On May 25, Xiaomi officially introduced its first drone.
Named Mi Drone, it could be a new rival for the DJI as Mi Drone brings features
that are quite interesting.
Physically, Mi Drone looks quite simple with four propellers
and a pair of legs at the bottom - the shape itself was inspired by a
dragonfly. Right between the legs there is a special round-shaped camera. It’s
special because this camera is powered by Sony's 12.4-megapixel sensor that's
ready to shoot in RAW format and record video in a resolution of 3840 x 2160 at
30 fps.
The camera is mounted on the 3-axis gimbal that can be
removable. According to Xiaomi, this gimbal will continue to justify its
position as much as 2,000 times per second so that the video will look smooth.
The image stabilization system is also supported by an optical flow sensor that
lies between the camera and the battery compartment on the back side.
A drone certainly would not be complete without a
controller. Its controller design also looks quite simple; a pair of antennas
is mounted above the controller, making it look like a cute rabbit. This controller
has a holder for smartphone and Mi Drone can be operated using this controller
from a distance of 2 km, while forwarding the 720p video to the smartphone from
the same distance.
Its operation is also simple, where the beginners can take
advantage of a single button to fly or land the drone. When the battery which
can last about 27 minutes is running out of power, or the connection to the
controller is lost, the drone will automatically return to its starting point.
Mi Drone is also equipped with semi-automatic flight
feature. This drone can fly automatically to the defined point, follow a
specific route, or flying around a particular object while documenting it.
Xiaomi Mi Drone will be offered at a price of only $ 460,
much cheaper than the DJI Phantom 3 4K which is priced at $ 799. However,
Xiaomi hasn't decided the release date of its drone, considering that they will
do the open beta program at the end of July.
If $ 460 is still too expensive for you, don't worry because
the Xiaomi Mi Drone will also be presented in cheaper variant, it's around $
380, that will be offered through Xiaomi's crowdfunding platform. The
difference is, this variant can only record in the maximum resolution of 1080p
60 fps, and the signal transmission distance is limited in the 1 km away.