DJI has announced a new controller for its drones at CES 2019. The DJI Smart Controller costs $650 however it has its own display, so you could view which your drone sees in true time instead of using your cameraphone.
The DJI Smart Controller has a 5.5-inch 1080p ultra-bright screen. DJI says it has a brightness of 1000 cd/m? which is approximately twice that of your average smartphone/tablet.
The controller has OcuSync 2.0 and is only compatible with DJI drones what support it these types of as the Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic 2 Pro, and Mavic 2 Enterprise. At the moment, the controller will only work with Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom. Support for other drones will arrive in the future.
With OcuSync, video transmission automatically switches between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz to reduce interference and moreover assure long-range transmission is reliable.
The smart controller connects to your drone once it is powered on. It runs a customized variant of Android with programs for sharing and editing. The new DJI Go Share app included with it makes it easy to share photos and videos from the controller to your cameraphone. You can also install third-party programs if you wish.
The controller has a microphone and a speaker in case you want to do a livestream. There is also an HDMI port for playback on a larger display at 4K 60fps. Built-in memory is just 16GB, so a MicroSD card (128GB max./UHS-1 Speed Grade 3) is necessary.
The DJI Smart Controller has a 5,000mAh battery with support for fast charging. DJI says it need to fully charge in just 2 hrs using a 12V/2A adapter and last up to 2.5 hours. The drone could Additionally work at temperatures between -20°C and 40°C.
The drone is offered at $650/650EUR and could be purchased on the formal DJI site.