China – Just a week after launching the new M200 Industrial Drone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, dronemaker DJI has quietly kicked another new drone out the back door; the Phantom 3 SE (above).
Currently only available in China, the Phantom 3 SE has the drone world wondering why this drone is being released at a time when the entire Phantom 3 series of drones (except for the 3S) is being dropped from production.
It could be to clear out remaining inventory with a rebranding and slightly improved machine. The Phantom 3 SE is expected to retail around US$430, or 3000 RMB.
With the existing Phantom 3S (left) as DJI’s only remaining entry-level/beginner drone priced at $499 it only shoots as high as 2.7K, while the “new” Phantom 3 SE shoots in 4k. Put another way, the Phantom 3 SE is a very inexpensive 4K drone.
While the full specs of the Phantom 3 SE aren’t available, we do know that it lacks the full HD Lightbridge live view downlink to the controller.
It will only be a matter of time before a drone enthusiast gets their hands on one and provides us with more info. One rumor is that this “new” drone is being floated in the Chinese market first before the rest of the world.
Time will tell, because with the ultimate discontinuance of this body style it may be a short lived retail experiment.
