Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs Smart Controller vs Crystal Sky - screen brightness

[PC1134]

I have a M2P and am using the standard RC with my S9+ in Super Bright mode which is reportedly 1300 nits, however in bright sunlight the screen is not bright enough to see.

While I am certainly not comfortable about spending a heap more on separate screens, I feel this is the only option to be able to properly view the feed from my camera under daylight conditions. Therefore my options for a brighter screen lie with either the new Smart Controller or one of the Crystal Sky options. With the new Smart Controller it is rated at 1000 nits; lower than my S9+ is rated, so does anyone have an existing 5.5" CS unit and an S9+ that can comment on the relative brightness of both, and also difference in screen size/usability? If it is much brighter than the S9+, then I would consider going for a Smart Controller or a CS 5.5".

However, I've read that some people find the 5.5" screen too small and opt for the larger 7.85" screen at either 1000 nits, or the Ultra bright screen at 2000 nits. I'd be keen to have any thoughts on either of these options.

Finally, with the CS options, neither of them come with mounts or charging units (I understand the new Smart Controller does have a charging unit?), so by the time you add those in to the price, the base CS is almost as much as the Smart Controller.

I just want to make the best and most informed decision. Sorry for the multiple questions and not sure if I should have posted this under the Crystal Sky group (if so, please let me know and I will repost there).

Cheers,
Sean

 

[ff22]

I have a M2P and am using the standard RC with my S9+ in Super Bright mode which is reportedly 1300 nits, however in bright sunlight the screen is not bright enough to see.

While I am certainly not comfortable about spending a heap more on separate screens, I feel this is the only option to be able to properly view the feed from my camera under daylight conditions. Therefore my options for a brighter screen lie with either the new Smart Controller or one of the Crystal Sky options. With the new Smart Controller it is rated at 1000 nits; lower than my S9+ is rated, so does anyone have an existing 5.5" CS unit and an S9+ that can comment on the relative brightness of both, and also difference in screen size/usability? If it is much brighter than the S9+, then I would consider going for a Smart Controller or a CS 5.5".

However, I've read that some people find the 5.5" screen too small and opt for the larger 7.85" screen at either 1000 nits, or the Ultra bright screen at 2000 nits. I'd be keen to have any thoughts on either of these options.

Finally, with the CS options, neither of them come with mounts or charging units (I understand the new Smart Controller does have a charging unit?), so by the time you add those in to the price, the base CS is almost as much as the Smart Controller.

I just want to make the best and most informed decision. Sorry for the multiple questions and not sure if I should have posted this under the Crystal Sky group (if so, please let me know and I will repost there).

Cheers,
Sean

I see (no pun intended) that some folks have opted for sun shades or bonnets which looks large and unwieldly. And some made their own for a lot less money.

 

[Lon Denard]

So I have the 5.5 and the 7.85. I use the DJI mount on the 5.5 and the new Polar Pro mount on the 7.85. For the record, I also have a S9+. Fwiw I almost always use the 5.5 with the quick mount. It's just so much more portable and convenient. The case I have carries both screens but since I have the 5.5 on top with the battery installed and it snaps onto the remote in two seconds...

Oh and because of the aspect ratio, you actually seem to get more screen from the CS than the S9+. Besides, the CS has a ton of other features that make it awesome to fly with.

Now, I'm going to buy the Smart Controller for the heck of it but I'm bumming because there aren't any cases for it yet. There are a few CS features that aren't present on the SC but if I were doing it again, I'd probably go with the SC. I enjoy the one piece controller on my Karma (the drone, not so much). It's just nice to have everything ready to go right out of the case.

Don't know if this helped...

 

[RogerMav]

Hi Guys,

Definitely very interested in this post. I´m driving my head crazy trying to decide if go for small tablet as Samsung or iPad, or the CS 7.85in monitor, or the new DJI smart controller. I hope other members contribute posting more comments and ideas. One of my recent ideas was the CS 7.85 (because wanted a large display) with this bracket or adapter I found in Amazon (Spain) which when put together it practically looks very close to the DJI smart controller (see images I am including). I still have to find out if this adapter is for the CS 5.5 or 7.85, I will contact the merchant.

If any one has received his DJI smart controller could you please post a screen capture of the main window of the DJI Go 4 app. I would like to see how the image and comopare to my android phone display as the size from the CS 5.5 is not that much different and that´s my reason for looking into the large CS. However the price is more expensive the purchasing the DJI smart controller with the added benefit of only one battery for all and no cables to connect. Big decision which is driving me nuts.










Is there a way to resize the images? could not fint it.

Anyway hope to see a lot of comments to help on my decision and specially a screen capture to see if the small difference between my phones display and the smart controller or the CS 5.5 is significant.

