Examining the Beacon

First, let’s examine the beacon itself. It’s a pretty small standalone device with a touchscreen display and a few buttons. Below, you have a power button on the right side, a joystick on the left, as well as one on the right, together with a pause button and a return-to-home button in case of an emergency.

Modular Design and Controllers

One of the coolest things about the beacon is that it’s modular, meaning you can use it in many different ways depending on your needs and preferences. In this case, you can see we have two additional parts that can be attached to the beacon: the left controller and the right controller. These are traditional joysticks with a magnetic attachment.

Allowing you to quickly attach them to the beacon unlocks new ways of controlling your drone. When you attach the right controller underneath the beacon, you will hear a click sound, and the two are then connected. The beacon recognizes the device and now operates like a motion controller. You have a trigger button on the back, and you can press it and tilt this whole contraption front, back, or side to side, and the drone will move in that direction. You can, of course, also use the joystick to regulate the height of the drone, all while watching the real-time view from the camera on the beacon’s display.

If you want to control the drone in a more traditional way, you can also add the left controller to this contraption, attaching it the same way on the left side of the beacon. Then, what you need to do is simply unfold the arms of the controller and twist them down. Now, you have a very traditional-looking remote that has a built-in screen, which, yes, is quite small, but still, it’s visible. Or, if you want, you can add your smartphone and use its display as a screen by connecting a cable to this whole thing.

Standalone Beacon Features

The beacon, as a standalone device, like I mentioned earlier, can be used with its buttons to control the drone or simply as a beacon. This is the point that the drone would follow when it starts flying in tracking mode, and the built-in display helps you a lot to know if you’re framed properly, if the drone happens to crash, or for many other safety purposes. One of my favorite ways of attaching the beacon is to a bike with a handlebar mount, which you will see in action in just a minute. But before that, let me show you a quick setup of the beacon and the other parts of the remote controller, so you can see how easy and intuitive everything is.

Setting Up the Beacon

First, we need to power on the drone; then we can turn on the beacon itself by holding the power button on the side. We can see the beacon is searching for the drone via Bluetooth, and when it finds it, you will see the camera view on its display. From then, you can toggle between all the different flying modes, which we have here: hover, zoom out, follow, orbit, bird’s eye, dolly track, sight track, ski mode, cycling mode, dolly zoom, and indoor follow—a quite large collection of different flight modes.

And moves that the drone can perform for you. You can start and stop recording from the button in the center of the display, and you can see the battery levels of the drone and the beacon as well as a few different parameters like omni-terrain and microphone. Maybe a small thing that I would personally love to see implemented is a swiping gesture from all sides of the screen for accessing different features and slightly larger icons for easier pressing, especially since we don’t have that many elements on the screen anyway. Now that you have seen how the beacon works and how you can use it in a variety of different ways, let’s check out the new cycling mode which Z00 Robotics introduced with one of their latest firmware updates.

Testing the Cycling Mode

So here we have the setup: the drone is ready. Then we have the Osmo Action 5 Pro capturing my reactions. And here we have the beacon, which is connected to the drone and sits great on the handlebars, showcasing everything that’s going on through the lens of the drone. Right, so we’re on the bike, we’re in the forest, and obviously the first thing we need to do is turn on the beacon.

We’ll do that. The next thing I need to do is take out the drone from my pocket, which is the biggest flex since the drone is so small. Now I need to unfold it and also power it on. So, we’re waiting for our beacon to connect to the drone, which right now is already connected. From the beacon itself, let me just take the camera so I can show it to you. From the beacon itself, I can set it to cycling mode, ski mode, cycling mode, and just confirm. Then I can place you back here on the bike and simply press once on middle cycling mode, and we’re off in the air. So, I have the camera view of the drone here on the beacon. I can see myself, not really because it’s quite dark due to the sun. But still, I’m recording on the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and we’re off with the HOVERAir X1 Pro Max and the beacon. Now, one thing you should know is that this cycling mode has two settings that you can check out. One of them is for tight trails.

And the other one is for more wide-open trails, so obviously, here, things are a little bit too tight. That’s why I’ve set it to that setting, but later we’ll check out the other one as well. Everything is kind of freezing because the weather is around 0°, even though we have some sun. Still, it’s quite cold. Let’s pick up some speed. All good on the drone from what I’m seeing, and I’m a little bit out of breath already. That’s just ridiculous.

Adjusting Settings for Open Areas

But yeah, that’s how things are right now. Now we are in a lot more open area, so I’ll change some of the settings here in the app, where I can set the altitude, the distance, the duration of the shot, and of course, the cycling environment, which I just mentioned. If we want to keep it in narrow routes or open areas, I’ll switch that to open areas, and then I will change the distance to far and the altitude to high, just to get a little bit more of a different perspective. So we have done that; now we can just start flying. We’re recording. I can see the beacon. Let’s go. I will also pick up the speed a little bit more, and let’s see if the drone will be able to keep up without any issues.

Let’s stop for a second. I just need to tighten some of my mounts here because my camera is just falling. Other than that, we’re fine. Let’s continue. I can see the drone is doing very, very well, and let’s go. This is super bumpy. Okay, this is super, super bumpy. It is great for riding, though.

Navigating Challenging Terrain

Okay, I need to be super careful here with the amount of mud that we have here. Let’s adjust those mounts once again. The drone is showing zero hiccups though. Zero. I’m struggling a lot more than the drone. Everything is freezing here, so at least it’s not like liquid mud, but still, it’s definitely not the best for riding.

Ooh, and we need to go around this huge puddle here. Yeah, we need to pass through here, just to make sure I won’t get into the puddle.

Where are we? It’s all ice here. Oh my God! I am loving it, but as you can see, guys, absolutely zero issues for the drone. It’s following me, even from a further distance back from a higher altitude. These little twigs? Not a problem for the drone, and it’s just going and going after me. I love it!

结论

And there you guys have it. This is the beacon for the HOVERAir X1 Pro Max. I hope this video was informative and entertaining enough for you so you can get a grasp of everything that you can expect out of this great device. I think it’s a must-have device if you have the HOVERAir X1 Pro Max, because no matter what you throw at it, it will just pull through. It will keep going, and it will keep following you, keeping you in the middle of the shot, producing some great shots for you while you’re doing something like me on the bike. I’ll catch you in the next one. Stay safe, take care, and goodbye!

Intelligent Features and Laser Rangefinder

The new laser rangefinder enables real-time, precise measurements. With simple operations such as point marking, line drawing, and area calculation, you can complete tasks like marking target locations for security purposes or calculating the area affected by a 星星火. In addition, you can use the Matrice 4T for high-efficiency inspections, surveying, first response, precision mapping, and much more.

Design and Controller

Here is the Matrice 4T in all its glory, paired with the DJI RC+ 2—the impressive remote controller for this drone. What’s interesting is that the Matrice 4T is based on a Mavic drone; however, DJI has differentiated the two lines. The Mavic series is now reserved for consumer drones, whereas the Matrice series is dedicated to enterprise solutions, such as the Matrice 4T and Matrice 4E.

The drone remains very portable, although it is slightly larger than a regular Mavic 3. It now features a built-in RTK module on the top—a welcome upgrade from the previous additional accessory. There are also slots for additional accessories. The drone boasts a robust camera system, with four different cameras and two sensors on the front, complemented by five-directional vision-assist views provided by sensors on the front, back, and underside. The underside sensor is especially helpful when hovering or landing, as it allows you to monitor what’s beneath the drone.

The DJI RC+ 2 controller is not only large and comfortable to hold, but it also performs well in sunny, bright conditions with minimal glare and excellent screen visibility. Its two large antennas support a range of up to 20 km. Even after flying in urban areas with interference and multiple obstacles, I experienced a rock-solid signal throughout. DJI’s technology for reducing transmission issues between the remote and the drone has been very effective.

AI Features and Smart Tracking

Exploring the AI features of the Matrice 4T is truly exciting. By pressing the AI button, you can see that the drone detects various objects, such as cars (and, optionally, boats). You can disable certain detections—for example, to avoid the clutter of personal vehicles—and then zoom in with the 7× zoom to view all the detected subjects.

Selecting “Smart Track” allows the drone to automatically zoom in and follow a chosen subject. Although it can be challenging when subjects, like cars, pass by quickly, the AI continuously adjusts by predicting the subject’s speed and reappearing position. Even with obstacles like bridges, the system maintains focus using AI, even at up to 27× zoom. Once tracking is complete, you can disable it and zoom back out. The drone hovers in one place, rotating and zooming to create the illusion of following the subject.

Inspection and Mapping Capabilities

For inspection scenarios, consider a large building with a rooftop that requires a quick check. Using the 112× zoom—a combination of optical and digital zoom—you can inspect details such as pipes for damage or leaks. Although the infrared (IR) mode does not offer as much zoom, it enables you to analyze temperature differences. By selecting a specific point, you can cycle through various IR color modes. The “infrared tint” mode, for example, clearly highlights hot spots, while the “iron red” mode effectively distinguishes between cold and hot areas.

The Matrice 4T offers several IR options:

• High Gain Mode: Provides a small measuring range with high accuracy.
• Low Gain Mode: Offers a larger measuring range with slightly reduced accuracy.
• High Resolution Mode: Distinguishes subjects with slight temperature differences (note that temperature measurement is not supported in this mode).

