Alternative to Android.. Ipad mini 2 or mini 4 or phone?

[theskyisthelimit99]

I started out with an iPhone 7 Plus in a slim case - but even that silicone case was too big to fit the Mavic RC arms. I bit the bullet and bought an iPad 4 GSM / WiFi model before Apple discontinues it. I've never put a SIM card in the iPad to activate it, but even without that, I still fly the Mavic and get all the benefits of having a GSM chip in it to use the maps / GPS locating features it supports.

It fits the Mavic RC perfectly and gives me great screen size and all the details of what my Mavic is doing. I've never had a problem with disconnects as I use the full size USB connector in the middle of the RC and use a 6" high quality USB To Lightning Cable.

The iPad mini 4 has plenty of processing power to handle the video processing that the Mavic passes down to it and it's not laggy or distorted in the least.

The only thing that would make me give up on the iPad mini 4 is the top of the line CrystalSky Monitor that DJI keeps teasing us with.

Yeah i just opted for a 16GB ipad mini 4 cellular + wifi used (claims to be imei clean and not icloud locked) for $250.. hoping it will be good enough and good enough for a localized temporary recording.. though if the dji go app has video streaming i could technically stream to my s7 and record the video there as a backup measure via screen capture.

 

[Nikon1]

Yes - unless you want to cache maps when you're on WiFi.

 

[theskyisthelimit99]

Yes - unless you want to cache maps when you're on WiFi.

I would assume i wouldnt need to cache maps, even though i'd use the s7 as a wifi hotspot, so i guess it wouldnt be needed (the local copy of maps on the ipad)... Does the ipad mini 4 fit with any certain cases in the controller?

 

[Nikon1]

I run mine without any case. I've seen it posted that the rubber grips in the Mavic RC are removable - which would certainly give clearance for a very thin case - but you are crossing into unknown territory with me there.

The only protection I have on the iPad is a screen protector. With no case and the RC grip pads mounted in the RC holder as shipped, the iPad mini isn't going anywhere.

 

[theskyisthelimit99]

I run mine without any case. I've seen it posted that the rubber grips in the Mavic RC are removable - which would certainly give clearance for a very thin case - but you are crossing into unknown territory with me there.

The only protection I have on the iPad is a screen protector. With no case and the RC grip pads mounted in the RC holder as shipped, the iPad mini isn't going anywhere.

Did you find a sunshade that works well.. maybe this hooshion ? ($18).. i also saw they make adapters for the ipad, instead of cramming it in, which then i assume you some sort of standard ipad shade for 7.9"

 

[newnan3]

Yes - unless you want to cache maps when you're on WiFi.

How do I go about caching maps while on wifi? What does caching maps actually mean anyways?? Lol Ive always used my samsung On5 without issue until the other day....Im not sure how much I interacted with a map in other words.

How bad is the glare outdoors with the ipad?

 

[theskyisthelimit99]

How do I go about caching maps while on wifi? What does caching maps actually mean anyways?? Lol Ive always used my samsung On5 without issue until the other day....Im not sure how much I interacted with a map in other words.

How bad is the glare outdoors with the ipad?

I'm curious how much space a local google cache will consume on the ipad (for usa i guess).

I experienced my first android s7 edge issue yesterday.. app just vanished as i was nearing landing.. no crash error either.. drone was fine, but app crashed.. ipad 4 16gb arrives friday, though i guess if i end up using the Litchi app more so.. getting the ipad was not really needed, though nicer size screen.. ill have to pay for litchi again on the ipad.

 

[newnan3]

I'm curious how much space a local google cache will consume on the ipad (for usa i guess).

I experienced my first android s7 edge issue yesterday.. app just vanished as i was nearing landing.. no crash error either.. drone was fine, but app crashed.. ipad 4 16gb arrives friday, though i guess if i end up using the Litchi app more so.. getting the ipad was not really needed, though nicer size screen.. ill have to pay for litchi again on the ipad.

You sound like me..one app crash is one too much!

I noticed going into the GO app on my phone I can download the maps thru the app....Is there where people are getting maps as well?

 

[theskyisthelimit99]

You sound like me..one app crash is one too much!

I noticed going into the GO app on my phone I can download the maps thru the app....Is there where people are getting maps as well?

Yep, thats one too many crashes for me

I didnt look in the GO app, but i just looked in google maps and i see under "offline areas" you can specify say "work" , "home" or custom areas to download.. wondering if the go app taps into this offline feature, if so then it shouldnt matter which app you use to download the offline maps and i dont think it will consume a ton of space for a few custom areas that are typically flown at.. would like to see though.

edit: i'm betting the go app maps are different than the google cached ones.. in the app, for instance, i see PA (usa) is 414MB, all of usa is 5.5GB There appears to be no way to make custom maps from the go app.. nor can you apparently choose the SD card (for s7 edge) as the location of the maps (unless you do the adoptable storage option which breaks burst images on the s7 edge)..

I think the real question is.. for a local cache dji go of the video from a flight as an emergency review.. what the minimum cache setting should be.. i think 2GB i ran out after about 15 minutes of flying and i forget if it starts over or keeps part of the recording at least).. would be nice to have a full 30 min or so cached, until a new flight is started.. im guessing a local cache of 4GB is ideal.. then if the entire USA another 5.5.. so if the ipad 16gb has 11gb of space and is used only for the mavic, it just makes it.

