Which is The Best DJI Remote? (RCN1 vs. RC vs. RC Pro)
So right now, DJI currently has 3 remote controller options that are compatible with all of the current drones that make up their line up.
That means if you own the Mini 3 Pro, the Air 2S, the Mavic 3 Classic, Mavic 3 Standard, or the Mavic 3 Cine, you will have the choice of DJI’s RCN1, the DJI RC, or the DJI RC Pro. All of these remotes deliver different flight experiences and are offered at different price points so, lets talk about their pros and cons to help you decide which you should buy.
So it’s really cool to see that DJI has adopted this “universal remote controller” philosophy letting you chose which remote you want to use and even allowing you to save money and use your old remote with newer drones. Like if you wanted to, you could buy the Mini 3 Pro or the Mavic 3 Classic with just the drone and use the remote that you already own which is pretty cool.
On top of this offering though, there are different bundles with different versions of remote controllers so for those of you trying to figure out which bundle of drone is right for you, or maybe if you want to upgrade remotes, let’s now jump into a comparison of these controllers.
Price
Now the price point is a little bit hard to pin because of all of the different bundles with different drones but just to go off of what they are sold for on their own - the RCN1 is $160, the DJI RC is $309, and the RC Pro is a whopping $1,200. Spending that much money to get a controller with a built in screen was a really tough sell as the remote itself was worth more than some of the drones so I’m really happy that DJI has come out with this mid tier offering in the DJI RC - but as we start going through some of the comparisons you’ll start to understand why the RC Pro is such a premium offering.
DJI RCN1 - $160
DJI RC - $309
DJI RC Pro - $1,199
Build & Comfort
Now all of these remotes offer the same general experience with removable sticks, your typical power, return to home, and pause button, a flight mode switch, a record and shutter button, and of course a wheel on the backside to control the pitch of the gimbal so that you can look up and down. Each controller introduces a better experience with more functionality as we go up the ladder which should be pretty evident.
Taking a closer look - the RCN1 here uses your own device as a screen to fly your drone so this clamp pops up to accommodate most larger phones. If you wanted to use a tablet, you could find some sort of extension but that would make this remote really top heavy. On that topside of the remote we have our combined shutter and record button as well as a single wheel to control your camera and gimbals pitch. The top clamp part by the way is the antenna so you don’t have to worry about extending it before flying, it’s always out in the right position.
The bottom of the remote is where the sticks are stored and where you’ll charge up the remote through a USB C port. This can also be used to plug into your computer to update the firmware via the assistant app.
Now the front of the remote is where all of our buttons are located so the function button, return to home & pause, the flight mode switch, the power button, and a button to switch between the photo and video shooting mode. There also is a set of LED’s that show the level of battery remaining in your remote.
Overall, the build of this remote is great. We have been using this same very controller since the Mavic Air 2 days and it’s offered a reliable flying experience. The sticks are smooth, the overall form factor is comfortable in your hands, and it’s super portable. You can just throw this in your bag and go… but… when we step things up to the DJI RC here, we begin to see some massive improvements to the overall usability.
The first of which is the 700 nit, 5.5 inch, 1080p panel which eliminates the need to use your phone. This means that you have a fully integrated experience that ultimately makes set up easier, cuts out the annoyance of getting a flight interrupted by notifications, and means that you can save the battery on your phone. You don’t have to drain it by using it as a screen when flying.
Quick side note, I’ve mentioned this in previous videos, my iPhone overheats within seconds of taking it out on a hot summers day and the first thing that the phone does to try and combat this is kill the screen brightness.
This is the iPhones biggest flaw when flying a drone and has basically forced me to only use remotes with a built in screen. I actually went as far as getting a Samsung Fold as a second phone JUST to use when flying becuase it can maintain its peak brightness just fine.
Anyway, the screen is obviously the most notable upgrade over the RCN1 but the DJI RC has some other tricks up its sleeve to further improve the flight experience.
