GoPro Karma drone news: now discontinued
The Karma drone has been a roller coaster ride for GoPro, mostly punctuated by lows rather than highs. And now, on acall to investors, the company announced it has stopped making the drone and will exit the market.
It launched in 2016 with much hype (and many teaser trailers, below), but early models suffered from problems and were all recalled. The drone then went back on sale in Spring 2017, but faced huge competition from theDJI Mavic Proand then in May, theSpark.
With seemingly no follow-up model in the works, or at least nothing to rival the competition, GoPro has thrown in the towel. 250 employees will be laid off, too.
The report says that sales of theHero 5were lower than expected, so GoPro cut prices in December and then even cut theHero 6price (originally £499.99) in January.
When was the GoPro Karma released?
Originally the Karma went on sale 23 October 2016, but was quickly recalled due to reports of batteries disconnecting in the air and causing complete power loss. GoPro said the issues are fixed and the Karma drone went now back on sale atGoPro.comas of 29 March 2017.
Also read:Best GoPro 2017
How much does the GoPro Karma cost?
The Karma drone is still on sale with and without a GoPro camera, so if you already own a Hero 4 Black, say, you’ll save money as you don’t need to buy one. Originally, the drone cost £719 ($799) but now it has relaunched, it is a whopping £150 more expensive despite the price remaining at $799 in the US.
Here are the bundles:
We had expected the Karma to be priced competitively as GoPro was late to the party. But no, it’s simply too expensive compared to the more capable DJI drones.
While the Karma has advantages, such as the fact the gimbal can be removed from the drone and used in the (included) handheld Grip, the £869.99 price doesn’t even include a camera.
What features does the GoPro Karma have?
Everything you need – apart from the camera – is included in the box.
You get a backpack into which fits the fold-up drone, the controller (which has a built-in screen), the handheld grip, a battery and charger. It’s considerably bigger than a Mavic Pro and positively giant compared to a Spark.
The 3-axis gimbal can be swapped between the drone and the Grip handle so you can get stabilised handheld shots. Plus, the Grip can be mounted to vehicles and even your body thanks to a new range of mounts.
The Grip has a built-in battery that’s said to last almost two hours.
Which GoPro cameras are compatible with the Karma?
One of the most important questions: the new Hero 5, Hero 5 Session and Hero 4 Black / Silver will fit in the included gimbal mounts.
Karma drone specifications
It uses brushless motors and screw-on self-tightening propellers. It takes a proprietary Li-Po battery with a capacity of 5100mAh and GoPro says it’s good for up to20 minutes of flight time. It takes an hour to recharge, while the controller takes 2.5 hours and the Grip 2 hours. Only one of the Grip or Controller can be charged at the same time from the battery charger.
Here are the drone’s key specs:
Maximum Speed
35 mph (15 m/s)
Maximum Distance
3280ft (1000m)
Maximum Flight Altitude
14,500ft (4,500m)
Maximum Wind Resistance
22mph (10m/s)
Operating Frequency
2.4GHz
Dimensions (Opened/No Propellers)
Length: 12in (303mm)
Width: 16.2in (411mm)
Height: 4.6in (117mm)
Dimensions (Folded/Transport)
Length: 14.4in (365.2mm)
Width: 8.8in (224.3mm)
Height: 3.5in (89.9mm)
Propeller Length
10in (25.4cm)
Weight
35.5oz (1006g)
GoPro Karma controller
The controller is a games console-style transmitter with a folding colour screen:
Screen size
5in
Resolution
1280 x 720
Brightness
900cd/m2
Frequency
2.4GHz
Weight
22oz (625g)
Karma drone recall information
GoPro hasmade a total recall of all Karmasdue to the potential for the drone to lose power while flying. GoPro has said it has “discovered that in a small number of cases, Karma units lost power during operation. We are investigating the issue and working in close coordination with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration.”
The issue is fixed now, though. All affected customers were offered a full refund.
How much is the GoPro Karma Grip?
The Karma Grip was originally set to go on sale on 23 October, but only appeared onGoPro’s US websitein early December. It costs $299.99, and that doesn’t include a Hero camera. It’s priced to compete withDJI’s Osmo Mobile, reviewed.
In the UK, the Grip was originally going to be £249.99 but this has increased now that it’s on sale to£289.99 from GoPro. Similarly, DJI’s Osmo had a price increase due to exchange rate changes.
If you don’t want to hold the Karma Grip, you’ll need to use the included mounting ring so you can attach it to an existing GoPro mount. There’s also an official backpack with a Grip mount, so you can wear it at shoulder height.
Other accessories include an extension cable which is coming in 2017, plus ‘harnesses’ which allow you to use a GoPro Hero 4 Silver or Black, as the kit comes with only one for theHero5 Black, reviewed.
Below is everything you need to know about the Karma drone’s price, release date and features, plus what to do if you’re affected by the recall. Since you can’t buy one right now, you might like to read about thebest drones to buy
Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor, Tech Advisor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
