What should I buy- Skydio2 or MavicPro 2
- Thread starter Dale from Miami
- Start date
I didn't realize there was a M2 battery issue? Was there anything indicated or posted notice by DJI or other party? I have the M2P (and zoom gimbal) standard batteries and M2EDual with heated batteries.
None have displayed any swelling... and if they were swelling, that would be a major swell when you consider the force to over come the plastic encasement.
Just something to watch for... were they swelling on the sides, bottom or both?
I often use my M2P as a backup when using the Inspire 2 on construction survey grids. So I often charge the Mavic 2 batteries... basically topping them off from a week's discharge. Then if not needed, they discharge over the next week. Even this usage hasn't seemed to effect them.
If resources allow, I'd definitely get both. I see them as 2 separately focused crafts with a small shared overlap of similarities. The Mavic 2 also has an established path, color profiles for the it's camera, and support of numerous 3rd Party apps and hardware developers. The Mavic 2 Pro is 1" sensor with it's advantages too over the 2/3rd sensor.
The Skydio 2 is new, with relatively new propriety software. This indicates it's development of FW & App software will totally be on one development team. In comparison, several DJI adapted features have been indirectly stimulated by 3rd Party app development.
The autonomous flight, the self hands-free flights, or the maneuvers through complex obstacles is it's focus and pretty much the only thing stressed through it's advertisements. All great features and much to explore. But camera position, control of camera, control of flight & camera position (altitude), etc are other strengths with other platforms and unknown on the Skydio 2 as of yet. The previous discussion of Litchi including Skydio2 is a good example... and all the specialty autonomous features that Litchi and other Apps can provide.
The focus of the Skydio 2 is "hands free" autonomous flight; the use of Radio is secondary. It's flight control radio and software hasn't been explored much yet... and I'm still a little disappointed with the Anafi Radio and it's terrible method to mount a Tablet and turn On/Off. If Tablet is mounted, you can't turn the Radio off until you go through the process of removing the tablet and tablet mount... and able to close the Radio's arm, thus turning off. So a break or drive between job sites will run RC's battery down or you'll be installing mount arm & tablet and removing constantly.... OR fly with a phone which I don't elect... I like to see the flight path & image easily, and if needed mount a Hoodman's Hood. Minor points, but a frustration if repeated often.
As with other's, I'm in the production batch expecting early March... I placed order in early October.
Excited to see and examine... more so the technology. The Mag-Mount batteries are another "cool" factor, the Ft & Rr props inverted... another "cool" factor. But having craft sit on it's belly verses legs is another concern... dirt, snow, grass, etc. A heavy Hoodman's Landing pad would resolve that one too... but needed?
All said, I'm looking forward to my package in the mail and flying it. But I don't see it as a Mavic 2 replacement.
The Skydio 2 is new, with relatively new propriety software. This indicates it's development of FW & App software will totally be on one development team. In comparison, several DJI adapted features have been indirectly stimulated by 3rd Party app development.
The autonomous flight, the self hands-free flights, or the maneuvers through complex obstacles is it's focus and pretty much the only thing stressed through it's advertisements. All great features and much to explore. But camera position, control of camera, control of flight & camera position (altitude), etc are other strengths with other platforms and unknown on the Skydio 2 as of yet. The previous discussion of Litchi including Skydio2 is a good example... and all the specialty autonomous features that Litchi and other Apps can provide.
The focus of the Skydio 2 is "hands free" autonomous flight; the use of Radio is secondary. It's flight control radio and software hasn't been explored much yet... and I'm still a little disappointed with the Anafi Radio and it's terrible method to mount a Tablet and turn On/Off. If Tablet is mounted, you can't turn the Radio off until you go through the process of removing the tablet and tablet mount... and able to close the Radio's arm, thus turning off. So a break or drive between job sites will run RC's battery down or you'll be installing mount arm & tablet and removing constantly.... OR fly with a phone which I don't elect... I like to see the flight path & image easily, and if needed mount a Hoodman's Hood. Minor points, but a frustration if repeated often.
As with other's, I'm in the production batch expecting early March... I placed order in early October.
Excited to see and examine... more so the technology. The Mag-Mount batteries are another "cool" factor, the Ft & Rr props inverted... another "cool" factor. But having craft sit on it's belly verses legs is another concern... dirt, snow, grass, etc. A heavy Hoodman's Landing pad would resolve that one too... but needed?
All said, I'm looking forward to my package in the mail and flying it. But I don't see it as a Mavic 2 replacement.
