The drone market is experiencing a new revolution in technology and design, with manufacturers developing more compact and intelligent products. Wei Yilong, an amateur photographer who set up a video studio, has praised the portability of DJI’s Mavic Pro foldable drone for aerial photography. This drone can be carried in a bag along with other equipment such as laptops, batteries, smartphones and chargers.
The launch of easy-to-carry drones has made it possible for ordinary consumers to purchase inexpensive drones for shooting images and their own entertainment. DJI Innovation Technology Co, China’s largest commercial drone manufacturer, unveiled the Mavic Pro in September 2016. It weighs just 743 grams and is designed to be taken anywhere. Its folding design compresses the entire drone to the size of a water bottle.
In addition to its portability, the Mavic Pro also contains more high-tech elements than previous models. It can follow users as they walk around, circle subjects and maintain a constant height. Users can control the drone completely with their gestures and even take hands-free selfies.
DJI founder and CEO Frank Wang hopes that users will tell an aerial photography story in an unprecedented way with this new technology.
Other foreign and domestic drone manufacturers are competing fiercely in this burgeoning market by investing more in compact and foldable drones. GoPro Inc launched its Karma drone one week before DJI’s Mavic Pro release which features a similar compact design.
Tencent Holdings Ltd also entered into the market by launching Ying Drone which weighs only 425 grams and allows users to upload photos or live-streaming videos to WeChat.
With affordable prices on portable entertainment-type drones rapidly growing, industry experts estimate that the value of the domestic civilian drone market will reach over 70 billion yuan (\(10.4 billion) by 2025, where drones for aerial photography and entertainment will account for around \)30 billion yuan.
In conclusion, easy-to-carry and foldable drones represent the future trend in the consumer drone market. DJI is likely to maintain its dominant position worldwide in technology, marketing and sales channels compared to its rivals, given its investment in research and development, as well as setting up overseas stores in Seoul and Hong Kong.
