DJI launches drone the size of water bottle

The GoPro Karma drone has been created to be ultra-portable, a fully foldable design fitting inside a specially-designed backpack that comes with it. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple and GoPro.

The Mavic Pro is a small compact grey quadcopter that weighs just 752g, measures 36 x 30 x 25cm when open, and is priced at £999 for the United Kingdom, $999 for the US. And you have the choice of using the controller – utilising your phone as just a monitor – or just using your phone on its own to control the Mavic Pro. Do some quick napkin math, and you’ll find that the Karma’s outer volume is about 5.3 times larger than that of the Mavic Pro. It’s called the Mavic, and you’re probably going to really, really want one. Maximum speed is 40 mph, while video streaming range is up to 4.3 miles, though that’ll obviously depend on what’s in-between you and the drone at the time.

The DJI Mavic Pro is now available for preorder directly from DJI, sporting a $999 price tag, and will start shipping on October 15. With a full charge, the Karma can fly for 20 minutes.

It should be noted that this is the range the drone is capable of flying; its new controller has a range of 4.3 miles when operated under FCC jurisdiction, and 2.5 miles when operating in compliance with CE requirements. The Mavic Pro will retail for $999, well above the cost of small, smartphone-controlled units from Yuneec and Parrot. The pricing is very competitive with the Karma.

When most people think of drones they usually imagine a big, scary, four-armed miniature helicopter.

These are Dji’s insane new Goggles that give you an immersive view of what the Mavic Pro’s camera sees.

DJI’s camera also looks to be suitably well-specified. The drone can also capture 12-megapixel images.

Its camera is stabilized by a 3-axis mechanical gimbal to ensure steady footage, and the Mavic Pro can sense obstacles up to 49 feet away to avoid collisions at up to 22mph.

DJI have put two of every sensor on board for in-flight redundancy, and the camera up front is a miniature version of that on the Phantom 4 with 4K fully stabilised vision. If you compare both base prices, the Mavic is the better deal because it includes the camera. The Hero 5 Session only shoots 10-megapixel photos, cannot shoot RAW and has no built-in Global Positioning System. And you’ll be able to buy it at your local Apple Store.

And there’s one last important point to consider: The controller. But as we’ve learned in the past, DJI products don’t always work as they should.

The optional remote control is also made with a similar folding design in which the wo top-mounted antennas flip up while the rear, meanwhile, the bottom half of the controller splits to reveal a smartphone clamp.

As far as controls go, GoPro has an advantage there as well. Learning how to fly a drone, especially DJI’s previous models, can be hard: All the mode options, grasping the intricacies of the controller for those who did not grow up with gaming or remote control cars, the anxiety that comes with flying a $1,000 piece of equipment close to trees, buildings, or bodies of water. The Mavic Pro has an optional controller, meaning you can instead operate the device from your phone. The company has also announced new DJI Goggles which will allow Mavic owners to experience flights in VR.

Still, the lack of obstacle avoidance and autofollow features is likely enough to make the Mavic a simple choice over the Karma for some. Add a Hero5 into the mix and the price goes up to $1,099. When it returns to land, the Mavic Pro will use the video and the satellite information to return within an inch of its launch location. That’s not a lot more expensive and it might be worth it for the extra features. The Mavic can fly longer and faster than the Karma.

The increased competition comes as GoPro’s shares have fallen almost 50 percent over the past year, as devices like Apple’s iPhone 7 and Snap’s Spectacles have flooded the market with more camera choices.

Furthermore, the GoPro Karma could be more versatile.