Q500 vs Mavic Pro

skadee · May 22, 2018

I had been considering picking up a drone to fill-in for my Mavic Pro on more grueling missions, or in cases where I'd rather risk the life of a drone that isn't going to cost me quite as much as the MP will cost me to replace, if it decides to spiral into a river or the ocean. DJI Care Refresh only works if you can recover the big pieces, right?

I have a "unique" opportunity to get a Q500 with a hard case for about $300, with the CGO3 camera, which I know little about, except that it is late enough of a version that the fisheye distortion of earlier wide-FOV cameras is worked out.

I was wondering if public opinion would agree that this would be a tough deal to pass on for a backup drone.

A few points I like about the Q500 are that the RC has a built-in touchscreen, flight time is reasonable at about 20 minutes, and top speed isn't bad at 17mph.

Posting here since I'm currently flying a MP, and I'm pretty sure that the opinion in the Yuneec forum would be somewhat biased!

Mavflyer · May 22, 2018

For 300 that's not a bad deal. If it were me though, I don't think I would use it very much. The range on it is pretty bad compared to the mavic and the video transmission is even worse. It would depend on my mood that day whether or not I would drop 300 just to add to my collection.

AeroMirage · May 22, 2018

I see one on ebay for $303.00 shipped in aluminum case.
Good throw away for hazardous environs.

macoman · May 22, 2018

I have a Mavic Pro platinum but also I have a second favorite drone and it's a Xiaomi mi 4k that I bought for $500 dollars. The reason is that I like different types of drones and love the fact that both have 4k capabilities. Also the range of Xiaomi is pretty decent, around 2 miles. I saw the Q500 before and they are decent drones but what I do not like is the limited range and flying time based in the cost.

Derek_M · May 22, 2018

If I were you I would rather not buy the q500 since I was in the same position as you at one time. I would rather invest in batteries and another accessories. The q500 has a built in screen which I don’t like but that’s my opinion. Also, the drone is made of a cheap feeling plastic unlike the Mavics. If you aren’t a range hungry guy like me who doesn’t fly far, you can have the q500 as a second drone but it won’t be as useful. It is also sloppy in the wind. Many problems with yuneec these days. I would rather invest in accessories and State Farm insurance. Rather be safe than sorry

Vegasrobbi · May 22, 2018

Avoiding any bias debate I own both. Woot/Amazon has the Typhoon H for $389 refurbished.

Woot: Daily Deals for Electronics, Computers, Home, Tools, Garden, Sport, Accessories, Kids, Shirt, Wine, & more

The H is very capable and outperforms the Pro in many ways. Likewise the Pro's size and performance has it's place.

Derek_M · May 22, 2018

I was considering the h but the range was barely a kilometer which is not that good. Plus it’s very bulky and hard to carry around. For 389, it would be a steal for a drone with that camera and performance but it is missing the range

Vegasrobbi · May 23, 2018

I rarely fly beyond LOS so range isn't important to me. The H is large and difficult to transport; but it's fast and can fly in strong winds.

Since 90% of my flying is in follow it's hard to beat the H. The H will follow a vehicle at 40 mph in high winds with the Wizard, retracts and 360 gimbal its hard to beat. Im holding out for the H Plus with 1".

My Mavic travels with me , it's strong point.

Just_nick · May 23, 2018

Wouldn't touch it. I'd rather buy the Typhoon H deal or get a used Phantom 4, which you can sometimes find for $500, and is far superior to the Q500.

MavicMo · May 23, 2018

I've owned the Q500 and the Typhoon H. BTW, the Woot link doesn't take me to the Typhoon H. It's just a shirt. At that price for a Typhoon H I'd buy one right now! So if someone can repost a link to that priced H, please do....

On Topic - For 300 bucks it's a good "I can afford to lose it" drone. I had a Q500 and it was a really good drone. Sure it had it's range limitations, but I never had an issue with it in all the time I owned it. It also has less "nanny" type aids unlike the current crop of drones. You don't have to worry about VPS being fooled by water cause it doesn't have it! It's larger makes it more stable with winds. I like the built-in screen. That remote unit is really nice.

