Once again...which iPad?

[ratephi]

I know that there's a number of threads on this same topic but despite reading all of them, I still struggle to come to a solid conclusion on the iPad which I should buy for my I1 controller.

I'm oriented towards the mini but I'm unsure whether or not I could live with the 16Gb version (which is a lot cheaper than the 64Gb) and if I could do with the Wi-fi only or if it's worth investing on the Wifi+4G.

Lastly, is there any specific reason why you would suggest buying the new mini 4 as opposed to the 3 version?


Many thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Scotflieger]

I know that there's a number of threads on this same topic but despite reading all of them, I still struggle to come to a solid conclusion on the iPad which I should buy for my I1 controller.

I'm oriented towards the mini but I'm unsure whether or not I could live with the 16Gb version (which is a lot cheaper than the 64Gb) and if I could do with the Wi-fi only or if it's worth investing on the Wifi+4G.

Lastly, is there any specific reason why you would suggest buying the new mini 4 as opposed to the 3 version?

Many thanks in advance for your input.

You will find that the iPad Mini 3 has been withdrawn. It offered no improvement over the Mini 2 which is still on sale alongside the new Mini 4. The fast processor of the Mini 4 would offer you similar performance as the Air 2. The SIM iPad offers you an built-in GPS receiver missing from the wifi-only versions. This improves the positional accuracy of the RC/iPad combination, useful if you intend to use Autopilot Logic's Follow Me functionality (not recommended) and for setting the Dynamic Home Point. You do not necessary need to use a SIM or data package unless you want to stream video. The 16G iPad is more than enough for Inspire 1 operations (such as caching maps).

Therefore, your best option is a iPad Mini 4, 16G, SIM + wifi.

 

[The Editor]

Agree with above unless you want more screen real estate in which case I would opt for the iPad Air 2. Although the faster processor gives no real improvement the anti glare screen does!
No need to go for the Trillion Petabyte version with AI and cerebral cortex interface ...... The 16gig non cellular is more than enough.

 

[ratephi]

Thank you both! Does the anti-glare come with the Air only?

 

[Scotflieger]

Thank you both! Does the anti-glare come with the Air only?

I read that the new Mini 4 has an improved anti-glare coating already the Air 2 is not bad.

 

[The Editor]

Thank you both! Does the anti-glare come with the Air only?

The Air2 but not the Air.

 

[SultanGris]

Its usually not a good idea to skimp on features/storage when it comes to technology as things change so fast that the lower spec stuff is outdated when you buy it and will outlive its usefulness much faster than top of the line features/storage devices but youre basically already doing that by picking apple over android. Not trying to convince you to go android by any means, apple seems to work great for the inspire for most people and dji pretty well botched the android app repeatedly since release and still doesnt offer all the features of the apple app for some reason, just speaking generally here.

16gig is near worthless these days, especially on an apple without the ability to add more space later like you can with android tablets. One 1080P movie is gonna run about 5 GB in size for example, doesnt take long to eat 16g. However if all you plan on using it for is to fly the inspire it really shouldnt matter. You can always use your phone for a hotspot and make the wifi only version work and you shouldnt need storage space on the tablet for anything assuming you have a pc to use for the picture/videos you take, so unless you have tons of money and dont want the hassle of having to hotspot or plan to use it for more than just flying the inspire its probably safe to get wifi only version with low storage space and save a few bucks.

Screen size is personal preference, i find my samsung galaxy note 4 to be quite sufficient for my needs. Sure a 10 inch tablet would be nice but I have zero other use for a tablet and dont really wanna spent $400+ on a screen to fly, plus the added size/weight/storage concerns which may or may not be factors to you.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The iPad Air 2 is still 50% faster than the Mini 4 in all benchmark tests. If you want the best iOS hardware, to allow for future DJI GO processing challenges, get the Air 2. Agree about WiFi only, as long as you get a decent external BT GPS/Glonass device, like the Bad Elf Pro+ 2300, for any location based features, and can hot spot your cell phone for map downloads on the fly. 64 GB is a reasonable compromise on memory size. That's what I got.

 

[ratephi]

One 1080P movie is gonna run about 5 GB in size for example, doesnt take long to eat 16g. However if all you plan on using it for is to fly the inspire it really shouldnt matter. You can always use your phone for a hotspot and make the wifi only version work and you shouldnt need storage space on the tablet for anything assuming you have a pc to use for the picture/videos you take, so unless you have tons of money and dont want the hassle of having to hotspot or plan to use it for more than just flying the inspire its probably safe to get wifi only version with low storage space and save a few bucks.

