GoPro's Karma Drone Now Back On Sale; Faulty Battery Latch Has Been Redesigned

GoPro has announced that its Karma drone is now back on sale from its official website, as well as select retailers in the United States. The GoPro Karma drone was recalled just weeks after it first went on sale last October.

GoPro officially halted the sales of the Karma drone in early November after several customers reported that their units automatically turned off during flight. At the time, the company had already sold around 2,500 units of the Karma drone. GoPro had to recall all of those units as the problem was a serious safety concern.

“GoPro voluntarily withdrew Karma in November 2016 after a small number of cases where batteries disconnected during flight, resulting in a loss of power,” the company explained in a press release. “GoPro identified the issue as related to the latch mechanism which secured the drone’s battery. A redesigned battery latch has been incorporated into the updated Karma drone to solve the issue.”

GoPro’s Karma drone still comes with the same price as it did before. A standalone unit still costs $799.99, while a Karma bundled with the GoPro HERO5 Black still carries the $1,099.99 price tag. Those who’ve purchased the Karma Grip stablizer as a standalone accessory can also purchase the Karma drone this coming April for $599.99.

Retailers that already have the GoPro Karma include Best Buy, B&H and Amazon, according to The Verge. GoPro also told its customers that shipments will initially be limited, but the company expects “production to ramp quickly.” For international customers, the GoPro Karma will be available some time this spring.

The recall isn’t the only setback that GoPro had to face with the Karma drone. The compact quadcopter drone was actually delayed a year before its official launch last fall, according to Digital Trends. GoPro also faces serious competition with DJI, which launched a compact drone, the Mavic Pro, just a week after Karma’s release.