Laser Rangefinder and Additional Functions

The laser rangefinder, activated by the “RNG” button, provides very precise distance measurements. For example, when targeting a small bridge, the system measures it at approximately 345 m. Selecting the target ensures the drone consistently detects the intended object. This function can also work with AI object detection to give real-time distance information for various subjects.

Using the range function, you can add points to an area and calculate the total acreage of a field’s perimeter. Once complete, the area remains visible in augmented reality, allowing you to change the surface color, add more points, generate an auto map, or save the data for future use—all within minutes. The drone’s capabilities in these areas are truly mindboggling.

Another handy feature for search and rescue is the observed area function, which records the regions the drone has already scanned. This prevents double-checking areas and saves valuable time. Additionally, the drone offers a discrete mode that turns off all lights—including the auxiliary light—for security purposes, as well as a beacon feature that activates a built-in beacon light to comply with FAA regulations during night flights.

Night and IR Modes for Search and Rescue

For example, when searching for a missing person in a forest, switching to IR mode makes the subject immediately visible. In IR mode, a person may appear in a distinct yellow, making it easier to spot movements like waving arms. The drone’s diverse camera features—such as the 3× optical telephoto lens, which can identify screws and cracks from about 10 m away, and the 7× telephoto camera, which can capture details like signs and license plates from up to 250 m away—provide valuable data. Even at around 400 m, the license plate on a car remains readable.

In challenging conditions such as fog, haze, or high humidity, the drone employs electronic dehazing to enhance image clarity. It also features a dedicated night scene mode that improves image quality through noise reduction, IR cut filtering to produce accurate colors, and the blocking of near-infrared wavelengths while allowing visible light. The Matrice 4T’s new illumination hardware can light distances of up to 100 m, ensuring clear visibility in dark environments—ideal for applications like 野生动物 protection.

Accessories and Additional Features

The Matrice 4T supports various accessories that extend its functionality:

• A gimbal-following spotlight, extremely useful for search and rescue.
• A real-time voice speaker.
• The RTK3 multifunctional station for even greater precision during mapping operations.

Final Thoughts

I want to emphasize that I am not an enterprise user by any means—this is only my second enterprise drone after the Mavic 3E. Coming from a background in camera and standard drones, I find that enterprise drones open up a whole new world of possibilities. Every time I fly an enterprise drone, I am amazed by the opportunities and the potential to use these devices for good, including life-saving applications.

This 评论 is not the most comprehensive analysis of an enterprise drone, as I am still learning. However, I hope you’ve gained a glimpse of what the Matrice 4T can do. I am only scratching the surface of its potential. I want to thank DJI for allowing me to try it out for a few weeks, which has truly elevated my experience with 无人机技术.

Thank you for watching today’s 视频. If you enjoyed it, please hit the like button and subscribe for more videos. Never stop flying—take care.

Starting Point and the Tight Trail

This is our starting point. It’s very wide and open, and then we have a couple of different trails leading to different places. One of them is quite tight, so we’ll go through that first. First, we’ll go with the DJI Flip, the newest drone. Let’s see how it goes, how it does, and then we’ll compare it to the rest. Three, two, one. All right, we are in the air—let’s go with the DJI Flip!

Test with the DJI Flip

One thing we have to be careful about is those little twigs and branches that drones don’t really detect well. It’s not as tight as I thought at first, though. We have a fairly wide trail we can walk on, but there are still some small branches around. We’ll see if the drone tangles in one of them. So far, no issues whatsoever. I can hear it perfectly fine behind me, and it’s not as annoying as I expected—it’s not super loud.

It’s a beautiful day for a walk in the forest. It’s kind of cold, around 2–3°, but that means we have almost no people around, which is great. Besides the actual following, I’d urge you to look at the colors, the stabilization, the drone’s movement, and the overall quality of the Flip, which I personally think should be the best out of the three. But I still don’t know—we’ll see very soon. So far, so good. I don’t think there will be any issues here in this trail. It’s much wider than I thought, and the drone seems to be following me perfectly fine. There’s nothing truly dangerous for it to crash into, so it’s easy peasy for the Flip.

Back at the same place, we now have the Hover Air X1 Pro Max. Same trail, everything the same. Let’s see how this one does.

Test with the Hover Air X1 Pro Max

All right, let’s go with the Hover Air X1 Pro Max. Right off the bat, I can say this one feels quieter. The sound is a bit more annoying in tone, but it’s less noticeable overall—you don’t hear it as much. The Flip was a bit louder with a different pitch. I guess this one is more pleasing to the ear when it follows you.

We’re going to do the same trail. Again, we’re focusing more on the quality here, not so much on the tracking, because there isn’t much that can go wrong on this wide trail. We’re mostly focused on image quality, sharpness, and colors, which of course are straight out of the camera. I won’t be editing any of the footage, so you can see how it looks straight from the drone and what you can expect.

It’s very nice to have this drone behind you; it almost feels silent. That’s a big plus compared to the Flip. We’ll see how it does against the Neo, which is also quite noisy. DJI tends to make their drones a bit more annoying in terms of sound. So far, so good. I can’t wait to put these side by side and see how they stack up. It’s really interesting for me.

Here we are next to this well, which is the endpoint for this little tracking and quality test with the Hover Air X1 Pro Max.

Test with the DJI Neo

Finally, we have the DJI Neo right here. I can’t wait to see how it will compare to these two other drones. Let’s turn it on: three, two, one. Here we go for the final single test!

Right away, I notice this one is a lot more annoying for the ear. The pitch it makes is just a lot less enjoyable compared to the other two. In terms of noise, the Hover Air X1 Pro Max is definitely the best so far. The Neo has a little piercing sound you can hear all the time. Obviously, it’s the smallest of the three, so to keep up, the motors have to work harder, which makes sense. Still, it’s not as enjoyable to listen to compared to the other two.

It definitely helps that I’m wearing a bright orange jacket for the tracking itself. None of them have had any issues so far, but in the next test, which we’ll do right away, we’ll fly all three of them together. That’s where I expect some carnage to happen. If you remember my previous video, where I flew the Neo and the X1 Pro Max together, they were fighting like little dogs trying to keep up with me and take the lead. I’m ready for destruction here—let’s see. But let’s finish this test with the Neo first and see what kind of quality we get. Is it comparable to the other two? Let me know in the comments.

We are here next to the well once again, and there were no issues. Here is the Neo—come here. There you go.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Now let’s examine all the shots side by side and see what we’re dealing with. The Hover Air X1 Pro Max has a very different field of view—it’s much wider. You can see a lot more around me, including my entire body, whereas with the Flip and the Neo, it’s framed just above my feet. In terms of framing, the Hover Air X1 Pro Max looks best.

However, when it comes to colors, details, and sharpness, it’s a whole other story. The Hover Air X1 Pro Max is notoriously overexposed, which doesn’t look great. It doesn’t look like 8K footage, and it’s really not that appealing. The Neo has that digital oversharpened look, which I really dislike. I do like the Neo’s colors overall, but the oversharpened effect and quality aren’t the best.

With the Flip, we can definitely see a big change. We have some shallow depth of field, a great D-Log M color profile—which you can even use with a palm takeoff—and then color grade. In this case, I only applied a Rec.709 conversion LUT, and it’s otherwise straight off the SD card. I like the details, the sharpness (which isn’t too much), and the overall look. I think it’s definitely the best out of the three.

Now that you’ve seen all three drones’ shots side by side, comment down below whether you agree or disagree with me about the Flip being the best. Let me know.

All Three Drones Simultaneously

Now let’s do some fun stuff—the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Let’s fly all three of these bad boys together at the same time and see who takes the cake. Three, two, one!

“Middle follow,” “Rocket direct follow,” “Medium follow,” three, two, one… oh my God, it’s already scary. Look at this! All right, let’s go. Let’s see what happens. This is going to be exciting. Give it a thumbs up if you haven’t—oh my God, subscribe for this test because this is something else.

Where is the Hover Air? Is it already gone? Where are you, bro? Oh, it landed here—they beat him up! Let’s try again. I think the Neo is fine, the Hover Air is fine, the Flip lost me somewhere. Let’s call it: “I’m here, bro! I’m here! Come on!”

This is scary. It’s really ridiculous, but if this isn’t a good test, I don’t know what is. Let’s continue—I’m pumped!

Okay, the Neo and the Hover Air X1 Pro Max are fighting again. They go way back, so they have some beef to settle. I keep hearing them bump into each other. I’m surprised none of them have fully crashed yet—well, the Hover Air kind of did.

Oh my God, take a look at this! The Flip is like the big brother staying back, watching them fight. It’s not getting into it, but the two little guys are fighting nonstop. I’m not even sure what the purpose of this test is, because nobody flies three drones at once, but it’s a lot of fun.

Oh, the Hover Air landed again. I stopped hearing it, so let’s go back and pick it up. This is getting ridiculous. The Hover Air has fallen twice already. The Neo and the Flip are definitely big bullies here; I think they’re fighting the other guy. Come on!

Yeah, the Neo just landed. Oh my God, the Flip also landed. What is going on? I think they detected an impact, so they landed. I’ll give them another try—let’s see what happens.

