Tablet for a monitor

Mavic Air Head · Sep 24, 2019

I have used a Tab A with none of the issues as described above since my first flight with a cellphone. I decided on a Mavmount ( Front Page | Mavmount brand DJI Mavic 2, DJI Mavic Pro, Spark, AIR iPad Tablet Adapter ) which fits the controller perfectly and holds the tablet securely. I use a standard, short cable to connect to the micro USB and controller. Drone Valley has an outstanding cable available for using a tablet ( Drone Valley Products )
The Tab A has been flawless, I've flown out as far as 2 miles, moderate speed (full throttle- not Sport mode) contour flying and in a wide variety of conditions with no problems. I know Apple fans are very happy with iPads, personally I started with Android and it's far more intuitive for me than Apple because of that. If you have an Android background I would have no qualms with a Tab A. I love the larger screen and the clarity it offers. I never have problems with power and the controller, generally fly 6 fully charged batteries each time out. I am pretty habitual about always starting with fully charged batteries, including the tablet.

Barthur · Sep 24, 2019

I use iPad mini 5. Works great

Dave Maine · Sep 24, 2019

I have been using the9.7 iPads for almost 4 years now with no problems. I built a custom hood for it to make it more usable in bright sunlight.

Christof. · Sep 24, 2019

Hello

I have Ipad 5 mini , verry nice.

Skywalker · Sep 24, 2019

So I've see the list of the "best" to use, but what makes it the best? If I'm just using it for flying and nothing else, but want a sharp, real-time video, what is it I need? I need to stop relying on my wife's phone.

AFrosty1 · Sep 24, 2019

I've been using the Tab A with my mavic air for a little while now and have had no problems so far, I find it much easier than using my phone, some of the buttons are to hard to hit perfectly on the phone. I picked up an adapter from Amazon for around £10 and wouldn't go back to the small screen again.

Dave Maine · Sep 24, 2019

I go with the full size (9.7 in) iPad. The display is noticeably bigger, which makes it easier to see small objects like power lines and branches, before they dart out and grab the drone

mereflyer · Sep 24, 2019

fitzy said:
Hi all I am new here and I think that this question has been asked before so here's the question I'm using a android phone as the monitor for my mavic air and I find it is a bit small and I have been offered three tablets one is a acer iconia B1-770 16gb and the other one is a Samsung galaxy tab 4 and a Samsung tab A. I'm just wondering which one is the best option for me to use on the mavic air. Thanks a million for your help on this

I have used my Samsung Tab 'A' ever since the first flight about 2 a half years. Love it wouldn't fly any other way!

Skywalker · Sep 25, 2019

brett8883 said:
Honestly those are all very low powered devices. I don't think any of those will offer a very good experience. DJI Go 4 is resource intensive application and continues to get more resource intensive as time goes on.

I bought a Galaxy Tab A a few months back and I about threw in into a lake it was so worthless. Maybe somebody out there has figured out some way to get it to work on to their level of satisfaction on theirs but coming from using an iPhone 8 I just couldn't handle it. Ruined the experience for me.

Low power...processing speed? What is the recommended “power” if the tablet is used for nothing but flying?

RZR12 · Sep 28, 2019

I've got a mavic 2 zoom, I've tried my iPhone 10, my iPad air, the 10 was hard to see on the bright days as was the air, the air was too bulky also. I purchased a iPad mini 5 and am very happy with it, and it will fit in the remote without having to purchase another holder, very nice package.

LAB ONE · Sep 28, 2019

fitzy said:
Hi all I am new here and I think that this question has been asked before so here's the question I'm using a android phone as the monitor for my mavic air and I find it is a bit small and I have been offered three tablets one is a acer iconia B1-770 16gb and the other one is a Samsung galaxy tab 4 and a Samsung tab A. I'm just wondering which one is the best option for me to use on the mavic air. Thanks a million for your help on this

LAB ONE · Sep 28, 2019

Itsabirdy said:
Low power...processing speed? What is the recommended “power” if the tablet is used for nothing but flying?

I am using a Lenovo Tab 4, 8in Android Tablet, Quad-Core Processor, 1.4GHz, 16GB Storage, Slate Black, ZA2B0009US

Dave Phantom · Sep 28, 2019

Have been using Amazon Fire 8 - it works fine!

Firejay27 · Sep 28, 2019

I use an older Tab A from time to time along with a Galaxy S7 Edge. I swap between the two. I don't like to use my actual phone because I want the device to be dedicated to flying when I'm in the air. I tether my Tab A and my S7 to my phone for internet connection which seems to work fine. Unfortunately I haven't found any tablet that's good in sunlight so I invested in a hood.

Brad de Leon · Sep 28, 2019

Used to use a Samsung s6 edge plus which was the largest cel phone at the time, excellent ultra bright display, lots of processing power, no operational problems. Just upgraded to iPad mini 5. Larger display is nice but the display is darker then the Samsung so you need to find a shady spot on a sunny day but the larger display does make it easier to manage the drone and all its features. You do need to do a little carving of plastic on the controller arm mounts to make it fit but not a big deal.you also need a short right angles lightning connector.
It has been bullet proof from an operating standpoint. Using with Mac Pro.

Unknown Pilot · Sep 29, 2019

eckydrone200 · Sep 29, 2019

I use Huawei Mediapad M5 and it works fine for me.

MAvic_South_Oz · Sep 29, 2019

Brad de Leon said:
You do need to do a little carving of plastic on the controller arm mounts to make it fit but not a big deal.

bwana said:
The Mavic Air controller must be different because there's no carving involved. I have the Mini 4 and, given that it has the exact same dimensions as the 5, it fits perfectly.

It could be a little different.
My mini4 fits perfectly in the MP controller arms, but is noticeably tighter in my Spark controller arms.
It goes in, just needs a bit of gentle persuasion

I like using a mount (Lifthor) as the Sports mode button operation is hindered by arms of both controllers.
Not that I use it much, but in some event I want to disable OA and get home fast, it's good to be able to switch Sports mode on fast.

dadof2brats · Sep 30, 2019

Dave Phantom said:
Have been using Amazon Fire 8 - it works fine!

Can you share what you had to do to get the DJIGo 4 app to work on your Fire 8". What limitations have you found? When you fly, are you connected via wifi to another device to tether an internet connection or are you pre-loading/caching maps? How is the brightness?

tribar · Oct 2, 2019

fitzy said:
Hi all I am new here and I think that this question has been asked before so here's the question I'm using a android phone as the monitor for my mavic air and I find it is a bit small and I have been offered three tablets one is a acer iconia B1-770 16gb and the other one is a Samsung galaxy tab 4 and a Samsung tab A. I'm just wondering which one is the best option for me to use on the mavic air. Thanks a million for your help on this

The Samsung Tab A is the most suitable (powerfull) of the 3 mentioned.
As a sidenote: There are several models of the Tab A
- 7 inch (2016)
- 10.1 inch (2016) 2GB or 3GB RAM
- 10.1 inch (2019) 2GB or 3GB RAM
The 2 others (Iconia & Tab 4) in my opinion are NOT suitable at all.
Furthermore it's NOT the type of drone that determines if a smart device is suitable but the software that is being used to 'controll' the drone.
DJI GO 4 needs at least Android 5 to run, the Tab A was released with Android 4.4.2.
A complete and up-to-date list of recommended smart devices can be found here: