Most people fly drones for photography, since they offer the most accessible way to get aerial photos and videos. Let’s be honest, though, it’s a flying machine you can pilot remotely, so at some point, you will want to race it. And if racing drones is what you’re doing for the afternoon, Teal is the quadcopter you’d like to have in your corner.
No, it’s not quite as fast as some of the custom racing drones you’ll see people racing. However, you can’t buy those modified quadcopters off a store shelf either. With a top speed of up to 85 mph, this “world’s fastest production drone” is darn fast, bringing the kind of speed that will leave popular drones like the DJI Phantom 4 (45 mph top speed) in the dust.
The Teal won’t just slice through the air at high speeds, it can also withstand strong winds of up to 40 mph, so you can fly it even in less-than-ideal conditions. An onboard camera allows it to shoot 13 megapixel stills and 4K video at 24fps, all while streaming real-time video in 720p, although it relies strictly on electronic image stabilization to keep its video smooth. It comes with two battery options, one for 10 minutes of flight time and another for 20 minutes, although the max speeds can only be reached using the lightweight 10-minute battery.
A Nvidia Jetson TX1 powers the drone’s intelligent systems, with an accompanying SDK allowing you to customize it with your own scripts. Features include an integrated GPS, an app-based flight controller, a 4.8:1 thrust-to-weight ratio, and a maximum range of 5,000 feet using a 2.4GHz controller.
Now available for preorder, Teal is priced at $1,299.