The GoPro Karma is now available in the U.K., Italy, Germany and Spain on the company’s website and at select online retailers in those countries. The drone was initially launched in the U.S. in October only to be recalled not long after. It was re-launched in the U.S. earlier this year and now has finally flown across the pond.
GoPro Karma starter kit now available in Europe
GoPro is offering a starter kit, which includes the Karma quadcopter and a Hero5 camera. The kit also contains the Karma Grip device, which can be used either with or without the quadcopter. The starter kit is priced at £1,200 in the U.K., which is £100 less than DJI’s Mavic drone, although some would argue that the Mavic is a better drone for not very much more money. Both the GoPro Karma and the Mavic are easily foldable, although each comes with its own set of features. On the European mainland, the GoPro Karma sells for around €1,400.
Those who already have a GoPro camera that will work with the Karma can buy just the drone for £870 or €1,000. The Karma Grip will be available starting sometime in April.
You may have noticed that the European prices for the GoPro Karma are higher than expected. It’s unclear why, but it most likely has something to do with Brexit, which has caused price increases for other products from other companies.
Can the GoPro Karma stand up to the competition?
There have been a lot of reviews and comparisons of the GoPro Karma and other similar drones from other companies, and at the time of the first launch late last year, many reviewers thought the Mavic Pro was a better option. It also doesn’t help that the Karma was recalled soon after its initial launch because of power loss problems that caused it to drop out of the sky. It took several months for GoPro to fix the problems and re-launch the quadcopter, so it is definitely coming from behind on this.
On the other hand, many consider GoPro to be the premier brand when it comes to action cameras, so the question will be whether fans of the company’s cameras will be willing to accept things they might not like about the Karma. Also fans of the Karma have noted that it folds into a backpack that’s included in the price of the kit, while a lot of drones in the same class as it don’t come with a backpack.
Shares of GoPro stock edged higher by as much as 0.23% to $8.68 during regular trading hours on Friday.
