DJI Spark pre-order and UK release information

What is the DJI Spark?

The Spark is DJI's smallest, smartest and simplest drone available to date. Its a tiny, palm sized quadcopter measuring just 143 × 143 × 55 mm and weighing less than a can of coke (300g with battery); It is designed to go wherever you do. It can take off from your hand within seconds and follow hand gestures to follow, fly and shoot pictures. No controller is required. Its advanced hardware enables it to fly stable out or indoors, it can detects and avoids obstacles and it even intelligently returns home.

DJI Spark release features

• 31mph top speed when flying in sport mode (unlocked with optional remote controller)
• 16 minutes maximum flight time (chargeable  via micro USB)
• Smartphone control up to 100 meters away, 1.24 mile range via option remote control.
• Dual GPS/GLONASS sensors for redundancy and accurate flight
• Forward facing 3D vision system (sense objects up to 5 metres away) and vision positioning system for stable flight
• 2-Axis stabilised  camera with 1/2.3" image sensor
• Capable of 12 Megapixel stills and 1080p/30fps Video

Charging the battery will take 80 minutes on the standard USB charger. Using the charging hub this drops to 52 minutes for one battery, 55 minutes for two and 86 minutes for all three. Without a memory card inserted your smartphone will store media. The images captured are actually from the live stream with a photo resolution of 1024×768 and video resolution of 1280×720. As with every new air frame, the new flight controller is capable of brand new flight modes. Complex flight movements are now automated thanks to Quickshot flying modes. Rocket (fly up), Dronie (up and away) , Circle (orbit) and Helix (expanding radius orbit) automatically fly the craft to capture incredible cinematic shots.

DJI Spark Accessories

Whilst the main body of the craft is a dark grey, the craft is available in 5 different colours : Alpine White, Sky Blue, Meadow Green, Lava Red and Sunrise yellow. There is no word yet as to if the body-colour panel will be user-swappable but it seems unlikely. Its worth noting that only the Alpine white finish will be available at launch. The basic DJI Spark drone does not come with a physical controller. Instead you can control it via gestures or via your smartphone (with virtual sticks, like the Mavic Pro). A hardware transmitter is available which allows for finer control and a greater control range. The new transmitter looks much like the Mavic Pro unit with the display removed but there is no word if the current DJI Mavic Pro transmitter is compatible with the DJI Spark. Spare propellers, guards, battery hubs, mains chargers and the like, should be available Q3 this year. DJI Spark is compatible with the forthcoming DJI Goggles and whilst they cost 'the same amount again' we feel many customers will pick up a pair at the same time.

Where does it fit in the lineup?

The drone slots in 'at the bottom' of the current consumer quadcopter lineup. Whilst it is by far the smallest drone currently available it also has the shortest flight time. Despite its svelte size and price, the Spark appears to be quite capable, sharing many of the Advanced flight modes of the Mavic Pro. Relevance and ease of use were the core focus for the new drone. Mr Perry stated that many customers were interested in buying a drone but perhaps could not justify a regular use or indeed see how it might fit into their lifestyle. Thus the targeted accessibility, immediacy and of course price of this new drone has is likely to appeal to a much wider audience than before. A perfect example of this angle is the inclusion of a new automated video editor built-in to the DJI GO 4 app. This can create videos with a professional look and feel with just one touch of a button.

How much does the DJI Spark cost?

The base DJI Spark package costs £519 delivered. It includes the drone with one intelligent flight battery, a set of propellers, a micro USB cable, storage box, USB wall charger and 16GB memory card. The Spark is also available with a 'fly more combo' for £699 delivered. As with the Mavic Pro, we expect this combo is likely to be the most popular. It includes the drone, a transmitter, two sets of propellers, propeller guards, two intelligent flight batteries, mains charger, power cable, battery charging hub, USB cable, storage box and shoulder bag. Extra intelligent flight batteries are £55. The battery charging hub (including power brick) is £69. Pairs of propellers cost just £9. A full set of propeller guards will set you back £25. Finally the proper transmitter/remote controller costs £159.

When is the DJI Spark released?

The DJI Spark release was on the 24th May 2017. DJI have reported it will start shipping at the middle of next month, June 15th being the quoted date. As such we expect to start fulfilling orders towards the end of June.

How can I pre order my DJI Spark?

You can pre-order your DJI Spark today via our website. We shall be fulfilling orders on a first come-first served basis, so advise that you order soon to secure your place in the queue. Product launches of this nature can often come with delays so your patience regarding this is appreciated. Do you have any questions regarding the DJI Spark? If so please leave them below.  We shall be attending the DJI Spark release (UK live launch) in-person later this month and will be happy to pose them to DJI directly, should we not be able to answer them ourselves.