• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechDrone

DJI’s New Drone Is as Small as a Soda Can and Costs $500

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 24, 2017, 1:27 PM ET

There’s a new drone on the market that’s the size of a can of Coca-Cola and can be controlled using one’s hand’s gestures.

China-based DJI, the world’s biggest drone manufacturer, unveiled Wednesday its new Spark drone, a small flying quadcopter that weighs a little less than one pound and costs $500.

The Spark drone is DJI’s cheapest drone yet compared to the company’s other models like the Phantom 4 Pro and the Mavic Pro, which cost $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.

DJI director of strategic partnerships Michael Perry demonstrated at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal how the drone could be controlled using hand motions. After pressing the drone’s power button twice, the drone recognized him as its operator and gently lifted itself from the palm of his hand like a mini-helicopter.

#SeizeTheMoment@DJIGlobalhttps://t.co/svFZVIG9Zi#DJISparkpic.twitter.com/ZMUJXKrn3y

— Juda Honickman (@JudaHonickman) May 24, 2017

By moving his hands left or right, the drone would move in either direction. When he stepped forward or moved back with his palm facing toward the front of the drone, the drone would it turn move away or inch closer to him. The act of waving one’s hands causes the drone to fly ten feet away. An on-board camera keeps the operator centered in its frame, in case the operator wants a selfie.

Perry showed how he was able to move around Grand Central Terminal so that the drone could take a picture of him with hanging chandeliers in the background. While he walked around, the drone remained still, hovering in the air, tracking his every move until he finally posed and it took his picture.

When he simultaneously waved both of his hands, the drone flew back to him, and when he laid his palm out to the robot, it lowered itself back to his hands.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

DJI is pitching the new drone as a family-friendly model that makes it easier for people to quickly use it to take pictures. Perry said that DJI surveyed prospective customers and discovered that many of them wanted drones, but didn’t know what to use them for besides flying.

Perry contrasted the Spark drone with larger and more powerful drones that professional or amateur filmmakers use to capture breathtaking videos that they wouldn’t be able to take without the help of a flying robot. Some of these videos include capturing the insides of an “active volcano,” he said.

But the Spark drone was designed for more low-key videos like taking selfies or family portraits without needing the help of someone to hold a phone and take a picture. Compared to its more expensive siblings, the Phantom 4 Pro and the Mavic Pro, the Spark drone is unable to capture 4K video, fly up to 30 minutes without needing a recharge, or fly a little over four miles away from the operator while still being controlled.

Instead, the Spark drone can capture HD video, fly 16 minutes in the air, and travel about 1.2 miles while still being controlled.

DJI is hoping that the lower price will attract people who don’t require the more powerful features of the more expensive models. Other drones that cost around $500 include the Parrot Bebop 2 drone and the UPair One Plus drone that includes a 4K camera. Those drones, however, do not have the same gesture-control features like DJI’s Spark drone.

DJI has been able to gain a large part of the drone market by undercutting its competition on price. For example, drone company 3D Robotics stopped selling its own drones and pivoted to selling drone software and services for businesses because it couldn’t compete, according to tech news site Recode.

To emphasize the drone’s family friendliness, DJI is also selling the drone in five different colors that sound like they were derived from an upscale furnishing store such as Pottery Barn: meadow green, alpine white, lava red, sunrise yellow, and sky blue.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

InnovationBrainstorm Design
Video games can teach designers deeper lessons than ‘high score streaks’ and gamification
By Angelica AngDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
LawInternet
A Supreme Court decision could put your internet access at risk. Here’s who could be affected
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewDecember 2, 2025
11 hours ago
AITikTok
China’s ByteDance could be forced to sell TikTok U.S., but its quiet lead in AI will help it survive—and maybe even thrive
By Nicholas GordonDecember 2, 2025
12 hours ago
United Nations
AIUnited Nations
UN warns about AI becoming another ‘Great Divergence’ between rich and poor countries like the Industrial Revolution
By Elaine Kurtenbach and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
13 hours ago
Anthropic cofounder and CEO Dario Amodei
AIEye on AI
How Anthropic’s safety first approach won over big business—and how its own engineers are using its Claude AI
By Jeremy KahnDecember 2, 2025
13 hours ago
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang reacts during a press conference at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju on October 31, 2025.
AINvidia
Nvidia CFO admits the $100 billion OpenAI megadeal ‘still’ isn’t signed—two months after it helped fuel an AI rally
By Eva RoytburgDecember 2, 2025
15 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
16 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
More than 1,000 Amazon employees sign open letter warning the company's AI 'will do staggering damage to democracy, our jobs, and the earth’
By Nino PaoliDecember 2, 2025
24 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.