DJI first announced the Phantom 3 Pro nearly a year ago, but now that the next-gen Phantom 4 has been unveiled, DJI has dropped the Phantom 3 Pro price to just $995. Essentially, that means you can now get a 4K-capable drone for less than $1,000, which is pretty damn incredible. Just like the Phantom 4, it is available at Apple
But while 4K video is the main draw here, the Phantom 3 Pro has a hell of a lot more going on than just a nice camera. Under the hood, this little quad boasts DJI’s Lightbridge technology, enabling you to control your UAV and view a live video feed well past a mile away. It’s also equipped with a gimbal for extra smooth shots, and even employs the same sensor that’s found in the Inspire 1’s Zenmuse X3 camera.
The accompanying remote is just as sturdy and attractive as the drone itself. There’s a USB port on the back that connect to your phone to use as the display, camera controls you can reach with your index fingers, a “return-to-home” button, and super simple joystick controls.
The Phantom 3’s top speed is 30 miles per hour, and the UAV is incredibly smooth and stable during flight. Even with 20 mph winds we had no problems controlling the Phantom. The battery is advertised to give you approximately 25 minutes of flight time, but my lead foot was fetching me closer to 18-20 minutes. Latency from the video feedback is practically nonexistent, so we could instantly see what the Phantom 3 Pro was seeing, even at distances greater than a mile.
The Phantom 3 line contains intelligent flight functions including course lock, home-lock, waypoints, point-of-interest, and follow-me mode. To engage these functions, simply turn the dial on the front of the remote from P to F, and you can select the intelligent function you’d like to use on the DJI Go app.
Overall, the Phantom 3 Professional is great for beginners who want to have an intuitive aircraft and a rich flying experience, or even advanced users that want to capture stunning 4K footage but need something that’s small enough to travel with. The Phantom 3 Professional is hands-down one of the best UAV’s you can get for the price.
Pick up your DJI Phantom 3 Pro at Apple.
