Full article here: Comparing the DJI Phantom 3 to the 3DR Solo
Looked at: design, flight time, transmitter, camera, price, use, development, and the launch videos.
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Full article here: Comparing the DJI Phantom 3 to the 3DR Solo
Looked at: design, flight time, transmitter, camera, price, use, development, and the launch videos.
You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!
Comments
why is this asking for my comment to be approved?
3DR Solo simply tried to follow on behind DJI to grab some market share and probably a bit to late, and basically they just tried to copy what DJI did rather than offer a completely different set of options, which in my opinion would then differentiate between them and likely would be much more successful for the Solo and 3DR.
No question about it, DJI has done a fantastic job to full fill what the market was chasing after during all the DIY days when at the time the only best options available were what you could make yourself, and now DJI provides an off the shelf very easy to use aerial platform system. Bottom line is people want something easy to fly and take pics and videos.
In contrast the other market 3DR Solo has failed to cater to , which in my view would have been more their niche, is the very people who helped 3DR to get where they got to and that's the DIY community of course.
We of us who love to build our own, to modify , tweak, hack, rebuild and develop. the Solo holds really nothing of great interest for us. We will do just as well if not better just to buy a DJI and hack that the same. (which I have done many as well since the P2 days)
I would have thought better that 3DR would make the Solo much more modular with a lots and lots options. Swapable motor types, arms from quad to hex , prop choices, different guidance systems such as sonar, optical add ons, lidar options and battery options. Even the option to use your own radio and vid feed module options and the list goes on.
Yes they can still sell an off the shelf RTF option, but as it is now, people just to easily want to compare the Solo to DJIs Ph3 as we see done again here on yet another of a few thousand forums.
With a modular option system with lots of options, then there is no longer a caparison and then 3DRs Solo would be well defined and different enough to stand on its own.
The other issue and a pet hate of mine is they battery, which they also just mimicked DJIs methods to market a way over priced item and one that is just not environmentally friendly at all. .
This is an email I sent to 3DR just after they released the Solo.
"I really wonder why 3DR isn't showing some leadership in providing a greener and a more environmentally friendly battery option??
I find its very disappoint that 3DR has taken the same road as DJI in supplying a battery that is not only very over priced, but also that nothing on it is recyclable. The whole housing, and all the electronics within are all disposed of once the batteries life has expired. This is just environmentally irresponsible in my view.
I recall one person suggested the risk to reuse it was why it was done this way, but we both know that's just a load of garbage.It certainly isn't to difficult to design a reusable battery housing module and all you do is replace the battery cells as a battery pack right?.
Just my suggestion , but 3DR could try better to define itself as being a bit different from the mainstream and take at least some environmental responsibly here. Rather than mimicking DJI, why not put the environment first before profits?
Also I wonder how many people would factor this in to swaying their decision whether to buy a DJI or a Solo? I am very sure many like my self would indeed, and more so if you priced the battery packs much more reasonably.
Id would like to see it that if I bought a Solo that it came with 2 battery holder modules with the battery packs and then an option to buy 2-4 extra battery insert packs (without the housing models) . I am sure the price per cell pack could be easily around $50pc which I guarantee it would have many more people favor to buy a Solo over a DJI."
These are the types of differences that could easily see the Sole and 3DR compete in a bigger way and in a different market than DJI is, and where for many of us who want lots of "Options" then we have them .
3DR Solo simply tried to follow on behind DJI to grab some market share and probably a bit to late, and basically they just tried to copy what DJI did rather than offer a completely different set of options, which in my opinion would then differentiate between them and likely would be much more successful for the Solo and 3DR.
No question about it, DJI has done a fantastic job to full fill what the market was chasing after during all the DIY days when at the time the only best options available were what you could make yourself, and now DJI provides an off the shelf very easy to use aerial platform system. Bottom line is people want something easy to fly and take pics and videos.
In contrast the other market 3DR Solo has failed to cater to , which in my view would have been more their niche, is the very people who helped 3DR to get where they got to and that's the DIY community of course.
We of us who love to build our own, to modify , tweak, hack, rebuild and develop. the Solo holds really nothing of great interest for us. We will do just as well if not better just to buy a DJI and hack that the same. (which I have done many as well since the P2 days)
I would have thought better that 3DR would make the Solo much more modular with a lots and lots options. Swapable motor types, arms from quad to hex , prop choices, different guidance systems such as sonar, optical add ons, lidar options and battery options. Even the option to use your own radio and vid feed module options and the list goes on.