 

[Bella]

For me, I would go with the CrystalSky over the smart controller:
• CrystalSky 5.5 is cheaper ($469 currently, but you may be able to find cheaper - I got mine for $350 from a Crutchfield outlet sale)
• Mounting options are better IMHO. I like to have the monitor mounted above the remote's antennas on top rather than below. It's more comfortable for me.
• CrystalSky will work with all of my drones without having to de-bind and re-bind.
• Separate batteries, I guess that is maybe not great, but I have a couple spares, and I can charge the remote with one of them if I need to.

Both choices keep you walled into the Android, and particularly the DJI flavor of Android ecosystem. Maybe with the smart controller they'll be more proactive with sending out updates but I have had problems with CrystalSky version of DJIGO4 taking many weeks to catch up to the current normal Android version and most of the time, I get firmware update errors if I try to update with CrystalSky and have to resort to using an iOS device or on the computer using DJI Assistant. YMMV, but at least that's what I have found.

I like how clean those mounts are though in the pictures. Do you have a link to that?

 

[CanadaDrone]

Testing shows the screen on the S9 closer to 1100 nits, which would likely be indistinguishable to the 1000 nits of the Smart Controller / 5.5" Crystal Sky.

The other advantage of the smart controller is it has specific modes to help boost visibility in extremely bright conditions that your phone will not have. Further, the S9+ has a 18:9 screen ratio which is not ideal for a 1080P image.

Another consideration is if you do any cold weather flying, your S9 is going to run into issues long before the smart controller, which is rated down to -20C.

Bigger screens are always better so long as you don't care about ergonomics or portability, so you will need to decide where your thresholds are for that. The smart controller is still very compact, screen size is a nice balance, and it's very bright.

 

[Lon Denard]

Hi Guys,

Definitely very interested in this post. I´m driving my head crazy trying to decide if go for small tablet as Samsung or iPad, or the CS 7.85in monitor, or the new DJI smart controller. I hope other members contribute posting more comments and ideas. One of my recent ideas was the CS 7.85 (because wanted a large display) with this bracket or adapter I found in Amazon (Spain) which when put together it practically looks very close to the DJI smart controller (see images I am including). I still have to find out if this adapter is for the CS 5.5 or 7.85, I will contact the merchant.

If any one has received his DJI smart controller could you please post a screen capture of the main window of the DJI Go 4 app. I would like to see how the image and comopare to my android phone display as the size from the CS 5.5 is not that much different and that´s my reason for looking into the large CS. However the price is more expensive the purchasing the DJI smart controller with the added benefit of only one battery for all and no cables to connect. Big decision which is driving me nuts.

View attachment 60222

View attachment 60223




View attachment 60224

Is there a way to resize the images? could not fint it.

Anyway hope to see a lot of comments to help on my decision and specially a screen capture to see if the small difference between my phones display and the smart controller or the CS 5.5 is significant.

Here's the DJI mount, Smart Controller and S9+

 

[Lon Denard]

For me, I would go with the CrystalSky over the smart controller:
• CrystalSky 5.5 is cheaper ($469 currently, but you may be able to find cheaper - I got mine for $350 from a Crutchfield outlet sale)
• Mounting options are better IMHO. I like to have the monitor mounted above the remote's antennas on top rather than below. It's more comfortable for me.
• CrystalSky will work with all of my drones without having to de-bind and re-bind.
• Separate batteries, I guess that is maybe not great, but I have a couple spares, and I can charge the remote with one of them if I need to.

Both choices keep you walled into the Android, and particularly the DJI flavor of Android ecosystem. Maybe with the smart controller they'll be more proactive with sending out updates but I have had problems with CrystalSky version of DJIGO4 taking many weeks to catch up to the current normal Android version and most of the time, I get firmware update errors if I try to update with CrystalSky and have to resort to using an iOS device or on the computer using DJI Assistant. YMMV, but at least that's what I have found.

I like how clean those mounts are though in the pictures. Do you have a link to that?

Well, I have the 7.85 CS, the 5.5 CS, the Smart Controller, an 8" Samsung Tab S3, and a Samsung S9+. The large CS is clumsy and heavy, imho plus the Mav Mount or Polar Pro Flight Deck requires too many steps to get going. The small CS is great with the DJI mount since it's plug and play- no cords or assembly beyond plugging it in and flipping a latch. Using my phone is fiddly to get it plugged in and in the slots. The tablet is decent but requires a separate cord. The Smart Controller is quick and easy to use and provides most of the benefits of the other types combined.

As far as this notion of the screen being "below" the controls. If the controls were below the screen, where would you hold the controller? That part is barely 2" wide. I want my thumbs reaching up to the controls, not down. It's the same with the CS monitors. Any other configuration would require a larger controller....

 

[PC1134]

I have an S9+ and not satisfied with the brightness either. Just invested AUD$1,099 in a smart controller and put the 2 side by side either the Samsung on Super Hi Brightness. The smart controller is brighter, but surprisingly not twice as bright as I was expecting. It seems at full brightness level to be about 25% brighter, which may be enough, but I need to do more testing with the M2P attached and flying in bright sunny conditions.
It seems to have less glare to the screen too, and 10 times easier to set up to fly.