Hello Doug,
Many M2 users experienced swelling batteries from the first batch, wasn’t right away it was this year we started seeing our batteries swell from the bottom. Pushing itself out, in some cases during flight. Luckily, After landing my M2P from a flight my buddy seen both sides of the Mavic casing had swelled to the point the battery was about to pop itself out. So I checked the other battery’s, they two were showing signs of swelling from underneath.
Have replaced all three since, no issues with this newer set. Which is why I’m not in favor promoting it others buying a used Mavic 2 Pro the batteries may be from the first batch. Apparently, DJI has made improvements on these newer batteries.
Somewhere on one of these post, is a thread discussing the Mavic 2 battery swelling. Many are not pleased with DJI not replacing the defective batteries.
Good luck,
Paul
Many M2 users experienced swelling batteries from the first batch, wasn’t right away it was this year we started seeing our batteries swell from the bottom. Pushing itself out, in some cases during flight. Luckily, After landing my M2P from a flight my buddy seen both sides of the Mavic casing had swelled to the point the battery was about to pop itself out. So I checked the other battery’s, they two were showing signs of swelling from underneath.
Have replaced all three since, no issues with this newer set. Which is why I’m not in favor promoting it others buying a used Mavic 2 Pro the batteries may be from the first batch. Apparently, DJI has made improvements on these newer batteries.
Somewhere on one of these post, is a thread discussing the Mavic 2 battery swelling. Many are not pleased with DJI not replacing the defective batteries.
Good luck,
Paul
Great Info... Thanks!
I'd agree, if I had 1-4 that swelled, I'd be upset too if DJI didn't replace and corrected the problem indicating there was a problem with the original set.
I had the same frustrations with the Anafi controller, but I have found simple ways to solve them.
I use a Samsung S5e 10.5" tablet. I purchased several different mounts and was not happy with any of them because they were extra parts to carry, heavy and took a lot of time to attach. The simple solution was to glue a plastic tee section to the controller and attach a flat plastic part with a beveled edge to the back of the tablet. Now it just snaps in place as quickly as a phone with no extra parts to carry.
I also added a switch to the controller to turn it off when not in use. It is wired in parallel across the terminals of the existing switch. Closing the controller will still shut it off if you forget to turn off the switch.
These mods work great and I will be doing the same to the Skydio as soon as I receive it.
At the moment I am using a purchased hood, but I will make a better one that will stay attached to the tablet and fold up to protect the screen when not in use. I will also rig up a neck strap.
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Those are 2 good ideas that serve your needs, very practical & functional. I'll probably do a micro switch, there was a video on the Anafi where with a small micro switch that I liked the looks and integration. The tablet mount needs to be more functional, and you've applied a great idea! I'd prefer not to stick or glue to my iPad Pro 10.5 and Samsung S4. But a 3D printed small bracket or frame could easily duplicate your concept... if anyone has a 3D printer.
But that's sad we're needing to apply such modifications to overcome a poorly thought out design. It wouldn't be difficult for them to change the "case mold" a little to be more adaptive and to put on a manual switch.
After @LivinLarge design on tablet, and mentioned trying several... got me to re-look at tablet holders. Several have been designed since I looked last.
4.6-10" Tablet i Pad Phone FPV Monitor Mount Holder for Parrot Anafi RC Drone | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 4.6-10" Tablet i Pad Phone FPV Monitor Mount Holder for Parrot Anafi RC Drone at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
For Parrot ANAFI, Tablet Adaptor, Holder, Easy to Fit Strong, ALSO fits Skydio 2 | eBay
This adaptor works really well and holds the tablet very safe and firm - There are now thousands of very satisfied users of this simple device. WILLreduce the transmitter range - especially the live video feed range!
www.ebay.com
If you don't want to stick anything to the back of your tablet, you can modify a folio case such as the Moko one here. This was my first attempt and it worked fine but I wanted to eliminate the extra weight so I attached a part to back of the tablet instead.
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I tried that first one you linked. It held the tablet well enough but the part that wrapped around the stem on the rc would easily come unsnapped. I had to add a thumbscrew to it which was one more part to carry and maybe lose.After @LivinLarge design on tablet, and mentioned trying several... got me to re-look at tablet holders. Several have been designed since I looked last.