Let’s try to get to the end point of this test by the well and see who survives. I’m not even going to turn around—let them fight. Let’s see who’s the most powerful of the three, who will actually make it. The rest, I guess, are losers. They’re crashing into each other again, and now I only hear one drone.

Who is that? Who’s the winner? Obviously, the winner here isn’t that important, because it really depends on how close they get to each other and whether they detect the other drones as obstacles or the ground. Let’s see who made it—the Flip made it. The Flip is here. The rest are gone.

So all of them had issues, all of them fell, and they all pushed each other around like crazy. But I can’t say the test wasn’t fun—it was a blast!

I’m not really into scientific comparisons or pixel-peeping; I’m into fun tests like this. If you enjoyed this one, please give it a thumbs up. Subscribe to the channel and support me by buying the drones from the links below if you want to help me even more—I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for watching. It’s safe to say this was a blast to make. I’ll catch you very soon in the next one. Ciao!

Built-In Prop Guards and Sub-250g Advantage

So, DJI states that this is their first camera drone equipped with built-in full-coverage propeller guards. This one is made mostly for beginners who want to take advantage of the new 无人机技术 that DJI has crammed into this tiny sub-250-gram body (which is a big plus), but also for anyone who’s looking for a great-quality photo and video flying machine.

Automatic Unfold and Power-On

Now let’s start with how this thing actually works because, as you see, it looks like a giant old-school bike, a Ferris wheel, or so many other things. But as soon as you unfold it, it powers on automatically, and it’s ready to go. You then have a lot of options for controlling and flying it.

Sensors and Safety

Of course, to enjoy it, first things first: you will notice this huge sensor on the front, which looks like 激光雷达—although it’s not really LiDAR. It’s called a 3D ToF sensor, and it works similarly to LiDAR by automatically detecting obstacles. This is great for tracking, as you will see later. Then you’ll notice that all the props are secured by these prop guards, and overall, this cage design is made so you can safely fly this drone around people. However, if you stick your finger inside, you can still get cut by the props, so be mindful of that.

You can take advantage of palm takeoff and palm landing, similar to the DJI Neo. Generally, this drone has a lot of similarities with the DJI Neo, as you will notice later in the 视频. On the drone, you will see two little latches for ejecting the battery. You have a microSD card slot and a USB-C port for activation, and on the other side, you have the power button and LEDs indicating how much battery is left.

Controls and Quick Shots

One thing I purposely left out is the button right next to the microSD card slot. This button is used to quickly cycle through the different Quick Shots you can get with this drone. Similarly to the DJI Neo, you have a few predefined flights on the DJI Flip. When you cycle to one and pick it, you can hold that button, and the drone will select it, hover, and then execute that exact flight maneuver around you.

Besides the palm takeoff and the six Quick Shots—Follow, Droney, Circle, Rocket, Spotlight, and Helix—there are a couple more ways of controlling the DJI Flip.

• First, you can control it via a traditional remote controller, such as the DJI RC2.
• Or, similarly to the Neo, you can just use your phone to have virtual controller sticks and fly your drone through the app’s interface. It’s very convenient and works really well.
• Finally, there is voice control, which you can use to start or stop recording, change different Quick Shots, adjust their settings, and easily land.

Unfortunately, this drone cannot be flown like an FPV drone, so it doesn’t work with any DJI Goggles or FPV remote controllers at this time, unlike the Neo.

Camera Specs and Quality

Another interesting aspect of the DJI Flip is that it tries to morph a couple of different products into one. The aerial shots you can capture are similar in quality to the Mini 4 Pro. The close-up shots are pretty much the same quality as the Pocket 3, with an f/1.7 aperture giving you a nice shallow depth of field. DJI is trying to make this the perfect vlogging drone that you can use for high-quality footage and then bring it down low to the ground, have it follow you, and still get that shallow depth of field.

We need to talk about the camera of the DJI Flip because this is a big selling point: it has a 1/1.3-inch sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, 48-megapixel photos, 4K 60 fps, HDR video with 10-bit D-Log M, and 1080p 100 fps slow-motion video. On paper, it’s very similar to the 大疆迷你 4 Pro, which I will be comparing directly to this drone in an upcoming video, so subscribe if you want to see that. This drone can definitely produce some very high-quality visuals. I’m very happy with both the photos and videos I’ve been getting, especially considering that this is a sub-250-g drone with such a tiny (albeit weird) footprint.

Like many other DJI drones, this one comes with intelligent flight modes such as Quick Shots, MasterShots, Panorama, and Hyperlapse. Each mode also has sub-modes you can take advantage of.

Flight Time and Wind Caution

The maximum flight time that DJI states the Flip can achieve is up to 31 minutes in perfect conditions, but conditions are never perfect in reality. There’s something very important to mention here: when you fly in less-than-ideal conditions—especially windy conditions—be extremely careful. This drone is not made to fly in strong winds. As soon as you get a strong wind warning, land immediately.

I almost lost the drone right next to my house during one of my first flights. A sudden gust of wind nearly took it away, and I had to run outside to retrieve it when it landed far away from me. It just couldn’t fight back against those strong gusts because of its flat design and prop guards. If the wind picks up, it’s best to land right away and be safe.

Bump Test

You’ll notice how every single time I unfold it, it automatically powers up. That’s a great feature, but sometimes it’s a bit too sensitive. A few times, it turned on automatically just by me grabbing it from the side. Once, it even powered on inside my backpack for over an hour and a half without me noticing, which completely drained the battery and made the drone very warm. Be mindful not to press the power button accidentally.

Now, let’s do a little experiment: I’ll try to bump the drone into myself to see if it will stop. Going forward, it detects me and stops. But going backward, there are no sensors, so let’s see what happens if we crash it. It bumped into me, gave me a navigation system error, but recovered and continued flying. Nothing was damaged. After recalibrating the gimbal, everything went back to normal.

Signal and Transmission

The Flip uses the O4 transmission system, so you shouldn’t have any issues with the signal, whether you’re in a busy city center or a large open field. Just remember that a strong signal won’t help if it’s too windy, because this drone struggles a lot against the wind.

Comparing the DJI Flip Drone

I guess this is DJI’s direct response to this drone right here: the Hover Air X1 Pro Max. They are similarly sized, though the Flip has a different footprint—it looks like a Ferris wheel, while the Hover looks more like a book. Their weights are also quite close. Comparing the Flip to the Neo, of course, the Flip is bigger, but this seems to be DJI’s way of making a Neo with a better camera and competing directly with the Hover Air X1 Pro Max.

I’m planning some very interesting comparisons soon. Let me know which matchups you’d like to see in the comments, and I’ll make it happen.

That’s everything I have for you in today’s video with the DJI Flip. Let me know what you think about this new drone: its form factor, shape, and design. I’m really curious to hear your thoughts down in the comments. With that said, Mik from 无人机至尊, over and out. Don’t ever stop flying, and I’ll catch you in the next one. Ciao.

Comparing the Footage

Now, let’s examine the footage real quick, as we have both cameras side by side. First, we have the O4 Air Unit Pro on the left, and then we have the Osmo Action 5 Pro on the right.

Manual Camera Settings

For starters, I began flying with manual camera settings. I tried making the clips look as good as possible by using manual settings. The footage was recorded in 4K at 50 frames per second in the D-Log M color profile, with a shutter speed of 1/100 and an ISO between 100 and 800. I chose not to lock the ISO because I’m passing through some darker areas and wanted the cameras to adjust accordingly. I’m not really sure what the white balance was, but it was the same on both cameras.

I turned off the stabilization because I wanted to use Gyroflow to stabilize both shots later in post, and then I graded the shots. I transformed the D-Log M footage to Rec.709, applied my own LUT to both clips in exactly the same way, and finally added some sharpness in post. As I never use the built-in sharpness, you’ll see how the shots look before grading and then after grading.

From what I’m seeing on the screens right now, without really pixel peeping too much, I think they’re neck and neck. In some areas, the O4 Air Unit Pro looks a tiny bit better than what we see on the Osmo Action 5 Pro. I’m purposely flying towards the sun in some parts so you can see how the cameras adapt when the sunlight is directly hitting the lens. The glow from the sun looks very similar. For this scenario, where we have strong natural sunlight, it’s really hard to see which one is better as we jump toward the next test.

Automatic Camera Settings

All of the following footage was shot in automatic camera settings—everything set to auto: the white balance, shutter speed, ISO, and built-in stabilization. If you don’t want to deal with color grading and stabilizing your footage, this is what you can expect from both cameras.

Here, the O4 Air Unit Pro has a slightly warmer image, and when the sun shines directly at the camera, it produces a lot more glow. Meanwhile, the Osmo Action 5 Pro footage looks a bit dull and flat, even though the color was set to 10-bit Normal. I wasn’t really expecting it to be that desaturated, but both still look great. Personally, it’s not something I would use for FPV because the image is less vibrant and less appealing to me. Those small things—like locking your camera settings, color grading your footage, and adding sharpness later in post—really go a long way in making your footage look much better. That’s why I’m a big advocate for always shooting in D-Cin, color grading your footage, and not relying on the camera’s auto settings. The built-in stabilization is still good, but side by side, this is what you get straight out of the camera.

