DJI has announced a new controller for its drones at
CES 2019. The DJI Smart Controller costs US$ 650 but it has its own screen, so you
can view what your drone sees in real time instead of using your smartphone. The DJI Smart Controller has a
5.5-inch 1080p ultra-bright display. DJI says it has a brightness of 1000 cd/m²
which is approximately twice that of your average smartphone/tablet.
The controller has OcuSync 2.0 and is only
compatible with DJI drones which support it such 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 come in the future.
With OcuSync, video transmission automatically
switches between 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz to reduce interference and also ensure
long-range transmission is reliable. The smart controller connects to
your drone once it is powered on. It runs a customized version of Android with
apps for sharing and editing. The new DJI Go Share app bundled with it makes it
easy to share images and videos from the controller to your phone. You can also
install third-party apps 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 storage 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 should fully charge in just 2 hours
using a 12V/2A adapter and last up to 2.5 hours. The drone can also work at
temperatures between -20°C and 40°C.
