Phantom 3 or Solo

[TheEdge]

I am sure that this topic has been posted before, but I am about to buy my second quad, and I wanted to ask the Solo experts a few questions.

I am currently looking at the Phantom 3 Pro and the 3DR Solo. I have been leaning to the Phantom 3 for a few reasons:
1) I have a Phantom 2 and really like it
2) I like the extended range of bird and the lightbridge technology
3) The Phantom 3 seems to be very good value for the money
4) The remote is well designed and can handle my iPad Air
5) I like the wired attachment for the iPad vs using WiFi
6) My adult son has one, and loves it

On the negative side for the DJI Phantom
1) Poor customer service
2) Not made in the USA
3) Closed architecture
4) Design issues that seems to result in stress cracks. This may or may not have been corrected, depending on who you talk to.

I really like the Solo
1) Made in USA
2) Supposed to have better customer support. But with the gimbel launch.. That may be debatable.
3) Open design. Much easier to mod as time goes by
4) Very good construction
5) Great flight modes
6) I have a GoPro 4 Black

What what is really holding me back from the solo is some of the stuff I have been reading in the forums. I do understand that the negative stuff gets the most press, so I wanted to ask the users a few questions to help me decide what bird to get.

The gimbel is a non-issue for me. It looks like they are ramping up with production and they should be readily available in the next 30 days or so.

Fly always. There seems to be more issues with Fly always with the solo that with the Phantom. Is this overblown? Has this been addressed with firmware updates?

Is the Solo that much better than the Phantom 3 to justify the extra $400 or so

Is the limited range that much of an issue?

Some reviews have suggested that the remote feels cheap in comparison to the P3.

Any modifications to fit an iPad Air to the Solo remote?

 

[pyrate]

oh jeeese

 

[User Name]

I'm not a Solo expert, as I don't even have one (except on order), but here's my take:

Negative posts - it doesn't matter what you do, someone will find fault with it. You could be sending people envelopes full of $20 bills, for free, and you'll still get someone complaining about the system you set up for them to submit their addresses. The vast majority of people and posts are positive about the product, so it seems to work as intended.

Gimbal launch. It's a brand new product. To me, it speaks positively about 3DR that they've taken the time to iron out bugs, even if it delayed the release, as opposed to shipping a half baked product and hoping to be able to fix all the problems later in a software update. I placed my order, and I'll get it whenever it's in stock, be it a week from now, a month or whenever.

If you already have a GoPro 4 Black, then you need to compare the Solo to the Phantom 3 Pro (4K), which is $1200+. So it's only an effective $200 difference.

Range, stock to stock, yea, it seems the Phantom will go quite a bit further, but personally, I have zero need or desire to fly the thing a mile or more away from me. I get nervous when my little FPV quad gets a couple hundred feet away.

Biggest reasons I chose it over the Phantom - seems like there will be more development to it over time, as opposed to the Phantom's yearly upgrade cycle - Oh, it's 2016, time to buy a Phantom 4... It's a US company (yea, it's still made in China, but...), and the customer service of 3DR over DJI.

But there's plenty of people entirely satisfied with their Phantoms. I'm not knocking them in any way.

 

[Dirby]

the choice is up to you.

 

[TheEdge]

the choice is up to you.

Yes, but I like to hear from those that have already made theirs. Nothing sells like someone who is happy with their purchase. Everyone's needs are different, so no two people will have the exact same criteria. But, it says a lot when people take enough care and time to post and support a users forum like this. As someone who does a ton of research before buying a (fairly) expensive item, I appreciate the comments from current users.

The main question is, would you make the same purchase again? That really says it all.

 

[Dirby]

i have had both.
and now i have the phantom.
got it flying to my likeing.
they are both good in some ways and bad in other ways.
DJI coustomer service is not good.
3
dr coustomer service is a lot better.

