The new Parrot Bebop 2 has been announced and it hosts a lot of cool feature, but can it compete with the rest of the market?

This new entry boasts numerous improvements over the previous model. It’s more efficient motors are now 6.0″ up from the previous 5.5″. These new propellers and more efficient motors allowed Parrot to increase the size of the battery as well. Because of this the Parrot Bebop 2 now boats an amazing 25 minute flight time, up from the previous models 12 minutes. The last improvement resulting from the bigger blades is a nice increase in its top speed. The blades allow the new Bebop 2 to reach a suitable 37 mph, up from the previous 24mph.

Like the previous model this one also has a 14mp fish-eye HD camera that can stream straight to a phone or tablet. This one can still be flown by your phone or tablet with their FreeFlight 3 software, it has the same stability control, GPS, proximity sensors and Parrot anticipates the heavier weight will provide more stability in wind as well.

Entering the market on December 14th this stands to be one of the last drones released this year. It enters the market at a price point of $550 USD it’s immediate competition is all lower end quad-copters.

The classic Skycontroller is also still available for the new Bebop 2. This controller houses a tablet and gives the pilot a more traditional joystick control setup. This controller can be purchased in package with the Bebop 2 for $800 USD.

To sum this up the Bebop will be a fun toy which Parrot is now calling a “consumer gadget”. This to me just sounds like marketing speech for adult toy. I am not trying to say anything bad about this, they know what it is and where it sits. This does sound like a great toy and I may pick one up myself for puttering around with.

What do you think of these changes to the Bebop?
Does this help position them in the market better?
Will you be looking for one of these to give as a present this Christmas at their December 14th release?

We would love to hear your opinion!