This is probably what's not entirely clear to me: why do I need storage on the iPad when the videos are stored on the SD in the I1's camera? Is there an option to record video on the iPad as well?

 

[ratephi]

Agree about WiFi only, as long as you get a decent external BT GPS/Glonass device, like the Bad Elf Pro+ 2300, for any location based features, and can hot spot your cell phone for map downloads on the fly. 64 GB is a reasonable compromise on memory size. That's what I got.

The idea of the bluetooth device is definitely a good one, especially because I see that the Bad Elf can also be paired with Nikon cameras (which would be quite useful to me). In what specific scenarios is the GPS on the tablet (or through an external receiver) useful? At the moment, as far as I understand, that is the case only when the "follo me" function of Autopilot is used, am I right?

 

[GadgetGuy]

The idea of the bluetooth device is definitely a good one, especially because I see that the Bad Elf can also be paired with Nikon cameras (which would be quite useful to me). In what specific scenarios is the GPS on the tablet (or through an external receiver) useful? At the moment, as far as I understand, that is the case only when the "follo me" function of Autopilot is used, am I right?

Resetting the Home Point to the transmitter location is a big benefit, especially if you want to use Dynamic Home point, because you and the drone are both moving. You may also be required to move some distance to higher ground to maintain RC signal from your launch point, and you wouldn't want the craft going back to that original location, if you are no longer there, especially if you can no longer see it, or it is over water! Reset HP to your new location. Problem solved.

 

[GadgetGuy]

This is probably what's not entirely clear to me: why do I need storage on the iPad when the videos are stored on the SD in the I1's camera? Is there an option to record video on the iPad as well?

You don't need storage on the iPad, but if you have it, you can use it in limited circumstances. However, you can't transfer 4k videos to the iPad. Only 1080p videos, so you have to dumb your video recording down to 1080p to be able to do that, but why buy a 4K video camera to only record 1080p? 720p versions (same as the FPV stream) are automatically saved on the iPad while recording 4K to the card, up to the size of the cache you specify on the iPad, and the default is 2GB.

 

[go fast]

I use the iPad Air 2 (64 GB) Wi-Fi only and love it , I think the size is perfect since you not only use it for the FPV picture but also to navigate around the edge of the screen with the go app. Also I use it like a regular iPad when i'm not flying (posting this message with it now) and I hav'nt found the need for a hood even on a bright sunny day.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I use the IPad Air 2 and love it , I think the size is perfect since you not only use it for the picture but also to navigate around the edge of the screen with the go app. Also I use it like a regular IPad when I'm not flying.

iPad Air 2 is also the FPV hardware that DJI chose to design the Inspire 1 around, and has optimized DJI GO to run on. Anything less is a compromise!

 

[SultanGris]

This is probably what's not entirely clear to me: why do I need storage on the iPad when the videos are stored on the SD in the I1's camera? Is there an option to record video on the iPad as well?

no youre exactly right, you dont need storage on the ipad if all youre gonna use it for is flying the inspire, i was just pointing out how quick the small storage space goes if you were intending to use the tablet daily for other purposes besides the inspire.

 

[Studiowise]

As the WiFi+Cellular Air2 is £100 more than the WiFi only version, can I tether the iPad to my iPhone6 so that the Go App sees the device as having cellular / data connectivity?

 

[GadgetGuy]

As the WiFi+Cellular Air2 is £100 more than the WiFi only version, can I tether the iPad to my iPhone6 so that the Go App sees the device as having cellular / data connectivity?

Indeed you can! Since the Inspire transmitter has built in GPS, you won't need the cellular version for that either. Download your maps in the field through your iPhone 6 to the Wifi only Air 2. Thats's what I do, too!

 

[InterMurph]

The SIM iPad offers you an built-in GPS receiver missing from the wifi-only versions.

This is not correct. All iPads have GPS. The 3G/LTE versions also have an additional feature called "assisted GPS" which uses the cell network to lock in location more quickly. You can read more about it at Does the iPad have a "real GPS" in it? - iPad Pilot News.

But non-3G/LTE iPads have GPS. Including my new iPad Mini 4, which I love, and which I think is the perfect size for droning.

 

[ratephi]

Finally got a mini 4 Wifi + 3G 16Gb, should be in my mailbox in 1 or 2 days max. Will let you know what I think.. ;-)

 

[InterMurph]

I think you will enjoy it.

I am an Android guy all the way; I have owned several Android phones, and I used a pair of Nexus 7 tablets with my Inspire. But I finally got sick of the app crashes, and the even-worse tablet reboots. So I upgraded to a pair of iPad Mini 4s. I have only flown a handful of times since, but I have not had a single crash.