DJI and Uber Unveil New Drone Models

Two companies unveiled new drone models this week. One you can fly, the other could bring you dinner.

Honey, I shrunk the drone

This morning, DJI announced the Mavic Mini, the newest lightweight, foldable model from the world’s top dronemaker. It can fly for up to 30 minutes and captures 2.7k video. This is what the palm-sized drone looks like in person.

Mavic Mini is targeted to drone newbies. It starts at $399 and features a companion app loaded with flight tutorials and editing tools. Since it weighs less than 250g, the Mavic Mini doesn’t need to be registered with the FAA...perfect for drone dabblers and libertarians.

Honey, I ate the drone

On Monday, Uber Eats unveiled a drone design with six rotors on rotating wings. Uber wants the drone to carry dinner for two from restaurant to a staging location. Then, a last-mile Uber driver will deliver the meal to your stay-at-home date night. Tests will start next summer in San Diego.

Bottom line: Consumer drones are widely available—hobbyists owned 878,000 of the first million drones registered with the FAA. Commercial delivery drones are (for now) limited to rural, healthcare, and logistics settings.