DJI vs American drones.

[Max Headroom]

When I decided to buy a drone I did the usual search and found DJI to be the most popular brand I didn't bother to look at other brands and went ahead and bought a mini 2 now that it's looking like you are not going to be able to buy (or afford to buy) DJI drones in America do you have an alternative, if so how do they compare to DJI on price and features etc?

 

[GadgetGuy]

They don't.
Buy lightly used, pre-owned DJI drones, if looking to upgrade.

 

[Max Headroom]

That's bad news.

The price of second hand drones is bound to increase as they become scarce, do you think Trump will come to a compromise with China as these tariffs are hurting both countries?

 

[Max Headroom]

I may have found the answer to my question above -
CNN are reporting -


President Donald Trump says tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States will eventually be lowered, after both Beijing and Washington appeared to soften their positions about potential trade talks.

“At some point, I’m going to lower them because otherwise you could never do business with them,” he said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” which taped on Friday. “They want to do business very much … their economy is collapsing.”

Weeks of tit-for-tat escalation between the world’s two largest economies have driven US tariffs on Chinese products to a staggering 145% and Chinese levies on American goods to 125%. Over the past two weeks, both sides have appeared to moderate their rhetoric.

In the interview, which aired Sunday, Trump acknowledged the toll the tariffs have taken on China, pointing to factory closures and unemployment “through the roof,” but insisted that he would not make the first move.

“You’re not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?” Welker asked.

“Why would I do that?” Trump responded.

On Friday, a spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry said the country was “currently assessing” proposals by the US to begin trade talks, but that Trump must “cancel” his “unilateral tariff hikes” first.

The US tariffs have already started to affect China’s export-reliant economy. In April, factory activity there showed its steepest contraction in 16 months, while new export orders dipped to their lowest level since 2022, during the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to official data.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters on board Air Force One that he has no plans to speak to Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week. “But China and our people are talking about different things,” he added.

Trump said he seeks a “fair” trade deal with China, while repeating his claim that the country has taken advantage of the US, in terms of trade, for years.

More - https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/05/business/trump-lower-tariffs-on-china-intl-hnk

 

[GadgetGuy]

All tariffs aside, U.S. Customs is still continuing to put customs holds on all DJI drone shipments into the U.S.. The price becomes irrelevant if DJI drones cannot be delivered to the U.S. from China. This has been going on for over 6 months now, even before Trump took office, well before any of his tariffs. Some loopholes and workarounds have been found to receive delivery, but it still remains the biggest impediment to buying a newly released DJI drone, completely independent of the price and whatever the tariff de jour for China is on a DJI drone.

 

[Felix le Chat]

When I decided to buy a drone I did the usual search and found DJI to be the most popular brand I didn't bother to look at other brands and went ahead and bought a mini 2 now that it's looking like you are not going to be able to buy (or afford to buy) DJI drones in America do you have an alternative, if so how do they compare to DJI on price and features etc?

When I was scouting out a drone 6 years ago, it was DJI that had the most mature tech... and from a technical perspective... they were also leaps & bounds ahead of most rivals, being the real innovators.

In the end it was a three horse race between DJI: SKYDIO and YUNEEC which DJI won by a long neck.

Now: there's only DJI as a quality option for new 'pro-sumer' class drones. If I wasn't able to buy DJI, the only other manufacturer I'd consider would be Skydio with their X10E and even if they were the only date at the dance: I'd have to think long and hard.

 

[GadgetGuy]

When I was scouting out a drone 6 years ago, it was DJI that had the most mature tech... and from a technical perspective... they were also leaps & bounds ahead of most rivals, being the real innovators.

In the end it was a three horse race between DJI: SKYDIO and YUNEEC which DJI won by a long neck.

Now: there's only DJI as a quality option for new 'pro-sumer' class drones. If I wasn't able to buy DJI, the only other manufacturer I'd consider would be Skydio with their X10E and even if they were the only date at the dance: I'd have to think long and hard.

Skydio has completely abandoned the consumer drone market, and now only sells enterprise drones, such as the X10E, and those are pricey!

 

[Cafguy]

There are other Brands some not as good some Better BUT they are much more expensive. example..... I own a few GEPRC Cinelogs, They are THE BEST Drone on the Market, They are used by FPVers and film professionals all over the world.
they cost around 4-6 hundred U.S. dollars but in order to film with one as you would say... an Avata, you need to add you own Camera ( GO-PRO) so add the go-pro price in with the Drone price. There are other companies out there! DJI sells more Drones than anyone but they are NOT the industrie standard and if you can afford the ride there are Drones out there that will let you film F-1 races while doing donuts around the racing cars lol.
By the way all Drones no matter who makes them are gonna go up in price more than double so get what you can afford while you can afford it.

