Yesterday, during the launch event of the new Parrot Anafi, we had the chance to talk with the Global Marketing Manager, Vincent Vantilcke about the company’s latest product. We asked him about some of the benefits the Anafi offers and who the company is targetting with their latest drone.
A new generation of drones?
Vincent told us that with the Anafi, Parrot aims to create the new generation of drones. The company had been working for the last two years on creating the perfect drone. One that you would find in every household and in every business. They strived to create an ultra foldable and ultra-portable drone that would be very compact. The Anafi folds up in only three seconds and is indeed very easy to carry.
The most important use of drones is the camera. Parrot provided the Anafi with 4K HDR video capability with a 21MP stabilized camera that tilts 180 degrees, which is a first in any drone, according to Vincent.
Unlike with some other drones, the propellers of the Anafi will never come into view when flying forward quickly while recording. The propellers on the Anafi are much shorter and wider than we typically see on consumer drones. The Anafi can fly up to 25 minutes while filming and is made partially from carbon fiber. Vincent tells us that Parrot wanted to create a drone that is very unobtrusive, safe and quiet. A very portable drone that you anytime, anywhere.
Vincent also tells us that Parrot aims exclusively on consumer or hobbyist drone pilots but that professionals may use it as well. When asked if Parrot would perhaps make an Anafi with a thermal camera, he shook his head and preferred to focus on the launch of the consumer version. However, it seems that the 180-degree tilting gimbal would make for an excellent use-case for a thermal camera as it would allow much greater viewing angles for instance when searching for people in damaged or burning buildings.
Vincent told us that the release date will be July 1st, its price will be $699.99 and that it comes with a charger, 1 battery, 8 propellers, a 16GB SD card and a controller. It will be sold in the US by big name retailers such as Amazon. BestBuy, etc.
We ended the interview by asking about the drone’s obvious competition, the DJI Mavic Air but Vincent politely dodged that question and said:
“Parrot is building drones for consumers rather than focussing on competitors but def with this drone we have unique features and strong value for money for our users.”
What do you think about Parrot Anafi? Let us know in the comments below.
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