I also had a Typhoon H which IMO, is just an amazing drone. I loved that thing so many cool features. The 360 degree rotating camera was a really nice feature. The ability to operate the camera independently of the drone made for some really cool videos you can't do/get with a P4, MP, MA, or Spark. If it's so good why don't I have it now? Well I made the mistake of buying one of the very first Typhoon H's available. It had a myriad of first production units. It went back to Yuneec 3 times and every time they took care of it no questions asked. Which BTW also point out their EXCELLENT customer service. Best CS I've ever experienced PERIOD. I just got tired of the flakyness of the firmware upgrades... Looking at their forums it appears they've resolved those issues. So if and when the New version of the Typhoon H comes out, I'm buying one again....

Ren57 · May 23, 2018

skadee said:
I had been considering picking up a drone to fill-in for my Mavic Pro on more grueling missions, or in cases where I'd rather risk the life of a drone that isn't going to cost me quite as much as the MP will cost me to replace, if it decides to spiral into a river or the ocean. DJI Care Refresh only works if you can recover the big pieces, right?

I have a "unique" opportunity to get a Q500 with a hard case for about $300, with the CGO3 camera, which I know little about, except that it is late enough of a version that the fisheye distortion of earlier wide-FOV cameras is worked out.

I was wondering if public opinion would agree that this would be a tough deal to pass on for a backup drone.

A few points I like about the Q500 are that the RC has a built-in touchscreen, flight time is reasonable at about 20 minutes, and top speed isn't bad at 17mph.

Posting here since I'm currently flying a MP, and I'm pretty sure that the opinion in the Yuneec forum would be somewhat biased!

I have a Q500, a Typhoon H and a Mavic Pro. I like them all and all for different reasons. The Q500 is a solid aircraft that you actually have to fly! In many ways, that makes it more fun than the Mavic and there's none of the stupid having to sign-in before you fly rubbish. Worth buying just for that reason! And for $300, you can't really go wrong if all you want is a sacrificial drone...

AeroMirage · May 23, 2018

MavicMo said:
I've owned the Q500 and the Typhoon H. BTW, the Woot link doesn't take me to the Typhoon H. It's just a shirt. At that price for a Typhoon H I'd buy one right now! So if someone can repost a link to that priced H, please do....

Q500 $303.99: Yuneec Typhoon Q500+ Pro w/ CGO2+ Cam RTF Quadcopter Drone - in Aluminum Case! | eBay
Typhoon H $579.00: YUNEEC Typhoon H Hexacopter with GCO3+ 4K Camera, Wizard Wand, and Backpack 813646027078 | eBay

Vegasrobbi · May 23, 2018

It was a one day sale or until they ran out. When I checked in the afternoon they still had them. I would have bought one but I'm holding out for an H Plus and my H flies fine. An H with Realsense, two batteries, Wizard, backpack and ST16 for $589 was tempting though.

Keep an eye on the Typhoon Pilots forum Woot has done this a couple of times before and they may do it again.

LivinLarge · May 23, 2018

I bought a second Typhoon H for $389 the previous time they had them on sale. It is an amazing bird for the price. It is very stable in the wind. I love that the camera is removable. I have two cameras with different focal length lenses.
A friend bought one from this last batch. They will come around on sale again if you wait.

skadee · May 24, 2018

Thank you for the advice, that is definitely an amazing deal on the H at $389, I would probably have jumped at that!

Whilst the $300 price on the Q500 is still another good buy, I appreciate the cander fo the group, and will hold off on the buy a this time. Now if it gets down to $200...

Lotatoys · May 26, 2018

MavicMo said:
I've owned the Q500 and the Typhoon H. BTW, the Woot link doesn't take me to the Typhoon H. It's just a shirt. At that price for a Typhoon H I'd buy one right now! So if someone can repost a link to that priced H, please do....

On Topic - For 300 bucks it's a good "I can afford to lose it" drone. I had a Q500 and it was a really good drone. Sure it had it's range limitations, but I never had an issue with it in all the time I owned it. It also has less "nanny" type aids unlike the current crop of drones. You don't have to worry about VPS being fooled by water cause it doesn't have it! It's larger makes it more stable with winds. I like the built-in screen. That remote unit is really nice.

