fbpx

12 Reasons to Consider the Yuneec Typhoon H (And NOT a DJI drone!)

Will the feature set of the Yuneec Typhoon H destroy the DJI Phantom, or will its host of features overrun its reliability?
Will the feature set of the Yuneec Typhoon H destroy the DJI Phantom, or will its host of features overrun its reliability?

This is an exciting year for aerial drone photography.  DJI has owned drone photography for the last several years, but now competitors like Yuneec and 3D Robotics are giving them a run for their money with more feature-rich drones.  The most interesting development of 2016 in the drone war will be when heavyweight GoPro announces its upcoming drone.

Oh, and I should say right off the bat that this post is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Yuneec.  I don't have any sort of backdoor deal with them.  They have no idea who I am.  I'm just excited about their new drone, and the price is right (check the current price on Amazon).

360 Degree Shooting

The biggest drawback to the DJI Phantom 3 is that you can only shoot through a tiny window.  The landing gear block the camera from about half of the shooting area, so the only way to pan is to physically rotate the drone, which doesn't always work.  This severely limits the usability of the drone.

If you want to be able to shoot from all angles, you have to buy the DJI Inspire, which costs three times more but has landing gear that lift up and free the camera.  But even then, the Inspire 1 can rotate one and a half times and then stops.  The Typhoon can rotate endlessly.

The Yuneec Typhoon H has landing gear that raise up, but costs only half of what the DJI Inspire does similarly equipped.

Included Hardshell Backpack

I spent a couple days trying to rig up a suitable case for my DJI Phantom.  The fact that the Typhoon comes with a hard shell backpack that fits everything perfectly is really really nice.

Notice in this post how many “included” accessories come with the Yuneec Typhoon.  Backpack, two batteries, touch screen, car adapter, handheld gimbal.  I love buying from a company that doesn't nickel and dime me with every accessory.

yuneec-typhoon-h-backpack

Built-In 7″ Touchscreen

One of the biggest complaints about the DJI Phantom 3 and Inspire is the bugginess of the software when attempting to connect an iPad or iPhone to the controller.  Users report constant errors where the connection can't be made.

Another benefit of the Typhoon H is that it has a built-in touchscreen on the controller which allows the pilot to use the camera.  Since I'll be controlling the camera and piloting the aircraft, this is a huge benefit to have everything in one place without requiring multiple controllers or connecting third party screens.

There is a downside to the Typhoon's video link, however.  While no one has been able to test the new video controller yet, it's likely that it will have more lag because it uses wifi.  DJI's video downlink is buggy, but has very very low lag since it uses a different technology.

DJI Drones are Unreliable (In my experience)

This is a question mark for me.  I own a DJI phantom and know how incredibly buggy it is.  I remember updating the firmware a week before an important trip and the firmware reversed every movement on the control sticks, which basically made it impossible to fly.  DJI does NOT produce a stable drone in my experience, and if you have issues, there is basically zero chance you'll get help from their famously horrible customer service.

Will Yuneec's drone be any more reliable?  I don't know.  It may be as bad or worse.  But knowing that I'm not happy with the stability of DJI's drones, I have nothing to lose by trying someone new.

Folding Arms

The arms of Typhoon are not only retractable to get out of the shot, but they also fold down so when you're done shooting you can easily push down the arms to fold it in a nice little ball and put it in the included carrying case.

This makes the hexcopter much more portable for when I'm out traveling to shoot with you guys on our free photography workshops that we do all around the world.

The Price

The price is right for Yuneec's Typhoon H.  It's not cheap, but when compared to similarly equipped drones from other manufacturers, it's a steal at $1,299.  You can pre-order your Yuneec Typhoon H from Amazon here (that's an affiliate link).  I got my pre-order in and I'm REALLY excited to use this thing!  The Typhoon is set to be released in March, 2016.  Get your pre-order in fast, because I can't imagine that this thing will be in stock for long.

Comes with Two Batteries

Not only are two batteries included, but it also includes both a wall and a 12 volt DC socket so that you can charge the batteries in your car while you're driving.  For me as a travel photographer, that's HUGE!  Batteries for a drone usually cost in the $100 range, so including two batteries makes a big difference in the overall price of the drone.

