Yuneec’s Upgraded Typhoon H Plus to Ship Next Month

Chinese manufacturer Yuneec will release an upgraded version of its Typhoon H drone next month. The new Typhoon H Plus comes with a new camera, a new noise-reducing frame and Intel’s RealSense technology as standard.

The original Typhoon H wowed the crowds at CES back in 2016, dodging moving objects on stage and avoiding obstacles in a way that we hadn’t seen before. But DJI’s Phantom 4 hit the market around the same time and turned out to be a more compelling proposition for a number of reasons.

Whether the Typhoon H Plus does anything to reduce the gap to the market leader remains to be seen, particularly as DJI has released a bunch of new consumer-targeted drones since then – many of which are being used for commercial purposes.

Read more: Yuneec Typhoon H520 Drone Public Safety Demonstration

What’s new with the Typhoon H Plus?

One of the frustrating things about the original Typhoon H was that Intel’s RealSense technology – the secret sauce that enabled the spectacular demonstration at CES 2016 – didn’t come as standard despite what was already a hefty outlay.

That’s arguably the most important step Yuneec has taken in a bid to make the Typhoon H relevant again.

Aside from that, the Typhoon H Plus boasts a new camera, with a 1-inch sensor capable of shooting 20mp stills and 4K video, along with improved low-light performance thanks to larger aperture optics and extended ISO range.

In a move comparable with DJI’s decision to work on noise-reduction technology, the new Typhoon H Plus has a slightly larger six rotor hexagonal frame, promising a 40 percent reduction in noise from previous hex models – not to mention stable flights in winds up to 30mph.  As with the original Typhoon H, a six-rotor safety failsafe system keeps the drone stable and allows it to land even if one of the motors fails.

The new iteration also comes with a new controller, the Android-based ST16S. Included is a high brightness seven-inch integrated display, as well as an HD 720p video downlink to watch as you fly.

“The H Plus with Intel RealSense was developed to expand creative possibilities and these improvements underscore our commitment to developing industry-leading technologies,” said Michael Jiang, CEO of Yuneec International.

“Virtually every drone pilot has experienced varying flight conditions and faced challenging shot requirements in the field. The hexacopter airframe provides pilots with unrivaled stability, redundancy and allows pilots to effectively capture necessary shots with the improved one-inch sensor.”

How much is the new Yuneec Typhoon H Plus?

The Typhoon H Plus with Intel RealSense will retail at $1899.99. It will be available on July 1 at Best Buy Stores across the US and on the Yuneec website.