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.
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.
Even a blind squirrel will find a nut eventually.
DJI is known as the flyaway King. They never did fix the cracking arms through three versions of the Phantom. Up until recently their CS was the worst in the business. Then there’s the recent P3’s and Inspires falling out of the sky due to poor coding for the battery sensors. And on and on.
I was interested in the P4, but reading their policy DJI appears to be more like a spy tool for China than a drone mfr. Everyone should read it.
Also, the P4 is not without problems. The gimbal is having issues. Look it up.
Yuneec is saying it does not include a backpack. Alos only one battery. Where did you get this info?
All the sites are saying that WHEN it is avaiable(1st it was April now it’s May…is it do do with the DJI lawsuit?) it will be around about the £1099 mark for the hexacopter itself ,the ST16 and 1 battery. and £1400 ish for the same PLUS the backpack an extra battery and the Realsense module.
I may be mistaken but that’s what it looks like.
Two reason to buy a Dji Copter- You can get it right now with up to date features, and it makes better videos an pictures. I am very sorry, because i waited for the Typhoon H too, but what i wrote above is as generalizing an as the title of this article but instead of it it is true and well researched… who is actually able to test the typhoon h 🙂 …
“You can get it right now with up to date features, and it makes better videos an pictures”
If you think dji has up to date features, the H has more. And do you have proof of better videos an pictures between the two drones? No you don’t. So sit down and stop making stuff up based on your personal opinion. Do your homework before posting please.
Can you track an object visible with the H? I know my Phantom 4 can do it. It can distinguish between 2 of my black dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrwIdZNn6pk
You’re right Dan the H cannot do this. I do like this feature on the P4 but from what I’ve seen on many videos it is kind of buggy if you go too fast or if you descend/ascend the P4 will stay at the set altitude no matter what. Which kinda stinks. This video is a good example https://youtu.be/LJx1z7d7oQ4?t=192
Dear JoKA,
You said: “And do you have proof of better videos an pictures between the two drones? No you don’t.” See thats your opinion, how come you assume i have no proof. I have seen some footage of the cgo3+ either raw or post processed, an it does not come near any Inspire X3 or Phantom 3/4 filmed with d-log mode. And for the other thing you mentioned, which feature does the typhoon h have (if it comes some time), which DJI hasn’t… the only one is the redundancy of six rotors. You see, i did my homework, as i am in the areal video business for five years, but i would never tell someone that he didn’t make his homework. You are just trying to get me on a personal level instead of doing this discussion objectively…
First off, My apologies for coming across the way I did. Reading my comment now and it was out of line and I should have approached that differently.
Comparing the Typhoon to the Inspire is not a fair comparison at all and the price points are indicative of that. so lets just take that off the table. When I said do you have proof I was basically saying do we (everyone here), have a side by side comparison on the web showing the difference? I would think it’s very hard to decipher the difference between the two 4K cameras (P4 and TH). As far as features.. the 360 degree gimbal is a big one.
Dear JoKa,
i was on holiday and unable to write, here my apologies too, maybe i overrated the title of the article, I have red so many threads about “maybe-DJI-killer-drones”. As i wrote, if the typhoon h would have been released earlier after the announcement, i had boght it absolutely. Now DJI came up with the A3 flight controller and i can build my own hexa under 5 kg with x-series gimbal port, meaning i can use the x3 and the x5 raw under 5 kg with my own batteries and have all the nice features likre redundancy, waypoints, circle.. etc.. Shure i know that thats another price level, but thats how my decision fell. When the typhoon is available it will be a good deal for that price.
How can you say it is a DJI killer without even testing it. I don’t believe demostration videos. I want actual flight test with real environment and not staged. I own a DJI 3 & 4 and I am very happy with it. I think we need to wait and see how the typhoon handles when customers do their flight tests and post their reviews in the YouTube and then we can call it a DJI killer or a DJI loser. I am surprised even with out a proper flight testing in real environment such reviews are taken seriously . Come on wake u people . I have tested my Phantom 4 extensively and it does what it is suppose to do and off course not perfect but DJI has nailed the active tracking and lightbridge technology. so let’s wait and see the real test before concluding which one is better.
Right on Reef! I own both and will never buy another Yuneec of any model. There are too many people on these sites that spread rumor rather than fact and have actually never flown the product that they comment on. I am a user/owner/operator and make my money from flying these things. NEVER will I purchase another Yuneec product again.
