DJI Launches Phantom 4 Advanced

DJI has launched (another) new drone. The Phantom 4 Advanced is an upgraded version of the original Phantom 4, which the company will cease selling on April 30th.

Maybe we should have seen this coming? Given that DJI’s Phantom 3 range was stretched out to include a Standard, Advanced and 4K model, the move goes to show how relentless cannibalization of previous products doesn’t seem to be an issue for DJI.

Anyway, what can drone enthusiasts expect from the new Phantom 4 Advanced?

An Improvement on the Phantom 4

The new Phantom 4 Advanced is an upgrade on the popular but soon to be discontinued Phantom 4. DJI says that much of the improvements are in areas that aerial photographers will appreciate the most: the camera. The Phantom 4 Advanced will give photographers a 1-inch, 20-megapixel sensor and a mechanical shutter.

The upgraded camera is capable of shooting 4K video at 60 frames per second, while more powerful video processing will support H.264 4K videos at 60fps or H.265 4K at 30fps, both with a 100Mbps bitrate.

Improved optical performance, sensors and processors ensure footage is captured with higher dynamic range and the detail needed for advanced post-production.

The Phantom 4 Pro’s Little Brother

Just like the Phantom 4 Pro and the Mavic, the Phantom 4 Advanced comes new intelligent flight modes, including Gesture and Tripod, along with an upgraded FlightAutonomy system with five vision sensors, a forward-facing obstacle avoidance system and dual-band satellite positioning (GPS and GLONASS).

As a result, the Phantom 4 Advanced is able to hover precisely in places without GPS and fly carefully in indoor and complex environments.

As well as a boosted camera and more intelligent flight modes, the Phantom 4 Advanced has an increased storage capacity, using a 128GB microSD card, and a flight time extended up to 30 minutes.

Just to make things a little more confusing…

The Phantom 4 Advanced comes in two versions. The Advanced+ version comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p screen integrated into the controller. DJI says this screen is “more than twice as bright as conventional smart devices,” so it should be ideal for outdoor use in sunny conditions.

The Price

The retail prices of the Phantom 4 Advanced and Phantom 4 Advanced+ are US$1,349 and $1,649, respectively. They are now available in the DJI store and will start shipping April 30, 2017.

That price point puts it comfortably between the Phantom 4 Pro ($1,499) and the Mavic ($999).