Low-Light Comparison

Here’s where you’ll see the biggest difference. This footage was shot right after sunset. You can still see the orange glow at the horizon, but the Osmo Action 5 Pro has much better quality. You can see more detail, and the sharpness is on another level. That likely has to do with how the Osmo Action 5 Pro’s processor handles the data. Despite the O4 Air Unit Pro having almost double the bit rate—around 115 Mbps compared to 66 Mbps on the Osmo Action 5 Pro—it doesn’t necessarily yield better quality. The processor in the Osmo Action 5 Pro is doing a lot of work, giving you a better final image to work with. Before and after grading, it looks noticeably better on the Osmo Action 5 Pro.

So, if you’re shooting in darker times when there is less light, you’ll see the biggest difference here. In bright and sunny conditions, like in the earlier examples, you can’t really notice a difference. But in low light, it’s quite clear. Again, I used exactly the same camera settings on both cameras, graded them the same way, but the results are different.

Pros of Using the O4 Air Unit Pro

For FPV, a few considerations are important. Let’s start with the pros of ditching your action camera in favor of only using the O4 Air Unit Pro.

1. Performance Boost: The first thing you’ll notice when you remove your action camera is the huge performance boost. Not having to deal with an additional 200 grams or so on top of your frame will make your drone feel like a rocket. The increased speed, agility, and smoothness will be very noticeable. In FPV, every gram matters, so this makes a massive difference.
2. Improved Image Quality: Even before, the O3 Air Unit was great, but now it’s amazing to see how close it is to an actual action camera. The quality is extremely similar, as demonstrated by the examples in this video. With a single camera that also provides your FPV feed, the footage is recorded onto the built-in memory or an SD card, and the quality can be really impressive—especially in bright, sunny conditions.
3. Manual Settings and Post-Production: Combining manual camera settings, D-Log M, and Gyroflow, you have everything you need for a jaw-dropping FPV video. My personal LUTs work well with D-Log footage, so you can easily transform the look of your videos.
4. Peace of Mind for Risky Shots: For those riskier, more precise shots, it’s far more enjoyable and less stressful not to worry about an additional three- or four-hundred-dollar camera on top of your drone. You only worry about the drone itself. This allows you to attempt more daring maneuvers, potentially making you a better pilot.

Cons of Using the O4 Air Unit Pro

1. Redundancy: Having an additional camera can be a lifesaver in many instances, such as wrong settings, corrupted files, or failing to record. A second camera provides valuable backup if something happens to your main footage.
2. Frame Compatibility: Depending on your frame, you might see props in view. If you use a dead-cat-style frame, you might not have this issue at all. But on certain X frames, you might experience it. The O4 Air Unit Pro’s lens sticks out more than the old O3 Air Unit, so in some cases, you’ll see props. A small zoom-in during post can solve this, though.
3. Visibility in Locked Settings: If you lock your camera settings for the best image quality, you might face visibility issues going from bright to dark areas. You can allow a variable ISO or shutter speed, or just deal with limited visibility. It’s a trade-off when using one camera.
4. Frame Rate Limitations: You might want to fly with a higher frame rate for smoother feed in the goggles, but that’s less cinematic. Shooting at 50 or 60 fps is a good compromise, especially if you want to slow the footage down by 50% on a 25 fps timeline.

Final Verdict

So, can the O4 Air Unit Pro replace an action camera? For 99% of people, absolutely yes. The O4 Air Unit Pro can serve as a fantastic action camera for FPV with no real need to attach anything else. Even for commercial purposes, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, especially if you know how to stabilize and color grade.

For many, including me, this will eliminate the need for a separate action camera, encouraging more flights and riskier, more creative shots to get those super-nice results. I hope you enjoyed this comparison between the Osmo Action 5 Pro and the DJi O4 Air Unit Pro. It’s been a real pleasure making it.

If you enjoyed this video, please don’t hesitate to click the like button and subscribe for many more videos like this one. This is Mike from 无人机至尊—never stop flying, and I’ll see you very soon in my next video. Ciao!

First Impressions

Now I need to be careful about these power lines. One thing I need to say straight away is how smooth everything looks. I might feel some vibrations from the frame, which I’ll have to check if they appear in the video because that would be a problem since we only have this camera. Check out this wind – it’s blowing quite strongly from the left side of the drone, so I need to be careful with that. 60 megabits, wow, that’s great! That’s just like flying the V2. Oh, the wind is so strong here – the drone almost doesn’t move. You can see it’s like staying in one place. The signal though is so, so smooth.

I need to be careful here because I’m going to lose visual line of sight if I go behind those rocks too much. Oh, I love that! Let’s just not go all the way down because I don’t want to waste my battery just climbing up with this ridiculous wind here.

The angle of my camera is quite high, and still, I’m having a lot of problems just going forward because of that wind. But this rock here, it’s called the Pierced Rock because we have a… wow, the wind is really strong. Not sure if you guys are able to see it in the footage, but here it’s quite cold and also super strong. But I’m enjoying the quality, it’s just very smooth. It’s not… okay, now it’s a lot less than 60 megabits, but you get the point.

The Incident

Let’s do a small dive here, let’s just set it up… Oh, that was nice! I heard a strange noise – I think I might have clipped one of the antennas maybe on the props, not too sure. I’ll have to check.

But wow, this is so crystal clear! The feed inside your goggles is just spectacular. One thing you have to just give to DJI is just how immersive everything looks when you’re flying FPV. You are inside the goggles, you really feel like you’re flying, and the closer you get, the more exciting it gets for you. Oh, I’m loving it! Whoa… okay, I definitely feel some strange noise, and I almost did what I was thinking that I should be super careful not to do.

That was so, so, so close! Oh my God, I need to examine if all antennas and everything are fine because I’m hearing some weird noises. So let’s just land and see what’s going on.

Just like I thought – maybe the antenna… a little bit… maybe you will see it’s not properly fastened, so at some point it’s just dangling. Yeah, that’s the problem. I need to fasten it in another way, but just my frame is not, you know, super well configured for this new air unit. I don’t have any 3D prints for it, I don’t have anything yet because it’s that new. So we’ll see about that, but it’s not a problem. First flight was a success!

The Temptation

Now it’s time to just explore more and do more with this brand new Air Unit O4 Pro. It kind of sucks because I really want to go through the rock here, the Pierced Rock, and I’ve done it before many times, but the wind is super strong. I’m feeling like this would be a huge risk – if something happens and the wind blows it in the last minute because of that turbulence that you get from going through the rock, if something happens, I will have to go all the way up here. I’m just not sure I want to risk it that much for a shot that I’ve already recorded previously. So I think I will be wiser today and just focus on getting more shots and trying out the Air Unit Pro in more locations instead of risking it for a shot that I already have. You’ve seen it on my channel already, so hope you guys are okay with that. Let’s continue with more flying.

The Decision

A wise man would probably listen to himself, let this go, let it slide, and just go and record more footage that you can actually share and use for your channel. Unfortunately though, I’m not wise. Not one bit. Because what did I do? I sent it! I saw that the sun is starting to peak through the clouds, the lighting was great, it was the beginning of the golden hour, everything was just super cool looking with this golden glistening on it, and I wanted to get a shot from this Pierced Rock. I wanted to go through the gap.

First try was great, but unfortunately, I’m a perfectionist and I just didn’t like the line. I didn’t like the shot. The goal was not just to go through the Pierced Rock – I wanted to get a nice shot out of it, I wanted to make it exciting. Unfortunately, my shot was not exciting at all. I think it was just very boring, very bland, just going through the rock. This is not what somebody wants to see, right?

The Crash

So I went back, I wanted to repeat the line, make a nice move, and just have a longer flight, longer line that I can position properly, go with a little bit more speed, and just have a nice shot afterwards. However, this didn’t go as planned. As you saw in the intro, I overcompensated a little bit, went a little bit too fast going through the gap, and the wind pushed the drone to the right heavily just as I was getting through that hole. That, of course, resulted in a big crash.

I tried using Turtle mode to flip the drone after the crash and to just try to get out of this sticky situation without having to go manually myself there and rescue the drone, but that didn’t work either because the props were broken. I think the drone flipped one time, but that didn’t help.

The Recovery

Never say “this one last time,” just “one more time.” Don’t say it, don’t say it! Guys, it’s the curse, it’s the FPV curse of the “last time” because check this out – you might be able to see my car, this is where I started. Still a little bit more to go, it’s not a good look, not what I wanted to do this afternoon, but we’ll get it done. It’s still in one piece overall, but not ideal, definitely not ideal. And I broke the antenna of the air unit unfortunately. Damn it! And my car is all the way down there.

It is such a big difference between how you feel the wind down here at ground level and how it actually is up there. Here it’s so peaceful, it’s quiet, it’s nice, it’s relaxed. You are feeling like you have a lot of confidence, you will get the shot no matter what, it’s no problem. But as soon as you get to that high point where there’s really nothing that stops the wind, it gets so much different, and that strong wind really was the difference.

This is it guys, this is part of the experience, what you can expect when it comes to FPV. I’m sure many of you are aware and are familiar with these types of crashes because it’s normal. It just sucks to happen that early when I’m still figuring out the O4 Air Unit Pro for some of my first flights, and I couldn’t really enjoy it before I crashed it.

