Not too long ago, Xiaomi teased that it’s about to get into the increasingly popular drone market. Well, the company has officially unveiled its first-ever drone today, the aptly named Mi Drone. With extremely competitive price tags and features, the Mi Drone is a compelling product.
There are two models of the Xiaomi Mi Drone: a more affordable 1080p model, and a slightly more expensive 4K variant. Both models are equipped with a “highly sensitive three-axis gimbal that stabilises up to 2,000 vibrations per second,” said Xiaomi. Other than that, the Mi Drone also has a modular design (the camera module and its rotors can be removed), foldable landing gear, as well as a 5,100mAh battery – it can provide up to 27 minutes of flight time.
To appeal to those who have not much experience with drones, the Mi Drone has a slew of useful features. For one, this drone can automatically take off, land, and return. On top of that, the Mi Drone can also return to its owner automatically if it is low on battery; even if it crashes, Xiaomi said the drone has “real-time location tracking,” which should help in retrieval.
Xiaomi is well-known for its very competitive – and generally disruptive – pricing strategy; the same still applies to the Mi Drone. Retailing at only 2,499 Chinese yuan (about RM1,560) for the 1080p model, this is an excellent entry point for those who are looking to get their very first drone. The higher-end 4K model, on the other hand, retails at 2,999 yuan (approximately RM1,875).
According to Xiaomi, the 1080p Mi Drone will be crowdfunded on the company’s “Mi Home” app on the 26th of May, while the 4K model will only be available for testing through an open beta programme in late July. Naturally, it remains to be seen if the Mi Drone will ever be available in Malaysia.
