The Inspire 1 is a physically bigger quadcopter than the Phantom 2. It's a little more than twice as heavy, and everything about it from the chunky props and motors to the battery, the carbon fiber arms and the camera itself looks beefier and more durable than its little brothers.

With that extra physical beef comes extra power and range. At full throttle, the Inspire takes off considerably quicker than the Phantom drones, which are no slouches themselves, and at top speed it can manage 22 meters per second, or just a hair under 80 km/h (50 mph). That's a seriously quick piece of kit, and it opens up opportunities to film cars, bikes and boats in ways the Phantoms simply can't manage at their top speed of 16 meters per second (closer to 35 mph). It also feels a lot more agile in the air, changing direction a lot more suddenly. This is a machine for experienced operators.

Stability in the air is excellent – its extra size makes it noticeably more resistant to wind buffeting, and the Inspire also adds an extra layer of optical and ultrasound technology to keep it in position more accurately closer to the ground, and in situations where there's no GPS signal.