DJI Spark

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Spark
a DJI Spark flying indoors
DJI Spark
General information
TypeUnmanned aerial vehicle
National originChina
ManufacturerDJI
StatusDiscontinued
History
Manufactured2017–2019
Introduction dateMay 2017

The DJI Spark (company designation Model MM1A)[1] is a teleoperated compact quadcopter drone for personal and commercial aerial photography and videography use, released by the Chinese technology company DJI. The Spark had a short production run of only two years before it was replaced by the Mavic Mini.

Design and development

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DJI Spark being controlled with hand gestures.

DJI announced the Spark in May 2017.[2] The Spark is a small quadcopter with forward and downward obstacle avoidance sensors and satellite navigation.[3][4] The drone is lighter and smaller than the company's Mavic Pro, but lacks folding arms, making it roughly the same size as a folded Mavic.[5][6][7] The Spark has a 12-megapixel camera with a 1/2.3" CMOS sensor mounted on a two-axis gimbal capable of capturing 1080p video at 30 frames per second.[8][9] The Spark was the first DJI drone to be controlled by hand gestures.[10][11][12] Originally, users controlling the drone with hand gestures still had to use their phone to control the camera, but a software update in August 2017 added the ability to record video with a new set of gestures.[13]

Upon release, the Spark competed with drones such as the GoPro Karma and Yuneec International Breeze.[14] After reports of Spark drones falling from the sky in August 2017, DJI identified the issue as a software bug and released a firmware update to fix it. DJI also remotely grounded any drones that did not receive the update.[15][16][17]

In August 2018, DJI collaborated with Line Friends to release a version of the Spark marked to represent the character Brown.[18]

The Spark was replaced by the Mavic Mini in 2019.[19] Unlike the Spark, which is required to be registered in most countries due to its 300 g (0.66 lb) weight, the Mavic Mini was designed to bypass drone registration regulations by weighing under 250 g (0.55 lb).[20]

Specifications (Spark)

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Aerial photo of Mladá Boleslav Castle taken with a Spark.

Data from DJI Spark manual[21]

General characteristics

  • Length: 0.143 m (6 in)
  • Width: 0.143 m (6 in)
  • Height: 0.055 m (2 in)
  • Empty weight: 0.300 kg (1 lb)
  • Battery capacity: 1480 mAh

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 50 km/h (31 mph, 27 kn)
  • Endurance: 16 minutes
  • Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,123 ft) above sea level
  • Rate of climb: 3.0 m/s (588 ft/min)

Avionics

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

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  1. ^ DJI Spark FCC label (PDF). Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "DJI Launches Spark, The Easy And Fun Camera Drone For Everyone - DJI". DJI Official. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  3. ^ Kesteloo, Haye (15 December 2017). "Review: The DJI Spark mini-drone packs a punch". DroneDJ. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  4. ^ Heater, Brian (24 May 2017). "DJI's tiny new Spark drone is $499 and kind of a big deal". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  5. ^ Heater, Brian; Cao, Veanne (1 June 2017). "The DJI Spark is fun, but not the mainstream drone we were promised". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  6. ^ ACS, Matthew Allard (5 May 2017). "DJI Spark initial thoughts – how does it fare as a professional filmmaking tool?". Newsshooter. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Flying a DJI Spark by waving your hand isn't as great as it sounds". Engadget. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  8. ^ "DJI Spark Review". PCMAG. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  9. ^ Murison, Malek (24 May 2017). "Introducing the DJI Spark - Everything You Need To Know". DRONELIFE. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  10. ^ Fitzpatrick, Alex. "The DJI Spark Is The First Drone I Actually Want To Buy". TIME. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  11. ^ "The DJI Spark is the first drone for anyone". Quartz. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  12. ^ Eadicicco, Lisa (25 May 2017). "You Control This Tiny Drone Simply By Moving Your Hand". Time. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  13. ^ Crook, Jordan (2 August 2017). "DJI Spark update introduces 180-degree selfie mode". TechCrunch. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  14. ^ Graham, Jefferson. "DJI Spark hand gestures work — but not always". USA TODAY. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  15. ^ Zhang, Michael (22 August 2017). "DJI Will Disable Your Spark Drone If You Don't Update the Firmware". PetaPixel. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  16. ^ "DJI drone owners told to update or be grounded". 22 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  17. ^ Popper, Ben (25 July 2017). "Some DJI Spark drones are falling from the sky, and that's to be expected". The Verge. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  18. ^ Kesteloo, Haye (6 August 2018). "DJI introduces the DJI Spark BROWN in partnership with LINE FRIENDS". DroneDJ. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  19. ^ Spires, Josh (1 November 2019). "DJI Mavic Mini killed the DJI Spark — simplifying the Mavic lineup". DroneDJ. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  20. ^ Spires, Joshua (8 November 2019). "DJI Mavic Mini versus DJI Mavic Air versus DJI Spark". DroneDJ. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  21. ^ Spark User Manual V1.6 (PDF). DJI. October 2017.
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