Explore Vivo’s innovative “flying drone camera phone” concept—a smartphone with a detachable quadcopter camera module. Learn about the patent, rumored specs, challenges, and potential 2025 launch timeline.
🌟 What’s the Concept?
Vivo has filed a patent—and teased concept renders—of a smartphone with a mini drone camera built into its body. The flying camera slides out like a tray, detaches, and hovers independently to capture aerial shots—imagine selfies, group photos, or cinematic angles taken by a personal drone timesofindia.indiatimes.com+13indianexpress.com+13gadgetshigh.com+13.
Rumored Specs (Unconfirmed)
- Module: Mini quadcopter with dual cameras and IR sensors
- Aircraft size: Roughly 6–8 cm square
- Phone display: 6.9″ Super AMOLED, Gorilla Glass 7
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 / 8 Gen 2 or Snapdragon 898
- RAM/Storage: 12 GB RAM, 256–512 GB onboard
- Battery: ~6,900 mAh (phone) + separate drone battery
- Charging: 65–120 W wired, 50 W wireless
- Camera: 200 MP primary (drone) + wide/ultra-wide/depth setup
- Software: Android 14/15 with Funtouch OS
- Network: 5G, Wi-Fi 7
- IP rating: IP68/69 (likely prototype-level) yankodesign.com+1indianexpress.com+1phadera.com+3gadgetshigh.com+3gsmarena24.com+3indiatimes.com+3oemhss.in+3theverge.com+3mobilegyans.com+1uttammaurya.in+1indiatimes.com+3phadera.com+3oemhss.in+3
🔍 What the Patent Renders Reveal
- The drone nests in a slide-out tray at the phone’s top
- Compact quadcopter with twin forward‑facing cameras and IR sensors for collision avoidance yankodesign.com
- With display unobstructed—no notch or punch-hole needed indianexpress.com+5yankodesign.com+5vocal.media+5
⚙️ Technical & Practical Challenges
- Miniaturization: Drone must be lightweight, stable, and fold into a phone body.
- Battery Drain & Heat: Dual power management for both phone and drone.
- Durability: Moving parts mean dust/water issues—IP rating concerns.
- Regulatory hurdles: Drone use may be restricted in many areas.
- Privacy concerns: Airborne cameras might raise surveillance alarms phadera.com+1freejobalert.com+1
🗓️ Possible Launch Timeline
- No official Vivo announcement yet—just patents and rumors pocket-lint.com+13phadera.com+13indiatimes.com+13
- Speculative rollout late 2025 or beyond, depending on tech and regulations
- Some sources even mention a rumored September 29, 2024 “release date”—highly unlikely gsmarena24.com
Why It Matters
- If realized, this merges smartphone convenience with drone flexibility.
- It continues Vivo’s trend toward camera innovation—pop-ups, gimbals, Zeiss collaboration phonearena.com+7gadgets360.com+7freejobalert.com+7
- Demoing mobile flying camera tech could inspire rivals and shift industry standards.
❓ FAQs
Q1: Is this phone real or just a concept?
A: Currently a patented concept—no official product confirmed yet phonearena.com+10gadgets360.com+10dronios.com+10.
Q2: Any release timeline?
A: Rumors hint at late 2025, but no real confirmation exists inews.zoombangla.com.
Q3: How safe is using a flying camera?
A: Ideally, it would include IR-based auto-avoidance, geofencing, and return-to-home—but regulations will significantly impact feasibility inews.zoombangla.com.
Q4: Expected price range?
A: Speculated between ₹50,000–1,20,000, due to advanced drone module and flagship specs timesofindia.indiatimes.com+7babaagrofood.in+7inews.zoombangla.com+7.
Disclaimer
This article outlines a conceptual device based on patent filings, leaks, and industry rumors. No commercial product is available yet. Specs and launch details are unverified and subject to change.