 

[pyrate]

Could we just take this post and sticky it, that way when ever someone asks this question we could just link them to it. maybe even combine all the different DJI vs SOLO into one massive thread that would be the one place to point to

 

[Dirby]

Could we just take this post and sticky it, that way when ever someone asks this question we could just link them to it. maybe even combine all the different DJI vs SOLO into one massive thread that would be the one place to point to

sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[nacjr]

Yes, but I like to hear from those that have already made theirs. Nothing sells like someone who is happy with their purchase. Everyone's needs are different, so no two people will have the exact same criteria. But, it says a lot when people take enough care and time to post and support a users forum like this. As someone who does a ton of research before buying a (fairly) expensive item, I appreciate the comments from current users.

The main question is, would you make the same purchase again? That really says it all.

Since your Son has a P3P, I suggest you get a Solo so you'll have both bases covered in your family. That way you'll have endless conversations about who's is better. I bought a Solo because that's what I wanted. No list of pros & cons, that didn't matter, I wanted a Solo.

 

[pyrate]

I will take it even one step closer. I did a ton of research before picking solo, I am betting most of those resources are still on my PC somewhere. If I were to spend the time and write a comprehensive resource guide for both products including links to reviews and specifications would the Moderating team be willing to review it and post it as a sticky somewhere that we could point people to once and for all?

 

[Erich Springinsguth]

So you're saying I should get a Solo....buy why.

 

[Acroduster]

Disclosure: This is my first drone (although I've flown many RC craft before this) and I do not own a Phantom product, but have put my hands on a few.

My Solo has flown practically flawlessly from day one. It has never had a fly-away (has always RTH at signal loss). Everything that it is supposed to do, it has done. I really do like the build quality compared to the DJI products I have handled. It is easily visible to a decent distance because of its black color (I understand this is a problem for similar white products). The problems I have had have either been my fault or have been remedied by things like refining the order of the startup sequence.

I am not a Solo fan per se, but I have grown to appreciate the quality of everything about it. I ordered the 3DR backpack and wow - it is nice! Heavy duty zipper, everything not only fits, but fits snugly, ensuring that things don't rattle around. On a recent trip, I found that it fits perfectly into aircraft overhead bins. This attention to detail has impressed me.

The open source nature of this product also attracted me. Although I haven't touched anything outside of the standard app yet, after I receive my gimbal I'll probably do so.

I understand that this review isn't that useful, as I've only flown the Solo, but hopefully it's a counterpoint to much of the negativity. I'm sure there are many out there like myself that have had consistently good performance.

Let us know what you finally get, and if it's a Solo, go fly back-to-back with your son and give us your impressions.

 

[Adimuzio513]

I will take it even one step closer. I did a ton of research before picking solo, I am betting most of those resources are still on my PC somewhere. If I were to spend the time and write a comprehensive resource guide for both products including links to reviews and specifications would the Moderating team be willing to review it and post it as a sticky somewhere that we could point people to once and for all?

You and or us on the forum writing a good review and comparison or at least pluses and minuses would be a much better bet then combining threads. As you know those comparison threads are the worst examples of members here and are all very biased on both sides.

If folks who have shown they can be less biased can put together a sticky it would be much more benificial to those trying to decide which thousand plus dollar investment to make.

These things said I also own p2 and this was part of why I wanted solo, yes p3 is better but very similar in looks and functions. The range, gps glitch"flyaway", and most all issues I had with solo are now fixed and I love it. You may need to get an antenna upgrade or just try the free easy mod to address the range but after that you'll have the same range as p3 or close and will have the ability to fly well beyond the recommendations with either. A lot depends on if you want to buy another quad next year for new features or add those features with upgrades really. Yes you'll spend a bit more on solo now but will save it if you plan to keep up with the newest features in the coming years, basically right now today the only advantage that's readily available is the smart shots being superior, but the two as of today seem to be pretty equal in all honesty until the open source of solo is taken advantage of. Future wise solo wins hands down but today it's a much closer call.