I also like that the batteries on the Yuneec have inclosed connections, so you can just push the battery onto the charging station, instead of connecting the cords coming out of the battery to connectors on the charger.  I've lost a few batteries to the cords being worn out, so this will hopefully improve some durability of the drone batteries as well.

Another cool feature is that the controller has a USB port so you can charge the remote with USB instead of needing to carry another cord with you.  Excellent!

Hexcopter vs. Quadcopter

It's tough to say what the number one feature is of the Typhoon H, but the six rotors has to be very high on the list.  By utilizing six rotors, the drone can land itself even if one or possibly two rotors go out.  That gives me some comfort when I'm flying a $2,000 robot in the air above huge waves in high winds.

Six rotors also produces much more power.  Many reviewers of Yuneec's previous quadcopter offering complained that it simply was not powerful enough to go fast and fight heavy winds.

The other thing that six rotors gives you is significantly better stability.  With only four rotors on a quadcopter, imagine that the drone drifts to the right.  The only way to stabilize it is for the two right rotors to spin up faster and tilt the drone down to the left to push it back to its original position.  This tilting produces a shaky shot.  Now imagine you have six rotors.  Only one rotor needs to spin up, producing much less tilt in the shot.

Improved Stability

I have not yet flown a Yuneec drone, so I can't comment on this one personally, but everyone I hear from says that the Yuneec drones drift much less in the air than the DJI drones do.  That's a huge benefit for photographers who want to push the limits of a slow shutter speed and still get a sharp photo.

This has been reported to be true even with Yuneec's previous quadcopters, so I am hoping that the stability is dramatically better with this hexcopter offering.

Programmed Flight Paths

Orbit mode will fly a circle around the controller, which I plan to use when I'm standing epically on the side of a mountain with my tripod.  Journey mode flies away from the controller to show the entire environment.  It also has a follow me mode, as well as the ability to put in waypoints.

Obstacle Avoidance

A third party add-on for the Yuneec Typhoon is Intel's Realsense technology, which will sense objects close to the drone and will fly the drone around them to avoid crashing.  That's an incredible ability to add to a drone, but the finer details of the cost of this add-on and exactly how well it will be implemented remain to be seen.

It's Not All Rainbows and Unicorns

I don't pretend that the Yuneec Typhoon H will be an error-free drone that beats the DJI drones in every spec.  In fact, I expect a lot of bugs.  I also know that there are some serious drawbacks to this drone: reduced range when compared to the DJI offerings, no Glonass, no micro 4/3 camera like the Inspire 1 (the Typhoon H uses the same sensor as a GoPro and the DJI Phantom 3), etc.  The Typhoon H is not perfect and I don't expect it to be.

However, the Typhoon H promises a significant upgrade from my DJI Phantom, and I'm anxious to see if Yuneec has outgunned DJI with its latest offering.  Time will tell.

What do you guys think?  Did Yuneec just announce a DJI killer, or is this a scrappy young company with an inferior product just announcing myriad features and accessories to try and compete?

Get the Yuneec Typhoon H on Amazon

I buy all my quadcopter and photography gear on Amazon.  Check the price of the Yuneec Typhoon H on Amazon here.  I like buying from Amazon because their return policy is much better than many of the retailers that sell drones online, and the shipping is always better and the price is usually the same or better.

132 thoughts on “12 Reasons to Consider the Yuneec Typhoon H (And NOT a DJI drone!)”

  1. I’m curious which model of Phantom you’ve had experience with Jim. While they do have their bugs from time to time, I’ve found the Phantom 3 and the Inspire 1 to be very reliable. Support has also improved. I had a RMA on my inspire 1 replaced within a week.

    Panning left and right with the yaw control on the Phantom 3 is very easy to do and can be done reliably without getting the landing gear int he shot with a little practice.

    I’ve had the ability to pre-program flights with the ground station hardware and a phantom 2 for a couple years now, but find it’s almost always better to get the shot manually.

