Using a tablet instead of a phone

Questions & Answers
1

Hi All,
I’m new both here and to drones so please bear with me. I’m a keen photographer and want to try using a drone to further my skills. I’ve been looking around and the more I look the more confused I get. Anyway having more or less decided on the Mavic Air as I wanted the collision avoidance (being new to this) I now see the Air 2 is out so may go with that if the differences warrant it… Long winded ramble but has anyone tried to use a tablet rather than a smartphone? I ask because my phone has a small screen and wonder if in bright sunlight I could loose sight of the drone while squinting to see the phone screen. As a second question - does anyone have experience on using the goggles?

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2

I often use my IPad Air instead of my Sony Phone.
But, you really need a decent Sunshade and a Tablet holder to hold the tablet securely.
There are lots of posts on the Forum about this if you do a search.
I also use a Tripod the mount the Tablet, then I run a longer cable from the bottom USB port on the controller, to the tablet.
This is fine, providing you are static while you are flying.

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3

I would highly recommend a tablet over a phone purely because it’s easier to see.
I do use my phone if it’s a quick flight or I’m not to bothered on what I’m viewing, as that’s just easier than setting up the tablet holder.

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4

Thanks for advice - are there any holders that link the controller to the tablet or is this a stand alone thing? Sorry if I sound dim but just learning

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5

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KUUQA-Aluminum-Alloy-Foldable-Holder-Controller/dp/B071XP2MJ1/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=dji+tablet+holder&qid=1589968529&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFXR1pGMk5QU0VHWU4mZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2OTQwMDlTWjVFNDBKN080R04mZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA4OTcwMzJLWFNWNkJSQU5GWFEmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I bought this one for mine, works a treat.

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6

@Vennwood check out this thread for some tablet ideas:

Also be careful in your tablet choice if using the Mavic Mini or the Mavic Air 2 as they use the DJI Fly app - which has limited device compatibility (again, see that other thread for more details).

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7

A friend of mine used to fly out of the back of his campervan. He used to run a HDMI cable from his smart controller inside the campervan and connect it to his 32 inch tv so his wife could watch. Must say, it was a lot better than the phone screen.
:blush:

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8

I use an iPad mini 4 instead of a phone, but also have a huawei 10.1 inch to fit in a holder. Both are infinitely better than a phone for keeping on top of the data you have to manage. Holders and sun screens are cheap so well worth the investment without compromising the amount of gear you carry.

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9

I use a Huawei MediaPad T3, cheap enough brand new on eBay (£80 or less), does the job just fine.

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10

Thanks for all the info. I know this might sound thick but does these tablets have to have WIFI AND a phone connection or just Wifi. I already have a Samsung Tab A that I use solely for reading books so I guess I need to look at the other thread to see if it will work with the Mavic Air 2

11

The DJI Fly is a nightmare to find a tablet that it works on other than the iPads , I’ve just got a iPad mini 5 WiFi +cell and it runs dji fly and being WiFi +cell it has the GPS even though I don’t have a SIM card in , the WiFi only doesn’t have GPS , the android tablets are very few that will definitely will work dji fly.

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12

I also use a T3 but it seems to have very limited storage and I keep getting ‘running out of storage’. Do you have this problem?

13

I have a 64 GB card in it, so storage isn’t a problem.

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14

@PlatinumCharlie you could change the settings to lower the amount of cached video that’s stored on the device :+1:t2:

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15

Thanks. Will give it a go.

16

Hi Scottydog,
Just to be clear do I need a tablet with Wifi + cell? I’m struggling to find a list of compatible tablets for the Air 2 - I guess its too new on the market.
Thanks

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17

Hi Vennwood, There is a list on here some where , you dont really need the WiFi as the drone does its own if im correct but the GPS is needed if you want the little bit on your screen at the bottom to work the bit that shows you and your direction and the drone position and direction from you . when locking it up i dont think the drone matters its more the app used to fly it as in dji fly or dji go , but there are others on here who know much better than me but thats what i found if that helps.

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