OK, Let me first start by saying I fly these birds for a living. I own both the DJI P-3 Advanced and the Yuneec Typhoon Q500+. I would never buy another Yuneec product again and am currently selling the one I have. I have had props come off during flights and the unit flies unsteady in the wind (of any kind). DJI is the only units that I have owned that actually perform as they are advertised and has the support needed for a operator who makes money flying them PERIOD! Now if you have had good luck with Yuneec then keep on flying it. Yuneec does not fly way points, is hard as heck to recover the flight recorder data (pilot log) and hides the sd card under the battery. DJI has support and apps designed by multiple companies to allow you to fly anyway that you want to fly. DJI has the only avoidance system on the market for the price range affordable by most people/operators. Just my opinion as an owner of both drones, stay away from the Yuneec!
You are entitled to your opinion Darrell. But if Yuneec was as bad as you say it is.. They wouldn’t even be brought up in this conversation. I’ve owned the Q500 4K and it handles beautifully in pretty strong winds. I’ve also never had any props come off (that’s the first time I’ve ever heard that in fact). DJI has a great platform and lightbridge is something they should be very proud of. But to be honest I think the new Typhoon H will have alot more features than the Phantom’s. It does have “way points” which is called Curve Cable Cam and the H will have RealSense by Intel available for obstacle avoidance. We’ll have to see how good it is when it’s released this summer. I understand that DJI and Yuneec owners will stay true to their preferred companies. But lets not bash the other companies saying to stay away from them. It’s all personal preference and they are both great drones.
you can loose 1 or 2 motors on the typhoon and can still land it, if you loose only one motor on the phantom or inspire it just crash! also dji have the worst after sale service ever.
with this two arguments i will choose the typhoon.
Well its been interesting. DJI Inspire or Phantom 3 pro vs. Yuneec Typhoon H. If anyone ever gets a Typhoon H let me know we have a an Pacific Ocean front Ranch called Rancho San Lucas (web soon), here in Cabo San Lucas and I want to buy a drone(s)….Heck I am even thinking of opening a Drone Park. Whale watching (all marine life) to a new level, fox, deer and of course turtles. You are all very excited about this phenomenon and it is catchy…….I am tuned in and turned on and I am scared of “fly-aways” unless I am sending my DJI back to China for Servicing. Keep on keeping on I am learning a lot.
$500 Phantom 3 Standard + $20 Litchi app + a little common sense…. …that’s all you need. Draw out your flight paths in waypoint mode ((this is done on your mobile device without having to be connected to the drone, I do most of mine on while I’m on the toilet or in bed)), setup points of interest for the camera to check out as it flies by while rotating the p3 on its own and NOT getting the landing gear in frame, and guess what?… That little $570 (after taxes) P3S setup is capable of some pretty awesome, if not pro quality footage. Sure it’s only 2.7k but A LOT of folks still don’t have 4k compatible viewing devices and 2.7k is not poor quality by any stretch. Oh yeah, the Litchi app has optical tracking similar the phantom 4. It’s not quite as refined but now my phantom 3 STANDARD has 4 capabilities. As far as obstacle avoidance goes, that’s where the common sense thing comes in, you dangus 🙂
My experience with DJI… I had a lot of problems out of my p3s a month after purchase.. I sent it in for warranty repairs ($300 worth according to them), came back to me within a couple weeks and it had way more problems than I originally sent it out with.. So I called, emailed pics, raised some hell, sent it back for more repairs (another $250 on them), now it’s better than it was originally out of the box.
For the record, I’m not affiliated with either of these companies, just sharing my experiences.
