I just saw the announcement for the DJI Matrice 4 Series. Haven’t had a chance to look into it fully or make a detailed video yet since I’m busy with the kids, but the fact that it doesn’t seem to have any weather resistance is really disappointing. One of the main reasons the M30T is so popular is because of its IP rating. What do you all think about this?
I can’t believe they didn’t make it more weather-resistant than the M3. Living in the PNW, this thing would be useless most of the year without some level of weatherproofing.
Micah said:
I can’t believe they didn’t make it more weather-resistant than the M3. Living in the PNW, this thing would be useless most of the year without some level of weatherproofing.
Totally agree. I just did a first impressions video and mentioned how the lack of an IP rating really hurts this drone. Sure, it’s got some nice upgrades in the gimbal and under the hood, but the M30T can handle downpours, and that’s a huge deal for many of us. The AI search feature looks cool, but it’s not enough to justify upgrading, especially when the price is comparable once you factor in batteries and other add-ons.
@Peyton
Same here. I use these for search and rescue in mountainous areas, and I can’t justify spending money on something I can’t rely on in bad weather. It’s odd because the promotional video heavily features SAR capabilities, so this feels like a major oversight.
Weather resistance is crucial for search and rescue, but for mapping and inspections, bad weather makes the data useless anyway. So maybe it’s not a big deal for those applications.
Devan said:
Weather resistance is crucial for search and rescue, but for mapping and inspections, bad weather makes the data useless anyway. So maybe it’s not a big deal for those applications.
Fair point. I’m definitely coming at this from an SAR perspective since that’s my primary use case.
I’m still trying to figure out this generation. I’m currently evaluating the combo of the 350 and L2 and waiting for the P2. This older-style form factor is likely to be updated within a year, which makes the M30 a better value in my opinion.
@Jules
Agreed. Without an IP rating, I’m not tempted to buy this. My wallet is safe for now.
A laser rangefinder? This drone is definitely going to show up in Ukraine.
Uma said:
A laser rangefinder? This drone is definitely going to show up in Ukraine.
The M30T already has a laser rangefinder, but this one supposedly has double the range according to DJI’s site.
It’s between this and the Autel Evo Max 4 for me. The lack of an IP rating is disappointing, but I do like the new relay feature. Still surprised DJI hasn’t developed a mesh network for their drones yet. That would make relays unnecessary.
This looks more like a way to combine the thermal and non-thermal models into one. The 4T seems to include everything plus thermal, while the 3T didn’t have enough imaging capabilities to be a daily driver.
I checked the manual for the Matrice 4T, and it says it can handle flying in fog, but you need to let the gimbal dry afterward. The M30T is great, but this is smaller and can be caught by hand, which might be more convenient.
That’s cool and all, but good luck getting one in the US.