DJI Announced the End of Life for Several Products – Updated!
September 4, 2018Although not entirely unexpected, DJI announced the end of life for several products. What I wasn’t expecting is which devices were on that list. Instead of killing off the really old stuff that was actually replaced by newer offerings, they’ve EOLed still active models that are selling rather well today.
I don’t know if this is just to narrow their focus to select offerings or a means of pushing users to the newest releases but it appears to be one of those officially unofficial type of announcements. One that’s made on the back end and not really customer facing. The announcement was made to dealers via a memo dated August 30th, 2018 but nothing can be found on DJI’s website in regard to it at this time.
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Table of Contents
What’s on the List?
OK, so we know an EOL list came out. Here’s what’s on it:
- Phantom 4 Pro
- Phantom 4 Pro+
- Phantom 4 Pro (Obsidian Edition)
- Phantom 4 Pro+ (Obsidian Edition)
- Phantom 3 SE
- Osmo
- Osmo+
- Osmo Mobile
- Osmo Mobile Silver
- Mavic Pro
- Mavic Pro Fly More Combo
The ones that really shocked me were the Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Fly More Combo. It is still selling well today and was only released in October of 2016. It isn’t even 2 year old yet! To EOL it now seems premature. I know the Mavic Pro Platinum is still available but the price point on the Mavic Pro was perfect for those of us who didn’t care about the “noise” or slightly longer flight time.
Can I Still Get My Hands on an EOLed Device?
As of this writing, it appears that DJI is still selling some of the devices on their website. Right now I can still purchase the Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro Fly More Combo but I don’t see the Phantom 4 Pro (both versions), Phantom 4 Pro+ (both versions), Phantom 3 SE nor any of the Osmo devices on this list. It appears that you can still obtain some of these devices as a refurbished unit but not brand new. I don’t know if they are simply going to sell out of existing inventory and that’s it or what the actual plan is.
As far as other vendors, the devices seem to still be listed for sale so, until inventory runs out you should be OK.
Check out my posts, reviewing places to purchase from, here:
Dynnex Drones – A Good Place to Buy Your Next Drone? – This one has a coupon code to save $10 on your order.
DJI Drone – Should You Buy Directly From DJI? – You can’t go wrong ordering from the source.
Amazon.com – Is This the Place to Buy Your Next Drone? – Amazon really is a one-stop shop.
Should I Get One While I Can?
OK so they are EOL but they’re still good. Should I get one while I can? This boils down to several factors:
- Do you have a need for it now?
- Does the item do what you want/need?
- Are you OK with the uncertainty of EOL updates?
If you have a need for it, the model meets that need and the price is right, I say go for it. The only concern I have at this time is what updates will be released, if any, down the line. Now that the new models are out, you might find a great deal on a used device. Just make sure to test it out thoroughly, you don’t want someone else’s crashed mess.
What Does EOL Really Mean?
In the hardware world it means “We’re not making this anymore and firmware updates will be released until X.”. In the software world it means “We’re not updating, and eventually supporting, this anymore(i.e. Don’t call us).”. What it means for DJI, who knows? I’m sure the “We’re not making this anymore.” part is true for the primary hardware but, as for updating and supporting, it’s hard to say. Will they continue to make accessories (batteries, props, etc.) for the drones? Hopefully but, if not, someone else will (3rd party). I hope bug fixes will continue to be released and I truly hope they don’t remove support for these EOL drones from their app down the line.
Conclusion
If you had asked me about the possible, or should I say inevitable, EOL coming for the DJI Mavic Pro when it was first released back in in October of 2016, I would have probably said something to the effect of “All good things must come to and end.” but, now that it’s come to pass and I’m sitting here writing this “DJI announced the end of life for several products” post, I’ve found myself sad to see it come. I guess I’ve grown more attached to my Mavic than I thought.
I apologize for those of you with the other items on this list that I may not have given as much attention to. My affinity and experience is with the Mavic Pro so my writings here might be slightly skewed toward that device. I did not intend for this to be a sentimental post and I’m sure you love your device(s) as much as I do mine.