Final Thoughts

Why am I even making this video? Obviously, I want to share something interesting that happened while I was testing the O4 Pro. Also, I think it’s interesting to share our fails because it was so easy to put this in the bin, to never say anything about that, to never mention it on my channel. But I know pretty much every single FPV pilot has been through that, and it’s refreshing to see that everyone makes mistakes. It’s great to be able to laugh at yourself, I think, and that’s the reason why I wanted to share that.

Obviously, I got the drone back, everything is back to normal. I managed to save it, I rebuilt it a little bit – mostly the antennas were the big problem with the O4. I’m happy to say that the O3 Air Unit antennas also work on the O4 Pro – that’s something that some of you might find very useful in case you damage your O4 Pro antennas as well, just like me.

Now the drone is back in action. I was able to fly more after that in the days after that, and everything is working properly. No motors were broken, no damage on the ESC and the flight controller – nothing was really that broken besides the props and the antennas of the O4 Pro. So it was a great experience generally. Looking back at the footage, it’s funny to me – obviously at the time it was not funny at all, but I still think it’s a nice, interesting experience that I wanted to share with you guys.

Hopefully you enjoyed it! If you did, you know what to do – blow up the like button, subscribe if you want to see more O4 Pro videos coming on the channel, and also some more spicy things around the corner as well. This is Mike from 无人机至尊 – take care, have fun, fly a lot, and I’ll see you very soon in my next one. Ciao!

First things first, DJI came out not only with the O4 Air Unit Pro today; they also released the regular O4 Air Unit, which is a smaller air unit meant to be used on smaller quads (sub 3-inch frames). It’s also meant to be used for racing with ultra-low latency between 15 and 20 milliseconds, which is quite insane. Today we’ll focus mostly on the Air Unit Pro, as this is something that I’ve been using for the past couple of weeks, and I have a lot of things to mention in this video.

Physical Design and Features

Let’s examine the O4 Air Unit Pro and see how it stacks up against the older generation, the O3 Air Unit. Visually, we can see that the new unit retains its small form factor, and while slightly growing in length, it’s also a bit shorter than its predecessor, with a casing that has lots of vents for better heat dissipation from all sides.

On the right-hand side of the unit, we have the USB-C port for activation and file transfer. The microSD card slot has moved from the right to the left side, where we can also see the bind button together with small text and an arrow indicating its exact location, as previously the button was not always very visible. I like this move.

Similar text and an arrow can also be seen on the back of the air unit where we have the connectors for the dual antenna, which now exit the unit as two separate antennas, as opposed to the single antenna exit on the O3 Air Unit. On the front, we have the camera cable as well as the connector to plug in your flight controller, which luckily is exactly the same one as the O3 Air Unit, so swapping units for your builds will be very easy.

Camera Improvements

The biggest difference comes from the front, where we have the new massive camera which now uses a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor. You can definitely notice the massive increase in size from the front when you compare the cameras side by side.

One thing I’m a little bit puzzled about is the new mounting holes on the new camera, which are now positioned very differently from before. This means that the way you will be mounting this camera will be different and will definitely require some adaptations to your frame for mounting it softly and avoiding vibrations in your footage. I personally mounted it with one screw per side only to my GRC Vapor X frame, and I haven’t really experienced any issues with vibrations myself, but I’m sure that won’t be the case for every single frame out there.

New Features and Performance

The biggest new change coming to the O4 Air Unit Pro is the O4 transmission with a dual antenna design and a latency between 15 to 20 milliseconds, compared to the 30 milliseconds of the O3 Air Unit. You can now achieve a maximum transmission distance of 15km with the O4 Air Unit Pro and have a 1080p 100fps live view in your goggles.

The camera has been drastically improved, allowing you to shoot 4K 120fps from its 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor. Similar to the O3 Air Unit, the camera retains its maximum field of view of 155°, which is ultra-wide, but that’s probably the only thing that remains exactly the same as the O3 Air Unit.

Looking at the DVR of the O4 Air Unit Pro, you will see the signal stays rock solid at 60 megabits per second for most of the time. Of course, it still drops when you go behind a big line of trees or behind solid rocks or concrete, just like any other signal would, but for regular flying, you’ll notice a big boost in the signal strength.

Additional Features

The camera is modular, meaning you have an interchangeable camera lens in case you break it. You can replace just that part using the two screws on the top and bottom. For those having the V2, you’ll be happy to hear that the V2 过滤器 work perfectly fine with this camera.

The O4 Air Unit Pro comes with 4GB of built-in storage, which is unusually low and definitely not enough for any type of video longer than 2-3 minutes. However, you can expand your storage by using a microSD card up to 512GB.

Compatibility

The O4 Air Unit Pro is compatible with goggles from the Goggles 2 upwards, including the Goggles Integra, Goggles 3, and Goggles N3. It also works with the DJI FPV Remote Controller 2 or 3 straight out of the box. Custom remote controllers from RadioMaster, Jumper, TBS, or other brands are also supported with receivers such as ELRS, Crossfire, etc.

结论

The exact prices of the DJI O4 Air Unit will be linked below in the description. If you want to support my channel while doing your shopping for the new O4 Air Unit, you’ll be very much welcome, and I want to thank you in advance.

This is Mike from 无人机至尊. Thank you so much for watching, thank you for your support. Never stop flying, and I’ll catch you in the next one. Ciao!

FPV Market Context

I definitely feel like the FPV industry has been kind of stale lately, especially with those big brands besides DJI not releasing anything particularly special or interesting. That’s the reason why I haven’t really talked about FPV lately. But I’m back again with another FPV drone review because this drone really deserves its own time and video.

Why the 5-inch FPV Drone Version?

The GEPRC Vapor X 5-inch is a drone that I recently started flying. It’s a brand new release from GEPRC, and I’ll link it down below if you want to check it out immediately. This drone comes in both 5-inch and 6-inch variations with O3 analog versions and HD WASP versions, among many other options available on GEPRC’s website.

I chose to go with the X version with the 5-inch size mainly because I want to get back to something I’ve been missing – a more aggressive style of flying. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to become a freestyle pilot or drastically change my style, but I want to return to some elements from the beginning of my FPV journey that I started back in 2019, when I was really intrigued by all the different dives, flips, and rolls I was experiencing for the very first time.

Build Quality and Components

The drone features a very high-quality thick frame with carbon plates and numerous CNC components that give off a premium feel as soon as you hold it. It’s not cheap plastic or 3D prints – you have many CNC components that are just very nice to the touch. The carbon plates are solid and thick, so you shouldn’t worry too much about crashing this drone.

However, my first encounter wasn’t pleasant due to the extremely tight top frame bolts, which were nearly impossible to loosen when trying to attach the action mount. I’ve never encountered such an issue on any other pre-built drone, and I suspect they were machine-tightened.

Technical Specifications

• 2207 1950 kV motors
• 60 amp 4-in-1 ESC
• F7 flight controller
• O3 air unit
• Protected camera with CNC side panels
• Weight: approximately 420 grams without battery

Flight Performance

This drone is amazing to fly. It has tremendous power, and it goes exactly where you point it. During dives or near obstacles, it maintains precise control without any floating feeling. The drone stays exactly where you direct it, making it incredibly enjoyable to fly.

Battery and Flight Time

I’ve been using 1300 mAh 6S batteries from 中国 Hobbyland, which provide about 4-5 minutes of flight time, depending on how aggressively you fly. While GEPRC recommends batteries between 1500 and 2000 mAh, I prefer the 1300 mAh as it keeps the drone more agile and responsive. For a 5-inch drone, I’m satisfied with 3-5 minutes of flight time.

Additional Features

• GPS option available
• ELRS receiver compatibility (Crossfire also available)
• Available in True X and dead cat configurations
• Action camera mount support

Final Thoughts on the GEPRC Vapor X FPV Drone

Despite limited flying opportunities due to poor weather, the Vapor X has proven to be an excellent drone. It’s powerful, smooth, and incredibly exciting to fly. Whether you’re interested in freestyle with the 5-inch version or cinematic flying with the 6-inch version, it’s a highly recommended choice for FPV enthusiasts.

This is Mike from 无人机至尊. Thank you for watching this video. I’ll catch you in the next one very soon.

Form Factor and Design

This is my first Hover Air drone, so I’m still getting used to the whole latching mechanism and folding system. The way this drone folds up is truly impressive – everyone who sees this drone is mesmerized by its appearance. The fact that it closes like this and fits in your pocket makes it really cool. I’ve been mainly transporting this drone just in the pocket of my jacket.

Size and Specifications

The drone weighs 192.5g, making it extremely compact and lightweight. Being under 250g is crucial for a drone in this category. While its small size might make it look like a toy, that’s definitely not the case – it shoots 8K footage with its 1/1.3-inch CEOS sensor. It also records 4K at 120 frames per second and features numerous built-in modes. The footage is recorded in 10-bit, and thanks to a recent 固件更新 from ZeroZero, 8K recording is now available across all flying modes, which wasn’t the case in my initial testing.

Hardware Features

On one side of the drone, there are palm detection sensors which are extremely useful for takeoff and landing operations. You simply put it in your palm, press a button for takeoff, and when landing, just put your palm under the drone – it recognizes your palm and lands automatically. The front features a display showing the current mode, along with a joystick/button for navigating through different flying modes, plus a power button that also confirms your flying mode selection.