4.6-10" Tablet i Pad Phone FPV Monitor Mount Holder for Parrot Anafi RC Drone | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 4.6-10" Tablet i Pad Phone FPV Monitor Mount Holder for Parrot Anafi RC Drone at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!www.ebay.com
For Parrot ANAFI, Tablet Adaptor, Holder, Easy to Fit Strong, ALSO fits Skydio 2 | eBay
This adaptor works really well and holds the tablet very safe and firm - There are now thousands of very satisfied users of this simple device. WILLreduce the transmitter range - especially the live video feed range!www.ebay.com
I also tried the Dirty J Designs mount Parrot Anafi Large Tablet Adapter for 9-11
It works fine but again it was extra pieces to carry and assemble and did not fit in my case.
The part I added to the back of my tablet is 1" x 5" x .060" thick plastic, attached with Scotch Extreme mounting tape. It took 10 minutes to make. The plastic tee section I added to the controller cost $1.35 at the local hobby shop.
China, where DJI is located, has an hourly wage of $0.40. These forums are flooded with DJI employees parroting their corporate line. Be careful with advice. I am waiting for my Skydio and the best part is never dealing with DJI again.
China is where the majority of electronics are either located or involved. DJI, Yuneec, Autel... and many other in the sUAV arena as a few examples. Even our USA HD Bikes have electronic components and even a few mechanical parts from China; the majority of normal branded clothes, kitchen appliances, and cell phones. This isn't the forum for economic trade, but ceasing all Chinese product isn't realistic if you consider all the elements.
Ceasing DJI is a certainly a choice, but the Skydio 2 doesn't replace all the DJI platforms.
There was also similar discussion when the Skydio 1st model was introduced but after in production lost a lot of forward momentum. Granted the S2 is a huge improvement, but it's not a heavily used product yet either. I'd like to see both USA & Non-USA competition... the EVO 2 looks great too!
The market control and strength of DJI, and their acquiring a lot of USA Warehousing & land makes it perceivable they could relocate their manufacturing and obtain the "made in USA" or "assembled in USA" label... even with a new USA Company name. Side stepping the trade & recent Govt Chinese bands on sUAV from China. It's very possible the smaller companies: Autel & Yuneec would be impacted more than DJI on the long run of the Trade & Govt bans.
Does that change the scenario... not really... behind the scenes, corp parent is still the offshore board. Although, over the years, It's worked for several auto manufactures, and other foreign hardware manufactures; just move a facility to USA and be a USA company.
Ceasing DJI is a certainly a choice, but the Skydio 2 doesn't replace all the DJI platforms.
There was also similar discussion when the Skydio 1st model was introduced but after in production lost a lot of forward momentum. Granted the S2 is a huge improvement, but it's not a heavily used product yet either. I'd like to see both USA & Non-USA competition... the EVO 2 looks great too!
The market control and strength of DJI, and their acquiring a lot of USA Warehousing & land makes it perceivable they could relocate their manufacturing and obtain the "made in USA" or "assembled in USA" label... even with a new USA Company name. Side stepping the trade & recent Govt Chinese bands on sUAV from China. It's very possible the smaller companies: Autel & Yuneec would be impacted more than DJI on the long run of the Trade & Govt bans.
Does that change the scenario... not really... behind the scenes, corp parent is still the offshore board. Although, over the years, It's worked for several auto manufactures, and other foreign hardware manufactures; just move a facility to USA and be a USA company.
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DJI has miserable customer service and tons of minions on these forums to suppress opinions. What else should be expected from China? Bye-bye DJI
That’s a great move if not happy with product. As any product, change if not satisfied.
Although without the major player in the mix introducing new innovation & development we wouldn’t probably have the level of technology currently and certainly not close to the prices we’ve had over the last 6-8 years.
Before the iphone, Motorola was dominate, Windows Phones were struggling & slow... and like now, most all made in China.
But, as you’ve indicated... misrepresentation is a negative... either direction. Not sure what forum suppression you mean, you’re expressing without block, as others have too. The “ruling” hand are moderators and their role is to provide a smooth conduit for members to communicate. These forums are primarily Owners, I’m not aware of DJI lurking on the site, none of the discussions I’ve participated have been silenced or deleted. I’ve been quite critical of several items without manipulation from the Forum.
I’ll agree DJI had a bad report for customer service, and gave it attention to improve and reorganized a few years ago. I’ll strongly disagree on the bad service since the reorganization (my scope is USA). I’ve since used their new service on multiple tickets; repair of 2 Z3 cameras, A3 Pro system, Z30 camera, and a few others tickets.
The new service flows very smoothly & informative. You create a service ticket on the web page, they generate & email a UPS pre-paid ship label, you send in package. Later you receive an email it was processed into service and link to track progress. At any time able to send questions on repair, and normally next day receive a response. If no-cost repair you’re informed, and if a payment is required, you’re provided a URL link to complete payment. When repair completed, they return ship with UPS tracking number. Much improved, paid shipping both directions, and on all my tickets, performed relatively promptly. Much better than Yuneec or PowerVision experience. Several Owners that have recent dissatisfaction experience, normally have not generated a service ticket initially. Although, every manufacturing service center receives dissatisfaction more than satisfaction... why complain if satisfied?