Yes they can still sell an off the shelf RTF option, but as it is now, people just to easily want to compare the Solo to DJIs Ph3 as we see done again here on yet another of a few thousand forums.
With a modular option system with lots of options, then there is no longer a caparison and then 3DRs Solo would be well defined and different enough to stand on its own.
The other issue and a pet hate of mine is they battery, which they also just mimicked DJIs methods to market a way over priced item and one that is just not environmentally friendly at all. .
This is an email I sent to 3DR just after they released the Solo.
"I really wonder why 3DR isn't showing some leadership in providing a greener and a more environmentally friendly battery option??
I find its very disappoint that 3DR has taken the same road as DJI in supplying a battery that is not only very over priced, but also that nothing on it is recyclable. The whole housing, and all the electronics within are all disposed of once the batteries life has expired. This is just environmentally irresponsible in my view.
I recall one person suggested the risk to reuse it was why it was done this way, but we both know that's just a load of garbage.It certainly isn't to difficult to design a reusable battery housing module and all you do is replace the battery cells as a battery pack right?.
Just my suggestion , but 3DR could try better to define itself as being a bit different from the mainstream and take at least some environmental responsibly here. Rather than mimicking DJI, why not put the environment first before profits?
Also I wonder how many people would factor this in to swaying their decision whether to buy a DJI or a Solo? I am very sure many like my self would indeed, and more so if you priced the battery packs much more reasonably.
Id would like to see it that if I bought a Solo that it came with 2 battery holder modules with the battery packs and then an option to buy 2-4 extra battery insert packs (without the housing models) . I am sure the price per cell pack could be easily around $50pc which I guarantee it would have many more people favor to buy a Solo over a DJI."
These are the types of differences that could easily see the Sole and 3DR compete in a bigger way and in a different market than DJI is, and where for many of us who want lots of "Options" then we have them .
I saw the phantom 3 flying the other day and I want one! At about $1K you have everything you need without anything extra required besides your iphone or whatnot and the range was amazing. it went well over a mile with a strong signal. And the the optical sensors on the bottom make it absolutely rock solid. I must admit 3DR has a lot of work because most people don't need the whole waypoint thing....just a solid platform.
I do not care how much better the Solo FC is, the price point is simply too high! They are shooting themselves in the foot with this pricing. At best it should be equal to the Phantom 3 with same features? The Phantom 3 price point will eventually drop as they introduce newer models. DJI is in a unique position now where they can easily undercut any serious competitor and this will be especially true if they manage to go public. I am finding very difficult to justify a Solo purchase at this point. I especially find it difficult to place it in any specific category. Is it recreational, hobbyist or business category? It certainly cannot be used for aerial photography given its current design limitations so what market segment are they trying to sell to?
Looks like the majority of the full article comments are leaning toward the Phantom.
It will be interesting to see what happens when people discover that 3DR actually offers customer service.
The onboard computer exists to enable functionality. Discussion of it's processing power is largely irrelevant outside of pedantic discussions, and especially to the target consumer of both of these devices.
in my opinion,
although considering onboard computer performance is better than phantom3, problem is the price
phantom3 advanced include 1080p 60f camera and gimbal pricing 999$.
3dr, on the other hand, 999(solo)+399(gimbal)+429.95(gopro hero3 silver) + 149.99(flow sensor) = 1,977.94$
in similar component(feature) solo is double price...
i think solo is the nice product for developer but general people prefer phantom3.
My point is this, DJI controls approximately 70% of the global drone market share. (3DR recently received a fifty million dollar infusion of venture capital. DJI is in talks to receive ten billion, with a "B". Last year 3DR made about $50 million in sales, DJI's number was somewhere around the $500 million mark.) The rest of the entrepreneurial endeavors are fighting over the scraps that DJI leaves behind.
DJI has achieved this success by knowing their target demographic, and by providing a product that their target demographic hungrily consumes.
UAV's like the Solo will be relegated to a niche market as a result of its price point, and that is ok. The Phantom 3 simply does what a vast majority of users want, at almost half the cost.
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