CES 2019: DJI launches Smart Controller with built-in display for your drone

Don’t want to use your phone and tablet to see what’s happening with your drone? DJI just released a new Smart Controller with an ultra-bright display and all the controls you’ve come expect from a DJI controller. With the 5.5-inch display built into the controller, that’s one less thing to have to setup when you want to fly your drone. At the moment, it’s compatible with the new Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro. The Mavic 2 Enterprise series will be supported in future updates.

The Smart Controller comes with an ultra-bright display that has an output of 1000cd/m2, which is twice the brightness of standard smartphones. The display also shows flight video in Full HD resolution, making it easier and clearer to see what you’re shooting. The controller comes pre-loaded with an Android dashboard with support for DJI GO 4 and DJI Pilot applications. The DJI GO 4 app gets SkyTalk feature, which lets the pilot livestream the drone’s camera feed to social media. It promises a battery life of 2.5 hours and can operate in temperatures as cold as -4° Fahrenheit and as hot as 104° Fahrenheit. Charging time is set around two hours as well. It’s going to set you back a pretty penny though. The Smart Controller retails for US$649 and will be available in early 2019. DJI plans to release a bundle with the Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom, but we don’t know how much that’ll retail.

Source: Drone Life + Digital Trends