On the back, there’s another sensor for detecting obstacles while tracking from the front, allowing the drone to fly backwards safely. All props are protected by a cage mechanism that makes it perfectly safe to catch this drone whichever way you want – from the underside or any angle – and they won’t cut your fingers. This makes it super safe and convenient to use even around people.

Battery System and Storage

The battery sits on top and provides up to 16 minutes of flight time. One thing I’m not a big fan of is how it latches to the drone. While removal is easy, installation can be tricky because of the connection point on the back. You can think you’ve installed it properly when one side isn’t actually properly connected, as it doesn’t provide clear feedback when properly seated.

On one side, we have the PRAX logo, an SD card slot, a USB-C port for charging, and 64GB of built-in storage on the Pro Max model. This built-in storage is great because sometimes you forget your SD card, and 64GB is plenty for a full day of shooting or more.

Charging Case and Accessories

The charging case is really convenient and something I’ve been using extensively. To use it, you open the case, install the drone properly with the display on top, and close it. However, charging doesn’t start automatically – you need to connect the magnetic latches inside the case to the USB-C port of the drone. Once properly connected, charging proceeds rapidly – in my test, it went from 20% to 53% in just a couple of minutes.

ZeroZero really didn’t hold back when it comes to providing high-quality accessories. The charging case looks spectacular, with strong magnets and premium build quality. The hover case is quite hard and looks like leather (hopefully not real leather), but it’s very high quality and holds the beacon and two control sticks.

Real-World Tracking Test

I conducted an extensive bike tracking test to demonstrate the drone’s capabilities. Here’s what happened during the test:

I started riding while monitoring myself on the beacon’s display, constantly hearing the drone behind me – a good sign, as losing the sound would indicate a problem. People looked at me like I was crazy, but I understood their surprise at seeing a drone following someone around.

The drone handled various scenarios well, though it seemed to struggle slightly with very high speeds. It performed admirably when passing through areas with mixed lighting conditions and shadows. The drone proved to be like a good puppy, following me everywhere I went.

Even with people around, the drone’s safety features made it comfortable to operate in public spaces. It successfully navigated around obstacles, including road signs, and maintained tracking throughout most of the ride. The beacon’s display proved invaluable for monitoring the drone’s perspective without having to look back.

When passing through challenging areas with debris, stones, and logs, the drone maintained its tracking capabilities. The test lasted about 78 minutes, demonstrating reliable performance throughout different environments and conditions.

Control Methods

This drone offers multiple control options. You can forget about traditional controls and just use it with the app or even without the app, relying solely on tracking. The beacon provides additional signal strength and tracking safety, with a built-in display showing the drone’s camera view. It includes buttons for basic drone control – up, down, left, right, return to home, and hover.

The beacon can be mounted on the right control stick, turning it into a motion controller similar to DJI drones. You use a trigger button on the back and tilt controls for movement. For traditional control, you can connect both the left and right remote controller sticks, mount your phone as a display, and control it like a conventional drone.

Image Quality and Performance

The tracking performance is generally excellent, though there are some minor issues. Without the beacon, the drone might occasionally lose tracking when going around obstacles, hovering until it reacquires its target. With the beacon, tracking becomes more reliable.

Battery life consistently reaches about 13-14 minutes per charge, depending on usage. The drone includes ND 过滤器 that can be mounted on the camera, though you need to enable ND filter optimization in the app – a slight inconvenience but understandable given the AI features involved in image processing.

The footage tends to be slightly overexposed straight out of the camera, often requiring post-processing. The highlights can be a bit too blown out, an issue I noticed in my comparison with the DJI Neo. Having 8K capability is impressive but perhaps unnecessary – I would prefer more polished 4K footage that requires less post-processing.

Final Verdict

The Hover Air X1 Pro Max is a great drone that’s incredibly fun to fly. It needs a few more software updates to achieve a super polished feel, as it still has some minor glitches that are understandable for a new product. While it might not be the perfect all-in-one drone or a dedicated camera drone like the Mini 4 Pro, it excels at its intended purpose – capturing activities while maintaining tracking.

It’s particularly well-suited for sports and activities that benefit from automated tracking. The drone continues to receive updates and improvements, suggesting an even better experience in the future. If you’re practicing some sort of sport or need tracking capabilities, this drone would be great for you. However, if you’re primarily looking for a camera drone, it might not be the perfect choice. For what it’s trying to do, it succeeds admirably, and I’m really looking forward to seeing more features and firmware updates that will make the flying experience even better.

Thank you for watching today’s video and I will see you in the next one.

Ciao!

Compatibility

"(《世界人权宣言》) DJI Goggles N3 are a brand new product that caters to FPV enthusiasts who want to use their DJI Neo or Avata 2 drones and fly them in FPV mode. This is available only for those specific models, so it doesn’t work with the O3 air unit for now. DJI told me that the only models that work with the Goggles N3 are the DJI Neo and the 大疆创新 2.

Design and Comfort of the DJI Goggles N3

We have a new boxy design which makes the Goggles N3 a lot bigger and more comfortable. The new foam is a lot thicker, bigger in general, and more comfortable to wear for longer periods.

Technical Specifications

Inside, we have:

• 1080p full HD 60 frames per second screen
• 60 Hz refresh rate
• 54° field of view
• Two transmitting and four receiving antennas for more stable signal
• Support for 2.4, 5.1, and 5.8 GHz frequencies
• Automatic frequency band selection

Battery Life

The battery is integrated into the back of the strap, similar to what we’ve seen in other DJI Goggles. It provides a maximum battery life of 2.7 hours of running time.

Adjustability

When it comes to fitment, you can tighten or loosen the knob to adjust the size of these goggles and how tight they fit on your head. There are no diopter adjustments underneath the screen because DJI states that you can wear these with your glasses on.

Glasses Compatibility Test

To test glasses compatibility, I loosened them a little, removed my cap, and kept my sunglasses on. After tightening them slightly, they fit perfectly fine with zero light leak, though they needed a slight adjustment for comfort. This is particularly important since there’s no diopter customization available.

Physical Features

On the top of the goggles, you’ll find:

• 5D button for menu navigation
• Back button
• Ventilation
• SD card slot
• USB-C port for charging and smartphone view sharing
• Foldable antennas
• Power button on the right side

Pricing of the DJI Goggles N3

The Goggles N3 are priced at $229 per pair, which is incredibly competitive for FPV goggles. This makes it more affordable than ever to dive into the FPV world with your Avata 2 or DJI Neo.

Field Testing Experience

Testing was conducted at a beautiful historic location in Bulgaria. Despite windy conditions, which weren’t ideal for flying a drone like the Avata 2 (especially at the lagoon where the wind was quite strong), we proceeded with testing.

The flight experience revealed:

• Strong signal performance even at half a kilometer distance
• Clear visibility of the home point and surrounding caves
• Impressive precision when navigating around rocks
• Consistent signal strength throughout the flight

During testing, I considered flying through a narrow space but decided against it, noting, “I don’t think that’s possible to go through here, and I’m sure I will crash if I do it, so it’s not a good idea.” This was particularly important as I was flying under my line of sight, which required extra caution to maintain direct visibility with the drone to prevent possible crashes or signal loss.

Comfort During Extended Use

Throughout the flight tests, the goggles remained firmly attached with no light leaks. The foam material proved to be softer and more comfortable than the Goggles 3, making it a definite improvement in terms of comfort for extended wear.

Power Loop Feature

The new Power Loop easy Acro mode was extensively tested. By simply pressing up on the joystick, the drone performs a perfect power loop. While the loop ends higher in the air for safety (instead of continuing into a dive), it creates an exciting roller coaster-like experience. This feature, though perhaps gimmicky for advanced pilots, offers beginners a taste of acrobatic flying.

Technical Performance Comparison

With the Avata 2 and Goggles N3:

• 1080p 100 frames per second video transmission
• 31 milliseconds average latency
• Maximum bitrate of 60

With the DJI Neo:

• 1080p 60 frames per second video transmission
• 58 milliseconds average latency
• Maximum bitrate of 50

Comparison DJI Goggles N3 vs Goggles 3

Notable differences include:

• Weight: Goggles N3 weighs 536g vs. Goggles 3’s 470g
• DVR display shows small black bars on the Goggles N3
• Similar latency and overall feel
• Different form factor and size
• The N3 model features softer, more comfortable foam

Additional Features

• Smartphone connectivity via USB-C for secondary live feed through DJI Fly application
• AR cursor with motion controller for menu navigation, which is extremely handy for quick menu navigation without using physical buttons
• Full integration with DJI Fly application for enhanced functionality

Package Options

Two main options are available:

1. Standalone DJI Goggles N3 at $229
2. Complete bundle including the DJI Neo with Fly More package, Goggles N3, and motion controller three at $529

结论

The DJI Goggles N3 represents an excellent value proposition for those looking to enter the FPV world or expand their DJI drone experience. With its comfortable design, solid performance, and competitive pricing, it’s an attractive option for both beginners and enthusiasts. While it may lack some of the advanced features of the Goggles 3, the comfort improvements and accessibility make it a compelling choice for many users.

This is Mike from 无人机至尊, take care, and I’ll catch you in the next one very soon. Ciao!

