The Drone Wars has just started. DJI Mavic responded, to what was supposed to be a fatal blow from GoPro Karma, with a hit that seems more and more like an end game finisher move.
Why are we interested in this subject? Because the GoPro Karma and the DJI Mavic are the first drones you can comfortably carry on your motorcycle when going for a 10.000 mile-trip.
For example, we used DJI Phantom III in our last adventure-travel and the dimensions gave us headaches. We hardly fitted it on the passenger's seat.
The "life-transforming experience" promised by Nick Woodman (GoPro CEO) about a week ago, looks a little bit crippled compared to what DJI Mavic has to offer at almost the same price.
First things first, the GoPro Karma was the only foldable drone in the industry. For about… a week. The DJI Mavic, big surprise, is foldable too. But it's smaller and weighs less, 734g compared to 1006g.
The portability is better on DJI's drone: this is not arguable in any way, is just fact.
Because Mavic's propellers are folding up, it's more compact than Karma: 83x83x198mm compared to 89.9×224.3×356.2mm. You can actually hang DJI's drone on your belt and run around or climb a wall, or even hide it under your jacket.
If you take a look at DJI Mavic official page, you will notice that they advertise exactly what the GoPro Karma doesn't do. It has sensors for obstacle avoidance, for a 15 meters range, that gives it enough maneuvering space to avoid almost any obstacle. It flies longer and faster than its competitor, 27 minutes vs. 20 minutes and 40mph (65km/h in sport mode) vs. 35kmph(56km/h). Oh, and the range on Mavic, 4.3 mi (7km), is unchallenged by Karma's 0.62 (1km).
The price of DJI Mavic full kit (display controller included) is 999$, compared to 1099$ GoPro Karma full kit (Hero 5 Black included).
Well, for now, just by looking at pictures and reading specs and opinions, the temporary verdict is clear: GoPro Karma just got hammered by DJI Mavic. I'm saying temporary because we still might see some changes in both offers.
This one seems to be the most interesting war in tech market since Samsung vs. Apple, and it's still too early to put a verdict, because technology has to be tested in real life, by real and independent users, in different situations.
Here's my advice: don't get stuck in one direction, because these are just tools that help you accomplish your goal. Sometimes the simpler thing might be the better choice. Sometimes…