    Both the Inspire 1 and Phantom 3 are rock solid in the air, almost as still as a tripod when they have a good GPS lock.

    I am excited to see competition in this space, but Yuneec will struggle to make progress against the well established DJI. I think GoPro has a better chance at competing but we’ll have to wait and see.

    1. Anthony Cirullo

      I to had amazing experience with there CS dept. I call the one in TX and never had to wait more then a couple min . Also if you order from a company like BnH photo you never have anything to worry about. There return policy is awesome. I love the Phantom.

    2. Hi all , I have had the pleasure of flying both the DJI and Yuneec platforms
      Dji FC 40 ( the start model ) , Yuneec Q500, , DJI Advanced 2.7k and the Yuneec Typhoon H .
      The Yuneec Q500 was fantastic and you just put it up and the footage came back very good .The Dji Advanced was very much about setting the camera up to the lighting or lack of it , so it became an issue to try and get the setting correct ( Im no professional).With the typhoon H there is a lot to think about , warm up times for the craft are longer so its advisable to have that 2nd battery , the the flying experience is second to none , tackles much windier conditions easier ..My honest opinion is the Typhoon H is fantastic , I,m still learning the ropes but will get to grips with all flight modes within a few days ..( Jim , some of the photos on your site are just wonderful ..Please view the different platforms from an novice flyer on my utube channel ..Drone Girl . http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_tMoGN53YsIz4BBn8Y0kBQ

      Hope I am not ambushing the comment , its just I have flown both brands
      Kind regards
      Krissi

      1. You should try a p4, before basing 100% of your DJI experience on a 3A. i find the typhoon’s image quality to be slightly worse than the DJI or i would already have one:D

        that being said; loosing a rotor and still flying interests me:D

      2. What is the best stoftware for viewing Typhoon H video on a desktop or laptop (Windows)? We just got the Typhoon H and are able to shoot great video but when we try to upload from MicroDisk to hard drive and play on QuikTime, the video lags.

        1. its your computers processor. the videos are massive in size and need much faster processing speeds to flawlessly view. also, make sure you are saving the files from your sd card to your computer and not trying to watch them using your sd card as an external drive. the upload speeds of the cards are surely not fast enough for this.

    3. I have had most DJI products and they are problematic. (DJI 4 and 3) I have owned Yuneec H and q500 both never a problem. DJI is good but Yuneec is great A+++++. Intel processor nice amount of ddr3 ram that screams. 360 camera that has the same sensor as the hero gopro and folding arms. Also you don’t even need the transmitter you can use the wizard and a smart phone and that is it. There is no comparison.

  2. Sounds like you have had a lot of issues with your DJI. I have the Phantom III Professional and apart from a few firmware glitches it has been top notch. I’ve maxed out on the range and had only one issue which I quickly resolved by hitting the fly home button. I think time will tell, this drone looks the part and there are many others like it hitting the market. DJI will need to stay competitive and up the anti to maintain their number one status. So far so good, I am happy to stick with DJI, If they drop the ball I will be the first to try a different drone.

    1. you have to agree that dji customers service is the worst in the world. Just a bunch of kids reading from a script and refuse to help with anything. For that I will never buy another one, had two and service sucks, period. There is no customer service when you buy a dji

      1. I didn’t find this, and i don’t think any multi million dollar company acts like this. I don’t know why certain people have axes to grind with DJI, if you dropped a bird, fix it. They sell all the parts if you’re desperate to have it done, and you can hire someone to do it if you’re afraid.

        my p4 took a swim, and thanks to them, i got the parts i needed in 3 days, and replacements weren’t that bad in cost, so i’m happy with that support. To each their own, but you’re comment is ridiculous and juvenile.

        1. DJI has the worst customer service on the planet. You may have had a good experience, but I am still waiting for a replacement P3 Pro that I bought and didn’t work from the box. They’ve had it 3 months now and haven’t sent a replacement. Horrible, horrible, horrible. Oh, and they just ignore your Emails.

