Is there a lack of competition in the market for DJI Drones?

[CaptainDrone]

Hi all,

I posted this over in the Phantom & Mavic forums, so may as well share it here. If you have been a long time fan of DJI drones, you'll note that there now seems to be a lack of competition in the drone market place to DJI drone products. Is this good or bad for the future? Here are my two cents on the subject.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

There are always new manufacturers entering the market. Yuneec does well. Competition is always a good thing for consumers but DJI is a monster so they are gonna be tough to knock off the hill. I like my DJI aircraft, but like I said competition is always a good thing.

 

[Sparkbart]

Good video. Right on the mark! I've been into drones for several years and have observed what Captain Drone has mentioned. Every time the competition comes out with something, DJI will "one up" them. The one thing I forgot about but was an excellent point was the Yuneec Typhoon H. When I was looking for a higher end drone, I didn't buy the Phantom 4 at the time as I thought the Yuneec Typhoon H was a better drone. I did wind up buying the Typhoon H and added realsense. IMO, it was a better drone than the Phantom 4 (function-wise). I only wish I didn't buy the initial release as it was buggy. I'm still contemplating buying the latest iteration of the Typhoon H....

But I do think competition is good even if the competition's drone isn't as good as what DJI is going to put out as it dictates what DJI produces and the pricepoint. $1k drones that are more capable than the 1500 USD drones of just a few years ago...

 

[NyJosh]

Agreed. Competition is an absolute must. I'm fairly sure that the Spark was as a result of DJI seeing a hole in their lineup at the entry level segment of the non-toy drone market. I certainly noticed it as a consumer. Before discovering the Spark, I was researching racing drones - not because I had any interest in racing, but because I wanted to have an FPV drone that I could record video from that I didn't have to spend minimum a grand on, since I may not like it or may crash it and a grand is an expensive way to figure out if you'll like or be good at something.

Had a competitor come up with a Spark equivalent before DJI did, it would have served as a the gateway drug to get people into a competing brand. Since DJI did a good job with the Spark and got me hooked, I'm now pondering those $1,000+ DJI drones that I had no intention of even looking at prior.

 

[Nathan Williams]

Competition is great but DJI is quickly pulling away from the pack. If they keep innovating at their current pace it will take a well financed competitor to really be able to compete or a company that is making high-end drones, say for the military, to enter the market.

With every iteration, DJI is lowering the expertise level required to fly their drones and get great pics and video. The easier they are to use the more potential buyers and eventually a lead on the competition that approaches being insurmountable.

 

[NyJosh]

Competition is great but DJI is quickly pulling away from the pack. If they keep innovating at their current pace it will take a well financed competitor to really be able to compete or a company that is making high-end drones, say for the military, to enter the market.

With every iteration, DJI is lowering the expertise level required to fly their drones and get great pics and video. The easier they are to use the more potential buyers and eventually a lead on the competition that approaches being insurmountable.

Couldn’t agree more!

 

[Moliere]

Competition is great but DJI is quickly pulling away from the pack. If they keep innovating at their current pace it will take a well financed competitor to really be able to compete or a company that is making high-end drones, say for the military, to enter the market.

With every iteration, DJI is lowering the expertise level required to fly their drones and get great pics and video. The easier they are to use the more potential buyers and eventually a lead on the competition that approaches being insurmountable.

In addition it's nearly impossible for western companies to compete with DJI's prices. GoPro left the market very quick for a reason. If there is a future competitor it will be chinese as well imho..

 

[lasorey]

I hope Xiaomi comes up with something like the Mavic air.

 

[Nathan Williams]

Either a Chinese company or a US company that follows Apple’s model ... Designed in the US but manufactured in China.

I really like DJI’s drones, but I’m also rooting for Autel to be that US competitor.

Hope that is not a sacrilegious statement to make in a DJI forum.