The Skydio 2 looks like a great craft, looking forward to receiving mine. If it’s as good as advertised, it’ll certainly pull sales from DJI... that‘s a great thing too, it’ll hopefully stimulate more technology & competition and we’ll all gain in the end.
DoomMeister
Well-known member
I have no idea what forum you are referring to, but it isn’t the DronePilots forums dedicated to the DJI line.
Am I glad there is competition to the DJI line of products? You bet I am! The Skydio 2 looks to be a good contender and hopefully they will expand their line in the future to encompass a wider range of uses.
I was banned from RCG for pointing out DJI birds don't use GPS(Beacon) or Dynamic Altitude (device barometer) for tracking like Anafi and now Skydio.
DJI reps and their DJI puppets insisted they did, went as far as to produce a faked video. When they realized they were wrong they went silent and had me banned ?.
Deception at it's best; however, I think DJI makes some of the best hardware. I own many DJI birds and am so frustrated how bad Active Track is, they could be much better with just software updates. DJI could take a page out of Parrots book and offer GPS in addition to Optical Tracking. Dynamic Altitude is just software, most follow drones use it today, even my 4 year old Solo has it.
DJI's hang up seems to be full offboard tracking with no device on the subject, the holy Grail of tracking. Problem is we're not there yet. As much as they'd like to advertise AT can stay with the subject without a tracking device they're wrong and create a dangerous situation with "misidentification of subject" in their words.
Skydio hit the nail on the head with guys like me, GPS combined with Optical for tracking. No compass to muddle things up, device barometer AND a bubble of obstacle avoidence to navigate through challenging environments.
The flip side is the benefits kicked off for other users, S&R, AP, inexperienced pilots....
This will be interesting to see how it goes down, will DJI continue to stonewall proper tracking and obstacle avoidence continuing to proclaim we're the best, better than you need? Or, will Skydios features force DJI to compete?
I never said DJI is not an innovative company, I think Wang did a great job early on. But they became a giant hammer through shear market dominance crushing the competition with numbers. Birds like Anafi are smothered by DJI while being less costly and more functional in many ways. DJI trolls and reps are insensitive, they can be, when you're the big dog truth is a bit more selective.
Again how will this pan out, is DJI too big or even consider Skydio a threat; probably not. DJI has seen the competition come and go, they're like leaves in the wind now. Early on DJI was concerned, so concerned Frank traveled to 3DR and tried to buy them, 3DR declined. Like Ford vs Ferrari DJI won that battle. But DJI had every right to be afraid 3DR, APM, Pixhawk... outperform anything DJI has for autonomous flight. So out come the smoke and mirrors, reps a little less than honest and fanboys distributed to forums. I think XXXPilots is pretty good, others are not.
DJI reps and their DJI puppets insisted they did, went as far as to produce a faked video. When they realized they were wrong they went silent and had me banned ?.
Deception at it's best; however, I think DJI makes some of the best hardware. I own many DJI birds and am so frustrated how bad Active Track is, they could be much better with just software updates. DJI could take a page out of Parrots book and offer GPS in addition to Optical Tracking. Dynamic Altitude is just software, most follow drones use it today, even my 4 year old Solo has it.
DJI's hang up seems to be full offboard tracking with no device on the subject, the holy Grail of tracking. Problem is we're not there yet. As much as they'd like to advertise AT can stay with the subject without a tracking device they're wrong and create a dangerous situation with "misidentification of subject" in their words.
Skydio hit the nail on the head with guys like me, GPS combined with Optical for tracking. No compass to muddle things up, device barometer AND a bubble of obstacle avoidence to navigate through challenging environments.
The flip side is the benefits kicked off for other users, S&R, AP, inexperienced pilots....
This will be interesting to see how it goes down, will DJI continue to stonewall proper tracking and obstacle avoidence continuing to proclaim we're the best, better than you need? Or, will Skydios features force DJI to compete?
I never said DJI is not an innovative company, I think Wang did a great job early on. But they became a giant hammer through shear market dominance crushing the competition with numbers. Birds like Anafi are smothered by DJI while being less costly and more functional in many ways. DJI trolls and reps are insensitive, they can be, when you're the big dog truth is a bit more selective.
