Yuneec announces cheap folding drone with voice control

Drone maker Yuneec has announced the Mantis Q, a folding drone with a flight time of up to 33 minutes. Videos can be recorded in up to 4k resolution, while the quadcopter also supports control via voice commands, smiles or gestures.

Controlling the drone is done via an app for iOS or Android, according to Yuneec. The drone has a folded size of 168x96x58mm, while unfolded it comes out at 250x187x58mm. It weighs 480 grams. The 33 minutes flight time in optimal conditions and windless weather is due to a 2800mAh battery.

The sensor is a 1/3.06″ sensor, relatively small for a drone. It supports taking photos with up to twelve megapixels, while the drone can also record videos in 4k at 30fps. On full HD you can do that at 60fps. Stabilize of the camera is only electronically on three axes.The lens offers an angle of view of 117 degrees.

The Mantis Q has a remote control that fits a smartphone with a range of eight hundred meters. Control is also possible via voice, where users can say ‘take off’ to let the drone take off. The smile then triggers the taking of a photo of the person in question about four meters away. There is also support for gesture control.

Yuneec does not say when the drone will be released, but has put it on its US site for pre-order. The cheapest version costs $499 there. The X-Pack, which includes two extra batteries and spare propellers, costs $ 649.