Yuneec recently launched a new model in their Typhoon series, the Typhoon H. Retailing for $1299, it costs about two times as much as the Typhoon Q500 4K.
We first saw the Typhoon H at the 2016 CES where their demonstration of the new obstacle avoidance feature was really amazing, as I’m sure everyone who saw it will agree. But, few know that this demonstration was not done by Yuneec themselves, but by a company called Ascending Technologies, owned by Intel. Before the demonstration, they installed a motion capture system called VICON in the obstacle course, and mounted light reflecting balls on the biker’s helmet and on the aircraft itself. Then, pre-mounted infrared cameras analyzed the balls’ location and speed, and that way the VICON system helped the Typhoon H to react to the biker’s motion.
Three months after CES and Yuneec still hadn’t officially released or started to sell the Typhoon H with Intel’s RealSense technology. The reason was probably that the technology was still under development with no clear date when it would be complete. I’ve heard from a number of reliable sources that the distance detection and obstacle sensing performance of RealSense is rather disappointing in direct sunlight, which may be why people on the internet have speculated on why the Typhoon H’s outdoor obstacle avoidance videos are shot in cloudy weather. Today, we can only find the ultrasonic version of the Typhoon H on Yuneec’s English website, where it is sold for $1299.
The Typhoon series was launched in 2015, first with the Q500+ and then the Q500 4K, and now finally the Typhoon H. The Q500+ is equipped with a camera that captures 1080p video, a Wi-Fi video transmission system, and an Android-powered touchscreen, but was superceded by the DJI Phantom 3 series soon after launch, in April of the same year. To fight back, Yuneec then released the Q500 4K, priced at $899.
For drones targeted at aerial photography, the flight experience and shooting performance are determined by video transmission range, video smoothness and quality, both of which are areas where DJI’s HD video downlink excels. The DJI Phantom 3 4K was launched soon after the Typhoon Q500 4K, at a price that was $100 lower. It too had a Wi-Fi based transmission system, a 4K camera, but a smaller size and a live view feature for mobile phones connected to the remote controller. Within its app, it’s also possible to edit videos and instantly share videos to social media. All of this is why the Phantom 3 4K has been the strongest competitor to the Q500 4K.
In regard to industrial design and other specifications, the Typhoon H is no different from the Q500 4K with the exception of having a 360° rotatable gimbal, six foldable airframe arms and a front ultrasonic module. Both are equipped with CGO3 gimbals, Wi-Fi video transmission systems and Android touchscreen displays, though the Q500 4K also includes a handheld gimbal.
The question, then, is why the Typhoon H is $400 more expensive than the Q500 4K When it comes to hardware, the Typhoon H has the six foldable arms and the ultrasonic module, but the 360° rotatable gimbal is not as significant to a single operator as the camera can move with the aircraft. From the aspect of flight safety and easy of transportation, a hexacopter design is not more reliable than a quadcopter because reliability depends on flight controller, batteries, sensors, etc. A hexacopter consumers more power and this aircraft is large even when its arms are folded, so it’s not that great for transportation. The front ultrasonic module above the camera can sense obstacles, but it makes no sense to detect obstacles if it cannot keep track of them. So in regards to photography, flight experience and safety, and transportation, the two products are not much different.
To me, the Typhoon H and Q500 4K occupy the same position in the market but the pricing seems to contradict this. The Typhoon H has the same design and user experience as the other products in the Typhoon series, but when it comes to functionality, the DJI Phantom 3 4K i·s more powerful, flies better and has better photography, editing, and sharing features that make it a better choice for new pilots.