      2. Amen to THIS comment!
        We had a drone out to DJI service that almost took a year.
        It NEVER workd right out the box.
        DJI finally agreed to a replacement…NEVER happened.
        Would NEVER buy a DJI product again
        No Axe to grind, just truth.

      3. That’s true and that’s something really important. They really sucks. I’m deciding between Mavic Pro and Typhoon H with intel stuff. But it’s true, customer service for DJI sucks.

  3. Thanks for the post, great to see innovation and new takes on existing products. Don’t have a drone yet but will be watching GoPro closely. My opinion of DJI has fallen after getting burnt with the Osmo.

    There is a lot of innovation in this space generally as companies like Shimano and Garmin are developing GoPro like cameras and soon 360 cameras with built in stabilisation. Exciting times.

  4. I dont own a DJI product, but have owned every Yuneec produced Quadcopter and camera…..from the Yuneec designed and produced (Horizon Hobbys) Blade labeled 350 Qx line and cgo1 camera, to their latest Yuneec branded Q500 4k and cgo3 camera.

    You point out the Yuneec H having the ability to spin the camera around………..endlessly….without getting legs or landing gear in the image. Yuneec made quads have been a pleasure to fly. Rotating the quad when needed to get the shot, or follow a “target” hasnt proven to be problematic…..The H and its endless spinning of the cameras gimbal seems a bit more gimicky, than necessary.

    The backpack seems a nice touch……for those that plan to use the H for hikes and such.

    That built in 7″ screen? Hope Yuneec does or did something to help eliminate the horrible glare prone screen of their previous controllers.

    The “folding arms”…….It WILL be interesting to see just how well the plastic used, holds up to frequent lock unlock cycles. The Q line with its lower center of gravity has a Unique bounce on landing that has caused many a tip over on landing…..The Typhoon H with its higher center of gravity and longer legs could prove (If Yuneec hasnt yet addressed the dreaded landing hop) WILL spend more time on its sides on landing, stressing those folding arms and plastic mounts.

    As far as The Price of $1799 being a “steal” …….. the Hex and all its show hype is UNPROVEN, sporting the SAME 4k camera as the q500 4k line with long known, and ignored by Yuneec image QUALITY issues. At the end of the day this is aimed at those looking to capture images be it video or stills…….Yuneec CGO3 while using the same sensor as other cameras uses a cheap ass near field fixed focus 3 element lens INCAPABLE of resolving sharp and IN FOCUS 12 MP Arial images.

    And dont get too excited about the handheld gimbal/steady grip unless you plan to record video with no sound.The CGO3 camera has an obnoxious fan in it running full time making audio recording with the cameras built in mic unusable, and with no way to add an external Mic………….short of employing a separate audio recorder.

    The H, like the Q line HAS the power to go faster and pull harder but is limited by onboard hocus pocus( to help smooth out flight?) Despite its six motors, the speed(per spec sheets) of the hex is almost identical to its Quad brother……SLOW in comparison to most other quads/drones. And while 6 motor vs 4 “redundancy” was a buzz word often used at the CES show…..why wasnt the H’s ability to fly/land safely on 5 motors demonstrated?

    STABILITY? While the Q is pretty stable in winds less than a few MPH…….. Again , this remains unproven in the H which COULD prove to be LESS stable in REAL use.

    Flight paths……it seems from the info provided that “paths” in with the H are controller location dependent….great if a user wants to spend $1800 to do selfies….not so great for more practical uses.

    Obstacle avoidance………..GREAT technology with LOTS of promise. But have you checked out the ACTUAL specs of the real sense sensors? From Intel Real sense spec sheets.

    “The depth range of the(real sense) camera extends from about 0.6 m to 3.5 m optimally. The range is shorter for darker surfaces and depends on the frame rate and other settings. For outdoors use cases, depth is reported at a greater range (up to about 10 m) with lower accuracy. Long range sees larger objects but it runs at a lower frame rate and won’t capture fine-scale or fast motions.

