Xiaomi’s first drone starts from just $380
Xiaomi’s known for the low cost of its Android smartphones, smart TVs, and wearables, and the Mi Drone doesn’t stray from this reputation. The drone, which is actually manufactured by a company that Xiaomi invested in called Flymi, comes in two versions, one that shoots video in Full HD and costs 2499 yuan ($380) and one that records 4K and costs 2999 yuan ($457).
Even the higher-end version is significantly cheaper than drones with similar features from the market leader, Chinese company DJI. The Phantom 3 4K from DJI features a similar camera for $800. Of course, there are many other aspects that make a great drone, and Xiaomi will have to prove that its products can go rotor to rotor against DJI, but the low price is guaranteed to draw attention.
The Mi Drone features four rotors with detachable shields, a 5,100 mAh battery that should be good for 27 minutes of flying, GPS/GLONASS positioning, and an underslung camera mounted on a 3-axis stabilized gimbal.
The camera records in either 1080p or 4K and comes with a 104-degree wide-angle lens. The drone can live-stream 720p video to the remote, which can be used together with a smartphone that acts as a viewfinder. The range of the remote is two kilometers for the 4K model.
There’s a bevy of security and usability features, including GPS and visual-based guidance, several autopilot modes, auto-return home when the battery is low or when outside of range, location tracking for easy retrieval, and no-fly-zone avoidance.
The Mi Drone features a modular design with a folding landing gear and a compact carrying case.
It appears that only the cheaper, Full HD version of the Mi Drone is going on sale at this point, with the 4K model set to take off from July.
SOURCE:
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