We’ve all come to know Yuneec as the company that rocks the hexacopter drones. Their line of Typhoon drones have been an icon in the consumer market, and their efforts in the commercial space shouldn’t go unnoticed either.
They may have carved a niche for themselves, but that isn’t stopping them from trying other things. It’s August of 2018 and Yuneec is launching the new Mantis Q. This is a folding quadcopter with a focus on ease of use and portability.
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Overview of the Mantis Q
The new Yuneec Mantis Q is the sort of drone we’ve been seeing a lot of lately. This is exciting, we love to see options and innovation. What you’ll find is a compact, folding quadcopter with 4K camera, great flight time and a handful of assisted flight modes to get the most out of the drone.
Yes, I know this sounds like the DJI Mavic Pro and the DJI Mavic Air, like the Autel Robotics Evo and the GDU O2. Heck, the Mantis Q even has strong visual similarities to the Mavic Pro, but again, we see that as a positive thing. The DJI Mavic Pro was our favorite drone for a long, long time, we are happy to find similar machines on the market.
The Mantis Q folds into a 6.6 x 3.8 x 2.2 inch package that weighs just 1 pound. The folding remote control appears nearly the same overall size as well, before you attach your smartphone.
The camera hangs on the front with a simple gimbal system. We know that the gimbal offers 20 degrees of upward tilt and 90 degrees downward, we know that at 1080p video capture there is electronic image stabilization (EIS), but we’re still looking to find out what level of stabilization the gimbal offers, and if it twists and turns in addition to tilting up and down. For the discerning DJI fan, this sounds just like the camera on the DJI Spark, but with 4K video recording.
We must admit that we were surprised to hear the next two specifications, Yuneec has managed to tweak up to 33 minutes of flight time out of the Mantis Q. So it must be a slow machine, right? Wrong, the Mantis Q can scoot along at over 44 mph. A testament to Yuneec’s standing as a world leader in electric aviation.
Obstacle avoidance sensors include multiple sonar sensors to enable safe indoor and outdoor flight. Combine these sensors with the front camera to enable face and hand gesture detection. That’s right, the Mantis Q offers fun gesture controls as well from up to 13 feet away.
Of course, you’ll find familiar modes like Orbit Me, Point of Interest, Follow Me and others as well.
Voice control
You know what would be cool? A voice operated drone! Yuneec has got you covered with the Mantis Q. The commands we are seeing so far are very convenient. “Wake up”, “Take off”, “Take a picture” and “Return to home” can all but fly your drone. You can take selfies and record videos as well.
All of these functions are available with the remote or through the mobile application on your connected smartphone. The idea is simple, if your hands are currently flying the drone, you can keep them on the sticks and still get that perfect shot.
This may prove a novelty to some, but we give Yuneec full credit for launching a feature that isn’t available on any top consumer drones we’ve seen so far.
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Price and availability
The Yuneec Mantis Q is available for pre-order now, that’s August 14, 2018. You’ll be able to purchase the drone alone with all the basics or you can buy what Yuneec is calling the X-Pack. The pack includes additional batteries, a carrying bag and more.
Order the Yuneec Mantis Q now for $499.99, it will ship to you “Early September.”
The Yuneec Mantis Q X-Pack will be available later this year for $649.99.
Stay tuned for more coverage, we should be getting our hands on the new Yuneec Mantis Q at the beginning of September at InterDrone, if not sooner. We’ll be sure to give it a fair shake and let you know how it goes.
What do you think so far of the new Yuneec Mantis Q – is this the perfect alternative to the Spark, or is it ready to replace your Mavic Pro?
What’s next?
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