Hiya, just wondering if it’s just me… I’ve had my DJI Phantom 4 for about 3 years now and it doesn’t seem to have dropped in value—if anything, it looks like it’s gone up a bit?
I thought since it was discontinued it would be worth less by now. Is there a reason it’s holding value? Think it’ll go up more?
Honestly, I don’t think older tech like that really holds much value long-term. Some folks might still want them since they don’t have remote ID built in, which is useful for less-than-legit reasons, but most serious flyers have moved on.
With the Mavic 4 supposedly around the corner, the Mavic 3 is gonna flood the used market soon—and that’ll probably make the P4 even less relevant.
@Nico
Gotcha! I’m a pretty serious flyer and my P4 still performs great. Bit of lag now and then but it flies solid and still shoots 4K, though it seems to like 1080 more. I might just hang onto it even if I upgrade.
@Linden
If it still works for you, no reason not to keep flying it!
I use drones for surveying mostly—still have a P4RTK in the lineup. The camera’s good, GPS is solid, but compared to the M3E or M4E it just feels old in terms of interface and workflow.
@Nico
Yeah I hear that. I do client work—videos for boats, real estate, land and such. I’m mostly flying manual anyway, barely touch the automated features. It just works for what I need.
Linden said:
@Nico
Yeah I hear that. I do client work—videos for boats, real estate, land and such. I’m mostly flying manual anyway, barely touch the automated features. It just works for what I need.
One thing to keep in mind—Phantoms don’t have a Class rating here in Europe, so technically they’re stuck in A3 which means 150m away from people and stuff. Bit limiting if you’re trying to fly commercially.
@Nico
Haha yeah I’ve flown 3 miles out and… I mean 120m up and always within visual line of sight 
Linden said:
@Nico
Haha yeah I’ve flown 3 miles out and… I mean 120m up and always within visual line of sight
One day that might bite you, especially if you’re flying for clients. The rules are strict for a reason.
@Nico
Totally get that. I was joking—I did fly far once when I first got it, but it was on a friend’s land and I didn’t know the regs. Since then I’ve kept it within limits. Usually around 1km out, maybe 1.5 if I’m filming boats and weather’s clear.
Linden said:
@Nico
Haha yeah I’ve flown 3 miles out and… I mean 120m up and always within visual line of sight
I’m based in the UK, by the way.
Curious—how are you tracking the value? Are you checking listings somewhere or using a site to track drone resale prices?
Parker said:
Curious—how are you tracking the value? Are you checking listings somewhere or using a site to track drone resale prices?
Just been checking Facebook Marketplace and comparing multiple listings. Gives a decent idea of what people are asking for.
Speaking for myself, older drones worry me more than anything. Tech gets flaky with age and once they fall, that’s usually it. I do miss my Phantom 4 Obsidian though—big and steady flyer.
Farley said:
Speaking for myself, older drones worry me more than anything. Tech gets flaky with age and once they fall, that’s usually it. I do miss my Phantom 4 Obsidian though—big and steady flyer.
That’s fair. I still have faith the Phantom will hold up for a bit longer.
@Linden
Fly it and enjoy it! I made the mistake of getting mine with the built-in screen and all the geo-fencing made it a pain. Should’ve gone with the version that uses your phone—I might still have it if I did.