A message to Yuneec

[Air Pauly]

You maybe correct. You see I got my Q back before the last holiday season, and the few questions, and experiences that I had with Yuneecs CS were excellent and handled at time of call, although I've never had to send anything back. I would say that when I joined the forum there were a little over 200 members or so, however after this past holiday season it seems that everybody got a Q500+ for christmas; evident by the size the forum has grown just in the past few months. So I'm sure the CS dept. is probably slammed with trying to satisfy all of it's customers. I know that there is someone from Yuneec that monitors this sight so maybe keep voicing your frustrations about CS and it might help speed up the process. I hope everything works out for you.

with increased sales and media coverage, the customer support aspect needs to follow it otherwise they will be tarred with the DJI brush (although DJI are getting better), but we need to be mindful that these growing companies get bombarded with mail about all kinds of issues every day and the more popular they get the more they will struggle unless they make a corporate decision to really get to grips with the customer service

 

[z3roz]

The H is better already, and DJI knows it so they rush the P4 to market to get the jump on Yuneec. Simple capitalism. I watched the promo video from "tested" on youtube and I was not impressed. If Yuneec figures out how to match the video range and flight range of the DJI, then it's no contest really. Whatever though. I own both. I like Yuneec products better. To each his own.

As others have said, the collision avoidance system seems rushed and flawed. It avoids collision in only a very specific set of circumstances. Then, it just stops. Imagine riding a dirtbike with the P4 following you. Are you going to keep looking back to make sure the drone didn't stop at some point or do you just want to film your ride?

 

[Roadking]

I agree. If Yuneec figures out how to Improve the range, implement the 2 GPS systems, develop something like the Lightbridge technology, have the crash avoidance built in instead of as a $200 add-on, and price it at $400 less and make it available for delivery now instead of some unknown time in the future then it would be no contest.

 

[QuadBart]

+1

IF the "H" was supposed to compete with the Phantom 4 as the "every man's" quad/drone its going to miss the mark for the reasons you state...

I agree. If Yuneec figures out how to Improve the range, implement the 2 GPS systems, develop something like the Lightbridge technology, have the crash avoidance built in instead of as a $200 add-on, and price it at $400 less and make it available for delivery now instead of some unknown time in the future then it would be no contest.

 

[z3roz]

Has there been any word on the range for the H? The antenna layout on the Tx is different, so maybe they fixed the pitiful video range.

 

[ghtracey]

Ah, good question. I got this info from my Local Quad Specialty Hobby Shop which carries and sells DJI, Yuneec, Hubsan, etc. when I was inquiring about the P4 vs the "H". The owner is a knowledgeable guy and I don't see that he's trying to sell one over the other. He got his info from the Yuneec rep. So I can't verify it myself. Grain of salt then?

So, Collision Avoidance - The P4 sees an object in its path, its just going to stop. Its not going to try to figure out how to get around the object. It will stop and hover waiting for commands as to what to do. My understanding with the Yuneec, it will try to find a way to get around the object. That takes some serious "logic" processing.

Also in what I call a lateral strafing run, where the camera is focused on an object while the Quad moves to the left or the right. Lets say you are video'ing a person on a bicycle. The P4's camera and quad will be facing the cyclist while moving sideways. Its collision avoidance "eyes" are facing the cyclist and not the direction the P4 is flying. Therefore it can crash into an object. The "H" on the other hand will keep the camera on the cyclist but turn its body so its "eyes" are facing in the direction its going therefore is able to avoid or navigate around objects. This is where a 360 degree camera and retracts comes into play.

I haven't heard how well the follow me works on the "H" but there is a video out already of the P4's Activtrack. It appears you can only be moving at a walking pace and not make any sudden turns that takes you out of the camera's frame otherwise it loses you and will hover. I think you have a couple seconds to get back into frame and it will continue to track you. But don't think about using it for running or cycling or motorsports...

Now I'm not knocking one or the other. Just presenting the info I was presented with...

So much misinformation in one single post that I can't even decide where to begin correcting it. Instead I'll just recommend people do some actual research into the capabilities of both aircraft rather than basing anything on hearsay from a supposedly knowledgeable shop owner who apparently got it all wrong.

 

[ghtracey]

I think some of it is "founded", But I do state, "maybe a grain of salt".

The P4 IS in the hands of people already. And some have done reviews like this one;

Listen to what the DJI rep says regarding Collision Avoidance and what it will do. He's pretty clear that it will "Stop". He makes no comment about it trying to find a way around the object... Even the demo shows it stopping...

There is more data out there about the P4 and its capabilities. So the unknown is the "H"....

In autofly modes like tap-to-fly and active-track and return to home, the P4 will definately go around or over objects. It will stop when the pilot is the one steering it.

 

[z3roz]

There's a lot of video's out there that show it stopping, especially using active-track. I'm sure DJI will work out the bugs, but they definitely still have a handle on the market because they are able to innovate and release products faster than others. I would probably own a few if their reliability record wasn't atrocious.

 

[Roadking]

The P4 is getting good reviews overall. The only complaint from some people is distance not being as advertised but what they're getting is 3x what the typhoon H is claiming to be capable of when it's available.
Sorry to say but Yuneec missed the mark on this one.

 

[QuadBart]

At this point I think its too early to say they've missed the mark. Just like before the P4 came out there was alot of unknowns. I think thats true for the "H". I plan on getting the "H" but I don't fly too far anyways. If I can't tell orientation, just looking at the bird, its too far for me... YMMV...

