P4A/P reliability.

ImacRae778 · May 26, 2020

Hello all.

I'm looking to upgrade from my p3p on which I repaired cracks with araldite and used reinforcing plates. I was going to upgrade to a used phantom 4 pro or advanced, but I wanted to ask how prone they are to having the same issue, is it as serious and widespread as the phantom 3s?

I really don't want to deal with it again so if that's the case I'll probably just get a mavic, despite how ugly they are...

ron-ep · May 26, 2020

The body of the P4 series is supposed to be an improvement. I havent seen/heard anyone mention those stress cracks that i know were common with the P3 series. I had a P3 Pro and thankfully never dealt with that. I have a P4 now and havent had any issues with the body. If you havent already seen first hand its an obvious improvement.

With all that said a Mavic wouldnt be a bad idea depending on what you use it for. I agree with you on its appearance though. I love my Phantom but I could see myself with a Mavic should a need for that particular drone arise.

Good luck!

DroneB · May 27, 2020

I've had my Phantom4Pro for 2.5 years. Heavy use 2-3 times per week, sometimes in strong winds. I've never crashed it or had hard landings. No signs of cracking. My P4P is a very reliable workhorse.

CactusJackSlade · May 27, 2020

Same here, my P4P was my primary worker for 1.5 years, now my backup rig. No issues at all.

athearnsd45 · May 27, 2020

My P4A (2 years old at the time) developed a crack on one of its arms, never crashed and rarely used in sport mode. I replaced the lower shell on my own.

Capt KO · May 27, 2020

I’ve owned both. Very reliable if you stay away from hard impacts. Otherwise, no cracks (like my P3’s). The Adv saves on cost with only a couple possible drawbacks. Only front/bottom sensors (like P4) and uses the P4 remote (300C). The P4P has additional sensors and a remote (300F/or E) capable of flying all the P4’s S/A/P. The remote also has built in GPS in case your device does not. You may not need or rarely use these options. Either way, you will not be disappointed.

ImacRae778 · May 27, 2020

Capt KO said:
I’ve owned both. Very reliable if you stay away from hard impacts. Otherwise, no cracks (like my P3’s). The Adv saves on cost with only a couple possible drawbacks. Only front/bottom sensors (like P4) and uses the P4 remote (300C). The P4P has additional sensors and a remote (300F/or E) capable of flying all the P4’s S/A/P. The remote also has built in GPS in case your device does not. You may not need or rarely use these options. Either way, you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for the replies, I've made up my mind. I'm selling my p3p and buying a mavic 2 air. I've seen people in forums with cracked p4s and don't to have to deal with even the slightest possibility of it. I'm sick of the words "stress cracks" at this point and I just want to avoid phantoms for that reason. That and the fact that if I sell my p3p with an iPad mini 1 (wouldn't have a use anymore) then it would effectively be an exchange and I'd end up with a brand new drone. This (I hope) will last me upwards of 5 years crack free. I never have and probably never will get over the novelty of photos from 400ft in the sky.

Capt KO · May 27, 2020

Glad you made up your mind. Out of 6 P3's all but 1, had a crack. Out of 8 P4's only 1 had a tiny crack and it wasn't on an arm. All used drones when I purchased. Don't think I'm lucky, just that P4 stress cracks are rare. Everything breaks, Mavics too. Good choice though. Stay in touch and see on MavicPilots.
Fly safe; And Everything Will Be All Right!

Andy9 · May 28, 2020

Sorry to hear that but it's your decision.
However P4P is still a better drone.

ImacRae778 · May 28, 2020

Andy9 said:
Sorry to hear that but it's your decision.
However P4P is still a better drone.

I'm aware of that, but even used it'd be stretching my budget too far, and in future I'd like to visit flying locations by bike, not something that's very easy with a phantom. It'll still be an upgrade over a p3p, and if it lasts and I don't crash it, I'll probably keep it upwards of 5 years.

Osmosis · May 30, 2020

Andy9 said:
Sorry to hear that but it's your decision.
However P4P is still a better drone.

100% agree. Flies better in high winds and you can beat the one inch Sony sensor.

ImacRae778 · May 31, 2020

Osmosis said:
100% agree. Flies better in high winds and you can beat the one inch Sony sensor.

It is also twice the price. I'd like to hope it's better. I asked for some opinions, I got them and made up my mind. At this point you're now just displaying to me your fanboyism for phantoms.

As I previously stated, I could only afford a phantom 4 advanced, not the pro, and I need the portability of a mavic for future work. As well as that, the mavic air 2 has a longer flight time, better transmission system, which is a big deal for me in the UK (we follow ce regulations). The service I offer is 4k video, the mavic air 2 can do that in 60fps, with a much higher bitrate than my p3p. It is all I need, and I'll be getting a NEW drone. I dont have to worry about getting a used p4 that someone's scratched up and crashed a bunch of times.

Andy9 · May 31, 2020

That's all have been said. For the portability the Mav. is absolutely better choice.

Osmosis · May 31, 2020

ImacRae778 said:
It is also twice the price. I'd like to hope it's better. I asked for some opinions, I got them and made up my mind. At this point you're now just displaying to me your fanboyism for phantoms.

As I previously stated, I could only afford a phantom 4 advanced, not the pro, and I need the portability of a mavic for future work. As well as that, the mavic air 2 has a longer flight time, better transmission system, which is a big deal for me in the UK (we follow ce regulations). The service I offer is 4k video, the mavic air 2 can do that in 60fps, with a much higher bitrate than my p3p. It is all I need, and I'll be getting a NEW drone. I dont have to worry about getting a used p4 that someone's scratched up and crashed a bunch of times.

I guess I missed the part about low budget, looked again at your opening comments and its not there.. Fanboyism for phantoms - not.

But youre correct, if you want a low budget unit, go with the Mavic.

Antwarrior · May 31, 2020

P4P... brilliant machine. Very reliable excellent image quality. Marginally sharper that Mavic 2 pro but only 8 bit colour v 10 bit. But up to 60fps. I use for a lot of pro work