Should I buy the Pro 2 with or without the Smart Controller?

[GoBigGuy]

So decided to take advantage of the holiday sales and pick up a Mavic Pro 2. Going to be getting it from Best Buy so I can use the 18 month interest free financing but now wondering if I should get the smart controller package or not.

What are your thoughts?

 

[MacCool]

I have the smart controller on my Mavic 2, had the regular controller on my previous one. The Smart Controller is nice...but it's lack of cellular is annoying in that you have to pre-load the maps you're going to use before you leave (you can connect the SC to the internet in the field by using your phone as a hot spot, but as I said...annoying). The screen is brighter, but not that much. You do have to be comfortable with a rather kludged version of Android.

As I said....the SC is nice, but I'm not sure how much better it is, and I'm not sure it's worth the significantly increased cost. Personally, I think the money might be better spent of a pair of DJI Goggles RE.

 

[GoBigGuy]

Thanks for the feedback, I have the original goggles that I never use so maybe I'll just stick with the standard controller

I have the smart controller on my Mavic 2, had the regular controller on my previous one. The Smart Controller is nice...but it's lack of cellular is annoying in that you have to pre-load the maps you're going to use before you leave (you can connect the SC to the internet in the field by using your phone as a hot spot, but as I said...annoying). The screen is brighter, but not that much. You do have to be comfortable with a rather kludged version of Android.

As I said....the SC is nice, but I'm not sure how much better it is, and I'm not sure it's worth the significantly increased cost. Personally, I think the money might be better spent of a pair of DJI Goggles RE.

 

[Housenotes]

Also, the new iPhone 11pro max has a very bright screen. Nice if you are an iPhone user.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

So decided to take advantage of the holiday sales and pick up a Mavic Pro 2. Going to be getting it from Best Buy so I can use the 18 month interest free financing but now wondering if I should get the smart controller package or not.

What are your thoughts?

You made a really smart choice buy purchasing at Best Buy not so much because of the financing but because if its not perfect you can take it back.

Couple things that we check for when purchasing for our clients , straight out of the box .
It has to have the ability to hover in the house somewhere near a window and that horizon has to be perfect .

If it needs anything more that a compass spin than it goes back to the store and the reason for this is the best ones always come perfect out of the box and everything just works. Something to consider since you made the wise choice of a non DJI purchase.

When it comes to the Smart Controller , its simple if your going to fly in adverse weather conditions , wet or extreme cold you should get the Smart Controller because Iphones and Ipads do not negotiate extreme colds or rain as well as the Smart Controller. .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your drone in and out of the storm.
Coal

 

[Jet skier]

So decided to take advantage of the holiday sales and pick up a Mavic Pro 2. Going to be getting it from Best Buy so I can use the 18 month interest free financing but now wondering if I should get the smart controller package or not.

What are your thoughts?

I will get the normal controller with the large crystal sky I have never regretted it

 

[MacCool]

When it comes to the Smart Controller , its simple if your going to fly in adverse weather conditions , wet or extreme cold you should get the Smart Controller because Iphones and Ipads do not negotiate extreme colds or rain as well as the Smart Controller.

I can't find any specs that indicate how water resistant the Smart Controller is. OTOH, my iPhone is rated at IP68, which is pretty weatherproof. Absent data to the contrary, I think my iPhone would be a much more suitable device than the Smart Controller for flying a Mavic 2 in cold or wet weather.

 

[JoostGT3]

6 words: WITH WITH WITH WITH WITH WITH!

Haha to clarify; until I got the smart controller, I didn't really realize it, but getting your Mavic ready for flight is quote an involving process:
1. Switch on Mavic
2. Switch on controller
3. Fire up the app on your control device
4. Put control device in controller and connect it
5. Pray the connection between app and controller is successful
6. Fly.

Now, all this is not rocket science, but when you want to fly, you want to be able to take your time to do all the IMPORTANT checks, like removing gimball clamp, battery check, etc. I found that the above mentioned proces takes away your focus from the important things. Now, with the SC, the process is hugely simplified to 2/3 steps:
1. Switch on Mavic
2. Switch on Controller
3. Click "Go Fly" and you're set...

I found that this makes me much more relaxed to fly and much more focussed on the pre-flight checks. Im addition, it save me from having to carry an extra device and extra cables, etc... I would never want anything else anymore.

 

[Letmein]

I love having the smart controller. My phone is my phone... used for what it was created for.

 

[Hedonist222]

The SC is old technology - from design to software to specs

DJI pulled the carpet on us with this

cash cow or something or another...

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I can't find any specs that indicate how water resistant the Smart Controller is. OTOH, my iPhone is rated at IP68, which is pretty weatherproof. Absent data to the contrary, I think my iPhone would be a much more suitable device than the Smart Controller for flying a Mavic 2 in cold or wet weather.

Yes the Iphone has the advantage in the rain, but in the cold not so much .

The problem I have with the Iphone is that when you do drench it good, there is some change in audio on the iphone which can be annoying after flying when the phone rings.

where as the Smart Controller has not faltered in the rain.

Were testing out the new and improved Iphone 11 max plus on the Mini in the Rain and so far the results have been ok on the phone calls dialed in after .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your drone in the Rain
Coal

 

[Johnmcl7]

This is largely going to come down to personal preference, for my having used a 6.4in and 5.7in phone previously I found the 5.7in display too small and wanted something larger. I bought a bigger tablet instead dedicated to the drone although it's handy to be able to use it for watching videos and reading on in addition to drone use.

I don't find it too much hassle to set up but then it's nowhere near as convenient as a smart controller.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Convenience : 9 times out of 10 it stands the test of time. When you to go to reach out for anything in life Convenience is like a heavy magnet and that is why every product we make its built around that concept .

Once that labor of love wears off , Convenience hits you like a ton of bricks.

Phantomrain.org
Elite gear for your Mavic.
Coal

 

[Mavramidis]

So decided to take advantage of the holiday sales and pick up a Mavic Pro 2. Going to be getting it from Best Buy so I can use the 18 month interest free financing but now wondering if I should get the smart controller package or not.

What are your thoughts?

Exact scenario for me as well. I purchased the Mavic 2 Pro and Smart Controller from Best Buy as well. I bought them separately because I bought the 2 year warranty they offer for damage, etc.. I bought the separately because the cost of the warranty was about $570 for the M2P, but if purchased as a package with SC, the warranty jumped to $1300, all because MSRP was over $2k. So they did some price matching for me, and the price of the controller was worked down to about $650. Now, my SC doesn't have the extended warranty, but it was truly the M2P I was concerned with.

I love my SC. Easy to setup, but as someone said above, make sure your maps are loaded up for the area you fly in, ahead of time, or depending on your phone, you can use it as a mobile hotspot, wirelessly connect the SC to it, and use cell site data.

 

[village video NEWS]

Brought The smart controller separately Use phone for hoT SPOT if needed or for Air Map
Beauty of this setup I can fly with the phone and have a second person just doing the camera with the smart controller I also paired it up with a $650 wifi transmitter 400 Ft line of sight
I can now send to the sat truck or separate encoder I hit from Va to NY in 1.15 seconds thru the broadcast IP encoder with error correction
FYI the transmitter set up can use HDSDI or HDMI the receiver did both simultaneously The wifi can also send to a maximum of 4 cell phones at the same time No clients watching over your shoulder

 

[DanMan32]

$570 for an extended warranty? That's really high. I hope that includes pilot fault crash protection.

 

[eastsidedronr]

If youre a photographer or into photography the smart Controller is sweet. Much faster setup for those quickly changing light conditions. Really enjoying mine. Plus still pretty portable to throw in the pack. I prefer the radar map over preloaded maps which works without cellular

 

[OzzieHerr]

Ordered M2P with Smart Controller after over two weeks of debate. Think I will benefit from the better/brighter screen, quicker setup, and using one piece vs assembling and wiring the different parts. Also figure that OcuSync might work/perform better on it (can't say that for sure). Will be purchasing DJI Refresh separately for $159 and Refresh + after first year, for add'l $139.

 

[DanMan32]

Get Plus within 6 months of your M2 purchase, as it extends the warranty until the Plus term ends, which typically would be 2 years. Several components only have 6mo warranty.

 

[W2EJ]

So decided to take advantage of the holiday sales and pick up a Mavic Pro 2. Going to be getting it from Best Buy so I can use the 18 month interest free financing but now wondering if I should get the smart controller package or not.

What are your thoughts?

I have to say that I really like the Smart Controller. I used to use an iPad Pro, which is pretty bright, and a lot bigger, but the convenience of the SC and the quick setup and breakdown, for me, is a big deal. I'm a fan.