The P4 is getting good reviews overall. The only complaint from some people is distance not being as advertised but what they're getting is 3x what the typhoon H is claiming to be capable of when it's available.
Sorry to say but Yuneec missed the mark on this one.

 

[Roadking]

At this point I think its too early to say they've missed the mark. Just like before the P4 came out there was alot of unknowns. I think thats true for the "H". I plan on getting the "H" but I don't fly too far anyways. If I can't tell orientation, just looking at the bird, its too far for me... YMMV...

What i meant by missed the mark is that it's still not available. Announced in January and not for sale yet. DJI announced and had the P4 for sale 2 weeks later. I assume it's because the H is still not ready for prime time.

 

[nomad33fw]

I own a G and a 4K and have to agree that DJI knocked it out of the park with the P4. I think it's features and price took Yuneec by surprise and you'll see the price on the H drop quickly.

On another note now of these posts mention what I think is DJIs biggest advantage, one that Yuneec for some unknown reason refuses to consider. DJI released an SDK and allows others to build apps for thier aircraft, if Yuneec refuses to do this in my opinion they'll never compete.

I bought my Yuneec based on the good customer service of Yunnec, but as I stated earlier in the post it hasn't really been my experience. I am still waiting, over a month now on parts from Yuneec. I also had to send one of my ST10+s in for repair. The shipping label they sent caused to to take 2 weeks to go from Fl to Ca and they sent me an email on Friday advising to expect the repair to take 3-6 weeks. I guess it could be worse and I've heard that it would be with DJI.

With all this said I think my G and 4K are great, but without an SDK are headed to obsolescence much quicker the the P3 with its light bridge, and SDK.

 

[QuadBart]

You think the price on the "H" will drop more than the stated 1299.99 USD price point prior to release or at release? I think it will over time to stay "price competitive" wth the P4 as DJI drops the price on it. But I think right now it will hold at that price-point. I don't see the need for Yuneec to drop the price any more right now as the "H" is less expensive.

Just my .02 or thoughts... on an SDK. If you are referring to apps like Litchi; based on what I've read on the DJI forums (as I have a P3A), they won't cover or warranty the birds if they find a third party software app was involved in the crash or loss of the bird even when their SDK was used (link to one example; DJI Forum|Use of third party apps and loss of warranty). So my point being is "possibly" Yuneec doesn't want to have to deal with warranties when someone uses a third party app and loses their bird or it crashes. Also possibly they could be working on one and would rather people "buy" and use their app.

I own a G and a 4K and have to agree that DJI knocked it out of the park with the P4. I think it's features and price took Yuneec by surprise and you'll see the price on the H drop quickly.

On another note now of these posts mention what I think is DJIs biggest advantage, one that Yuneec for some unknown reason refuses to consider. DJI released an SDK and allows others to build apps for thier aircraft, if Yuneec refuses to do this in my opinion they'll never compete.

I bought my Yuneec based on the good customer service of Yunnec, but as I stated earlier in the post it hasn't really been my experience. I am still waiting, over a month now on parts from Yuneec. I also had to send one of my ST10+s in for repair. The shipping label they sent caused to to take 2 weeks to go from Fl to Ca and they sent me an email on Friday advising to expect the repair to take 3-6 weeks. I guess it could be worse and I've heard that it would be with DJI.

With all this said I think my G and 4K are great, but without an SDK are headed to obsolescence much quicker the the P3 with its light bridge, and SDK.

 

[nomad33fw]

You think the price on the "H" will drop more than the stated 1299.99 USD price point prior to release or at release? I think it will over time to stay "price competitive" wth the P4 as DJI drops the price on it. But I think right now it will hold at that price-point. I don't see the need for Yuneec to drop the price any more right now as the "H" is less expensive.

Just my .02 or thoughts... on an SDK. If you are referring to apps like Litchi; based on what I've read on the DJI forums (as I have a P3A), they won't cover or warranty the birds if they find a third party software app was involved in the crash or loss of the bird even when their SDK was used (link to one example; DJI Forum|Use of third party apps and loss of warranty). So my point being is "possibly" Yuneec doesn't want to have to deal with warranties when someone uses a third party app and loses their bird or it crashes. Also possibly they could be working on one and would rather people "buy" and use their app.

I have owned a P also and miss the ability to use 3rd party apps long after any warranty was up, not like they are very long. Y has already dropped the price prior to release from the expected $1799 to $1299 basically $100 less the the P4. I think they may have to go a little more to get people to pick Y over DJI, if they actually want to take market share. That or they will start adding benefits like extra batteries etc. I guess time will tell.

As far as the SDK I have spoken to two people at Yuneec who were at the exec level, during my many calls to try and get a support response. Both said that there is no plans on Y releasing an SDK. When I asked about further app development they said there were no plans other then the camera connectivity apps that integrate with their SteadyGrip products. One said he understood that there were apps available for the DJI and 3DR products that allowed things such as waypoints, 3D mapping, but that Y still didn't plan on it. This leaves price as thier competition point, that and service(?) so at the consumer level the prices will have to widen that gap IMO.

 

[yuneec53]

I'm curious about this comment. I am not disputing it, just trying to understand. What capabilities does the Typhoon H have that the Phantom 4 does not?
I get the retractable landing gear and the 360 gimble, but what else?

Retractable gear and 360 Gimbal for me using my Quadcoper is a MAJOR advantage. Also the microphone on the Typhoon H is another MAJOR plus. Even if the audio is mostly consisting of the whirring of the Quadcopter blades IMVVVHO it will be SOOO much better than the mind numbing music put over so many Quadcopter videos.