Xiaomi Releases Affordable Yet Competitive Drone: Specs, Features And Price

Chinese electronics company Xiaomi has finally revealed its own drone, a cheaper alternative than other similar projects in the market. Despite its affordable price, the company promises to give serious competition to other drone developers.

TechCrunch said Xiaomi collaborated with another Chinese-based company, Flymi, to come up with the drone. Dubbed as the Mi Drone, this affordable yet powerful device costs only $380 for the entry-level variant (1080P camera) while the advanced version (4K camera) is pegged at $450.

It was noted that this is another offering from Xiaomi which aims to provide customers with high-quality gadgets for a price that it is lower than its competitors. TechCrunch said that market-leading DJI drones are currently sold at $800.

According to BBC, the new drone can fly for about 30 minutes and users also have the choice of adding stabilized cameras on the drone. This gives Xiaomi another shot at meeting their sales target after they did not reach the numbers they previously wanted for their products.

Here's a look at #MiDrone, our 4K UHD drone with 3-axis gimbal stabilization. Isn't it gorgeous? pic.twitter.com/AuVpgKSSNP

— Mi (@xiaomi) May 25, 2016

Engadget's editor Richard Lai mentioned in the BBC report that the features of the Mi Dome is almost similar to the Phantom 3 of DJI. "They can both be made to return home and circle around a point of interest - but Xiaomi's product is so competitively priced you have to wonder if it can make much profit," Lai added.

He also noted that this product will appeal to people who are just beginning to use drones. Lai, however, said the company might need more time to encourage long-time drone users to shift to their product.

TechCrunch added that some of the great features of the product includes a powerful 5,1000 mAh battery and a flying range of 3 kilometers. It also comes with a remote which can be attached to smartphone for live video viewing.