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Both the Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro by DJI are incredible drones that are practically small powerhouses, but what are the differences between the two? In this comparison, we aim to find them all out. DJI Mavic Pro VS Phantom 4 Pro – which one is going to win?
Mavic Pro Specifications:
- Foldable as a small bottle of water
- New OcuSync transmission system
- ActiveTrack, TapFly, and other smart features
- Obstacle Avoidance – using Flight Autonomy it can see obstacles as far away as 49ft (15m) in front
- Vision Positioning paired with GPS and GLONASS ensures precise positioning indoor and outdoors
- The maximum flight time of 27 minutes
- Integrated high-precision 3-axis camera stabilization system
Check Mavic's Pro price on Amazon
Phantom 4 Pro Specifications:
- Camera with a 1-inch 20MP sensor the onboard camera has been redesigned to use a 1-inch Megapixel CMOS sensor.
- Five-directions of the obstacle sensing
- More powerful video processing supports H.264 4K videos at 60fps or H.265 4K at 30fps, both with a 100Mbps bitrate
- Lightbridge HD video transmission
- TapFly system
- The maximum flight time of 30 minutes
- Dual compass modules and dual IMU units
Check Phantom's 4 Pro price on Amazon
Build Specifications & Packaging
Packaging
The Mavic Pro is the better choice when it comes to portability and being compact, as it folds into the size of a water bottle and can be thrown into practically any bag for travel. The Phantom 4 Pro, however, is different in this aspect. The Mavic Pro can fit in its own safety case or a small bag, whereas the Phantom 4 Pro is a fixed size and shape, and therefore needs specific travel arrangements.
In fact, a lot of people prefer the Mavic Pro compared to the Phantom 4 Pro because of the build specifications, mainly because it can be folded into a much more compact size and is more easily transported basically anywhere like we previously stated.
Here is the basic rundown of what comes within each of the boxes for both of the individual drones.
Mavic Pro’s box:
- The Mavic Pro aircraft
- Car charger
- Main charger
- Battery charging hub
- Battery to power bank adapter
- Two Intelligent batteries
- Two 8330 propeller sets
- Three propeller pairs
- Remote controller
- Shoulder bag
- Gimbal clamp
- Micro SD card
- Micro USB cable
- Power cable
- RC cable, standard micro USB connector
- RC cable, lightning connector
- Two RC cable sliders
- Three user manuals
- Two guideline booklets
DJI Phantom 4 Pro’s box:
- The DJI Phantom 4 Pro aircraft
- Remote controller
- 4 pairs of propellers
- Intelligent flight battery
- 1 power cable
- 1 battery charger
- 1 gimbal clamp
- 1 micro 16GB SD card
- 1 micro USB cable
- 1 USB OTG cable
- Carrying case
- Needed manuals
While the Phantom 4 Pro is a tad more advanced and upgraded when compared to the Mavic Pro, the latter still holds some of the superior ground and is relatively cheaper than the Phantom.
Design and Durability
Where design and durability are concerned, both drones make an incredible argument. The most obvious difference between the two would definitely have to be the size. When looking to purchase a drone, the size can be a big factor for some, which is why it’s being further expanded on and not just a basic listing within the chart above. The level of noise that is emitted by either drone is also a big difference, you’ll find.
Unsurprisingly, the Phantom 4 Pro makes a lot more noise than the Mavic Pro does, but it also stands out a lot more because of the bright white color, whereas the Mavic Pro is gray in color.
Further, a lot of people have tested both drones in terms of durability, and it’s actually somewhat surprising as to what they’ve found.
Mavic Pro durability test:
Phantom 4 Pro durability test:
Camera
The Mavic Pro has a 1/2.3” CMOS sensor that pairs with the 12.35MP capability, which goes together with video and RAW up to 4096×2160 24p in 4K. The Phantom 4 Pro features a 1” CMOS sensor that is capable of a large 20MP. It can also shoot in RAW, up to 4096×2160 4K, and 24/25/30p at approximately 100mbps.
Mavic Pro’s Camera
- 12 megapixels
- 4K resolution, 1080p
- 3-axis stabilization system
- Micro SD
- Micro USB
- CMOS sensor
Phantom 4 Pro Camera
- 12 megapixels
- 4K resolution
- 3-axis stabilization system
- 1/2.3” sensor
- Micro SD
You can clearly see that the Mavic Pro holds the crown here.
It offers more specs that are beneficial when compared to the Phantom 4 Pro, even though it’s designed to be an aerial photography drone and not something for pure hobby or sport like the Mavic Pro is.
Battery and Flight Time
The Mavic Pro is powered by its Intelligent Flight Battery and features LEDs and built-in sensors that display the remaining power level and overall status.
The Phantom 4 Pro runs on a similar battery but does not come with the added benefits that the Mavic Pro’s does.
Though the Phantom’s battery is upgraded compared to the Mavic’s, the flight times are both generally the same, but the Mavic’s drains faster because of the LEDs and the drone’s sensors.
Where it counts most, though, is how long a drone can stay in the air, which is supposedly 27 minutes for the Mavic Pro and 30 minutes for the Phantom 4 Pro.
However, multiple user tests and field comparisons between the two have seen the Phantom coming down to be recharged before the Mavic, but either way, the level of flight time are both generally very similar.
Controller
The Phantom 4 Pro has a built-in screen that is 5’5” in size, which is great to have if you don’t want to have to pull out your phone or tablet to control and fly your drone, whereas the Mavic Pro requires such to do so.
