Direct Competitor To The GoPro Karma Introduced Last Week

Drone manufacturer DJI has released its Mavic drone, its smallest aircraft equipped with a 4K camera.

The Mavic follows the recent trend of drones with foldable rotors for easy transportation. The Verge reports that it follows recent introductions of the GoPro Karma and a Yuneec drone that also feature foldable rotors.

The Mavic is about half the size of the DJI Phantom 4 flagship drone, but still includes sensors on the front and bottom of the aircraft for obstacle avoidance, subject tracking, indoor stability, and autonomous landing. The camera utilized the same sensor as the Phantom 4, providing 4K video at 30 fps and full 1080p HD at 96 fps. The camera captures 12-megapixel still images with support for Adobe DNG RAW.

The Mavic Pro has a flight time of about 27 minutes and a top speed of 45 miles per hour. It can transmit live video up to 4.3 miles, and promises live streaming to YouTube, Facebook, and Periscope.

The remote is also smaller in size, with the ability to dock a smartphone to add a live camera view and access advance flight modes. The Mavic can also fly with no remote at all.

The Mavic Pro will retail at $999, or $749 if you opt to buy the aircraft without the remote.

"DJI has spent a decade making it easier for anyone to fly, and by rethinking everything about how a drone looks, we have created an entirely new type of aerial platform for anyone to explore their creativity," said Frank Wang, DJI’s CEO and founder. "Mavic Pro is a technological triumph filled with features that once again show how DJI leads the industry."

(Images from Mavic Pro introduction YouTube video)

FMI: www.dji.com