Chinese mobile phone giant Xiaomi is set to launch a new 4K drone tomorrow. Little is known at this stage, but VP Hugo Barra posted a teaser photo on Twitter earlier today. A blogger called Sami Luo, who seems to have good links with the company, also posted the short teaser video above and some additional info on his YouTube account.
Xiaomi is launching something tomorrow that's super fly. ? pic.twitter.com/4DszGVdZWn
— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) May 24, 2016
According to Luo, his sources tell him that the most expensive model will cost 3999 Chinese Yuan (about $611 US). This would place the Xiaomi drone at a lower price than the popular DJI Phantom 4. Of course, we don’t know anything about the specifications or smart features yet.
Mi Drone takes flight tom. and I'm going to show you all you need to know about it on FB live, 9:30PM IST/9AM PST pic.twitter.com/MMzl4ryjas
— Hugo Barra (@hbarra) May 24, 2016
There are plenty of other inexpensive drones about these days; what makes this one significant is that Xiaomi is a consumer giant in China. It sold about 70 million smartphones last year and has built up its own loyal fanbase by making products which are desirable as well as cheap, selling to people who might not have contemplated anything other than an iPhone or Samsung before. Xiaomi’s GoPro competitor – the Yi action cam – has sold well in Asia and it is clearly looking to get a slice of the drone pie too. This much competition can only be good news for users, driving prices down as well as ensuring more choice.