If you’re wondering, this is a pre-production unit that I’ve been testing for just over a month now, and this is not the final consumer camera that you can order if you go and purchase it from Insta360’s website. This does not have the Ace Pro 2 letters here on the front, but internally it works the same exact way as the consumer camera, which by the way I will receive in a couple of days or so. This has been through a lot of firmware updates, a lot of changes, but with the final 固件更新, I was able to test it out against the Action 5 Pro. This is how these two cameras have been sitting for most of their time, comparing footage side by side with different modes, different settings, different things which you will see in today’s video.

Forest Testing

Can you believe it’s 3:00 PM in the afternoon? It’s very dark and gloomy here in the forest, but that’s why I’m here. I want to see how the cameras will perform in not very bright and sunny conditions. It’s quite dark here in the forest, so without exposure, the cameras will have to boost up the ISO, and I want to see how they would do that, whether there would be any noise, what the temperature would look like, stuff like that. And also the wind reduction feature, because it’s also a little bit windy here, so the audio is of course a very important element in the videos. I want to see how that works on these cameras as well. I’m a little bit out of breath, I’m sorry about that, but I’m getting close to my car.

Resolution Settings

I want to see how these cameras are dealing with everything that I put them through. Both cameras are now shooting in their highest resolution possible. The Osmo Action 5 Pro is shooting in 4K 25 frames per second, whereas on the Ace Pro 2, we have 8K 25 frames per second. I’m not sure how much difference there will be, but maybe we’ll have to pixel peep, zoom in, and check the details for a final answer.

Insta360 says that 8K is only usable in bright and sunny conditions such as these ones that we have right now, so that’s the reason why I’m checking it out here where the conditions are subpar. It will be less than ideal to use 8K, and I don’t really see the point of using 8K in regular scenarios unless you really want to crop in later. But maybe for some action sports, for some scenarios where you want to crop in and kind of isolate the subject without losing a lot of resolution, then the Ace Pro 2 will really take the win.

Car Stabilization Test

For this quick stabilization test, I decided to try out something new and film from the inside of my car. I attached both cameras together simultaneously on the sunroof of the car. You will see the car moving up and down and left and right a little bit because the road was very bumpy, so I think it was a good way to test the stabilization process of both cameras. I think both cameras did pretty well, and I’m really happy with the results. I’m going to give the edge to the Ace Pro 2 simply because I think the stabilization looked a little bit more natural and also the footage was not as cropped as the Osmo Action 5 Pro, but as usual, you let me know which one you think did better.

Drone Testing

All right guys, it’s time for some big boy stuff, and for that, I have exactly what I need. This is the iFlight Helong 10 rocking both cameras at the same time, and it will be a very interesting test to fly both cameras at the same time on the same drone doing the same movements and see which one will perform better.

I’ll be running two tests one after another. First, we’ll be all in automatic camera settings, letting the camera decide what to use – what white balance, what settings, what shutter speed, what ISO, everything without ND 过滤器, everything out, the built-in stabilization as well. So I’m super curious to see which results from which camera would look better.

FPV Performance

Now here for the FPV shots, I was really pixel peeping to see which camera would perform better because for me this is the most important use case of these action cameras. I use them mostly for FPV as you guys know, so the FPV performance is probably the highest priority for my personal needs.

Here I’m checking out the footage from both cameras at the same time. I’m doing this side by side footage so you can pixel peep as well, maybe if you want to pause the video and check out the details, check out the different colors. Keep in mind this is a normal color profile, all in automatic camera settings, so I’m not touching anything on the footage. I haven’t color graded it at all, and you will see that too in the next test which is coming in a minute or two.

Color Comparison

Now you can see the Osmo Action 5 Pro looks a little bit darker, especially when you take a look at the water and the shadows. They are a little bit brighter and more visible on the Ace Pro 2, but the colors are also a little bit different. On the Osmo Action 5 Pro, we are seeing kind of warmer tones, whereas on the Ace Pro 2, we have a little bit more blue, a little bit more green that is a little bit more saturated in the footage, and that is just personal preference on what you prefer, what you think looks better and more natural.

To me in real life, the colors looked a little bit more like what we’re seeing from the Osmo Action 5 Pro, so it was a little bit warmer. It wasn’t as blue and green as we see it on the Ace Pro 2, but still, both cameras are giving fantastic images straight out of the SD card with the built-in stabilization as well.

Stabilization Performance

This is something that I normally don’t use on an FPV drone, but I’m starting to think there is no point of using Gyroflow anymore with these new cameras and the way they stabilize the footage because it’s really smooth. There are not that many artifacts or no sudden jitters and movements when you’re doing a turn, when you’re yawing, the camera sometimes jitters a little bit because of the built-in stabilization. Now we don’t see that anymore, or at least not as harsh as it was before.

For this particular test though, I think the Osmo Action 5 Pro is doing a little bit of a better job in terms of keeping the colors more natural and more true to what you’re seeing in real life, especially when you don’t want to color grade and you want to have an image that is ready to be used straight out of the box. This is more natural, more realistic, and personally something that I think looks a little bit better.

Night Performance

Now jumping to the night footage, and you will see the footage once again side by side on the Osmo 5 Pro and the Ace Pro 2 from Insta360. This one is super super close, very similarly to pretty much all the other tests before. This one is very close in terms of colors, in terms of highlights. The shadows, not so much – you will see the Action 5 Pro keeps the shadows a lot darker, so the Ace Pro 2 is doing some digital work I think to bring up the shadows in this Pure Video Plus night mode, which is the specific night mode that the Ace Pro 2 has.

Of course, the Osmo Action 5 Pro is also using the specific night mode which is Super Night, or I’m not sure if that was the name – I think it was called Super Night, but I think both cameras are neck and neck when it comes to the video quality that they can provide for you at nighttime.

There’s a little bit more sharpening that you can see on the footage from the Osmo Action 5 Pro, whereas on the Ace Pro 2, we have a little bit more bloom on the highlights, which some people would prefer, some people would not like. For me, both look great. Maybe the Ace Pro 2 looks a tiny bit better in some scenarios, but in some other instances, I think the Action 5 Pro is doing a better job. It’s really close, so I can’t really decide, and that’s one more thing that I will leave for you to decide which one takes the win.

Physical Features and Mount Comparison

A couple things I want to mention after using these cameras for a while. First of all, like I said in the beginning of the video, this is how they have been mounted for the majority of the time while comparing them side by side. One thing I have to say is that I love that both these cameras come with the magnetic mount, which is something that GoPro unfortunately did not do, and they missed a huge opportunity here. Just being able to remove the camera and put it back in a matter of a second is a game changer for my usage and for my experience, which really helps me to achieve more with these cameras and be a little bit quicker when I’m changing mounts.

Talking about mounts, there’s one thing I need to mention, and that is the fact that the Osmo Action 5 Pro does not move whatsoever when it’s being mounted on this magnetic mount, whereas the Ace Pro 2 kind of moves a little bit and it’s wiggling a little bit front and back. It’s a little bit annoying when you are maybe running with it and you kind of hear it wobbling front and back, but like I said, it’s not really a big deal.

Ace Pro 2 Features

On the Ace Pro 2, I love the fact that you can swipe up from the top of the screen and you can enable or disable HDR. So if you don’t want to use HDR on your footage, it’s not automatic like it is on the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.

Something else which I really like is the fact that you have so many different modes and so many different field of view options that you can choose on the Ace Pro 2, which could even be a little bit intimidating because you have so many different things to choose from. For some people, that might be a little bit of overkill, and they would be confused by so many different options, but for me as a creator, I love having that flexibility to choose whichever field of view I feel is the best for my needs.

Also, there are so many different shooting modes. If you go through each and every one of them, it’s just never-ending – swipe to the right to get to the next mode, which again could be intimidating but it’s a positive thing in my book.

Wind Reduction Feature

To me, a very groundbreaking feature I would say is the fact that the Ace Pro 2 comes with this mesh here on top which is detachable and it acts as a windscreen. It is an actual windscreen to protect the camera from recording a lot of wind noise. It is something that is being put on the camera – you can remove it, you can just put a mic cap on it. I really don’t want to remove it because I don’t even know if on this pre-production version it can be removed. I tried but it doesn’t move, but Insta360 told me that on the final version of the camera it is removable and it is something that will make your audio a lot better because it kind of removes the wind noise automatically to a large extent.

DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Advantages

These are the things that I really really like on the Ace Pro 2, whereas on the Osmo Action 5 Pro, the fact that this is so much smaller and I would say lighter as well, it is a little bit more portable. It has those two screens on front and the back – they are OLED, whereas with the Ace Pro 2, you don’t have a working front screen where you can see yourself. You only see what your shooting settings are, and of course, if you want to see yourself, you need to flip up the screen like so.

I mean, it’s not a big deal, but in some scenarios, you don’t really have the time to fiddle with the screen and to pop it out. Sometimes you just want to see a quick glance over your frame, what is in frame, what is not in frame, and you can do that on the Osmo Action 5 Pro straight away without even thinking about it, whereas on the Ace Pro 2, you have to flip up the screen and then see what you’re actually filming. Small thing, but I have to say the Osmo Action 5 Pro really wins with the double display here, and that is also in very very good quality. I prefer that to a large extent over the Ace Pro 2.