Again how will this pan out, is DJI too big or even consider Skydio a threat; probably not. DJI has seen the competition come and go, they're like leaves in the wind now. Early on DJI was concerned, so concerned Frank traveled to 3DR and tried to buy them, 3DR declined. Like Ford vs Ferrari DJI won that battle. But DJI had every right to be afraid 3DR, APM, Pixhawk... outperform anything DJI has for autonomous flight. So out come the smoke and mirrors, reps a little less than honest and fanboys distributed to forums. I think XXXPilots is pretty good, others are not.
Agree with much of your post. Although, like GM, Ford or any large controlling company; they'll purchase small business or product and appear to not utilize the innovation... it may be shelved. They go by profit and what is needed to sell to the mass. As that requirement goes up, they tend apply more innovation to remain dominant.
I have no doubt, as competition demands, the big dog will raise the "Bar" in an effort to maintain it's market share. Unless a company releases a unique product unable to duplicate or improve... the dominant company tends to bounce back quickly. Skydio2 is innovative but technology base considered; isn't so unique it'll remain a lone offering of the technology.
The one advantage Skydio has, is it's location of manufacture. If parts are not from China, the ability of DJI to freely examine & duplicate is minimized... in the short run. If DJI already has similar technology, they'll need to pull it off the shelf and get busy designing a new product.
I view it all great for the consumer. The more competition the better for us all. I'm happy to see a new design about to hit market and look forward to Big Dog's new product in near future.
I guess that's my biggest gripe with DJI but it's understandable, bottom line profit trumps product performance for most larger companies. Why give the market more than required to make the sale. DJI may have, may have purchased or could develop this technology but chose not to bring it to market. DJI uses slick marketing and US employees to run cover.
I'm happy to see a US company bring this technology to market, competition is good for consumers. Hopefully Skydio won't fumble the ball like 3DR. Both companies have great talent but I think Chris A had a lot in common with Enzo. Skydio needs to concentrate on their strengths and make wise business decisions. Raising capital is fine but they will be just a memory if they don't carry the ball correctly. Chinese companies are ruthless and DJI will counter with price reductions, slick marketing or whatever to sell what they have without upgrades. I don't see DJI taking on Skydio unless they have to, After this first round SD may be ripe for a buyout if they don't 3DR things lol. To bad I use 3DR as an adjective I love my Solo.
I'm happy to see a US company bring this technology to market, competition is good for consumers. Hopefully Skydio won't fumble the ball like 3DR. Both companies have great talent but I think Chris A had a lot in common with Enzo. Skydio needs to concentrate on their strengths and make wise business decisions. Raising capital is fine but they will be just a memory if they don't carry the ball correctly. Chinese companies are ruthless and DJI will counter with price reductions, slick marketing or whatever to sell what they have without upgrades. I don't see DJI taking on Skydio unless they have to, After this first round SD may be ripe for a buyout if they don't 3DR things lol. To bad I use 3DR as an adjective I love my Solo.
Skydio has challenges, the consumer drone market is saturated with cheap quite good drones, the X8, Anafi.....
I purchased a refurbished (new) Mavic Pro for $699.
Professionals need an I2 or Matrice...; however, SD does have the home field advantage especially with M&P and SAR.
It's going to be interesting to see how the market and the big dogs react to this new technology.
I purchased a refurbished (new) Mavic Pro for $699.
Professionals need an I2 or Matrice...; however, SD does have the home field advantage especially with M&P and SAR.
It's going to be interesting to see how the market and the big dogs react to this new technology.
The 3DR was a great direction of new offering. It was sad to watch it's launch and progress begin to drop so soon. But not to their marketing or business fault... their one miscalculation was the strength of the primary player: DJI. A lot of their fall was to the prey of DJI; they launched an aggressive marketing attack... and I feel they controlled a lot of the supply chain too. Similar to Autel's EVO, and their multiple delays. They had a hard time obtaining IC electronics due to DJI's relationship with several manufacturers of supplies. That also allowed DJI ample time to modify and introduce their Mavic2 series... just a bit above the EVO's specifications.
We scream DJI and Chinees poor behavior... although on a business scheme, DJI has performed very tactfully and on track. Many of these business practices they learned in USA, the Auto manufacturers are bruttle with small companies they want terminated, drug companies similar, and practically any competitive market applies similar tactics.
We scream DJI and Chinees poor behavior... although on a business scheme, DJI has performed very tactfully and on track. Many of these business practices they learned in USA, the Auto manufacturers are bruttle with small companies they want terminated, drug companies similar, and practically any competitive market applies similar tactics.
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