The Phantom 4 is being discontinued, and DJI has launched the mid-range drone PHANTOM 4 ADVANCED

According to previous reports, the DJI Phantom 4 will be officially discontinued at the end of this month. To address this, DJI today released a brand-new drone product—the Phantom 4 Advanced—to extend the lifespan of the Phantom 4. As a mid-range model in the Phantom series, the Phantom 4 Advanced offers major upgrades in battery life, intelligent control, and gimbal camera compared to the Phantom 4. Its overall performance is almost identical to that of the Phantom 4 Pro, except for the removal of the visual positioning systems on the left, right, and rear sides. It is priced at 8,999 yuan, while the controller package with a built-in screen is priced at 10,999 yuan. It is now available for purchase on Tmall and the official DJI online store, with an estimated shipping time of 15–20 days after payment.

Rather than calling the Phantom 4 Advanced an upgrade to the Phantom 4, it might be more accurate to describe it as a scaled-down version of the Phantom 4 Pro. According to the official specifications, the only difference between the two is the visual obstacle avoidance system. The Phantom 4 Advanced has a forward vision system and a downward vision system but lacks a rear vision sensor and infrared sensors on both sides of the body. This directly results in the Phantom 4 Advanced being 20g lighter than the Phantom 4 Pro, weighing 1,368g. Other specs are exactly the same, including a 350mm wheelbase, 30-minute flight time, and a maximum transmission range of 7 kilometers.

In terms of aerial photography capabilities, the Phantom 4 Advanced is identical to the Phantom 4 Pro. It is equipped with a 20-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor, capable of shooting 4K video at 60 FPS and capturing still photos at 14 frames per second. It can also shoot slow-motion 4K video at 60 FPS in H.264 format at a high bitrate of 100 Mbps, as well as 4K video at 30 FPS in the new H.265 format.

In terms of flight performance, the Phantom 4 Advanced features a five-directional vision system. Although it lacks a rear vision system, the forward vision system at the front of the body provides sufficient forward obstacle sensing, with a detection range of 0.7–30 meters. The downward vision system also delivers precise hovering capabilities. Its maximum ascent and descent speeds are 6 m/s and 4 m/s, respectively, while the maximum horizontal flight speed reaches 72 km/h, and the maximum flight altitude is 6,000 meters.

Compared to the Phantom 3 series, the biggest improvements in the Phantom 4 series lie in intelligent flight and image transmission. The Phantom 4 Advanced includes nearly all the intelligent flight modes of the Phantom 4 Pro, such as Waypoint Flight, ActiveTrack, TapFly, Return to Home, and Gesture Selfie. The only difference is that, due to the absence of a rear vision obstacle avoidance system, the Point of Interest (POI) flight mode no longer supports backward pointing.

The Phantom 4 Advanced’s image transmission system still uses the Lightbridge HD transmission system, with a maximum transmission range of 7 kilometers and a video feed resolution of 720P at 30 fps. When using a smartphone with the controller, the latency is around 220 milliseconds.

In addition, DJI has also introduced an integrated remote controller for the Phantom 4 Advanced—the Phantom 4 Advanced +. It comes with a built-in 1080P display that boasts a peak brightness of up to 1000 cd/m².

Clearly, the Phantom 4 Advanced is positioned above the Phantom 4 and below the Phantom 4 Pro, striking a balance between the two and representing a well-rounded product in terms of overall performance. It can be considered a cost-effective option — compared to the Phantom 4 Pro, it is 1,000 yuan cheaper but only lacks the rear vision system. For experienced users who are adept at operating the drone and less reliant on obstacle avoidance features, there isn’t much difference between the Phantom 4 Advanced and the Phantom 4 Pro. Moreover, DJI Care (the replacement plan for the Phantom 4 Pro costs 899 yuan per year) is now relatively affordable and can provide an extra layer of protection against unexpected incidents. Given these points, purchasing the Phantom 4 Advanced is also a solid choice.

Product Name: Phantom 4 Advanced

Purchase Links: Tmall and DJI Official Online Store

Product Price: 8,999 yuan

Release Date: April 2017