DJI Phantom 4

The Phantom 4 was something of a surprise, launched not even a year after the first Phantom 3 models: the Pro and Advanced. In fact, it has only been mere weeks since the Phantom 3 4K was unveiled at CES 206, but the Phantom 4 has quite a few nifty tricks up its sleeve that’ll tempt you.

It’s the first consumer drone which will actively avoid objects, and that’s a huge deal. With almost every other quadcopter, you’re in charge of making sure there’s nothing in the way. The Phantom 4 has five cameras which let it see what’s around it and prevent crashes by slowing to a halt, or even going over or around obstacles.

Price

There’s just one drone in the Phantom 4 range, and it costs £1,229 direct from DJI. There are no options: you get a 16GB microSD card in the box and the box itself is a handy carry case. One battery is included, which lasts around 25 minutes: roughly the same flight time as previous models.

This isn’t going to be enough for most people, and extras cost a whopping £129 each from the official DJI store. Using third-party batteries isn’t recommended, and none exist yet anyway.

The quick-release props cost £14 for a set of four, but you get a spare set in the box.

Features and design

There are a couple of differences you’ll notice immediately. One is the glossy finish on the Phantom’s body, which gives it more of a premium feel. The gimbal is built into the Phantom’s body, not for a sleeker look but to bring it closer to the centre of gravity.

The battery is a new design with a new connector. It can only fit into the craft one way, but the charger can be attached either way up, like a USB-C cable. The charger itself has a second connector, which allows it to charge the battery and the Phantom’s controller at the same time.

Another change is the push-ntwist propellers, which are quick to fit and remove. The quick-release mechanism is much like the Inspire 1’s and DJI says it allows the motors to spin up and down faster without the props coming loose as they would with the self-tightening type used on the Phantom 3.

Quite obviously, there are two cameras built into the front legs, which work in conjunction with the main 4K camera to look out for buildings and other objects. Two more face downward, and there are two uprated ultrasonic sensors which let you fly at up to 10m off the ground without GPS.

There are changes on the transmitter, too. One is the sliding mode switch, which includes a