It’s a battle of drones between GoPro and DJI, the leading brand when it comes to remote copters. GoPro recently announced its game-changing drone in the form of Karma and it comes with foldable arms for easier storage compared to the Phantom 4. DJI, however, wouldn’t let them take the spotlight for too long and made official the Mavic Pro. So let’s take a look at this two drones and pit them side-by-side in this specs comparo.
| GoPro Karma | DJI Mavic Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | 1.3-inch CMOS sensor | 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor |
| Photos | 12MP stills, RAW | 12MP stills, RAW |
| Video recording | up to 4K @ 30fps (Hero5) | up to 4K @ 30 fps |
| GPS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 1006 grams | 734 grams (battery + propellers) |
| Maximum flight distance | 1km | 13km (no wind) |
| Maximum speed | 56kph | 65kph |
| Battery capacity | 5100mAh | 3830mAh |
| Maximum flight time | 20 minutes | 27 minutes |
| Obstacle avoid | No | Yes |
| Follow subject | No | Yes |
| Return home | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $799 (without camera) | $749 (without remote) |
In terms of camera, the Mavic’s built-in shooter share a similar resolution with GoPro’s Hero5. Both can shoot up to 4K resolution at 30fps and produce 12-megapixel stills. Both also are equipped with a CMOS sensor so picture quality is top notch for both drones.
The GoPro boasts portability with its foldable arms and lightweight form factor as it clocks at 1006 grams. Although, the Mavic Pro is even lighter at 734 grams and is even more compact as the entire thing fits in the palm of your hands.
Performance-wise, GoPro’s Karma maxes out at a flight distance of 1km from the operator, but the Mavic Pro can go as far as 13kms which is a significant advantage that puts it way ahead of Karma. The Mavic Pro also moves faster than the Karma at 65km/h vs 56km/h.
One of the main concerns of drone owners is the flight time or battery life. Karma has a battery capacity of 5100mAh which is larger than that of the Mavic Pro’s, but DJI’s drone lasts longer at 27 minutes compared to the maximum flight time of Karma at 20 minutes.
The Mavic Pro also has more tricks up its sleeve like avoiding obstacles and subject-tracking which are both not present on the Karma. However, both have their return home feature which is of great importance.
Finally, the GoPro Karma is priced at $799 without a camera but comes with a remote control and a stabilizer that could act like the DJI Osmo. On the other hand, the Mavic Pro is tagged at $749 and comes with its own camera but without a remote (which will force you to use a smartphone for navigation and live viewing).
Basically, the DJI Mavic Pro offers more flexibility in usage, better portability, and is smarter in certain ways than the Karma (avoids obstacles and follows you around). Although if you opt to buy it, you’ll lose the handheld stabilizer of the Karma which is more versatile and could be used in more instances than just being attached to a drone.
So if you were to buy one, which would you pick?
consider to include dobby drone in your review. world’s first foldable drone with great specs
I’d go for mavic, It’s give you more for less.
Maybe i will wait for the next gen version of these.