Amazon shows the Typhoon H at >15 pounds and the Phantom 4 at <9 pounds. Anyone know if this is accurate? Huge difference that would point me to the Phantom 4 just from a travel standpoint.
the weight should be on the manufactures specifications phantom is around 2,2 pounds and typhoon slightly a bit more heavier
I have been operating drones for over two years and will attest to the DJI Inspire being the best product they have put out. I trust it completely in almost every situation . I will not ever by a Phantom again. When series two came out I had owned my phantom 2 for a month when it decided to flip upside down and crash . Two rotors went out. I purchased the phantom 3 from Best Buy on its maiden flight one rotor gave out and came back on 15 ft from the ground.Thank god Best Buy return it. For me I will not try the phantom 4 . I will stick with the inspire and purchase the pro. The writer obviously hasnt flown one or he would know how stable a platform it is. I stick with the Dji Inspire and 3DR such as x8 heavy lift and still one one of my favorites the 3dr iris. That’s a platform cheap and dependable. I hear this Yuneec is small so no matter how many rotors it will get pushed around . I will say the price is great for a hexacopter compared to a flaming will. I will check it out but size does mater…. Just ask anyone with an inspire .it doesn’t get pushed around that much.
Apologies for my spelling and grammar …its late and didn’t proof read. One quick side note I am noticing a lot of people complaining about Phantom 3. I agree I had nothing but problems with all my phantoms.
So when is the Yuneec Typhoon coming out? I see some sites saying Mid-june is this the original or an updated version?
I have seen lots of good things about and at decision making point, of DJI 4, Typhoon or the 3DR. I like that the Typhoon has six arms instead of the quads….plus retractable landing. Does it sense that it is landing and deploy the legs or do you need to make sure to do that before you land?
I have now had the Typhoon H for about a week now and absolutely LOVE it. No complaints really. And yes, lol, you have to remember to put the landing gear down before trying to land it. Or you can activate the Return to Home and it will do it automatically for you.
Happy flying everyone.
I had DJ Phantom, Phantom 2 and now Phantom 4, plus Inspire 1 and just ordered Yuneec H. First Phantoms had a lot of issues with GPS locks and signal. Crashed both for exactly the same reason. Phantom 2 just flew away during shooting due to lost signal. Drone was in my sight and only 50-60ft away. Inspire is a great product, but upgrading the camera to PRO is very overpriced to my opinion. Both Yuneec and DJI featuring the sensor technology. DJI is an absolute leader in Drone Industry, but becoming more like an Apple. Every small accessory will have to be charged, while Yuneec offering a lot more for the price. So, which drone is better is really a personal choice. There is a healthy competition on a UAV market and it leads the industry forward!
Lol.. Military technology. That’s so funny (translated: nonsense).
I purchased the Yuneec Typhoon 4K after building a DJI F550 and using it for a few years. I wanted something more compact that could easily be broken down for travel and wanted some features other than Return To Home offered by the Naza-M V2.
The Typhoon 4K isn’t even as stable as my F550 was. Sure, if you’ve got your face buried in the tiny screen the gimbal is doing a good job of keeping things smooth. But it is constantly moving around trying to hold position. Fly at a rapid pace and let go of the sticks….it will teeter back and forth as if hanging from a string before coming to a stop
I purchased a DJI Phantom 4 shortly after its release. There were plenty of features and third party apps that allowed you to do things other than orbit around the controller like the 4K Typhoon offers. The Phantom 4 is rock solid. My two sons, 11 and 15, even commented on the difference after flying them back to back. Let go of the sticks on the Phantom 4 and it stops, if not a little too fast. I had to turn down the braking. It doesn’t teeter around like a drunken ballerina.
I wanted to be a believer when I read multiple reviews of the Typhoon 4K. It’s sexy, has large blades and is whisper quiet. How reviewers could never mention the inherent stability issues baffles me.
And who wants to track and orbit themselves?! A narsacisstic reality show based society? No waypoints in future upgrades?! Nope! Updates are a breeze with the Phantom 4 through the iPad I purchased. It’ll tell you when a update is needed ahead of time. The Typhoon…there’s USB drivers that may or may not need to be installed on your pc in hope your computer will recognize it when plugged in.
I’m no DJI fanboy. I hope their customer service improves. But, my first experience with a Phantom of any type has been good. Both it and the Typhoon have had bugs, but nothing that a reboot couldn’t resolve.
Put them up side by side in a light breeze and observe….and not through the screen!
this is almost the perfect drone, there is one thing missing that the ghost drone 2 has and that is goggles to control the video camera orientation, presently wit the typhoon H , this will make it a killer and is the only item in which typhoon have not addressed, presently you need a additional controller to control the camera orientation, I have e-mailed Yuneec in China but have had no reply to date, Hopefully they will be looking into this add on feature
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
So many issues… so little time. I just want something reliable, decent quality, and with a good entry level price.