Xiaomi Mi Drone officially announced; price, specifications, features, revealed

On Wednesday, Xiaomi announced its first drone called Xiaomi Mi Drone. It comes with impressive specifications and features along with an affordable price tag.

Xiaomi and Flymi, a Chinese firm, has worked together to build the Mi Drone device. The quadcopter is equipped with a removable camera comes in two models. The first model is priced at CNY 2,499 (AU$529) and it features a camera that can shoot 1080p videos. The other model carries a costlier price tag of CNY 2,999 (AU$635) and it supports 4K video shooting.

The white-colored Mi Drone sports a lightweight carbon fiber body. It is equipped with foldable landing gear and blades. The four propellers of the device come with detachable shields. Its modular design makes it easier to assemble and dismantle the drone. The camera includes a 12 MP Sony BSI sensor that is equipped with three-axis image stabilization.

The remote control of the Xiaomi Mi Drone is equipped with dual-band PCB antenna. The 1080p version can be controlled up to a distance of 1 km along with live video. The 4K variant can be controlled up to distance of 2 km with live video.

It is also equipped with plethora of features that can be accessed through a paired smartphone. Its autopilot features include automatic takeoff and landing, hovering on an object placed on ground and more. With GPS onboard, it can provide vision-based positioning. It can be easily retrieved from crashes as it supports real-time tracking of location.

Xiaomi Mi Drone can automatically return to its owner when it loses connection with the remote control or when it detects low battery. It is equipped with a 5100 mAh battery that can allow the drone to remain in air up to 27 minutes per session over an area of 3 km.

The 1080p Xiaomi Mi Done will be available through crowdfunding starting from today. Its 4K model will be available for purchase from July end. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on when it will be made available to markets outside of China.