Smartphone maker Xiaomi announced on Thursday that its 4K Mi Drone will go on sale on March 3 for RMB 2,999 (USD 437).
In May last year, Xiaomi unveiled its first drone, the Mi Drone. The company offers two versions: a 4K drone at RMB 2,999, and the 1080p version at RMB 2,499. The Mi Drone has a lower price-to-performance ratio compared with its major competitor, DJI’s Phantom 3 4K, priced at RMB 4,999. DJI is the dominant player in the global market for drones.
The sleek, white, four-bladed drone is equipped with a camera that shoots 4K video, with a 12 megapixel camera sensor supplied by Sony. The maximum video definition can reach 3840 x 2160 resolution. The drone has anti-vibration capabilities, thanks to its three-axis holder and three-axis gyroscope.
A detachable battery allows the drone to fly for 27 minutes before recharging. The controller can attach to a smartphone for real-time image transmission.
It is worth mentioning that Xiaomi has made some improvements to the 4K drone over the past months, so the 4K drone to be on sale has better performance than what was released last May. In image transmission, Xiaomi has extended the distance from two kilometers to four kilometers. The 1080p version drone has its image transmission distance at one kilometer.
According to Statista, the global market for commercial drones is expected to grow to around USD 6.4 billion by 2020. In addition, ABI Research anticipates that 90 million consumer drones will be shipped in 2025, generating USD 4.6 billion, in contrast with the 4.9 million units that were shipped in 2014.
The 4K drone will go on sale on March 3 in both its offline stores and on a wide array of e-commerce platforms, including the company’s online store and JD.com.
(Top photo from Mi.com)