Screened Controllers-Are you Confused, Too?

[PHZ]

Are you as confused as I am about which DJI controller supports what drones?

I would be so grateful if one of our savvy and enterprising pilots came up with a chart/matrix/grid that listed all of DJI’s smart controllers (e.g. those with screens), and which models of drones that could be used with them. DJI doesn’t make it easy with their naming conventions as they all sound about the same to the uninitiated. I would pay DJI handsomely for a controller that has a big, BRIGHT screen that would work with my Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro, Inspire 2, Mini 2 and (soon to arrive), Mini 3 Pro.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Trippp]

I only have the Mavic Air 2 with DJI Smart Controller. The numbers on the back are RM500. I've included 2 pics. The screen is 1000 nits brightness. Hope someone can add this info to a matrix, I too am confused by most of what DJI does.

 

[vindibona1]

I totally agree. DJI makes it SO confusing. It's ironic that DJI bought Hasselblad and the one thing the Hassy hung it's had on was its cross compatibility between all of it's cameras and lenses (until they went digital). The naming conventions are all too similar. It isn't clear which RC controllers go with which drones without a deep dive. And then DJI *might* down the road add support for other drones.

Where it becomes tricky is when you have a drone you like, spend $1200 on the RC, only to later, perhaps not so much later, "upgrade" to the newest latest greatest DJI done, only to learn that the $1200 you bought isn't compatible with your new drone. It would be nice if they gave a timely "heads up" to its customers stating what they are working on for additional support, with an estimated time frame. I would have liked to have purchased a smart controller for my Mavic 2 Pro, but because it is now a "legacy drone". But I had to google which smart controller was compatible.

Then I went to look on DJI's website, and not only could I not find the older smart controller, the new RC Pro info didn't list which drones it was compatible with, but said it had the 03+ transmission system leaving me (us?) to guess which drone you could use it with.

Bottom line: IMO the names and supported drones could be much clearer and easier to find, but IMO they should take a page out of Hasselblad's play book and make as much of their premium accessories as cross compatible as possible. But I guess selling you two $1200 controllers is better for them than just selling you one.

 

[Johnmcl7]

I've made a quick one but if there's any errors let me know and I'll update it.

 

[PHZ]

Very nice job and thank you!
Since I fly with Litchi and DroneDeploy so much, I wonder which ones support third party apps?

 

[careless]

I hope that DJI will make DJI RC compatible with Mavic Air 2s before the smart controller becomes outdated.

 

[vindibona1]

@Johnmcl7 Thanks for the chart. It's very helpful.
I have to wonder how the law of diminishing returns comes into play. I have a Mavic 2 Pro and wouldn't mind having a Smart Controller or RC Pro. But as the Mavic 2 is a legacy drone buying a Smart Controller would be and have been foolish even a year ago, proven by the fact that the RC Pro that was designated for the Mavic 3 would not be backwards ccompatible. $1200 for a controller that could become obsolete at any time isn't a good gamble unless you buy it for a specific drone that just hits the marketplace like the Mavic 3 and RC Pro... But that combo sure kicked up the price.

The DJI RC with the Mini 3 was a better bet as the difference between the brick...err... RCN1 and the DJI RC was only $150 and has many features and benefits over the RCN1 that came with my Mini 2 (always hated that controller). While my Mavic 2 didn't come with a Smart Controller, essentially the only important thing the M2 controller doesn't have compared to the Smart Contrller is the built in screen. But that is easily overcome with a small tablet. The M2 controller has C1/C2 butons, separate video and photo buttons, a 5D button and second scroll wheel. IMO the M2 controller that came stock with the M2 is SO superior to the RCN1. My biggest gripe with the Mini 2 has been the controller, which DJI in its infinite wisdom made it the standard controller up through the Mavic 3. Somewhere along the line the bean counters at DJI seem to have taken over. But perhaps they were right as the higher prices and product decisions haven't hampered DJI's sales and seem to have increased their margin, perhaps exponentially.

 

[Chaosrider]

Are you as confused as I am about which DJI controller supports what drones?

I would be so grateful if one of our savvy and enterprising pilots came up with a chart/matrix/grid that listed all of DJI’s smart controllers (e.g. those with screens), and which models of drones that could be used with them. DJI doesn’t make it easy with their naming conventions as they all sound about the same to the uninitiated. I would pay DJI handsomely for a controller that has a big, BRIGHT screen that would work with my Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro, Inspire 2, Mini 2 and (soon to arrive), Mini 3 Pro.

Thank you in advance.

BRIGHT being the operative word for me too. As in, 1500 nits bright. I really hate images washed out by sunlight.

If they made a controller with a 1500 nit screen, and it worked with *ALL* DJI drones, I'd consider buying it even if it cost $2K. Maybe even $2.5K.

 

[Johnmcl7]

Very nice job and thank you!
Since I fly with Litchi and DroneDeploy so much, I wonder which ones support third party apps?

I believe officially the Smart Controller and the RC Pro support third party apps (sideloading through APK files, no Play Store support) but the DJI RC controller doesn't although there may be ways to bypass the DJI limitation.

 

[mobilehomer]

At the very least, the RC Pro should support all the currently sold Fly app drones.