    The camera may have difficulty capturing certain materials and scenes. These include surfaces that are black, highly reflective, or extremely bright (such as sun coming through a window). Large blank featureless walls can also be difficult for the camera to capture. Avoid highly reflective or semi-transparent virtual objects

    FOV 70x46x59”

    Also available for viewing is a Yuneec and or Intel produced video that suggest TOP SPEED to make the real sense camera technology useful is 12 MPH………..Thats TWELVE mph………….half of its already all out, relatively slow capabilities.

    You asked:
    “What do you guys think? Did Yuneec just announce a DJI killer, or is this a scrappy young company with an inferior product just announcing myriad features and accessories to try and compete?”

    Yuneec is a company that has had MANY quality control issues………think about it……… NO company earns a reputation for “great customer service” if the product(s) worked as advertised and or spec’d. Unless they have made major changes ( and there is no indication they have) Im afraid the Typhoon H will prove to be more of the same…….a product of questionable quality, requiring HUNDREDS of dollars EXTRA in “factory” upgrades to make it come CLOSE to matching the HYPE coming from “reviewers” keyboards and CES based video interviews.

    Add to that Yuneec IGNORED updating the camera in any meaningful way…………ignoring short range (500ft and often less) wifi drop out issues requiring modifications that will void the factory warranty……..and the $2 lens feeding a A FAR MORE CAPABLE sensor and that “redundancy” of adding two motors to the H….. EASILY doubles the cost of the proven and already capable of toting the cgo3 4k around Yuneec Q500 4k’s today.

    If a person wants to fly around using the Yuneec CGO3 4k camera……….. with recent price drops they CAN have the “redundancy” of a complete SPARE…… Q500 4k quad, camera, two extra batteries, charger, steady grip and controller for the price of ONE Typhoon H.

    1. So are you the president of DJI ? I have a 4K and LOVE it! Have flown many DJI models, so come time to buy, I wont even look at them. Typhoon H is on pre order!!!

      1. Maybe you missed the part where I suggested buying TWO Q500 4ks rather than the H for the same money………… which now while in consumers hands has proven to have an even WORSE camera image quality wise.

    2. That’s exactly what I did. I bought a Q500 4k on a monday, crashed into a tree Wednesday, dropped it off at Yuneec HQ on Friday. I live about an hour away and wanted to check out their operation. It’s a cool place, lots of people working away. While I am waiting for my repair bill, I went and got another one. These are amazing. But really, since you’re the CEO of DJI, why don’t you go ahead and send me a free Phantom 4… You know, I’m fresh and might be swayed with some freebies 😛

    3. Hi Ed,
      Just to clarify…the camera is upgraded with a Sony Sensor and a 360 degree rotating gimbal which is why the “+” has been added to the camera model (CGO3+)…”Yuneec has made it known that the new CGO3+ for the H is on a new Sony sensor”. Also the backpack does not come with the pre-release and it only comes with one battery.

      Dave

      1. While Yuneec CLAIMED it used an “upgraded sensor” (compared to WHAT exactly?) the CGO3+ uses the SAME IMX117 sony sensor used in the CGO3 camera, run/driven by an Ambarella S2 SECURITY camera based processor incapable of delivers specs Yuneec (again)CLAIMED.

    4. Thanks, Ed, for responding with what I’d suggest is a balanced review. You have painted a picture of how you see the company and its products. Given that DJI sell a lot more drones than Yuneec it’s hardly surprising that if you were to look at statistics – then DJI would appear to have more issues. Given that IF both companies had IDENTICAL issues…the one which sold twice as many would end up with apparently double the faults of it’s smaller competitor – if you simply based your results on reported faults rather an as a percentage of products sold! Thanks for your useful input – based on your experiences!

