Just when you thought a Mavic 2 or a Phantom 5 drone was in the works, DJI surprises us with another release from the Phantom 3 series of drones. Sort of.
The Phantom 3 SE was actually released back in March, but only for consumers in China. At the time we were told it might be available outside of China in time. Thanks to our FCC sleuths, we got wind this morning that the Phantom 3 SE is likely to be releasd outside of China this week.
And with the release of this drone we have two easy questions: Why a Phantom 3 SE, and What’s different?
The first thing we noticed is the Phantom 3 SE is 44 grams lighter than the Phantom 3 4K. But as far as we can tell, all video and image specs are identical. It still shoots 4K video like the P34K and takes 12 megapixel stills with it’s 1/2.3″ sensor.
As you would expect it uses the same 4480 mAh battery as the rest of the Phantom 3 series, giving it roughly 25 of battery life.
After careful study of the manual and specs, it looks to us that it’s an improved version of the Phantom 3 4K. The primary differences being:
- 720p, 3fps WiFi live video feed
- 4000m range
- Vision Position system
As far as pricing goes, we expect the Phantom 3 SE to surprise with a retail around $430. Cheaper than a Spark, and half the price of a Mavic Pro.
With the launch of the Spark mini drone last month, DJI finally had an entry level drone in the sub $500 price range. With the Phantom 3 SE, they’ll also have a sub $500 drone in the fixed-wing segment of the market if our guess on pricing is correct.
It’s been a quiet month so far from DJI. Based on history, we should have two product related press releases in July. We’ll assume this is #1, and we eagerly anticipate what’s coming next.
