet to the ground (emergency landings literally just kill all the motors – what an idiotic concept).
So yeah, don’t buy a Parrot Bebop.
I am a commercially rated pilot and want to get into commercial drone photography what are the bests drones for real estate and other for pay options
You should give the guys at http://www.dronefly.com a call (805)480-4033
Wow this review paid for in part by DJI.
No bias in this review ……..
Nice clear no nonsense critique. Also appreciate the photo of Superman
The X8+ gets about 15 minutes of flight time and can carry payloads up to 800 grams..
only 800 grams ? is that right?
That is the recommended payload. It can carry up to a kg, but flight time takes a hit.
Wow what a crap article. The bebop is a joke. Bluetooth is not the way to do it. Also 3drobotics has a iris+ that is 750 .
Bluetooth?
The Bebop is using wifi…
What a crap comment…