#DroneTechie

Snapchat unveils a $230 self-flying drone called Pixy

A $230 pocket-sized drone that can only fly for three minutes.

by
Joe Rice-Jones
April 28, 2022

snap pixy drone above an outstretched black-skinned hand

Image: KnowTechie

Snap is now in the drone business. The company unveiled a $230 pocket-sized drone that follows you around. The device is called Pixy, and it can take pictures and videos that are automatically uploaded to Snapchat.

Announced during the Snap Partner Summit keynote, Pixy looks like it was created for ease of use. There’s no controller, no SD card for additional storage – just a dial to choose between the four preconfigured flight paths.

Different flight paths include float, orbit around you, follow you as you walk or run, and Pixy zooms into the air and starts recording. The resulting video is at a 2.7k resolution, or you can get 12-megapixel photos. To stop recording, you put your hand under Pixy and it will land.

https://youtu.be/cqIsDo-f670

Snap says Pixy can capture five to eight flights on each charge from the 3.3Wh, 860mAh removable battery. In terms of flight time, that equals out to about three minutes. The whole drone, including the battery, only weighs 101g.

Pixy transfers its footage wirelessly to the Snapchat app via Snapchat Memories. You can then view, edit, and share the videos, using the same editing tools for Snapchat.

Pixy is available for sale now, starting from $229.99 for the drone, a carrying case, one rechargeable battery, and a USB-C charging cable. Snap expects orders to ship within 11-12 weeks from the day you order.

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