I also had a Typhoon H which IMO, is just an amazing drone. I loved that thing so many cool features. The 360 degree rotating camera was a really nice feature. The ability to operate the camera independently of the drone made for some really cool videos you can't do/get with a P4, MP, MA, or Spark. If it's so good why don't I have it now? Well I made the mistake of buying one of the very first Typhoon H's available. It had a myriad of first production units. It went back to Yuneec 3 times and every time they took care of it no questions asked. Which BTW also point out their EXCELLENT customer service. Best CS I've ever experienced PERIOD. I just got tired of the flakyness of the firmware upgrades... Looking at their forums it appears they've resolved those issues. So if and when the New version of the Typhoon H comes out, I'm buying one again....

I have to agree. I started with the Q500, then “graduated” to the H. Both great drones, especially the H for the reasons you mentioned. Main reasons I switched to Mavic Pro was the compact size, as I typically spend a day of motorcycling with stops to fly/ record the scenery. My perfect drone would be a combination of Yuneec’s 360 camera with Mavic’s small size. Also kind of tired of DJI’s updates and sometimes complicated interface.

mikef53 · May 28, 2018

skadee said:
I had been considering picking up a drone to fill-in for my Mavic Pro on more grueling missions, or in cases where I'd rather risk the life of a drone that isn't going to cost me quite as much as the MP will cost me to replace, if it decides to spiral into a river or the ocean. DJI Care Refresh only works if you can recover the big pieces, right?

I have a "unique" opportunity to get a Q500 with a hard case for about $300, with the CGO3 camera, which I know little about, except that it is late enough of a version that the fisheye distortion of earlier wide-FOV cameras is worked out.

I was wondering if public opinion would agree that this would be a tough deal to pass on for a backup drone.

A few points I like about the Q500 are that the RC has a built-in touchscreen, flight time is reasonable at about 20 minutes, and top speed isn't bad at 17mph.

Posting here since I'm currently flying a MP, and I'm pretty sure that the opinion in the Yuneec forum would be somewhat biased!

My first drone was a Q500 4k and I still have it, came with the extra batteries, and a hand held gimbal, hard trolly case etc. I now fly a Mavic Pro Platinum and there is no comparison in abilities and technology but the Q500 is still a great drone to fly as long as its with in about 1000 yards. It is super quite and so easy to fly and takes very good video and pictures. It is very stable and the touch screen is nice. When i got my MPP I decided to keep the Q500 just to play with when the kids are in town. One good thing is you don't have to worry about firmware updates before you fly. I think my grand kids can fly it with no problem. For 300 it is a good buy to have so you don't worry about crashing or anything. Of course the MPP is about as easy with a ton more fun and advanced electronics.

Boue71 · May 28, 2018

It’s ironic I found this post. I own a Mavic Pro purchased new. I too was wanting a “test” drone. I really enjoy Litchi autonomous missions and decided to search out a sacrificial lamb drone for close call missions testing and cool videos. I took to craigslist and fb market place. Now I have not one but two lambs. Turns out if you take your time and keep at it...some hot deals of people who purchase drones and NEVER fly them are starting to show up pretty regular.
In the past month I have purchased a Phantom 3 Professional with 6 flights, no crashes (verified through the guys flight logs and battery remaining life) for $325. I also purchased a Phantom 3 Standard with 4 flights, no crashes (verified the same way) for $225.
I am a little more loose with these drones due to the low cost. But I am also enjoying them so much I am getting afraid to push them as hard as I thought I would.
Just FYI...you have to be persistent to find them because they go pretty quick at these prices.

macoman · May 28, 2018

Boue71 said:
It’s ironic I found this post. I own a Mavic Pro purchased new. I too was wanting a “test” drone. I really enjoy Litchi autonomous missions and decided to search out a sacrificial lamb drone for close call missions testing and cool videos. I took to craigslist and fb market place. Now I have not one but two lambs. Turns out if you take your time and keep at it...some hot deals of people who purchase drones and NEVER fly them are starting to show up pretty regular.
In the past month I have purchased a Phantom 3 Professional with 6 flights, no crashes (verified through the guys flight logs and battery remaining life) for $325. I also purchased a Phantom 3 Standard with 4 flights, no crashes (verified the same way) for $225.
I am a little more loose with these drones due to the low cost. But I am also enjoying them so much I am getting afraid to push them as hard as I thought I would.
Just FYI...you have to be persistent to find them because they go pretty quick at these prices.

With the professional version you got basically a steal deal in there!

Boue71 · May 28, 2018

Yeah. Rich guy driving a convertible Porsche. Said his girlfriend bought it for him and it’s just not his thing. I was happy to take it off his hands. Haha