【Esther Studer】

Source：Creation Information Network Editor：Games Time：2025-06-26 21:50:59

DJI unveiled its tiny Spark drone on Esther StuderWednesday, and it's sort of the anti-drone for consumers.

It's small enough to fit in your hand, launches and lands from there, can be controlled almost entirely with gestures, lets you take a selfie from just 10 feet away, has a whole collection of pre-programmed video shots to help you figure out what to do with it, and even charges via a standard micro USB port.

Plus it's available at a consumer-friendly price of $499.

SEE ALSO: DJI Phantom 4 Pro + extends drone power and excitement

It is, in other words, the answer to the two questions DJI hears from consumers most about drones:

"Is it easy to fly?"

"How am I going to use it?"

The drone, which goes on pre-sale today and ships mid-June, seeks to dramatically shorten the distance from a consumer buying a drone (DJI said 46% of costumers have the intention to buy one this year) to actually flying one.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Spark, DJI's smallest and lightest drone, is not at all imposing like the DJI Phantom series or even the foldable and excellent -- but more expensive -- DJI Mavic Pro. Spark doesn't fold, but at this size, that may not matter.

It is also, though, not DJI's most powerful drone. The quadcopter's 1 2/3-inch sensor can shoot 12-megapixel images, but only shoots up to 1080p video at 30 frames per second (fps), which may still be more than enough for most consumers. Images can be saved to a removable micro SD card.

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DJI did do something extra with the camera, using the Spark's on-board infrared to detect image depth information and blur out the background on pretty cool-looking drone selfie shots.

The camera is on just a 2-axis gimbal for maintaining image stability, but it gets an assist from electronic image stabilization.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Speed is, at 31 mph in sport mode, admirable, though some may blanch at the 16-minute flight time. Buying the $699 bundle (which includes extra batteries) may be a must.

However, if you're looking for more range and speed, you're probably not the DJI Spark target market.

This flyer is about simplicity and capturing moments as quickly and as simply as possible.

Without the optional remote control, the drone can fly up to 109 feet away. That's not volcano-exploring distance, but it's awesome group-selfie space.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Original image replaced with Mashable logo

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

With the remote, though, the DJI Spark can go as far as 1.24 miles and will know how to fly home, especially if you get too close to that 16-minute flight limit.

The QuickShot presets are accessed through the updated DJI Go flight app on your iOS or Android device. They have names like "Rocket" and "Circle" and package up the drone's object detection, tracking, and flight-path capabilities into one step-selections. The app will even auto-edit your videos.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

With all that reliance on gesture recognition (make a finger frame in front of you for a picture, waving it away to have it fly further away from you) DJI could not skimp on sensors. The spark includes GPS and GLONASS, a 3D object detection system and a downward-facing position sensor.

In another nod to consumer-friendliness, this drone comes in a variety of colors, including red, blue green and yellow.

We can't wait for our first test flight.

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Topics Drones Innovations

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【Esther Studer】

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