    5. I agree, with you on many aspects you mentioned, I own both a DJI P3P and the Yuneec Q500 4, I must say I enjoy my 9 inch tablets view very much more than the Typhoons, however, I use both in very different appkicationstyles that require range. Inot this aspect, I give to the P3P which I have extended to 3.1 miles beyond line of site (BLOS). I have tried several times to extend the typhoons range and have consistently failed, I am not sure if it is possible, however I plan to continue. I use both crafts for commercial purposes and chose to purchase the Typhoon for the sole reason of having good two different platform to work from, and although I will not bad mouth either. Each system seems to dominate certain aspects in there own right, while sharing generalities. I do know that I’dfor I can not obtain the distance required from the Typhoon I will probably exchange it for an DJI Inspire as I know others in my industry that currently use them, especially with third party autonomous flight software. I used do understand there are those here loyal to Yuneec etc and there is nothing wrong there, I have flown all types of UAV and will be flying out to Latvia to aquire more advanced system. Although these systems will be fixed wing with an 8 hour flight capability they are for business applications. I state for the sole reason to let the readers here understand that both systems are great with both outstanding capabilities as well as weakness. This does not mean either is better, as it all in related to their individual application, and that alone varies based on the individual proprietor.

  5. No where have yuneec said this typhoon H is coming shipped with the steady grip. That is on the other models. Not the typhoon H. I also own a dji phantom 3 professional and a phantom 2 and have never, not once had an issue. I have a massive flight log that can prove that. In the beginning I noticed people having issues with the Phantoms. Previous to the phantom 3 and now after owning 2 I believe without a doubt it was user related 9 times out of 10. Then they try to play it off like it was a dji malfunction. Lol I had 1 issue with dji and that was with shipping and how long it took to arrive. Since then I used amazon. Called dji support with a few questions and they where nice, spoke English and where helpful.

    I like what this product has to offer but just like the guy above said. We will see. I have also known from experience to never ever rush out to buy a pre-order drone because you think it’s the next big thing. Huge mistake. Always Always wait till others have bought it, tested it fully and have givin a trust worthy review.

    1. @Dennis – I found a youtube video of a representative from Yuneec at CES who said that it WILL include the steady grip. I’ll see if I can find the video. But Yuneec has definitely been wishy-washy on the details of exact pricing and what each package will and will not include. Perhaps they are still deciding even.

    2. everyone that has ever had a DJI knows your re full of shit. DJI customer service is the worst in the world and they do nothing to help but get off the call to log the next one, its who they get paid.

      1. I’ve owned 4 DJI Phantoms the FC-40, 2 Vision Plus, the P3 Advanced, and now the P4. I’ve never had an issue with their customer service. I had an issue with the cracked shell on my P3A and also complained of shaky video. I had it about 5 months and DJI replaced the shell plus the whole gimbal and camera… free. I think it was 3 weeks total from the time I mailed it out. I live way up north in Michigan so alot of that time was due to shipping.

        1. We did a shell repair under warranty, it was barely over a week, about 5 business days from initial collection to notification of receipt, to inspection, repair, and 24h UPS delivery, the extra week was how long I took to arrange a UPS collection of the drone, after getting the free collection label sent via email. (You may have to phone UPS to get the collection arranged in the UK)

          I think the trick with these large companies is – NEVER phone them! If you use electronic messaging it means the customer service representative cannot lie. There is a reason why some outsourced tech support services (HP) try to call you every time, rather than use email, its to avoid a track record of any incompetence, or any record of the bad apples lying. (telling you your not entitled to warranty replacement part when its already been approved and shipped (but that the part they shipped was incorrect HP)

          So if you have a problem with remote support, put down the phone and get a computer.

          The cracking issue on DJI sucks, but Yuneec don’t even know EU law, they have a UK web page up saying they offer a 6 month warranty which is illegal in the EU, (2 years) with up to 6 in some locales, if an issue arises due to a design or manufacturing issue.

          This lack of basic operating law, combined with even DJI having issues with degraded parts during the warranty period on most of their phantom designs, (camera gimbal and case cracking) – this is a massive red flag, its hard to understate the financial risk, and image of deception or incompetence, given the short lifespan, illegality, and in some cases danger posed by lots of the generic electronics coming from China. And given the difficulties even international brands are having designing, making, and servicing mid to high end consumer drones, or any other electronics – unless they are multi billion pound companies using only the top manufacturers

  6. I have the 500 4K and it is awesome never had a problem with it. Video is like the camera is on a tripod. I may be getting the H

  7. All this talk about bugs and who’s drone is more reliable, based on glitches involving tablets, is a bit nuts. For example, half the post I have read from people having problems connecting with their tablets were because they simply didn’t understand that they had to disconnect from their current network in order to connect to the camera in the Yuneec.

