DJI, a Chinese manufacturer known for its Phantom model of drones, has recently revealed its latest drone: the Mavic Pro. At half the price of its flagship Phantom drone (which clocks in at $1400), the new drone can allegedly fold up to the size of a water bottle, making transport worlds easier.
The Mavic Pro has been designed by DJI to be much slimmer, coming in at 1.65 pounds, but does not forgo any of the features the Phantom did. The new DJI drone will come with a 4K 12-megapixel camera, livestreaming support, a three-axis gimbal and gesture control.
Due to begin shipment on October 15, the Mavic Pro will be available in two versions with varying prices. The basic model will be $749 while the deluxe model is $999, and comes with a controller. The basic version of the Mavic Pro will need to be controlled via an app on phones.
While the Phantom 4 has a better camera, as well a more affordable price tag, the Mavic Pro is still an attractive option for amateurs.
The announcement of the Mavic Pro comes only one week after the well-known tech company GoPro announced its own lightweight drone with folding function. GoPro’s Karma ($800) is set to be a friendly option for amateurs, though it doesn’t come with a camera in the box.
The most innovative feature of the Mavic Pro, however, is its gesture control. Waving your hands in certain directions will cause the drone to follow, and can capture pictures when your hands form a rectangular shape. It certainly is something new to the drone industry.
DJI designed the Mavic Pro to be able to fly at 40mph, which is almost as fast as the Phantom 4 drone, which can reach speeds up to 45mph.
DJI and GoPro seem to be consistently trying to outdo one another in product options and pricing and, for now, GoPro is playing the catch-up game with their stocks having drastically slumped in recent months. One thing is for sure: this competition leads to only good things for consumers.
Featured Image via DJI
