DJI’s new Mavic Pro drone is extremely portable without losing any of the high-end technology featured on its predecessors. It will compete with GoPro’s Karma drone, a project that began with DJI’s collaboration.
Unveiled by the Chinese drone company today, the Mavic Pro comes a week after GoPro presented its long-delayed Karma. DJI controls 70% of the civilian drone industry, while Karma is GoPro’s first consumer drone.
GoPro started the Karma project together with DJI. The American action camera company teamed up with drone-specialists DJI to produce GoPro-branded quadcopters. However, the collaboration fell apart in 2015. Reportedly, GoPro demanded two-thirds of the potential profits.
DJI refused, and GoPro took full control of the development process from then on. DJI went on to produce a quadcopter of its own. Now that both drones are out of the shadows, DJI’s Mavic Pro could show GoPro that karma is real.
Mavic Pro specs and capabilities
The small yet powerful drone features 24 high-performance computing cores, a brand new transmission system with a 4.3 miles range, four vision sensors, and a 4K camera stabilized by a 3-axis mechanical gimbal.
DJI’s Mavic Pro focuses on portability. Its arms and propellers fold alongside its body for easy transportation just like stepbrother Karma. Once folded, the Mavic Profits fits in the palm of the hand as well as in a backpack or purse.
Additionally, the Mavic Pro’s controller is smaller and owners can use it with or without a smartphone to display live video from the aircraft. Gesture Mode also enables control of the drone without the controller, allowing pilots to take selfies using hand signals.
The Mavic Pro is larger than predecessor Phantom 4, has superior tracking capabilities, and comes with Terrain Mode and Tripod Mode, not found on DJI’s previous drones. On the downside, it can stay airborne for 27 minutes on a single charge, a minute shorter than the Phantom 4.
Mavic Pro release date, price, and Karma comparison
However, the Mavic Pro’s flight time is seven minutes longer than that of the Karma. Plus, its ability to sense and avoid obstacles is something the GoPro drone can’t do yet. On top of that, the Mavic Pro is also cheaper than the Karma. The latter will launch on October 23 for $799.99.
Meanwhile, the Mavic Pro will ship on October 15, and DJI will sell it for $749. If consumers want the controller as well, they are looking at a $999 deal. A combination package is also available for $1,299. It includes the drone, two extra batteries, extra propellers, a charging hub, an adapter, and a shoulder bag.
Source: TIME