We’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about the DJI Phantom 3 SE drone. Some say it is one of the best drones for beginners, but we can’t just take the word of gossip. In that vein, we’ve decided to craft our own review of the Phantom 3 SE drone so that we can give you it’s specifications, a list of what you get in the box, and finally the pros and cons that we found with this particular model. Sound good? Let’s get to it, then. Welcome to our DJI Phantom 3 SE drone review!
The Specifications and features
We can’t have a proper Phantom 3 SE review without specifications and features. This model looks sharp and has a number of things going for it. Here’s what you need to know about the specs and features:
- Dimensions – This unit measures at 18 x 13 x 8 and it’s package weight is 1236 grams (or around 3 pounds).
- Lightbridge technology – Allows for live-action video at a whopping range of 2.5 miles.
- 4k HD cam – If you are looking to do a little 4k cinematography on a budget or if you simply enjoy fantastic, high-definition video and photos then this might be the drone for you. This camera does 4k video at 30 frames per second with a 94 degree frame of view. As far as standard pics, you get a 12 megapixel quality. Not bad at all..
- Long flight time – A charged battery gets you a solid 25 minutes of flight time. Keep some spare batteries lying around and alternate your charges and you can spend the day with your drone. Not too shabby!
- Speed – Good speed on this model. You can fly around at 35 mile per hour.
- Homing feature – You can set a home point for the drone to go to at your command or when the battery is getting low on either your drone or it’s controller.
- Vision positioning – The vision positioning option allows you to leave the drone hovering wherever you like until ordered otherwise.
What comes in the box
When your Phantom 3 SE arrives at your house, you can expect the following items inside the package:
- Your drone (of course)
- The controller
- 4 pairs of propellers
- charger
- Charge cable
- Manuals
- 4 vibration absorbers
- Gimbal clamp
- Micro-usb cable
- 2 Anti-drop kits
- 4 Landing pads
- 16 gigabyte micro SD card
- Propeller wrench
- Stickers for your drone
Now that we know what you can expect from your delivery and from the drone itself, let’s segue into the meat of DJI Phantom 3 with 4k hdcam review. We’ll start out with the things that we liked about this unit and then we’ll let you know what we did not like so much. Are you ready? Let’s proceed!
“The feeling that you are controlling a very high end machine.”
The pros
There is a lot to like about the Phantom 3 SE. We’ve compiled a list in bullet-point format in order to give you the highlights. Here is what we liked:
- Ease of use – If you are a novice or intermediate, you will be happy to know that the controls are intuitive and not really all that complex. Experts may not like this but for the majority of us, it’s a nice feature.
- Camera ease of use – Anyone can use the camera on this drone for breathtaking shots, no matter their level of experience. This adds a lot to the fun factor and the feeling that you are controlling a very high end machine.
- The Visual Positioning System – It is nice having the ability to set your drone o hovering wherever you like. This feature works with no GPS system and no hiccups.
- Flight time – The flight time of 25 minutes is great. It really gives you a little time to explore your surroundings without having to worry all the time about your battery. Keep a spare or two and just swap them out as you go and you can spend the whole day with your Phantom.
- Control range – The DJI? Phantom 3 SE Lightbridge technology is fantastic. Being able to control your drone at a distance of 2.5 miles is a treat and you’ll have a lot of fun exploring your neighborhood or that park down the street from the comfort of your porch.
The cons
There were just a couple of items that we had some issues with or felt could use some improvement. They are as follows:
- The Phantom 4 units are quite a bit more advanced. That said, this is still a good little drone.
- If you are an advanced drone operator then there may not be a lot for you here. This is a drone that is geared more for the Novice or Intermediate level.
- There is no ‘follow-me’ feature, which is a bit disappointing, but not necessarily a deal breaker.
All in all, we really couldn’t find a lot of fault with this drone. So what is our final verdict? Should this be the next (or possibly the first) drone for you? Let’s go now to our final verdict on the Phantom 3 SE.
Final verdict
DJI’s Phantom 3 SE is a solid drone and an excellent choice for 4k cinematography on the cheap. With the ease of control of both the drone and it’s HD camera then just about anyone can take stunning pics and 94 degrees of crystal-clear video frames of view. If filming is not your thing, the fun features of this drone like it’s long running time and it’s speed will keep you entertained for a long time to come.
So, How does the DJI Phantom 3 SE compare vs the Phantom advanced model? Well, that’s a review for another time. Thank you for reading and we wish you happy droning!