    I’ve owned both the Phantom Advanced and Q500+and I think both are quality products. But this is technology developing at an insane pace. I fully expect there to be teething issues. I prefer Yuneec for two reasons. They were much easier to deal with on the phone, and their products are easier to work on. Beyond that, the DJI was a bit better indoors and the Yuneec is more stable in wind.

  8. I own the Q500+ and the Phantom 3 Pro. From my experience the P3 is far more superior in every way to the Yuneec, except for maybe customer service which I had to use the hell out of due to problems with my Q500! Wind? I have flown my Phantom3 in 20 mph winds with only a slight drift. My Q500 with will not stay steady in 10mph winds! When my Q500 is working as it should it really is a good flying quad, but unfortunately mine has spent more time with Yuneec than with me! Just my 2 cents since I do own both!

    1. I’ve had a glitch with my p3 that almost had me crash it due to a firmware update, but never any issues with my q500 4k. Also the q500 is DEFINATELY more stable, both in strong wind and without, than the phantom. Don’t know if the q500+ is different, never tried it.

  9. Well reading all of this reviews have been extremely helpful but also disappointing. I own a yuneec Q500 4K and I absolutely love it, I don’t think I could be happier. My only complaint is the extremely short video link but other then that I honestly think it beats the phantom 3 hands down. I had never read so many negative things about the 4K until now and no I am NOT profesional like most of this guy’s so I guess I’m pleased with very little. On my very little experience the Q500 4K has been absolutely rock solid in the air. A lot of people complaint about the “cheap plastic” but I crashed mine into a post on the very first flight and it dropped from about 18 feet high onto the ground breaking all 4 blades, I grabbed it, put four new blades and I was on the air again in like 2 minutes, this thing durable!!!! Up until I read all this I was absolutely excited about selling my Q500 4K to buy the new H but now I don’t know what to do with all this negative stuff about both the H and the Q500 4K.

    1. I’m a newbie to the drone hobby but not to RC have been in the RC game for years.. I got a Hubsan 504 brushless for my first then a week later bought the typhoon h. I’m no professional and that’s probably why but the H made me look like one. Does everything as advertised. Flying it is a breeze but I’m also used to flying a helimax mx 450. Its so old its on 75mhz so that kind of tells you where I’m coming from. For everything I got 2 batteries back pack storage etc. It seemed like the most bang for the buck from any manufacturer.. Again I’m not making a living with it either. Maybe some day

  10. I just bought my second DJI drone, a P 3 Standard, flew it 2 times then it called for a software up date– took 7 tries to upload new software in my iPod- bummer- then was unable after many many tries to up date the P3-standard– it’s dead in the water– I’m taking it back to the dealer–

  11. I have heard a lot of complaints about DJI working with Apple products. I use ANDROID and have never experienced a problem.

  12. I have bought and flown a Phantom 2, Walkera QRX 350 Pro, a Typhoon Yuneec Q500+, and a Phantom 3 Advanced (purchased last October). I totally agree with you about the DJI Phantoms lack of stability in the air and the numerous issues with the DJI GO app bugs or firmware updates. Ever my purchase of PA3 last October, I have managed to fly it in the air only twice.
    Of all the quadcopters I have, the Typhoon is the most stable and reliable. I use it to take panoramic view of the scenery landscape below, so I don’the use 3.1 mile range of the DJI Light bridge technology much. I am a very conservative and rule rule abiding responsible drone owner. I always flew my Typhoon high at 400 feet or less right at the spot where it took off. I don’t do crazy stunts like flying over the White House or above the clouds like many DJI pilots do.
    Up until today, I was thinking of investing in a DJI Inspire because of the unique 360 degree rotation camera. But as soon I hear the release of the Typhoon H in April, I opt with a trusty company Yuneec Electric Aviation. I know that this company is very competitive and will adjust the price of their products in time. Plus you have 2 batteries for 25 minutes flight whereas the DJI Inspire quadcopter single battery can get you at most 15 minutes of flight time.
    In conclusion, the Typhoon H is a very serious competitor to the Inspire.

