Parrot has unveiled a the Bebop 2, a new drone that stays in the air for significantly longer than before.
The original Parrot Bebop hit the UK last December, and was perhaps most notable for its eye-watering price tag. This pitched the drone somewhere in between a general consumer and serious hobbyist device.
Parrot’s follow-up is hardly a massive departure from the original. The design is very similar (albeit more rugged), and it comes equipped with a familiar 14-megapixel 1080p camera.
That camera also continues to be situated in the nose of the device, providing a 180-degree field of view, rather than suspended underneath like most rivals (such as the DJI Phantom 3 Pro).
There’s also the same 2km maximum range, which is achieved through an optional flight controller. Otherwise you must rely on the free Android and iOS app, with a far more limited range of 300 metres.
As for improvements, Parrot reveals (via WSJ) that the Bebop 2 can stay in the air much longer than the original. Flight time is up from 12 minutes to 25 minutes. It’s also faster than the original.
Related: Flying a drone: everything you need to know
Parrot has gone with digital image stabilisation to keep footage stable. The reason it didn’t go with superior hardware-based optical image stabilisation, it seems, is in the interest of keeping weight down.
The Parrot Bebop 2 is due to hit shops from December 14, with prices starting from $549.99 minus the Skycontroller. That works out to £361, but we suspect it will end up closer to the original’s £430 price tag when it hits UK shops.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
