Several years ago I purchased a remote controlled helicopter. It was fun to fly when it was in the air but it was too easy to crash and time consuming to repair. It seemed like a light breeze would send it spiraling to the ground or into a tree. With a crash ending every flight I got bored and packed it away. Maybe I just didn't buy a good enough helicopter but at the time I wasn't willing to invest more then a couple hundred dollars.
In 2011 I watched a video of a Hexacopter in Cameroon, Africa and it piqued my interest again. The homemade hexacopter zooming around capturing the beauty of its surroundings had me wanting to get the helicopter back in the air. I did some repairs again and got it to fly only to have it crash with a small gust of wind.
Annoyed with the inferior product I started researching the different drones on the market. I decided that I would make the proper investment to get a drone that would meet all my requirements. I looked at the Yuneec Typhoon, 3DR Solo, Blade Chroma, and the DJI Phantom 4.
First I compared the Phantom 4 to the Solo. Please keep in mind that these are just a few of the many specs of each of these drones but were the ones that most interested me. This information was also what I found either on the manufacturer's websites or from popular user groups and their experiences with each drone.
| DJI Phantom 4 | 3DR Solo | Blade Chroma | Yuneec Q500 |
| Flight time
| 28mins | 20mins | 30mins | 25mins |
| Max Speed | 45mph | 55mph | 16mph | 22mph |
| Weight | 3lbs | 3.3lbs | 2.9lbs | 3.75lbs |
| Camera | 4k UHD | Optional | 4k | 4k UHD |
| GPS | GPS & GLONASS | GPS | GPS | GPS & GLONASS |
| Range | 3.1 mi | .5 mi | .5mi | .4mi |
| Controller | Remote+Tablet | Remote+Tablet |
Built in Display | Remote+Tablet |
| PRICE |
$1,399.99 |
$1,549.94* |
$1,199.99 |
$899.99 |
* requires Go Pro Camera which added another $499.99 to the price
With all the specs the biggest feature that I like out of all of them was one not listed above. The Phantom 4 has an obstacle avoidance system to help prevent collisions, crashes and other accidents. Additionally the Phantom 4 also had some of the best specs across the board. It had the second lightest weight with the second fastest flight speed and the second longest battery life. It also included both GPS and GLONASS positioning and had a built in 4kUHD camera with gimbal.
In addition I had enough Apple gift cards that I had collected from Birthdays and Christmas presents to buy it from the Apple store with limited out of pocket expenses. So that is exactly what I did I finally purchased myself a drone and one that I feel good is one of the best on the market in the price range I was willing to spend.