  13. I don’t own a drone yet. I have been doing research on what drone to buy and have decided on the Phantom 3 Professional until I recently discovered the Yuneec products. From what I saw on Youtube, the build quality of the Q500 and especially of the Tornado series is top notch. One does not need to be a manufacturing engineer or to see the product in person to conclude, just by watching the video clips of the unwrapping of the box, that not only the build quality is very high but the attention to detail is without a fault. These guys know what customers expect to find in a kit; there is absolutely nothing missing in the package that the buyer will open. This speaks volume about how meticulous they are. I spent the last 35 years selling software and IT products, and I have yet to see a software application that is bug free, no matter how much budget, QC, and attention the development team puts in perfecting their codes. At least the advantage of a software (versus a hardware) is that it can be improved over time and bugs could be corrected, albeit often time a bug fix does create a new set of bugs, in an endless loop so it seems.

    This being said, my choice is clear: I will buy a Typhoon H with a 4K camera (it is still unclear at this point whether a 4K version will be made available in the first batch to be shipped in a couple months). While I am waiting for my Typhoon H to be delivered I ordered this morning a training drone: Hubsan H 107D Plus.

  14. Just amazing ..!!! I love the competitions brings fresh new Ideas to the table. Great Yuneec .
    I will be buying your product soon currently own Solo Drone. and DJI 2.
    Cheers..!! from Costa Rica. (no more DJI inspire in my list)

  15. DJI has proven itself a hundred times. So it is not easyfor yuneec. I have seen yuneec in a store, its plastic quality is like about 10 year back chinase cheap toys. I didnt even had the feel to fly it.

    Did you know that COFDM long range video transmission which DJI uses is a relatively new military technology. Only this technology is worth more than Yuneec H. 🙂 Yuneec still uses Wifi !! come on immercionrc is even better which we used like 10 years ago..

  16. I also have a Phantom 3 pro and had a mid air motor failure It took DJI 7 weeks to tell me that they are replacing my drone under warranty. Now I am very Leary on flying it.
    The Typhoon H looks good and having 2 extra motors are a BIG plus. I’m at a wait and see on the reviews when it comes out. If they are good I will defently get rid of my DJI P3 for the Typhoon H.

    1. happened to me, know the feeling! But they did replace it and had to wait 5/6weeks, so not a bad outcome.
      Extremely nervous now, never fly round people. When something goes wrong you have no control.

  17. May be the Dji don’t have the best post sale service, but really i never use it, never have an issue.. Phantom series are the most reliable drone tha i have, and I flight multirotors last ten years, from the time when we need to program the flight controllers to flight . Flight 4, 6 and 8 motor drones, and never have a real redundacy with 6 motors. 8 are a different stoy. Yuneec H, is the answer to phantom 3, beacouse yuneec 500 dont was. I see two differents kind of company here , one is an actiontype (like Apple) and the others are reactiontype. ( like…). May be, we must wait the next dji move, to get the dji real competitor to typhoon H .

    Sorry for my english…

  18. NO GLONASS! That’s a lil sad…. Don’t get me wrong…I’m loving the Yuneec lineup….but would expect GLONASS for better satellite connections….. Maybe they will come out with a later versions with the GLONASS satellite electronics…..

    1. @Chris W – I agree completely with the lack of Glonass. Seems like a major limitation. But sometimes specs don’t tell the whole story. I’m curious to see how it competes against the Phantom 3 when it’s released.

  19. The Yuneec Typhoon H seems really nice except one major flaw in my eyes RANGE. What good is it to have something so nice that only flies a max of 3000ft from you. I have a DJI phantom 3 professional and have flown it a mile out without any issues by the way. I was considering buying a typhoon H to use as well but after I saw the limited range I realized this was just a glorified toy and not a serious drone.

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top