For example, there is a second wheel on the topside of the remote so that you can adjust camera settings on the fly without having to take your grip off of the controller. This also allows you to zoom smoothly with the digital zoom that these drones offer rather than using the touch screen controls. Staying on the topside here, the shutter and record button have been separated into two different buttons with the shutter button now having a half press option to focus your image. The RCN1 didn’t have this half press, it was just a single press down to capture.
You’ll also notice a lack of antennas on this remote which give it a nice clean design. They are not built into the top but this isn’t all good - I’ll explain more when we discuss range.
While serving a similar function - the DJI RC now has two custom buttons on the back where as the RCN1 had a single function button that you could program with 2 different actions through a single or double press. The two custom buttons on the back feel a lot more fluid though, you can just use your back fingers to press them instead of taking your thumb off the left stick to access that function button.
The final major hardware difference comes on the bottom of the controller where there is a set of lanyard mounts and a micro SD card slot for saving screen recordings from the built in screen.
So overall the experience of using the DJI RC definitely makes it worth the upgrade - but my favorite thing about this remote isn’t any of those small hardware upgrades - it’s actually the feel in the hands. This thing is so lightweight, the rubber grips make it easy to hold onto, and the design of the back just make it so comfortable to hold. My one gripe though is that it feels a little cheapy like here, listen to this. It creaks if you flex it. This however is not the case with the RC Pro which is by far the most premium and well built remote I have used.
Much of the upgrades introduced in the DJI RC are available here in the RC Pro which makes these remotes very similar, but with that pro branding, this top end remote offers an enhanced flight experience that makes it hard to want to use anything else.
The general design is very similar to the RC with the separate shutter and record buttons on the topside as well as two dial wheels for camera, zoom, and exposure control. On the back we have those same custom buttons and a spot to store the sticks for traveling. On the front, the built in screen is here, the same spread of buttons is here, and on the bottom we have our USB C port for charging and Micro SD card slot for storing data or viewing files, but all of these areas have been slightly upgraded to improve usability.
For example, down here at the bottom is a mini HDMI port for displaying to a larger screen, we have extra buttons on the front like this 5D custom button giving us 5 more custom actions to choose from while flying as well as a back and menu button for navigating the android operating system.
The screen however is the biggest upgrade with a brighter, 1000 nit, 5.5 inch, 1080p panel. You also have the ability to access the entire Android operating system on here so you can side load applications, you can pull up your gallery, manage your files, and much more. On the smaller DJI RC - even though it runs Android as well, it doesn’t give you the ability to access other apps. The remote just boots right into DJI Fly.
Two more hardware differences that are important to mention about the RC pro is the 32gb of internal storage for storing files and the quad antenna system where as the DJI RC only has 2 antennas. This makes a big difference as we will get into here in a moment.
The general build is really the highlight here with the RC Pro, though. This is by far the most well constructed remote I have used. It’s comfortable, the weight is evenly distributed throughout so it’s not annoying to hold, and the sticks are super precise. I overall feel like I have a leg up when flying with this remote.
Range
This however is not the only reason why I feel like I have a leg up - the other reason is the quad antenna system which simply makes this controller the best way to connect to any of DJI’s current drones. It gives you more range and an overall better connection at any distance.
All operate on O3
RC least range
Remember when I said the antennas were built in?
Best range and overall signal on RC Pro 4 antennas
Can depend on drone too
RC Pro Unique Features
So I think up to this point you have a general understanding of what makes all of these remotes different but, I haven’t had the chance to go over all of the specific unique features that makes the RC Pro even more powerful.
WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1
Offline maps
Full android control
Further button customization
So in closing, I know this won’t help anyone make a decision, but any of these controllers are going to give you an awesome flight experience. Even though it’s the cheapest, I’d argue that going with the RCN1 is better for the person that wants to have a small remote to throw into a bag without worrying about the screen. Using phone will always make sure you are connected to the Internet too for updates, loading maps, etc. The RC on the other hand gives you a lot of the power of the RC Pro in a much more affordable package that is also smaller. It also has a longer run time at 4 hours compared to the RC Pro’s 3 hours. The RC Pro though is an all around beast and is my choice, but, each of these remotes have their own purpose and hopefully this video helped you determine which is right for you.
