DJI is known the world over as being one of the best in innovative tech. Their slogan is, “The future of possible.” Nothing could be truer. They make incredible everyday photography equipment that the layman can use at an affordable price. Their drones are second to none and they have several gimbal options for smartphones and DSLR’s. They’re the reason GoPro pulled out of the drone market. They have very little competition. In reality, they’re just competing with themselves.

So one has to ask, what’s up with DJI? Why do they keep releasing new products on a semi-annual basis as if they’re trying to keep up with their competition? Why do they keep creating new market segments? Are they needed?

In their consumer line-up they have the entry level Phantom 3 Standard, Phantom 3 SE 4k, the tiny Spark, the recently announced Mavic Air, Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro Platinum, Phantom 4, Phantom 4 Advanced and Phantom 4 Pro and the Phantom 4 Pro Plus. This list doesn’t include their professional line such as the Inspire and Matrice series. As of this post, their drones range from $399 to several thousand. That’s quite a range.

So what’s the problem? I feel they have too many consumer drones in too many price segments. I hold the belief that too many options is a bad thing. They should stick to a couple and make them the best damn drones that they can. DJI is known for their hardware innovations, but if you’ve done any research, their software can be problematic.

Take for instance the latest Phantom 4 Pro firmware update in December 2017. Drone users have reported several major issues that are far too common to be isolated. With DJI flooding their own hardware lineup, software updates have clearly become a challenge. Not to mention making sure their applications play nicely with the hundreds of tablet and smartphone options.

Here is the current lineup of consumer grade drones offered by DJI. What you’ll notice is they're competing with themselves in an odd way. They want to create product segments yet some segments clearly crossover and it’s confusing.

Spark is $399 and more of a toy. It has some fun controller free features and it’s locked in at 1080p 30p. There isn’t much customization and it only has a 2 axis gimbal. Great toy and great for kids. It’s not to be taken seriously. It’s in a great segment.
Phantom 3 Standard is $499 and I’m not sure why it’s still around. It shouldn’t be. It’s the oldest consumer drone still available on DJI.com. The Spark outclasses it.
Phantom 3 SE is $599 and has an outdated low-bitrate 4k camera. Don’t let the 4k fool you, it doesn’t mean it’s “good” 4k. I’d argue the Spark produces better footage.
Mavic Air is $799 and was just announced today. It’s more portable than the Spark and it shoots 4k 30p at 100mbps with a camera attached to a 3 axis gimbal. It also offers the most obstacle avoidance of any of their consumer grade drones to date. If I were looking to get a starter drone today, it would be this one.
Mavic Pro is $999 and offers very little over the Mavic Air and Pro Platinum. DJI needs to reevaluate the Mavic and it’s price. In many ways the Air is an upgrade. No one in their right mind would pay more for less.
Mavic Pro Platinum is $1099 and it’s just a quieter more efficient Mavic Pro. Ok DJI. Just update the base Mavic Pro. Why create an entirely new name for it and still offer the Pro? A quieter drone? These aren’t helicopters or lawn mowers. This is an overrated feature. If this was priced like the Mavic Pro, it would be a nice upgrade over the Mavic Air in certain instances.
Phantom 4 isn’t even offered anymore yet they still offer two versions of the Phantom 3. I’m so confused DJI.
Phantom 4 Advanced is $1199. This is what the original Phantom 4 should have been. Great 1" CMOS sensor that produces outstanding image quality far and away better than the Phantom 3. If portability isn’t a concern, this is a clear upgrade over the Mavic in terms of image quality.
Phantom 4 Pro is $1499. Far from professional, it’s advantage over the Advanced is more obstacle sensing/avoiding but it’s not as good as the Mavic Air in that regard. The front, rear and side to side obstacle sensing make it a worthwhile upgrade over the Advanced but they have the same features otherwise.
Phantom 4 Pro Plus is $1799 and comes with a built in 5.5” ultra-bright screen. If you don’t currently own a tablet, this would be a worthwhile upgrade otherwise you need to fidget with sunshades to be able to see your screen in bright daylight conditions.

I think my point has been made. DJI still offers more expensive outdated products along-side newer, better offerings at the same time. It makes no sense. In the automobile industry, once the next generation of X car is ready to go, they stop producing the old model. If any remain, they’re heavily discounted when the new model arrives.

DJI doesn’t seem to do this and it’s maddening. Take the Osmo 2. It’s better than the original AND cheaper. Why not make the original cheaper? Who would buy the old model for more money?

So what should DJI do? I’m glad you asked. If I were DJI, I would….

Get rid of the Phantom 3 line. Any remaining I would donate to schools and non-profits around the world.
Stop offering slight upgrades of the same model and calling it a new fancy name. The Mavic Pro Platinum should just be the 2017 Mavic Pro and stop selling the louder model. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be.
Simplify the lineup and focus on making them outstanding and frustration free. There needs to be clear and significant differences between the drone segments. Right now it’s very muddy.
If you call something “Pro” or “Professional”, make it actually professional. Otherwise, drop the name. Currently, none of your consumer “pro” items are actually professional.
Slow down. You have NO competition other than yourself. Pace your offerings and make them better.
BONUS! DJI, you’re not Apple. Please stop making your conferences exactly like Apple. When you offer flawless items with very little issues, go right ahead.

For more info on the Mavic Air visit https://www.dji.com/mavic-air