Are DJI Drones Overpriced?

Any drone lover will know the place of DJI drones in the industry and how much of a solid following they have gathered over the years. But, the one problem a large number of people seem to have with DJI is the complaint that their drones are quite expensive. A lot of drone users have easily spent well over $1,000 purchasing DJI drones, and these people would be very quick to tell you that these drones are not cheap.

But just because a DJI drone isn’t cheap does not mean that they are overpriced. 

DJI is the best producer of drones currently on the market and you will always have to pay up for quality. DJI drones are the best and easiest to use so they charge a premium for them. Whether that makes them overpriced or not is certainly up for debate but many people would rather pay up for a drone that will last them years than to buy a cheap drone that will only last a few months and is hard to use. 

If you look at the price of these DJI drones yourself, you will certainly also agree that they are really expensive to purchase.

For example the DJI Phantom 4 Pro (found here) is 3-4X the price of a comparable drone made by a different company. While the DJI Inspire 2 (found here) with an X5S camera goes for 2-3X the price of the Phantom! There’s nothing cheap about those prices, right?

The thing is, there’s a number of other things to consider when deciding whether or not these products are actually overpriced. These products come with a 3D TOF sensor, Obstacle Avoidance ,super-bright screen, as well as a 1-inch camera with a mechanical shutter. 

So while you may be thinking that the DJI drones are too highly-priced, you might want to consider that there is no other drone on a market that offers these kinds of specifications.

Take a look at the DJI Inspire 2 (X5S), for example. This drone offers a micro 4/3 camera with interchangeable lenses and a 5.2K RAW video capabilities! There are no other drones on the market that offer these features.

The whole point is, no other drones available on the drone market can compete with what DJI offers with most of its drones. For this single reason, DJI knows they can set the price as high as they want since no other drone company can beat what they have to offer. DJI drones may be high priced, but they offer incredible features to match the high prices. But, regardless of the fact that the prices of these DJI drones are significantly high, they still remain at an acceptable range.

But, there just might be one DJI drone that is actually really overpriced and not even the features can make up for it; the DJI Inspire 2 

DJI Inspire 2 

The problem with the DJI Inspire 2 is not that it does not offer good value; it is that you can get just as much the same results and the same value from a more affordable drone. The Phantom 4 Pro, at a significantly lower price, offers pretty much  the same features that the Inspire 2 offers but the Phantom 4 doesn’t look as good!

For most people there is no point paying twice the price, for the very same results just in a fancier looking body.. We do have to admit that the Inspire 2 is faster, has a more professional look, and comes with a 360 gimbal in addition to the ability to connect two controllers but that’s just about all of the differences for double the price! 

Speaking of the quality of still images and videos that it creates, you can create the same with the Phantom 4 PRO, which is more portable and which you can get at a price that’s a lot more affordable.

For the current pricing of the Inspire 2 as well as to check out the reviews for the drone you can click here. 

But, there’s still a DJI drone that you can get at a far more affordable price when you compare it to the higher-priced DJI drones: DJI Mavic Air 2. 

DJI Mavic Air 2

At a fairly friendly price (when compared to other DJI drones) the Mavic Air 2 is a complete engineering wonder with its ultraportable design and foldable nature. It offers high-end flight performance, and there’s really no limit to how much you can explore. It comes with a 3-Axis Gimbal Camera as well as gimbal dampeners to help you get steadier shots. It also features horizontal, vertical, and 180° panoramas to go with the crystal-clear 32 MP Sphere panoramas, which it creates in eight seconds by stitching 25 photos together.

The Mavic Air shoots videos at a whopping 4K 30 fps as it records at 100 Mbps, capturing every second with UHD quality. 

What’s more, the Mavic Air comes with new HDR algorithms to help you intelligently get the right exposure settings intelligently, depending on lighting conditions. Areas that are dark or overexposed are processed to allow more natural transitions between highlights and shadows, while DSP acceleration lets you get more efficient shooting. 

With geometric precision, the arms of Mavic Air fold flush against its aerodynamic chassis. It includes magnesium alloy brackets that reinforce the seven included onboard cameras, rear vents that help to efficiently distribute heat efficiently, and a primary gimbal camera that is recessed to offer more protection.

The Mavic Air also comes in a 3D foldable design that allows you to fold it till it is as portable as a mobile phone so you can easily carry it around. It also comes with a foldable remote controller, which makes use of an impressive low-profile, ergonomic design to safely secure your smartphone and provide even more convenience. 

There are detachable control sticks stored inside the remote controller to enable a more comfortable packing when you’re on the go.

Alongside a Micro SD card slot, there are a whole 8 GB of internal storage to enable you to save all your photos and videos straight to the aircraft and export files via its USB 3.0 Type-C port. There’s an ActiveTrack feature included, which can detect up to 16 selectable subjects at the same time and lets you choose the right tracking subject. Offering a higher tracking precision and applications with a broader scenario, the ActiveTrack keeps up with targets whether they’re running, jumping, or cycling.

Most importantly, you can choose from six different available QuickShots — Rocket, Circle, Dronie, Helix, Boomerang, and Asteroid. And it only takes a tap for you to access any of these QuickShots and get the most epic selfie drone videos without having to worry about composing your shot. You’re especially going to love that there is a DJI GO 4 app you can use to instantly share your creations to your social media pages if you want.

The Mavic Air 2 is the most affordable of the DJI drones we have listed but it packs a ton into one portable drone! You can learn more about this drone or read some of the reviews on Amazon by clicking here. 

Conclusion

Whether DJI drones are overpriced or not is ultimately a matter of personal opinion. Just as many people will say that the flagship Apple or Android phones are overpriced there will always be people who will say that DJI drones are overpriced as well. 

If you want the best possible quality and a drone that is easy to use and just works how it is supposed to then DJI makes great drones for that. If you are looking to save some money and don’t need all the fancy cameras or other features then buying a cheaper model can be a great way to save some money.