Yuneec’s $500 Mantis Q Drone Offers Voice Control, 33 Minutes of Flight

Yuneec International has introduced the Mantis Q drone, a foldable quadcopter featuring voice control technology, 4K video and 33 minutes of flight time.

With the voice control feature, the Mantis Q responds to commands such as “wake up” for powering on, “take a picture,” “record a video,” “take a selfie,” “take off” to automatically start flying and then come up to a hover, or “return home” to land.

The Mantis Q also offers facial detection and gesture control. Users can smile at the drone to activate face detection, and as soon as the Mantis Q sees the user’s face, it will take a photo from up to 13 feet away. In gesture control mode, Mantis Q will detect a hand’s waving and will take a photo. The quadcopter also comes with automatic flight modes such as journey, point of interest and orbit me.

Using an integrated camera, the Mantis Q records high-resolution photos and video. Pictures with a resolution of 4800×2700 (16:9) or 4160×3120 (4:3) pixels are saved in JPEG or DNG format on the included MicroSD card; the same goes for up to 4K of recorded video. Further, in up to full HD (1920×1080), they are electronically stabilized live. The camera can be tilted upward by up to 20 degrees or downward by 90 degrees during flight.

When folded up, the Mantis Q measures 6.6 x 3.8 x 2.2 inches and weighs just 1 pound. Importantly, thanks to its lightweight design, says Yuneec, the drone can stay in the air for up to 33 minutes. Comparatively, the DJI Mavic Air offers a flight time of 21 minutes, while the DJI Spark boasts 27 minutes.

Mantis Q also comes equipped with indoor stabilization technology, notes Yuneec. In addition, down-facing dual sonar sensors and infrared detection make it safe enough to fly indoors and outdoors, the company adds. Users also have the option to fly Mantis Q with and without the added controller.

For drone racing, users can switch to the Mantis Q’s sport mode, which offers a maximum speed of 44 mph. The live footage can be viewed with a latency of less than 200 m/s on a smartphone, which is connected to the remote control.

Now available for pre-order on Yuneec.com, the Mantis Q starts at a suggested retail price of $499.99. This includes the drone, the controller, one battery, one set of spare propellers, a three-port charger, and power and USB cable. Available later this year, the Mantis Q X-Pack, going for $649.99, includes two more batteries and a travel shoulder bag.

“The Mantis Q was developed to offer cutting-edge, advanced drone features such as voice control and facial detection in an easy-to-use, ultra-portable package,” says Michael Jiang, CEO of Yuneec International. “Consumers will find that the Mantis Q seamlessly integrates into everyday experiences, and they will appreciate the incredible energy efficient package that allows up to 33 minutes of flight time to help capture every moment.”