 

[pogopilot]

I switched from Nvidia to iPad mini 4 wifi only and I love it. It has gps and I can hotspot my phone if I need internet.

 

[westonmavicpilot]

I tried my Samsung galaxy note 4 with the Mavic but the Go app shut down within the first 5 minutes of me using it.. I wasn't surprised having read many reports on here of users experiencing similar problems - as the Mavic was only hovering at 6 feet in my back garden at the time it wasn't an issue for me. For the next couple of weeks I used my 12" iPad Pro (set up on a table rather than attached to the controller) - lovely big image but difficult to shade in sunlight, not too practical and lots of reflection - not one problem with the app flaking out though! I recently bought a 2nd hand iPhone 6s Plus as for dedicated use with the Mavic... put a matte screen protector on it and turned the brightness up full...wow, even in bright sunlight I can see a fantastic picture and again no issues with disconnection.... I plan to use this until the new iPhone comes out, sell the old one and my flaky Android and use the new iPhones oled screen as my Mavic display - figure I'll still get back most of what I paid for the 6s that way.
I used to have iPhones from the very first one up to the 4s but had to move away to Android as I needed a dual sim phone for work..so glad that is not the case anymore and I can go back to something that just works all the time and doesn't fall over when you most need it.
It does make me chuckle reading about all the android fan boys who hate Apple products being forced to get them now for their Mavic and then discovering how good they are. It's not right that the Apple app should work so much better than the Android app - they should both work flawlessly but it should come as no surprise that the Android one doesn't.

 

[Thastinger]

I'm an android guy but didn't want to take my phone out of its waterproof case to fly the MP. Walmart had Iphone 5s for 100 bucks. I bought one with no plan on it and use it exclusively for the MP. Rock solid but it is a small screen.

 

[jimapp]

So i take it the wifi only model doesnt have the gps.. thats true i guess i can leave it unactivated. Does apple allow some sort of screen capture software to have a local ipad copy of the flight going at the same time?

I have an ipad pro wifi only but tether it to my iphone 6s and gps works great(albeit the iphone is providing)

 

[PalmettoAerial]

I started out with an iPhone 7 Plus in a slim case - but even that silicone case was too big to fit the Mavic RC arms. I bit the bullet and bought an iPad 4 GSM / WiFi model before Apple discontinues it. I've never put a SIM card in the iPad to activate it, but even without that, I still fly the Mavic and get all the benefits of having a GSM chip in it to use the maps / GPS locating features it supports.

It fits the Mavic RC perfectly and gives me great screen size and all the details of what my Mavic is doing. I've never had a problem with disconnects as I use the full size USB connector in the middle of the RC and use a 6" high quality USB To Lightning Cable.

The iPad mini 4 has plenty of processing power to handle the video processing that the Mavic passes down to it and it's not laggy or distorted in the least.

The only thing that would make me give up on the iPad mini 4 is the top of the line CrystalSky Monitor that DJI keeps teasing us with.

Good info

 

[zoomie]

PHONE OR IPAD:
I was going through the exact same thing except just deciding between Iphone 7/8 or ipad 2. Wasn't considering ipad 4 due to the price. I figured even if I got an iphone 7/8, I'd still want the ipad eventually. Also I wanted to fly sooner than later (currently have an iphone 5 that's not compatible with Go4) and wanted to wait for the iphone 8 to decide if I wanted that or just the 7. Or maybe even 6. I heard the iphone 8 might be $1,300! *gasp*. Searched around for ipad prices and I grabbed one at an excellent deal. Still some good deals out there around where I live. Hope the same is for you.

Case:
Are you the type to buy a case for every device? If so, you'll need to figure out what works and whether you'd be okay removing whatever device from its case every time you fly if it's too big.

Storage:
The phone will always be with you. Not much to think about since you probably already do it anyway. Figure out how you'll store the ipad. Hard case, messenger bag, DJI combo bag? Whatever it is, realize you need to carry it around.

For me, I wanted it to fit in the DJI combo bag and learned about the 3 ways to do it. I'm going with one of them but it means that I can't have a thick case. Whatever you decide, just don't forget to think about storage while you're traveling if that's important. Some people fly right out of their trunk so they don't care how heavy or bulky stuff is. Some people move around a lot and are only carrying the DJI combo bag, so carrying it all together might be more important. If you've got kids running around with you, you might not have enough hands to carry a tablet if it fits in your bag. Something to consider.

IPAD:
I could be wrong and maybe someone call me on it if it's not true, but I thought I read that awhile ago the Mini 4 wasn't compatible. I got the Mini 2 mostly for the Mavic but of course I still use it for games and shopping apps. 16gb for $130. Deal on craigslist. From what I've seen of asking prices, they're mostly $160-180 for wifi only ones. If you don't have cell network, you can't use the maps and no "target tracking" is what I keep reading.

I'm able to target track fairly easily though, so not sure what the deal is. I had the Mini 1 already so kind of annoying that I had to buy a new device. If you're looking longer term, buy the Mini 4. It won't go obsolete so quickly. If you want value immediately, then Mini 2 is your best bed.

 

[SkyHB]

I fly with an iPad mini 4 wifi in a rubber case with the skyreat adapter. I never ever missed its GPS. If I pair it with my iPhone it uses its GPS, but for flying I normally don't do it because my maps are cached anyway.