There was a time when drones took pretty shaky videos. We fixed that. There was a time when they had to be piloted every step of the way. We fixed that. Now, the biggest problem facing drones is the size. DJI is looking to fix that with the Mavic Pro.
A foldable drone, it collapses into a package just slightly bigger than the water bottles you see people carrying at the gym, giving it a significantly compact size. Even better, it does that while bringing serious flight and video capabilities that can rival those found on backpack-sized drones.
The DJI Mavic Pro comes with an integrated 12 megapixel camera and a three-axis gimbal, allowing it to shoot stabilized 4K videos at 30 fps. With four vision cameras, GPS/GLONASS, two ultrasonic range finders, and redundant sensors, it can navigate flight paths and avoid obstacles all on its own, all while flying at top speeds of up to 22 mph (it can bump that up to 40 mph in Sport Mode).
It has a dedicated 2.4GHz controller sized to fit inside your back pocket, with an integrated 1080p touchscreen display (so you can put the phone away) and a 4.3-mile transmission range. Battery is rated at 27 minutes of flight, so you can get plenty of footage before reeling it back in to make a swap, with the remaining time easily available from the companion app.
Available now, the DJI Mavic Pro is priced at $999.