Yuneec has announced a new addition to its lineup of consumer drones called the Mantis Q. It has a bunch of features for a $500 drone: 4K video, voice controls, and face detection, plus a top flying speed of 44 mph and 33 minutes of flight time. The Mantis Q weighs 1 pound and can be folded to fit into a backpack, making it ideal for families and casual photographers.
The drone has three automatic flight modes: “journey mode,” which flies on a straight, designated path; “point of interest,” which circles an assigned object; and “return to home,” which automatically returns the drone near its takeoff area. The Mantis Q is supposed to be able to recognize faces from up to 13 feet away and can take photos either through gesture control mode if the user waves their hand, or through a voice command like, “Take a selfie.”
Yuneec’s offered the cheaper Breeze 4K since 2016, but it costs $400, only has a flight time of 12 minutes, and doesn’t come with voice controls. The new Mantis Q is meant to compete with DJI’s consumer drones like the Spark, which costs $400 and even comes with this adorable LINE bear option. Though the Mantis Q is $100 more expensive, it makes up for the cost with a battery life that’s almost three times as long and has the advantage of voice controls.
The Mantis Q starts shipping in September and is available to preorder now.