Drones

Yuneec Breeze shoots 4K selfies from the sky

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Yuneec has launched its new Breeze drone, with a focus on selfies
Yuneec
Breeze is available now for US$499
Paul Ridden/New Atlas
Yuneec put the Breeze on show at IFA this week
Paul Ridden/New Atlas
The humble selfie stick has been given wings
Paul Ridden/New Atlas
The  Breeze can be flown using automated modes like Follow Me, Orbit and Selfie mode
Yuneec
Yuneec has launched its new Breeze drone, with a focus on selfies
Yuneec
Measuring up at less than half the size of the Typhoon models, the Breeze is designed to take anywhere
Yuneec
Simple infrared and optical flow systems allow Breeze to maintain its position
Yuneec
The Breeze is a much tidier package than its bigger brothers
Yuneec
The Breeze is controlled through an app, which also lets users edit and share photos and videos to social media
Yuneec
Yuneec is positioning the Breeze as a "flying camera" more so than a drone for enthusiasts
Yuneec
The Breeze's camera is tucked up inside the body of the drone, and can shoot 4K video and take 13 megapixel stills
Yuneec
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Yuneec is known for a few professional-grade drones like the feature-packed Typhoon series, but now the company is targeting a more casual breed of pilot. The Breeze is a selfie-taking drone that strips out some of the more elaborate elements of its bigger siblings and aims to let users focus on the photos, not the flying.

The company is positioning the Breeze as more of a "flying camera" than a drone for hobbyists, so the first thing on the chopping block is the Typhoon's complex airframe. The Breeze trades in the retractable landing gear, two of the rotors and the gimbal, tucking the camera up a slimmer body that, at 196 x 196 x 65 mm (7.7 x 7.7 x 2.5 in), is less than half the size of its predecessors.

The high-end obstacle avoidance system from the Typhoon H Pro is out too, in favor of simpler positioning systems using infrared and GPS. And while Yuneec's higher-end drones are driven with dedicated controllers, in this case control has been handed over to a smartphone app in order to make the Breeze more portable and (potentially) easier to use.

Along with a manual Pilot mode, the Breeze app offers a few automatic flight modes to lend a hand to those interested in the end product more than the process. Selfie mode allows users to adjust sliders to control the drone's distance, altitude and position prior to snapping a shot, while Journey mode locks the camera on a target, then uses those same sliders to move it forwards or backwards to frame the shot. Common drone modes like Orbit and Follow Me are also included.

The Breeze is controlled through an app, which also lets users edit and share photos and videos to social media
Yuneec

The camera itself swivels 90 degrees up and down, shoots 4K video and takes 13 megapixel stills, or streams 720p live video to the Breeze app. The app also allows users to edit, caption and save photos and videos, before sharing them directly to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and the like.

After 30 to 40 minutes on the charger, the Breeze can spend 12 minutes in the air – only half the flight time of the Typhoon drones, but enough to snap plenty of social media-ready shots.

The Yuneec Breeze is available as of this week for US$499, making it less than a third the price of the company's higher-end models, but significantly more than a selfie stick.

Product page: Yuneec

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1 comment
Bob Flint
Beautiful yet insecure young people still finding ways to be the center of their own attentions, despite the social media frenzy they so revel within while trying to be popular and liked.....rather sad, a few simple plastic mirrors would do the same.