GoPro Karma review: A decent drone with stiff competition

When Karma was unveiled last month, there were two main takeaways. First was the lack of much-expected "follow me" features; second was the inclusion of a (not-expected) handheld stabilizer, turning Karma into a "kit." GoPro CEO Nick Woodman would declare Karma to be "much more than a drone," pitching it as a complete video stabilization system -- one that can be worn, held and flown. The big question was, would that be enough for buyers to overlook what appeared to be a pared feature set on the drone itself? As a drone on its own, GoPro's Karma lacks a lot of features offered on rival devices, while the battery life is toward the low-end of acceptable. The big appeal here is the ease of use and overall versatility. If you're invested in the GoPro ecosystem, Karma makes a lot of sense. More serious drone enthusiasts will want to look elsewhere. At $799 (if you "bring your own camera"), and $999/$1,099 if you want to include a Hero5 Session or Black, Karma is priced aggressively, undercutting DJI's Phantom 4 if you factor in the cost of the handheld stabilizer (DJI's cheapest equivalent costs an extra $300).