DJI Introduces ‘Spark’ Its Smallest Drone Yet, Only $499

Chinese tech company DJI is undeniably dominating the drone market, but in order to stay on top, it needs to provide more variety to its lineup. Introducing the new “Spark,” the company’s smallest drone that comes with an equally diminutive price tag. It’s so tiny, it can actually fit in the palm of a hand.

This $499 mini drone is a far cry from its bigger, more expensive cousins in terms of price. As Ubergizmo notes, DJI’s UAVs are normally expensive, going over $1,000 for base models. By creating the “Spark,” the company is catering to a demographic that might be interested in drone hobbies but don’t necessarily have the budget for expensive units.

Aside from its size, the drone has a fairly high-quality camera and is the first one that comes with hand gesture controls among DJI’s other offers. As a result, even beginners who have never flown drones in their lives will have a much easier time controlling the “Spark” than others of its kind.

For example, users can hold the drone on their palm, send it up with a gesture to take photos, and then have it land with the same gesture controls. The drone also weighs just 10.6 ounces, can take 1080p videos, and comes with four automated functions for hovering and circling.

In the press release by DJI, the company describes the drone as “The Easy And Fun Camera Drone For Everyone”. DJI Senior Product Manager, Paul Pan noted how the new gesture control could potentially change how the drone market work.

“Controlling a camera drone with hand movements alone is a major step towards making aerial technology an intuitive part of everyone’s daily life, from work and adventure to moments with friends and family,” Pan said. “Spark’s revolutionary new interface lets you effortlessly extend your point of view to the air, making it easier than ever to capture and share the world from new perspectives.”