Ultralight drone from DJI takes to the skies

File photo of Mavic Mini, an ultra-light folding drone from DJI. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI officially unveiled its Mavic Mini, an ultra-light folding drone and the smallest and lightest unit the company's ever made, on Wednesday.

Weighing just 249 grams, Mavic Mini is portable, easy to fly and designed for safety. The camera is stabilized with a three-axis gimbal to help generate super smooth footage in low-wind conditions, and can shoot up to 2.7K footage at 30 frames per second, 1080p footage at up to 60 frames per second, and 12-megapixel photos.

"To design a drone as lightweight, compact and capable as Mavic Mini was one of the most challenging projects we've ever tackled at DJI," said Luo Zhenhua, president of DJI.

"Distilling top-of-the-line features into a palm-of-your-hand drone is the culmination of years of work, and we are ecstatic to bring a new class of drone to the DJI lineup. Mavic Mini's long flight time, ultralight weight and high-quality camera makes it DJI's everyday drone, and most importantly, it's easy to fly, no matter your experience level," Luo said.

Mavic Mini is the first DJI drone to weigh below 250 grams, which aviation regulators around the world consider the safest category for drone flight. In many countries, drones below 250 grams are considered safe enough to be used in new and exciting ways.

The drone estimates 30 minutes of flight time per battery. Priced at $399, the standard package includes the Mavic Mini, remote control, one battery, extra propellers and all necessary tools and wires. It will begin shipping on Nov 11.