Update, November 4, 2016: We got this wrong. We were far from the only reviewers to do so, but still, wrong is wrong. In short, we are changing our pick to recommend the DJI Mavic Pro. Here's why.
Unlike any previous DJI drone, the Mavic Pro has a new tap-to-focus feature. All of DJI's previous drones will simply auto adjust focus as you fly. With the Mavic Pro you have to adjust the focus by manually tapping on a point on your phones or tablet's screen. When you do the thing you tapped will generally come into nice, sharp focus.
This means that the camera isn't absolute garbage, like I initially thought it was. Also, it's good that you can achieve some cool, cinematic shots by playing with the focus. That said, the camera has a very shallow depth of field which makes it impossible to get everything in focus. If you focus on the horizon then objects close up look like tiny toys (almost like a tilt-shift effect). Focus on the foreground and the horizon will be blurry. This is definitely a limitation. Sometimes you want everything to be nicely focused, and that wasn't something I was able to achieve with the Mavic. Also, you shouldn't have to tap to focus in order to get usable footage.
DJI didn't tell us about the feature. The word "focus" does not appear at all in the Quick Start guide, and the only mention of it is in passing on page 42 of the full User Manual, and even then it isn't explained. Nor was there any pop-up explainer on the remote control. Considering tapping to focus is absolutely mandatory to get a good shot, you'd think that would be the first thing DJI would tell you absolutely must do.
Ultimately, I still prefer the Hero5 Camera on the GoPro Karma. It has a wider dynamic range, colors are better, and it automatically adjusts to changing conditions nicely. That said, the biggest reason that the Mavic Pro lost is because we thought the camera was trash, and further testing has revealed that it certainly isn't that. Because of that, I am now recommending the DJI Mavic Pro. It's just so much lighter and more portable, it has obstacle avoidance and better smart modes (including tracking). It has far better battery life and potential range. You could throw it in a tiny backpack and forget it's even there.
The original review follows, unedited.
Announced within a week of each other, the GoPro Karma and the DJI Mavic Pro are the season's (the year's?) hottest drones. They both fold up, they both shoot stabilized 4K video, and they'll both scare the hell out of your cat. Both have things that are absolutely fantastic, and both have things that are completely infuriating. If I had to recommend one it would be the GoPro Karma, but certainly not without reservations.
The Mavic is wonderfully tiny---small enough to literally sit on the palm of your hand. The arms fold back against the body, and its propellers fold in half too, which is genius. The remote is small, too, though it doesn't have a built-in screen, so you'll have to attach your phones to it, which adds a layer of complication. Speaking of complications, the menu system is virtually indecipherable for amateurs.
Despite its diminutive size the Mavic is loaded with excellent features. Visual and sonic sensors give it obstacle avoidance and added stability, even indoors. It can stay aloft a whopping 27 minutes per charge, weighs about two pounds, has a claimed range of up to four miles, and speeds of up to 40mph (in Sport Mode, which makes it almost unsettlingly agile).
So, what's the catch? The camera. Images are notably lacking in sharpness, colors appear washed out, the dynamic range seems to be rather narrow, and in auto mode, it often misreads lighting conditions. It has the same size sensor (a 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS) as DJI's flagship Phantom 4 and GoPro's Hero cameras, but image quality lags due to smaller, inferior optics. The Mavic Pro's field of view is a narrow 79 degrees, compared to 94 degrees on the Phantom 4, and up to 165 degrees on the GoPro Hero cameras (which is what the Karma drone uses). Further, I experienced several instances where condensation formed on the inside of the lens, badly fogging up my shots.
While the Mavic Pro offers a ton of granular controls which more advanced users will appreciate, it will likely seem inscrutable to novices. In the rare instance that onscreen text pops up to help you, it's too tiny to read on an iphoness. The intelligent flight modes are often tough to figure out, and their performance is lacking. For example, there's a mode that lets you select a person on your phones's screen and have the drone follow them, keeping them in frame, though I found that only worked about 50 percent of the time.
The design of the Mavic Pro is my favorite I've seen on any drone, but if you're spending $1,000 (or $1,300 if you pick the bundle with all the accessories and extra batteries) you should expect jaw-dropping, breath-taking imagery. That's the main thing a drone has to do, and the Mavic Pro does not provide it.
The GoPro Karma also folds, and it comes with a nice padded backpack for carrying it. However, it's roughly twice the size and weight of the Mavic Pro. But don't let the added bulk turn you off, because the image quality is stellar. The Karma uses a GoPro as its camera; It's compatible with the Hero4 Silver, Hero4 Black, Hero5 Black, and soon the Hero5 Session. Those cameras offer best-in-class image quality and they really make your aerial footage look great.
The real kicker here is that the Karma isn't just a drone. Not only can you then detach the waterproof GoPro Hero camera and stick it on your surfboard, helmet, bike, dog, whatever, but you can detach the Karma's 3-axis camera stabilizer too. You simply attach it to the battery-powered Karma Grip (included) and you've essentially got a really excellent Steadicam system. You can capture ultra-smooth handheld shots, or you can attach the Grip to your body with a standard GoPro mount, and your mountain biking footage will be eerily bumpless. (To be fair, I did struggle to find a good place to attach it). This is the biggest difference between Karma and the other drones: You're not just getting a flying camera, you're getting a versatile adventure filmmaking system.
The Karma Remote is bulkier than the Mavic's, but it has a built-in 5-inch touchscreen that is bright enough to be readable in sunlight. I hate fumbling with my phones or a tablet just to see where I'm going, so this makes setup on the Karma a lot easier. The interface is minimal, which helps usability but doesn't offer the granular controls that appeal to advanced users.
Other ways the Karma lags behind the Mavic Pro: You only get a pathetic 18 minutes of flight time compared to 27 with the Mavic; Karma's range is just under two miles, half of what the Mavic gets; and the Karma is slower (35mph versus 40mph) and less responsiveness due to its bulk.
While it would seem like slower flight would make it better for newbies, it doesn't have obstacle-avoidance tech on board and currently can't track a subject that's moving---both excellent automation features that make flying and filming easier. It does have some cool automatic moves though, like a "dronie" (that's a swooping drone selfie), a orbit mode (it'll spin 360 degrees around you or an object while pointing the camera inward), a reveal shot (it pops up over a canyon wall while the camera tilts up), and a cable cam mode (it'll follow a two-point track that you set). It can also either return to the place where it launch or it fly to where the remote control currently is; handy if you were launching from a boat.
The price is nice, too. If you already own one of the GoPro cameras that works with the Karma, the kit will run you $800. That includes the drone, the stabilization gimbal rig, the remote, and the padded backpack. If you don't already have the camera, you can get the Karma bundled with a Hero5 Session for $1,000 or a Hero5 Black for $1,100. That's $100 cheaper than buying GoPro's drone and camera separately. I'd say it's worth going for the Black setup, as it's a much better camera than the Session. For $150, you can also get GoPro Care (think AppleCare) for Karma, which gives you two years of drone insurance for if (when) you total it. Probably worth it if you're a first timer looking to capture some tree runs in Banff over the holidays.
Despite its limitations (some of which are significant), I'm recommending the GoPro Karma over the DJI Mavic Pro. It's more versatile and easy to use. Normally I'd push more advanced users toward the Mavic Pro, but I think advanced users are even more likely to care about image quality---and that's where the Mavic Pro comes up short. In both cases, I'm really looking forward to seeing what these companies learn from these first folding drones and how they step it up for the sequels.
