Hover Camera vs DJI Mavic

Unfamiliar to most costumers, the Chinese start-up company Zero Zero Robotics has stirred the drone industry with the Hover Camera, a drone with a compact and unusual design.

We all know that the media loves drama. Wanting to see an up and comer like Zero Zero Robotics topple an industry giant like DJI has lead media outlets to use phrases like “crushing DJI”even though that might be the farthest thing from the truth.

Zero Zero Robotics’s original idea was a selfie drone but what it actually came out with it more like a “tracking drone.” It’s a rather abrupt shift from one concept to another and possibly dangers as consumers prefer to stick with what they know.

Launched with first-class advertising and web design, the company even advertised on TV, which is an even more powerful platform. Yet, the moments following the launch weren’t in as high of a spirit.

DJI’s impressive Mavic Pro may not have had the impactful launch of the Hover Camera. But while Zero Zero Robotics has $25M in venture capital from investor, it seemingly has little more than this following their lackluster launch.

Market

Last year has seen a number of portable drones being launched, including Dobby, Yuneec Breeze, GoPro Karma, DJI’s Mavic Pro, Tencent’s Ying, etc. Looking at how it’s positioned in its market, the Hover Camera competes directly with Dobby and not so much with DJI.

A successful launch needs more than a good concept; marketing, distribution, manufacturing capacity, and especially timing is crucial for success.

Based on this, the Hover Camera looks weak as a competitor. Dobby beat it to their launch, while the Mavic Pro performs significantly better for serious aerial photography.

Product

What sets Hover Camera apart from the other drones is its unique design. The foldable Hover Camera drone weighs just half a pound, and is about the size of a book when in flying mode. When folded up, it’s basically the size of a VCR tape. But uniqueness doesn’t guarantee the survival of Zero Zero Robotics, and it doesn’t mean they can challenge their giant competitors.

Price

The Hover Camera Passport is currently available for $599.99 with the extra battery pack running $44.99.

The $599 price tag is apt enough for the specs, camera quality and other features. However, just $150 more and you can get the more powerful and feature-packed DJI Mavic Pro. It costs $999 which will ship within one week.

Performance

The Hover Camera can reach a maximum speed of 17 mph (8 m/s) and a maximum altitude of 6,562 ft (2,000 m), with a maximum hovering time of 10 minutes with no wind. Users can control the drone from up to 65 ft (20 m) in temperatures ranging between 41˚F and 95˚F (5 – 35˚C), on Wi-Fi frequencies of 2.4 and 5 GHz.

It has similar features to the Mavic Pro, however rather than coming with a remote, it is simply thrown into the air and it will follow you around taking photos and videos.

Compare to it,a new compact remote controller has been designed for the Mavic Pro, and it features an LCD screen with essential data, dedicated buttons (e.g. Return-to-Home, Intelligent Flight pause), and a OcuSync video link system that provides live view at 1080p resolution.

Hover Camera uses its front camera to lock onto a person (using face detection technology), and has a feature called ‘Orbit’ to film yourself autonomously as the drone circles around you, while a “360 Spin” feature allows you to shoot panoramic 360-degree videos, capturing footage of you in your chosen environment.

The drone is controlled via an app on iPhone 5s running iOS 8 or higher, or on an Android phone using wifi. The 13-megapixel still camera on the front also has the ability to shoot 4k video.

The Hover Camera has four propellers which are guarded by a caged enclosure made up of Carbon Fiber, so the propellers won’t get damaged during an accident.

However, although lighter and cheaper than its competitor, it can only stay connected via WiFi if within 60 feet from you and only has about ten minutes of battery life (without wind).

The Hover Camera has no GPS navigation systems while in the Mavic Pro is a new FlightAutonomy system, which uses 5 cameras, GPS and GLONASS navigation, 2 ultrasonic rangefinders, redundant sensors, and 24 computing cores to serve as the drone’s “brain and nervous system.” Using FlightAutonomy, the Mavic Pro can follow positions and routes while avoiding obstacles at 22mph (36kph), allowing you to create advanced flights with minimal input and flying skills.

Conclusion

Unlike other companies in the selfie drone market, Zero Zero Robotics did not crowd fund the launch of the Hover Camera. Still, it faces intense competition from players like DJI and Xiaomi and the company has a tough road ahead. To say the least.

 

 

 

 

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