Something else which I really like on the Osmo Action 5 Pro is how quickly it turns on. It takes 0.2 seconds to power on the camera and start recording, whereas on any other action camera it takes a lot longer than that. Small thing again, but in these types of videos, in these types of comparisons, small details really matter and in the long run they do matter the most in my opinion.

Audio Integration

And finally, the fact that if you want to have better audio, you want to record with an external microphone, especially if you have the DJI microphone, it works straight out of the box and connects automatically to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. It happens automatically and it’s ready to go as soon as you power on the camera. You don’t have to fiddle with any settings, you don’t have to tweak anything – it’s just on as soon as you power on the camera. You can start recording great audio out of the box and it just works perfectly fine.

结论

So those are the things that I really like about the Ace Pro 2, those are the things that I really like about the Osmo Action 5 Pro, and now it’s time for you to decide which of those things matter to you the most, which camera speaks to you more, and which one of these is the better value for you now that you have all this information.

Links for both of these cameras will be in the description. If you want to support me, help my channel grow, and help me make more videos like this one, you already know what to do – drop a like, drop a comment, let me know what you think about these cameras. Subscribe for more videos like this one. Thank you so much for watching, and I catch you very very soon in my next video. Ciao!

READ MORE: DJI Air 3S – Here’s Everything New About This DJI Drone!

Key Differences

Even though these two drones look quite similar, they’re also very different from each other, mainly because of two specific reasons:

1. LiDAR Sensor

Reason number one is this 激光雷达 sensor here on the front of the drone. This is one of the biggest new things that we are seeing on this drone and one of the best safety features that DJI could ever introduce. This is a feature that many people have been requesting for years now, and I think in the future there won’t be any drone without a LiDAR sensor on the front simply because of how good it actually is.

How the LiDAR Sensor Works

What the LiDAR sensor essentially is, is an always working sensor that is here on the front. You will see it if you try to record your drone while it’s powered on. It’s always blinking, there’s a red light here just in the middle of that sensor, and it’s sending signals front and back at all times, looking for obstacles in the perimeter around the drone. If it happens to detect an obstacle, it will go over it, so it will raise its altitude, working together with the other six obstacle avoidance sensors that we have here on the drone.

We have two on the front, two on the back, and two on the bottom of the drone, which is exactly the same case for the Air 3 as well. The only thing missing here is the LiDAR sensor. The power of the LiDAR sensor is when it’s dark outside because of how it’s able to detect the obstacles. The cameras here that we have on the obstacle avoidance sensors are not going to work well if you’re flying in dim and dark conditions where even you cannot see anything, let alone the drone.

2. Improved Camera System

The other one is, of course, the camera. We have two cameras here again, similarly to the Air 3. We have a set of cameras: one is a 1-inch sensor, the main sensor of the camera, 24mm f/1.8 that is improved significantly compared to the Air 3. This again shines the most especially when combined in dark environments, dark situations, simply because of the bigger sensor size and because of the new algorithms that these cameras use.

Similarly to the Osmo Action 4 and the Osmo Action 5 Pro which we saw recently, the update that they made to these action cameras, we have a bigger sensor with lower bit rate. So the bit rate of the Air 3 is 150 megabits per second, whereas on the Air 3S we have 130 megabits per second, but I can definitely tell you that the quality is better on the Air 3S simply because of those algorithms, the way the processor works to get the image when recording it with this Air 3S.

The second camera that we have here is a telephoto camera, 1/1.3-inch sensor with an aperture of f/2.8. This is the 70mm lens on the Air 3S, very similar to the one on the Air 3, but that is the main difference. That’s just the internal side of things, how the processor is working with that lens to give you the final image.

Camera Features and Performance

The cool thing about the Air 3S is that now both cameras support exactly the same features, exactly the same frame rates, exactly the same resolutions, color profile files, ISO values. Everything is shared between those two cameras, and it’s exactly the same. So you no longer have to have different settings on the different cameras. They now work and look exactly the same, minus the fact that they use different focal lengths of course.

You have a maximum frame rate and resolution of 4K 120 frames per second on the Air 3S, whereas on the Air 3 it’s 4K 100 frames per second. So a slight bump up on the Air 3S because of the bigger sensor. The Air 3S not only has better image processing and better image optimization during daytime, you also have better and higher ISO values during nighttime.

Low-Light Performance

This is again one serious thing if you’re looking to upgrade to the Air 3S. You have to think about how often you’re going to use it at night because this is where it really beats the Air 3. If you’re using the normal color profile and you want to fly at night, both drones offer a maximum value of 12,800. However, the Air 3 does it in its dedicated night mode, which you have to separately go into and that applies some noise reduction to your footage as well. Whereas on the Air 3S, it’s just built in in the normal video mode.

You have a maximum ISO of 12,800 in normal color profile. If you want to use D-Log M, however, this is the difference between the two: you have a maximum ISO value of 1,600 on the Air 3 and 3,200 on the Air 3S. So it allows you to have a little bit more high ISO if you still want to shoot in D-Log M during nighttime, which by the way I don’t recommend you to do.

Color Profile and Bit Depth

Talking about normal color profile and your footage, there’s one major thing that I want to mention, especially if you’re not a big fan of D-Log M and you don’t want to color grade your footage. Let’s say you just want to stick to normal color profile and you just want to record with your drone. Well, on the Air 3, all of your shots will be in 8-bit, whereas on the Air 3S you will have a lot more information in your footage, even in normal color profile, as your footage will be shot in 10-bit.

Importance of Fundamentals

To conclude the chapter about the cameras of both of these drones, let me be clear about one thing: you can achieve great results, spectacular footage with both of these drones. There is no magic solution that will make your footage absolutely stunning without having the basic knowledge of flying smoothly, using your perspectives and different angles to your advantage, having ND 过滤器 on, using the right shutter speed, using the correct ISO values. Those are things that are fundamentals, and they are the ones that you really need to focus on. The other is just small bumps, tweaks, and settings that of course are incremental updates and they make the whole experience better, but it’s not the thing that will make your footage all of a sudden look fantastic. Just throwing it out there, just so you know. Maybe some of you need to hear this.

Additional Features

There are two more things I need to talk about before I let you go. First, we have the internal storage, which on the Air 3 is 8GB, which is fine for a few photos here and there, maybe a few videos or hyperlapse, and it’s fine for a day of shooting. However, the Air 3S comes with a massive 42GB internal storage. So that can save you in case you forget to insert your SD card. Even if you don’t have an SD card, you can still go and fly straight away and not worry about getting the drone full and reaching its maximum capacity. That’s plenty of storage space for a few days of shooting, depending on how much you film of course.

Pricing

Finally, the prices. The prices are pretty much identical when it comes to the single combo of these drones. So it’s $1,099 for just the drone, the remote, and one battery, and the remote is the basic one, the DJI RC-N3. However, if you want to get the Fly More package, which comes with a few more extras, a few more batteries, and ND filters and accessories, then the price is a little bit different. So we have $1,599 on the Air 3S and $1,549 on the Air 3 for the Fly More combo.

If you are already an owner of the Air 3, you already know that. So it’s a $50 or Euro increase in terms of the price for the Fly More kit for the Air 3S. So DJI is slightly bumping up the price, but it’s keeping the same price for the basic combo. You can get just the drone if you want because you can use the batteries from the Air 3. They are pretty much the same, they’re slightly smaller in terms of milliamp hours, but they work, they power on the drone. It’s tested and confirmed. So you can just buy the drone and use it with your own remote that you have on your Air 3, for example, which I think will be a good deal and good choice if you happen to do that.

Is It Worth Upgrading?

Now, do I think it’s a worthy upgrade if you’re coming from the Air 3? Both yes and no. It’s a massive yes in terms of performance and fly characteristics and the new improved safety features with this LiDAR sensor and the new 1-inch sensor, which is great not only at night but also during daytime, but especially at nighttime. It makes the biggest difference mostly at night.

So it’s really up to you to decide if you are going to fly at nighttime, if you’re capturing a lot of sunrises or sunsets. This is where the drone really shines and outperforms the Air 3. In all other scenarios though, they are pretty much identical. It’s an S version, so of course this brings incremental updates. It’s not a massively new and improved drone, it’s a slightly better drone.

Which of course you have to understand if you’re a person who is not flying regularly to capture sunsets or sunrises or flying at night, then maybe it’s not worth upgrading to the Air 3S just so you get those LiDAR features and the 1-inch sensor on the main camera. However, if you’re coming from the Air 3 but you want to explore some new features and new technology from DJI, you want to have the latest, then of course it’s worth it. It’s not a bad drone at all. It’s actually probably going to be my main drone from now on because it’s smaller and it has the same power as the Mavic 3 Pro, which has been my favorite drone ever, but I think it will be slowly replaced by the Air 3S just because of everything that it brings into it and how much it actually pushes things forward with this new technology with the LiDAR sensor.

Closing Thoughts

I hope this video has been informative enough for you to decide whether you want to upgrade and you want to get the new Air 3S. There will be links in the description if you want to support my channel. If you want to get the drone from DJI, there will be an affiliate link down below.

Thank you so much for watching this video. Please, please guys, let me know what you think about the new Air 3S down in the comments, whether you’re looking for an upgrade and whether you’re keeping your Air 3. Do let me know down below because I love hearing back from you.

This is Mike from 无人机至尊. Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end of the video. I’ll catch you very soon in my next one. Take care and goodbye.