Can The New Yuneec Mantis Q Drone Compete With DJI Spark/Air/Mavic 2?

Yuneec has been in the drone industry for quite some time but in recent years has distanced themselves from the consumer market, but with the launch of their new foldable ‘Mantis Q’ drone, can they compete against the market lead of DJI.

The new Yuneec Mantis Q, a folding drone launched with a stunning 33 minute flight time.

With a sub-$500 price-tag this new drone can not be expected to fully compete with the impressive offering from DJI, but there are two key features of this drone which will appeal to some niche consumers in the market:

Upward gimbal tilt to 20 degrees.
33 minutes flight time.

These two positives are unfortunately met with a major negative in the lack of a mechanically stabilised gimbal, instead the 1-axis mechanical gimbal is only used for upward/downward tilt, consequently stabilised video output from the Mantis Q is limited to 1080p.

For a first drone, the Mantis Q could be a great choice due to the generous flight time of 33 minutes, longer than any other consumer drone currently available.

This flight time allows for flight exploration without concern for short battery life, as with the DJI Spark. The range of this drone is another limitation but no more so than with its DJI alternative (the Spark again).

The transmitter of the new Yuneec Mantis Q foldable drone, which requires the addition of a smart-phone.

Our video analysis/comparison…

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Full specification…

The technical specification for the Yuneec Mantis Q drone follows, captured directly from the Yuneec website, and consequently could change following the publication of this article.

Aircraft
TAKEOFF WEIGHT (INCL. CAMERA AND BATTERY)	16.9 oz
DIMENSIONS	9 27⁄32″ x 7 23⁄64″ x 2 9⁄32″ (LxWxH, unfolded) — 6 39⁄64″ x 3 25⁄32″ x 2 9⁄32″ (LxWxH, folded)
FLIGHT TIME	Up to 33 min (in no wind environment at a constant speed of 15.5 MPH)
MAXIMUM RATE OF ASCENT	Angle/Manual Mode: 6.7 MPH // Sport Mode: 8.9 MPH // IPS/Phone Mode: 4.5 MPH
MAXIMUM RATE OF DESCENT	Angle/Manual Mode: 4.5 MPH // Sport Mode: 6.7 MPH // IPS/Phone Mode: 2.2 MPH
MAXIMUM FLIGHT SPEED	Angle/Manual Mode: 13.4 MPH // Sport Mode: 44.7 MPH // IPS/Phone Mode: 8.9 MPH
BATTERY	3S 2800mAh, changeable
RADIO RANGE	4,921 ft (FCC standard)
OPERATING TEMPERATURE	32° F – 104° F
SATELLITES	GPS & GLONASS

Camera
SENSOR	1/3.06 inch CMOS
PHOTO RESOLUTION	4:3 (4160×3120); 16:9 (4800×2700)
PHOTO FORMAT	JPEG / JPEG+DNG
VIDEO RESOLUTION	4K: 3840 x 2160 @ 30fps // 1080P: 1920 x 1080 @30fps or @60fps (with image stabilization) // 720P: 1280 x 720 @60fps (with image stabilization)
VIDEO FORMAT	MP4 / MOV
IMAGE STABILISATION	3-axis stabilized (Electronic Image Stabilization EIS)
CONTROL RANGE	-90° to 20°
VIEW FIELD	117°
EQUIVALENT FOCAL LENGTH	21.5 mm (0.85″)
SD CARD	Class 10 or U3 8/16/32/64/128G
ISO RANGE	100 – 3200
ELECTRONIC SHUTTER	For Photo Mode: 8s-1/8000s / For Video Mode: 1/30-1/8000
EXPOSURE COMPENSATION	0, ±0.5, ±1.0, ±1.5, ±2.0, ±2.5, ±3.0
WHITE BALANCE	Auto, Lock, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent
SCENERY MODES	Nature, Saturation, RAW, Night, Soft
METERING MODE	Spot Metering, Center Metering, Average Metering
PHOTO MODES	Single Shot, Face Detection, Gesture Control
DOWNLOADING SPEED PHOTOS	1 MB/s

Remote
NUMBER OF CHANNELS	10
VIDEO TRANSMISSION	4,921 ft (FCC standard, optimum conditions)
BATTERY	1S 3.7V 3000mAh Li-Ion, built-in

App
REQUIRED OPERATING SYSTEM	iOS 9.0 or above (Voice Control iOS10 or above, Voice Control with local processing iOS11 or above) / Android 5.0 or above (Voice Control requires internet connection)