Xiaomi’s 4K Mi Drone To Battle DJI Phantom 3 With $610 Price Tag

Applying the same strategy it used against Apple and other high-end handset makers in the smartphone sector, Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is getting ready to participate in the fast growing drone wars with a model that undercuts the competition in price. It will be Xiaomi's first drone to date, though not its last.

Built by FIMI Technology, Xiaomi's introductory drone will be capable of recording in 4K Ultra HD, an anonymous source told Bloomberg. Xiaomi's giving it a price tag of around 4,000 yuan, or about $610 in U.S. currency. That's a fair less than DJI's popular Phantom 3, which sells for $799 and is also capable of recording in 4K resolution.

Beyond those tidbits, not much is known about the drone, though Xiaomi's Global VP Hugo Barra did post a teaser photo to Twitter.

"Xiaomi entered the market at a time when the China smartphone market was still growing, and was able to capture a significant market share with its disruptive sales model," IDC said earlier this year.

Now Xiaomi is taking that same strategy to drones, a comparatively small market but one that's growing. Sales of drones are only expected to reach around 4 million units this year, though could experience a fourfold increase in the next four years.