Well that didn’t last long. The media honeymoon that followed GoPro’s long-awaited unveiling of the company’s first drone came to an abrupt halt after DJI announced its own compact UAV. The sleek and feature-rich Mavic seems likely to give DJI a leg up in what seems to be a race to move drones from under the Christmas tree and into small stockings.
Big Things in a Small Package
The DJI Mavic Pro is smaller than GoPro’s Karma and comes with many of the impressive features found on the Phantom 4, but is far more compact and portable — the unit weighs only 1.62 lbs and can be folded into an 83 x 83 x 198 mm box. The Mavic Pro comes with a 4K camera stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal, active tracking, and precision hovering.
Tap Fly
The Mavic Pro, like the Phantom 4, comes equipped with DJI obstacle avoidance and Tap Fly technology. These features work together to enable pilots to simply tap their desired destination on a screen and send the UAV flying to that spot, all while the drone avoids trees and other obstacles that might get in its way.
Return to Home
Another handy feature is the Mavic’s Return to Home function, a feature that enables pilots to bring the drone back to its starting point with nothing more than a tap and a finger swipe.
Aside from its portability, the most attractive and unique feature in the Mavic’s set might be its flexible controller options. Experienced Phantom pilots will quickly notice the significant differences in the drone controllers. The Mavic’s controller is much smaller and even allow the drone to be controlled with on-screen joysticks on the smartphone’s screen. Pilots will no longer need to carry a mobile device such as a cell phone or Ipad with them on every shoot, and finally choose whether they want to risk smartphone distractions or simply fly with the controller only. The Mavic Pro will retail for $749 by itself, or $999 with the remote controller included.
| Compare | Mavic Pro | GoPro Karma | Phantom 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight Time | 27m | 20m | 28m |
| Top Speed | 40 mph | 35 mph | 45 mph |
| Base Price | $749 | $799 (no camera) | $1199 |
| Range | 4.3 miles | .6 miles | 4-5 miles |
Pre-orders of the Mavic Pro are available as of October 5, and the stocking stuffer will officially hit the shelves on October 15.
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