However, the interference levels based on the range for either is practically the same, so neither are more beneficial than the other in that aspect.
The controller range is pretty close, but the Mavic Pro definitely takes the cake at a 7,000-meter range, whereas the Phantom 4 Pro comes in at 5,000 meters.
Both controllers, however, operate on a 2.4GHz frequency, which a lot of people enjoy. Both require the physical remote control that comes with the drone, as well as a phone, tablet, or any sort of smart device capable.
Flight Performance
Both the Mavic Pro and the Phantom 4 Pro are equipped with bountiful features that aid in the great design that both of these drones incorporate, but which is better?
In fact, the four wings are designed to fold underneath each other and move to the sides of the drone, where the rotors are then folded in half. This flattening design allows the drone to slip all of the most important pieces of hardware along the back and side of itself, which ensures you won’t have to remove the rotors every time you are finished flying.
The flight speeds are pretty close, with the Mavic Pro having a top speed of 18 miles per second while the Phantom 4 Pro comes in at 20 miles per second, which is pretty decent and calculates to both drones being able to exceed an average of 45 miles per hour. The Mavic Pro has a maximum ascent speed of 5 m/s, while the Phantom 4 Pro comes in at 6m/s. Their descent speeds are also very similar, with the Mavic being 3m/s and the Phantom 4m/s,
A lot of people wanted to know how both drones handle themselves in windy situations. We found a user video that describes how they handle the wind perfectly, which you can see below:
Value for Money and Guarantee
Where the value for money is concerned, the Mavic Pro is definitely the better drone to invest in. It has more features, better specs, and an even better price.
However, because both drones are around $1000, a lot of people want to ensure that it is worth the price and want to know about a guarantee or warranty.
DJI’s warranty policies and the like are pretty extensive, but you can check out their policies and coverage for yourself by visiting their site.
Unique Features
Mavic Pro Features
- Precision Hover
- FlightAutonomy
- OcuSync Transmission
- ActiveTrack
- Gesture Mode
- Tripod Mode
- TapFly
- Sport Mode
- DJI GO Editor
- GPS
- Follow Mode
- Point of Interest
- Waypoints
- Course Lock
- Terrain Follow
- Obstacle Avoidance
Phantom 4 Pro Features
- Draw Mode
- ActiveTrack
- TapFly
- Return to Home
- Gesture Mode
- Trace Mode
- Profile Mode
- Spotlight Mode
- Forward Mode
- Free Mode
- GPS
- Obstacle Avoidance
As you can clearly see both drones have some similar features and modes offered, such as TapFly and, of course, GPS. This is expected, however, considering they are both DJI drones.
As previously mentioned, the Mavic Pro can be folded up for a more compact size, but did you know that it will fold itself if a crash occurs? It will retract its wings to ensure that very little damage is done to the drone, which is a great aspect of both design and durability.
The Phantom 4 Pro, however, cannot do anything like this, but it can detect any potential obstacle collisions on all sides of the drone, which is pretty handy to have. This is somewhat of a new technology, mainly because the majority, if not all, of other drones, were only designed to detect obstacles either in front or behind, or both, and not all around them.
What’s more, you would still be expected to take quick control to avoid a crash, so this new feature that the Phantom 4 Pro offers in collision avoidance is definitely something that is pretty neat, which the Mavic Pro does not have.
Similar Models and Competitors
ProDrone Byrd Standard
The ProDrone Byrd Standard is very similar to the Mavic Pro in the respect that it, too, folds up into a more compact size for flying on the go.
It only has a 500-meter range and a flight time of 25 minutes, however, but the camera specs are somewhat better, considering the still camera resolution is 16 megapixels.
It’s also controlled by the remote and a smart device, just like the Mavic Pro and the Phantom 4 Pro.
Autel Robotics X-Star 3
The Autel Robotics X-Star 3 is also very similar to the Mavic Pro but is more like the Phantom 4 Pro in multiple ways.
For example, they are both for photography and film purposes, have 4 rotors, are controlled through a remote and smart device, and both have impressive flight times.
The Phantom has approximately 25 minutes of flight time, while the Autel has a flight time of up to 23 minutes.
Both are 12-megapixel drones, but the Phantom 4 Pro has the more superior range, considering the Autel only has up to 800 meters of range total.
Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K
Overall, Yuneec is DJI’s biggest competitor when it comes to the world of drones.
They have a tendency to focus on camera specs and features, which is what DJI tends to do, but we have to admit, DJI has come out with the bigger and better drones.
For example, the Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K has 25 minutes of flight time, an operating range of 800 meters, 12 megapixel still images, and 4K video resolution, which is fairly similar to both drones.
Overview
Overall, it’s very clear that, while both drones are incredible pieces of hardware in their own ways, the Mavic Pro takes the cake here. It has a definite better price, specs, features, and aspects all around, but we do still love the Phantom 4 Pro.
?Mavic Pro:
PROS
- One of the most portable drones available today
- 1/2 the weight when compared to the Phantom 4 Pro
- Smaller controller and better controlling range
CONS
- Slightly slower in speed compared to the Phantom 4 Pro
- Less flight time, but only by a minute
- More prone to bugs and glitches
Phantom 4:
PROS
- The time to set up is very long and requires extensive tightening
- Can withstand a crash unless it hits a tree
CONS
- Size and the inability to fold for packing
- Extra batteries are extremely pricey
It’s clear that the Mavic Pro is the better choice here, but the Phantom 4 Pro has it’s advantages too. Which one do you prefer? Let us know by leaving a comment in the comments section below.
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