What has two legs, four camera options, and can fly around your block annoying your neighbors for almost an hour straight?
Well, that has to be DJI’s newest flagship commercial drone of course — the DJI Matrice 350 RTK!
All joking aside, this new commercial solution from DJI is set to be one of the brand’s most killer drone options yet. Coming on the heels of the discontinuation of their Matrice 200 series, this new Matrice 350 RTK drone promises to be safer, more efficient, more adaptable, and an across-the-board upgrade to their current flagship drone options.
With an insane 55-minute flight time (weather and circumstance permitting of course) combined with four camera options, there’s certainly plenty of promise and lots of possibility coupled with this new DJI drone. Let’s check out everything we know so far.
The DJI Matrice 350 RTK
So, there’s a lot to take in with this new DJI Matrice 350 RTK drone. The big headlines are the 55-minute flight time (which we’ll explore more in-depth in a minute) and an all-new video transmission system and control experience. This Matrice 350 RTK also boats a more efficient battery system, greater payload and expansion capabilities, and overall more comprehensive safety features.
In particular, the battery life for this new drone (which DJI is indeed marketing as the new flagship of their formation) should see a significant upgrade and increase from previous options. With their new TB65 battery (which also has a 100% increase cycle count), you can recharge the battery up to 400 times. A key piece for this newly unlocked flight time promise.
A first look at the DJI Matrice 350 RTKCredit: DJI
55-Minute Maximum Flight Time
Before we get into the camera options and the rest of the specs though, let’s take a look at this 55-minute maximum flight time being teased in the promos for this new Matrice 350 RTK drone. “Maximum” is of course the keyword here. The flight time for this drone (as with any drone) will have to do with payload and weather conditions — among other elements.
The DJI Matrice 350 RTK has a 2.7 kilogram (roughly six pounds) payload capacity. The brand hasn’t mentioned which camera system this is ideally designed for, but they do plan to allow different interchangeable options depending on what you might want for your projects.
All that being said, 55 minutes of true fly-time is the absolute max. DJI itself admits that the Matrice 350 RTK can fly at about 8 m/s without payloads in a perfectly still environment, but to do the math on how long your drone should stay in the air with different levels of battery life, weight and wind would require advanced math degrees which I’ve never even heard of.
Camera and Payload Options
For the four camera options accepted by the Matrice 350 RTK, you’ll be able to choose between the Zenmuse H20, the H20N, the P1, and the L1 camera systems. However, the Zenmuse H20 appears to be the principal camera system designed for the 350 RTK as it’s the one that appears in the majority of the promotional materials.
With this Zenmuse H20, you’ll get a system that features a zoom, wide and thermal camera, as well as a laser rangefinder capable of some nifty advanced intelligent algorithms for guiding your camera in the air. You can also of course rig up the Matrice 350 RTK with any number of third-party payload options like speakers, sensors, or other camera systems if you’re willing to get creative (and risky).
It’s also worth mentioning that the Matrice 350 RTK comes with a DJI RC Plus remote which includes a seven-inch screen and Dual Operate Mode options which should be pretty handy for controlling your drone in any number of shooting situations.
The Matrice 350 RTK can fly for nearly an hour straightCredit: DJI
Pricing and Availability
So, we have good news and bad news so far for the pricing and availability of this new DJI Matrice 350 RTK drone.
Firstly, we can report that the drone is set to be available to purchase on DJI’s website here.
However, we don’t actually have a price to report just yet. Once those numbers come in though we can let you know our full thoughts on who this new flagship commercial drone might be for and how much it might be worth your investment.
Let us know your thoughts on this newest drone from DJI in the comments!