P3 flys indoors and solo has better shot options for now so it's really what's important to you at this moment. Having the hero 4 now and being somewhat biased but owning both brands I'd say solo and it has nothing to do with service, I'll likley never use either companies service, but that's just how I am. Unless a horrible failure happens right away I'll just fix it myself since most parts are fairly cheap and easy to swap out. Just an opinion though good luck with whichever you decide, either way it's money well spent. Will say if your on a tight budget now solo can easily get expensive as options just keep coming but that can be seen as a plus or minus pending on your current bank info.

 

[Adimuzio513]

Disclosure: This is my first drone (although I've flown many RC craft before this) and I do not own a Phantom product, but have put my hands on a few.

My Solo has flown practically flawlessly from day one. It has never had a fly-away (has always RTH at signal loss). Everything that it is supposed to do, it has done. I really do like the build quality compared to the DJI products I have handled. It is easily visible to a decent distance because of its black color (I understand this is a problem for similar white products). The problems I have had have either been my fault or have been remedied by things like refining the order of the startup sequence.

I am not a Solo fan per se, but I have grown to appreciate the quality of everything about it. I ordered the 3DR backpack and wow - it is nice! Heavy duty zipper, everything not only fits, but fits snugly, ensuring that things don't rattle around. On a recent trip, I found that it fits perfectly into aircraft overhead bins. This attention to detail has impressed me.

The open source nature of this product also attracted me. Although I haven't touched anything outside of the standard app yet, after I receive my gimbal I'll probably do so.

I understand that this review isn't that useful, as I've only flown the Solo, but hopefully it's a counterpoint to much of the negativity. I'm sure there are many out there like myself that have had consistently good performance.

Let us know what you finally get, and if it's a Solo, go fly back-to-back with your son and give us your impressions.

If my gimbal ever shows up I plan to rent a p3 and maybe an inspire and test them together. I did a comparison post on p2 vs solo and was given this idea from a member when I posted it. Thought it sounded like a great idea and they aren't all that expensive and I also want to see for myself if I did in fact make the right choice right now at least. With the season ending soon and bad weather close by I hope I still have the chance but I've planned on it since we discussed it months ago, so I'm going to try my best.

Even though I give dji a hard time I do really enjoy my p2 and think I can deliver an unbiased review even if I am currently on team 3dr at the moment. Guess we'll see eventually, look for the comparison video by Christmas 2016 at the latest. Right 3dr. Fly safe

 

[Sarah B]

Which helicopter has the best transmogrifier? THAT'S the true measure of greatness.

 

[Raybro]

Huh?

 

[Acroduster]

She's talking about the Calvin 4M. Or maybe it's a Hobbes model.

 

[Raybro]

Gottcha...

 

[Sarah B]

EXACTLY, Acroduster!

You dudes have become too serious around here.

 

[jmvegas]

Support, Support Support enough said.. The P3 Pro was my first choice and I owned it for 3 weeks, I was the not so lucky guy to get GPS - ATTI compass errors out of the box. I tried 3 weeks to get Dji support on the phone, chat and email to help with this problem with no results, I was so lucky, so I thought, to have 1 of 4 only Dji certified repair centers in the United States here in Vegas, where I dropped it off for them diagnose (sending the bird to Dji for 6-8 weeks was out of the question), they had the bird for 5 days and could not figure out the issue and tried to sell me a $15 compass for $119 (must have included 1hr of labor to install) BTW, once you open the P3 you you void the1yr warranty. Luckily I was able to return my P3 to Amazon for a full refund and replace it with 3dr solo, best thing I could have done and happy I did. The P3 is an awesome machine and a great deal for the price, however, if anything goes wrong you are pretty much SOL.

My Solo has been flawless so far with no issues (knock on wood) and haven't had the need to contact support, I did however place a test call to the support line and I got an answer (that's already winning half the battle), besides support the second reason to go with a Solo is the 30 day money back guarantee, how can you go wrong? If you don't like the Solo return it and take your chance with Dji, but I think you'll be happy Solo, I am so far. My only complaint is the gimbal not readily available, I guess my flying skills will be that much better once it arrives.

For more info on my P3 issue have a look at my post on the forums
DJI Forum|GPS-OPTI Compass Error