Drone company Parrot has unveiled Anafi, a folding 4K drone that will be launched on July 1 to go up against the DJI Mavic Air.
Unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming more mainstream, with the Time Magazine cover with drones one of the most recent examples of the technology's growth in popularity. The new Parrot Anafi will look to place drones in more hands, but will it do better than the DJI Mavic Air?
Parrot Anafi Unveiled: Here's What It Can Do
The Parrot Anafi is a foldable drone that weighs only 0.7 pounds for maximum portability, which will allow its owners to easily pack it alongside other equipment. It is a significant change from the company's previous drone, the Parrot Bebop 2, which did not fold and weighed about 1.1 pounds.
The Parrot Anafi also features a 21 MP camera, capable of recording in 4K HDR at 30 frames per second or at 1080p HDR at 60 frames per second on a 180-degree tilt gimbal. The camera offers both mechanical and digital image stabilization.
The battery life of the new Parrot drone is estimated at 25 minutes, with swappable batteries that will cost $99 each. The batteries may be charged though USB-C and are compatible with fast charging. Parrot also said that the Anafi is 35 percent quieter than the Bebop 2.
Similar to other drones, the Parrot Anafi may be tasked to follow users around and take pictures using body recognition technology. Users can also control the drone through the redesigned FreeFlight 6 app, which gives access to all the important camera settings, or through the SkyController that plugs into an iPhone or Android smartphone.
Parrot Anafi vs DJI Mavic Air
The Parrot Anafi and the DJI Mavic Air, released earlier this year, have certain similarities. Both drones are foldable and feature 4K cameras, for starters.
The Parrot Anafi is slower than the DJI Mavic Air, at top speeds of 34 miles per hour and 42.5 miles per hour, respectively. The range of the Parrot drone at 2.4 miles is also slightly shorter than the range of the DJI drone, at 2.5 miles. The DJI Mavic Air also offers gesture controls, which were first introduced in the DJI Spark drone, as well as an obstacle avoidance system.
The Parrot Anafi will be sold for $699, which is $100 less than the $799 DJI Mavic Air. Potential customers choosing between folding drones with camera will have to decide whether the extra features offered by the DJI Mavic Air are worth it, though the Parrot Anafi is certainly not a bad choice.
