Xiaomi announced its new Mi drone a few hours ago (we gave you the heads-up on the launch yesterday). The company has a reputation for making more affordable, yet still desirable alternatives to popular electronic products. It started with phones, but has recently made action cameras and home entertainment streaming boxes. This time it has clearly decided it wants a piece of the drone market. In this case, DJI is the market leader which Xiaomi must tempt users away from with its offerings.
There will in fact be two models, a 1080P HD version with a 1km wireless video range for just 2499 Chinese Yuan (about $380 US), and a 4K version with 2km range for 2999 Yuan (about $460 US). Both drones have a detachable lightweight camera and brushless gimbal module with 3-axis stabilisation.
Both have fixed wide angle lenses and the 4K version has a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor. Details are scarce, but Chinese blogger Sami Luo has posted several videos of the drone on YouTube which we are embedding here.
The drone’s controller looks similar to others, utilising a smartphone as the viewscreen. Both drones can stream live video at 720P HD which is said to be low latency. Xiaomi claims the drone has a flight time of up to 27 minutes on a 5100 mAh battery. This is very similar to the DJI Phantom 4 which has a claimed 28 minute flying time on a single battery.
The drone will use both GPS and GLONASS for positioning and, like the newer DJI models, it will also have a sensor system under the body that allows the drone to automatically stabilise itself at low altitude. Should the drone lose signal it has an auto return-to-base function.
There will also be waypoint navigation and automatic flight modes for takeoff, landing and return to home, as well as a mode that allows it to circle a subject.
Xiaomi says a geofencing system will prevent the drone entering potentially dangerous airspace – but again there is little detail at this time.
The headline specifications look OK, but there is little detail available at the moment. In addition, reliability and safety are key with drones and as yet the Mi drone is totally unoproven. On the camera side, it isn’t clear what frame rates or bitrates it can shoot. There is also no mention of any gamma or colour controls either.
According to several news reports the drone will actually be made by a company with the catchy name of Guangzhou Feimi Electronic Technology, but marketed by Xiaomi. There will be an initial public beta period in China in July. The final release date has not been announced.