Update! – Here’s a post from Betto Cario on the Official DJI Owners Group on Facebook regarding a DJI Spark (not even on this EOL list – Edited for spelling and puctuation):
“Just had customer service at DJI tell me that my order for white Spark should be canceled that was ordered over a week ago:
DJI – We do apologize Robert, however our Spark Alpine has been discontinued/end of life. We suggest you cancel your order and try to reorder another in a different color.
What’s up with that!!!!! No email to let me know, but they took my $$ Money.
Now we are down to this.
DJI – The best thing that I can do is escalate this to our higher management Robert. Again we do apologize for the inconvenience.”
This just goes to show you when a company End Of Life’s something you really don’t know what to expect.
Share your thoughts and experiences by commenting below.
Thank you,
Scott Hinkle
MavicManiacs.com
Is it true? I was wondering how big is the impact. I’ve DJI OSMO and seriously, not been using the product so frequently. Doesn’t really work for my needs. Initially, I thought of selling it off on the marketplace. Guess now if I sell as used gadget after DJI made this announcement, the price will surely drop. Hope you can find out more on details about this announcement.
It’s true. At this time, however, the DJI OSMO is still being sold on DJI’s website so you should be good to sell it at a reasonable price. That said, if that’s your plan, I’d do it sooner rather than later. Once it’s not longer officially available I’m sure the price will fall.
Hi Scott,
My friend wants to get himself a Mavic Pro and asked me to do a bit of research. I came across you post and I am glad I did. They still sell the Mavic Pro in my country (at a discounted price), but according to your post it will be discontinued soon.
Do you think it will be a good idea to get one at the discounted price?
If not, what else can you recommend?
Thanks for a great post!
Let me be clear on this. Just because it’s being discontinued doesn’t mean it’s not a quality drone. The Mavic Pro is the drone I have and I love it. Check out my post: What is the DJI Mavic Pro – Only One of the Best Drones Ever! If you can get it at a good price, do it, you won’t regret it.
My only words of caution are, now that it’s officially End of Life, new features, bug fixes and so on may not be released for it in the near future. That said, it’s immediate successor, the Mavic Pro Platinum, has not been put on the EOL list. It’s practically the same bird with very minor updates (different motors, slight flight time increase, etc.). I have a comparison chart in my post: DJI Mavic – Which One to Choose I suspect that, since they are so similar, when patches and updates released for the Platinum edition, they will also be released for the Mavic Pro, if applicable.
If the EOL status is a deal breaker for you then I would take a good look at the DJI Mavic 2 Pro or Zoom. I lean toward the Pro personally but they are the same bird with different cameras and you’ll have an option to swap cameras if you so desire. Here’s my write up on the new DJI Mavic 2 series: The DJI Mavic 2 – The New Models Are Finally Here!
Thank you
Honestly speaking, I don’t know much about drones. But still, its kinda sad hearing about products being discontinued for production. Nevertheless, those listed EOL drones by DJL still can serve their function to those who wants them. They might want to focus on new productions with updated technologies. Good things stopped for a better ones perhaps.
Absolutely. A company can’t survive on holding onto the past. The DJI Mavic Pro was a game changer when it was released. So much power in such a tine package. New features were introduced that people fell in love with. DJI made incremental upgrades to that original model when the released the Mavic Pro Platinum and now another major stride with the release of the Mavic 2 models.
Improving on design and offering new features is what keeps a company on top. DJI has a great track record in this respect. My only “gripe” is the Mavic Pro isn’t even officially 2 years old yet and now it’s EOL. Seems a short lifespan to me.
The Mavic 2 is on my radar as a good next drone but, I love my current Mavic Pro, it still works and the features meet my needs. I’m considering waiting for the new Phantom model to come out so I can have a powerhouse model for my commercial work and keep my Mavic Pro for the portability when traveling.