GoPro Karma to officially arrive in PH early next year

We were at the local launch of the GoPro Hero5 yesterday and were able to talk to some of the company’s executives during the event. It seems like those wanting to get their hands on the Karma drone will have to wait a bit longer as it will officially be available in the Philippines next year.

During the international launch of the company’s first drone, they mentioned that it will be available internationally later this month. This, apparently, is for select countries only and when we asked when it will be available for Philippines, Marcus Chiam, Channel Marketing Manager for Southeast Asia, said that we could expect it early next year.

The reason behind it is because the GoPro Karma has a specific feature that doesn’t go past restricted establishments. We all know that there are regulations on flying these things and there are no-fly zones for specific areas such as airports, military bases, etc. GoPro respects this and has embedded an algorithm that would make the Karma stop when approaching these spots.

That said, they are still working with specific regulating bodies in different parts of the world before making it widely available. For the Philippines, they’re estimating an early 2017 release — specifically Q1 to quote Mr. Chiam.

Although it’s still quite a wait (sorry for those who are planning to get one this Christmas!), it’s understandable why there will be a delay in releasing the Karma for our part of the world.

Additionally, certain online stores have begun accepting pre-orders for the Karma and claims that it will “soon be available” for purchase. We’re not sure if they will be able to import units without the mentioned PH-specific software algorithm for restricted areas, or if by “soon” they meant early next year. We’ll just have to find out and wait for official announcements.

The GoPro Karma boasts 4K video recording at 30FPS when equipped with the Hero5 and has push to take-off/land feature for easier navigation. We’ve had a quick hands-on time on the Karma during yesterday’s event which we’ll post in just a bit.

Meanwhile, you may check more of its features or spot our side-by-side comparison of it against the DJI Mavic Pro — the latest competition of the GoPro Karma.