Yuneec has been in the drone industry for quite some time but in recent years has distanced themselves from the consumer market, but with the launch of their new foldable ‘Mantis Q’ drone, can they compete against the market lead of DJI.
With a sub-$500 price-tag this new drone can not be expected to fully compete with the impressive offering from DJI, but there are two key features of this drone which will appeal to some niche consumers in the market:
- Upward gimbal tilt to 20 degrees.
- 33 minutes flight time.
These two positives are unfortunately met with a major negative in the lack of a mechanically stabilised gimbal, instead the 1-axis mechanical gimbal is only used for upward/downward tilt, consequently stabilised video output from the Mantis Q is limited to 1080p.
For a first drone, the Mantis Q could be a great choice due to the generous flight time of 33 minutes, longer than any other consumer drone currently available.
This flight time allows for flight exploration without concern for short battery life, as with the DJI Spark. The range of this drone is another limitation but no more so than with its DJI alternative (the Spark again).
Our video analysis/comparison…
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Full specification…
The technical specification for the Yuneec Mantis Q drone follows, captured directly from the Yuneec website, and consequently could change following the publication of this article.
| Aircraft | |
|---|---|
| TAKEOFF WEIGHT (INCL. CAMERA AND BATTERY) | 16.9 oz |
| DIMENSIONS | 9 27⁄32″ x 7 23⁄64″ x 2 9⁄32″ (LxWxH, unfolded) — 6 39⁄64″ x 3 25⁄32″ x 2 9⁄32″ (LxWxH, folded) |
| FLIGHT TIME | Up to 33 min (in no wind environment at a constant speed of 15.5 MPH) |
| MAXIMUM RATE OF ASCENT | Angle/Manual Mode: 6.7 MPH // Sport Mode: 8.9 MPH // IPS/Phone Mode: 4.5 MPH |
| MAXIMUM RATE OF DESCENT | Angle/Manual Mode: 4.5 MPH // Sport Mode: 6.7 MPH // IPS/Phone Mode: 2.2 MPH |
| MAXIMUM FLIGHT SPEED | Angle/Manual Mode: 13.4 MPH // Sport Mode: 44.7 MPH // IPS/Phone Mode: 8.9 MPH |
| BATTERY | 3S 2800mAh, changeable |
| RADIO RANGE | 4,921 ft (FCC standard) |
| OPERATING TEMPERATURE | 32° F – 104° F |
| SATELLITES | GPS & GLONASS |
| Camera | |
|---|---|
| SENSOR | 1/3.06 inch CMOS |
| PHOTO RESOLUTION | 4:3 (4160×3120); 16:9 (4800×2700) |
| PHOTO FORMAT | JPEG / JPEG+DNG |
| VIDEO RESOLUTION | 4K: 3840 x 2160 @ 30fps // 1080P: 1920 x 1080 @30fps or @60fps (with image stabilization) // 720P: 1280 x 720 @60fps (with image stabilization) |
| VIDEO FORMAT | MP4 / MOV |
| IMAGE STABILISATION | 3-axis stabilized (Electronic Image Stabilization EIS) |
| CONTROL RANGE | -90° to 20° |
| VIEW FIELD | 117° |
| EQUIVALENT FOCAL LENGTH | 21.5 mm (0.85″) |
| SD CARD | Class 10 or U3 8/16/32/64/128G |
| ISO RANGE | 100 – 3200 |
| ELECTRONIC SHUTTER | For Photo Mode: 8s-1/8000s / For Video Mode: 1/30-1/8000 |
| EXPOSURE COMPENSATION | 0, ±0.5, ±1.0, ±1.5, ±2.0, ±2.5, ±3.0 |
| WHITE BALANCE | Auto, Lock, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent |
| SCENERY MODES | Nature, Saturation, RAW, Night, Soft |
| METERING MODE | Spot Metering, Center Metering, Average Metering |
| PHOTO MODES | Single Shot, Face Detection, Gesture Control |
| DOWNLOADING SPEED PHOTOS | 1 MB/s |
| Remote | |
|---|---|
| NUMBER OF CHANNELS | 10 |
| VIDEO TRANSMISSION | 4,921 ft (FCC standard, optimum conditions) |
| BATTERY | 1S 3.7V 3000mAh Li-Ion, built-in |
| App | |
|---|---|
| REQUIRED OPERATING SYSTEM | iOS 9.0 or above (Voice Control iOS10 or above, Voice Control with local processing iOS11 or above) / Android 5.0 or above (Voice Control requires internet connection) |
More information…
See full details of the Mantis Q via the Yuneec website:
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