 

[Meta4]

in America do you have an alternative, if so how do they compare to DJI on price and features etc?

There are no American made consumer drones.
There are several American made commercial drones, many of which can't match DJI tech and features and all costing much more than DJI cost (until recently).

CNN are reporting -

President Donald Trump says tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States will eventually be lowered, after both Beijing and Washington appeared to soften their positions about potential trade talks.

Sadly, he's not a reliable source.
What he says today could well be completely different from what he says tomorrow and then contradicted by something else he comes up with next week.

 

[Felix le Chat]

There are other Brands some not as good some Better BUT they are much more expensive. example..... I own a few GEPRC Cinelogs, They are THE BEST Drone on the Market, They are used by FPVers and film professionals all over the world.
they cost around 4-6 hundred U.S. dollars but in order to film with one as you would say... an Avata, you need to add you own Camera ( GO-PRO) so add the go-pro price in with the Drone price. There are other companies out there! DJI sells more Drones than anyone but they are NOT the industrie standard and if you can afford the ride there are Drones out there that will let you film F-1 races while doing donuts around the racing cars lol.
By the way all Drones no matter who makes them are gonna go up in price more than double so get what you can afford while you can afford it.

I'm a photographer first & foremost and there is no way I'd even claim to be a baseline competent videographer (because I most definitely am not), so a camera drone for me is like a really tall tripod... or a tilt/shift lens coupled with a really tall tripod.

I'm in awe of anyone skilled enough to use a drone as a flying Steadicam... especially one that goes like a stabbed rat.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is it's a case of horses for courses and for me: DJI makes the best tools that make my specific job easier.

 

[Cafguy]

I'm a photographer first & foremost and there is no way I'd even claim to be a baseline competent videographer (because I most definitely am not), so a camera drone for me is like a really tall tripod... or a tilt/shift lens coupled with a really tall tripod.

I'm in awe of anyone skilled enough to use a drone as a flying Steadicam... especially one that goes like a stabbed rat.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is it's a case of horses for courses and for me: DJI makes the best tools that make my specific job easier.

Totally agree. I know a few Cinematographers and I too am in awe of their flying talent. I get most of my flying tips from those guys. There is one women I Know that can Fly a Drone 3-D--- MAN!! I have no idea how she can pull it off but she can fly a Square in the air in front of you with her Taurus!!! you have to see it too believe it.!!

 

[mavic3usa]

What happened to Randall Warnas and his Anzu drones?

 

[Cafguy]

Ansu of Austin Texas has a licensing agreement with DJI that has placed them under the same Government microscope as DJI. there is also a proposed bill that would limit Ansu's drones access to our communications sytems.

 

[orionshooter]

There are no American made consumer drones.
There are several American made commercial drones, many of which can't match DJI tech and features and all costing much more than DJI cost (until recently).


Sadly, he's not a reliable source.
What he says today could well be completely different from what he says tomorrow and then contradicted by something else he comes up with next week.

Amen

 

[msinger]

it's looking like you are not going to be able to buy (or afford to buy) DJI drones in America do you have an alternative, if so how do they compare to DJI on price and features etc?

American made drones are likely always going to continue to be more expensive, even after any tariff costs have been passed onto consumers. I think many people choose DJI drones because they like the technology. Switching to another brand probably won't offer the same familiar experience.

That said, the same logic applies to many other products that are expected to rise in cost. Will all Americans stop buying these products simply because they're less affordable? Probably not. However, it's reasonable to assume that overall spending may decline, especially since incomes won't increase at the same rate as the expected rising costs.

When I decided to buy a drone I did the usual search and found DJI to be the most popular brand I didn't bother to look at other brands

This might apply to every country, as I'm not sure DJI has any true competitors in the consumer drone market.

 

[Recoveryone]

Between lack of competition, federal laws (NDAA) and a growing number of state and local laws limiting use of Chinese made drones and lets not forget the tightening of shipping the consumer level drones are on there way out. If you want to fly most likely you will need to step up to Enterprise market with all the extra rules and cost it brings to the table.

 

[tstr14]

There are no American made consumer drones.
There are several American made commercial drones, many of which can't match DJI tech and features and all costing much more than DJI cost (until recently).


Sadly, he's not a reliable source.
What he says today could well be completely different from what he says tomorrow and then contradicted by something else he comes up with next week.

The correct term is pathological liar. And before everyone jumps up, it's a mental issue that many suffer from but few seek treatment for. No different really than saying someone has OCD.