GoPro Karma release date update: Drone backwards compatible; device to be released in Q2 2016?

The Karma drone is one of the highly anticipated products from GoPro, the top action-camera manufacturer, and many are expecting it to be officially unveiled within the first half of the year.

GoPro held an earnings call last month where the company's CEO, Nicholas Woodman, said that their Karma drone will be available within the first or second quarter of the year.

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Yahoo! Finance published the transcript of the meeting where Woodman stated, "I want to update you on hardware. As impressive as GoPro technology is today, we are passionate about making our devices smaller, lighter, and easier to use -- and soon they will fly. GoPro's drone, Karma, will be on store shelves in the first half of 2016."

It also seems that the GoPro Karma will not be including any GoPro camera in its package, as Woodman hinted during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 that happened in January. He also said that the upcoming drone will be backwards compatible, as reported by Fool.

The report added that the GoPro drone may be launched as early as May.

GoPro released a short video featuring the Karma and Bobby Brown, a freestyle skier, conquering the snowy slopes of Aspen Snowmass.

In related news, another highly anticipated GoPro product is its upcoming Hero5, which may come later this year. Woodman also stated in their earnings call that the new action camera will be the "most connected and convenient GoPro we have ever made."

According to rumors, the next-generation camera will be suitable to record 8K videos, take 3D images with its dual-lens feature, have a bigger batter capacity at 2,800 mAh, and house an A10 processor. The previous model came in with 1,120 mAh and an A9 chip. The form factor is rumored to be same as the Hero4 Session.

It is also believed that the new device will now work in a greater depth underwater.

So far, GoPro has not released any concrete information with regard to the GoPro Karma nor GoPro Hero5.