 

[RogerMav]

For me, I would go with the CrystalSky over the smart controller:
• CrystalSky 5.5 is cheaper ($469 currently, but you may be able to find cheaper - I got mine for $350 from a Crutchfield outlet sale)
• Mounting options are better IMHO. I like to have the monitor mounted above the remote's antennas on top rather than below. It's more comfortable for me.
• CrystalSky will work with all of my drones without having to de-bind and re-bind.
• Separate batteries, I guess that is maybe not great, but I have a couple spares, and I can charge the remote with one of them if I need to.

Both choices keep you walled into the Android, and particularly the DJI flavor of Android ecosystem. Maybe with the smart controller they'll be more proactive with sending out updates but I have had problems with CrystalSky version of DJIGO4 taking many weeks to catch up to the current normal Android version and most of the time, I get firmware update errors if I try to update with CrystalSky and have to resort to using an iOS device or on the computer using DJI Assistant. YMMV, but at least that's what I have found.

I like how clean those mounts are though in the pictures. Do you have a link to that?

Sure thing, here you go with a couple of them:

https://www.amazon.es/Deylaying-Cry...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MMPN568QB3R795CWVJTG

https://www.amazon.es/Moberlin-Crys...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MMPN568QB3R795CWVJTG

https://www.amazon.es/Goyajun-Unive...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MMPN568QB3R795CWVJTG

https://www.amazon.es/Ansemen-Cryst...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YY9F9QCXTK9TGQJ3RGRX

https://www.amazon.es/Hzjundasi-Cry...ncoding=UTF8&refRID=3C0R55J4YDSJ1FNSQSYE&th=1

They do look nice, very similar to using the new smart controller, I think it fits the 5.5 CS, not sure about the 7.85
I almost when for it as I don´t mine having the screen bellow the control, some will not like it that way. I to would have preferred in top, but I don´t like to put obstruction in front or near the antennas. My self as a telecom engineer know that it affects the propagation of the signal, it has to attenuate it quite a bit.

 

[RogerMav]

Well, I have the 7.85 CS, the 5.5 CS, the Smart Controller, an 8" Samsung Tab S3, and a Samsung S9+. The large CS is clumsy and heavy, imho plus the Mav Mount or Polar Pro Flight Deck requires too many steps to get going. The small CS is great with the DJI mount since it's plug and play- no cords or assembly beyond plugging it in and flipping a latch. Using my phone is fiddly to get it plugged in and in the slots. The tablet is decent but requires a separate cord. The Smart Controller is quick and easy to use and provides most of the benefits of the other types combined.

As far as this notion of the screen being "below" the controls. If the controls were below the screen, where would you hold the controller? That part is barely 2" wide. I want my thumbs reaching up to the controls, not down. It's the same with the CS monitors. Any other configuration would require a larger controller....View attachment 61301

I love this controller´s set up. I would have love it for the MP2

 

[RogerMav]

Here's the DJI mount, Smart Controller and S9+View attachment 61299

Thanks Lon, finally some one sends me what I ask for. Thank you very much.

Excellent.

 

[PC1134]

I flew my M2P yesterday with the smart controller in bright sunny conditions and I can now attest t the brightness is definitely a marked improvement over my S9+.
But that's not all. The speed to get in the air and ease of use with the smart controller is miles better. I hated having the S9+ on its side and sometimes getting auto rotation of the screen, and having rounded edges on the S9+ made it difficult getting to some of the app controls. None of this is a problem any more.
I must say the smart controller has transformed using the Mavic for me and made it a really positive experience. I can now see the value.
Final thing, I can fit iitbin my Fly More Bag which is a bonus too.

 

[Lon Denard]

I love this controller´s set up. I would have love it for the MP2

Well I'm selling the Crystalsky and all the stuff needed.

 

[tleedom]

Well I'm selling the Crystalsky and all the stuff needed.

PM me, I'm looking for CS 7.85

 

[RogerMav]

Well I'm selling the Crystalsky and all the stuff needed.

I meant was for the Yuneec controller, it has a beautiful arrangement. Thanks anyway.

 

[Mike4884]

I have an S9+ and not satisfied with the brightness either. Just invested AUD$1,099 in a smart controller and put the 2 side by side either the Samsung on Super Hi Brightness. The smart controller is brighter, but surprisingly not twice as bright as I was expecting. It seems at full brightness level to be about 25% brighter, which may be enough, but I need to do more testing with the M2P attached and flying in bright sunny conditions.
It seems to have less glare to the screen too, and 10 times easier to set up to fly.

Thats because u get the full 1100 nits in auto brightness and in the sun....its weird i know but that is how samsung did it