Tech giants start by disassembling systems

Chapter 68 F4 Released

End of July 2018.

The F4 has officially rolled off the production line.

Su Chen stood in the factory, holding the first F4 engineering prototype in his hand.

It is about 10 percent heavier than the F3. The casing is still made of magnetic gray engineering plastic, but there are two small pieces on the bottom of the body - an RTK antenna module and a binocular obstacle avoidance camera.

It looks similar to the F3 on the outside, but the internals are completely different.

F3 represents "stability". F4 represents "intelligence".

RTK centimeter-level positioning – accurate to the ten-centimeter level even in complex environments. Binocular visual obstacle avoidance – automatically identifies and avoids obstacles ahead. Automatic flight path planning – automatically generates the optimal flight path after setting the target area.

These three features are unprecedented in consumer drones. No other drone in the same price range can offer them.

Su Chen decided to hold a formal press conference.

Unlike previous media briefings where people stood in an open space chatting, this was a real product launch.

The venue was chosen to be a convention center in Nanshan District, Shenzhen. Industry media, distributor representatives, SDK alliance companies, and several guests specially invited by Su Chen were invited—Lin Zhiqiang, Professor Chen Hongyuan, and Shen Yumeng from Southern Power Grid Intelligent.

And Lu Weimin of Tianying.

Su Chen did not actively invite Lu Weimin. However, the press conference was open for registration, and Lu Weimin came on his own.

On the day of the press conference, about three hundred people were seated in the venue.

Su Chen stood on the stage. Behind him was a huge LED screen with only two words on it: F4.

There was no opening. Su Chen began directly.

"The product launched today is called F4. It's Hongyuan's fourth-generation consumer drone. It's priced at 3499 yuan."

The scene fell silent for a second.

The F3 is priced at 2199. The F4 has increased by 1300. This price has made many people frown slightly.

But Su Chen's next words made them immediately forget about the price.

"F4 has three core functions."

The screen switched. A demonstration video of the first feature appeared.

"First, RTK centimeter-level positioning."

In the video, an F4 fighter jet flies along a precise grid path above a field. The deviation of each flight path is no more than ten centimeters. The coordinate data is displayed in real time in the lower right corner of the screen.

"This means that you can make the F4 fly along a precise path, every single time. It won't change because of wind, GPS drift, or the operator's feel."

The dealer representatives in the audience began to whisper among themselves. For workers in the county, this meant more consistent shooting quality and higher work efficiency.

The screen switched again.

"Second, binocular visual obstacle avoidance."

In the video, the F4 is flying through a forest. Suddenly, a tree branch appears in front of it. The F4 automatically veers to the right, goes around the branch, and then returns to its original flight path. The whole process takes less than two seconds.

A low gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"This means—you no longer need to constantly watch the screen worrying about it hitting trees or utility poles. F4 will avoid it on its own."

The screen switched for the third time.

Third, automated route planning.

In the video, the operator selects an area on their phone. F4 automatically generates a grid-like flight path, then takes off with a single click and begins automatically executing the mission. The operator simply stands by and watches.

"This means—you can let F4 do the work itself. You just tell it where to fly. It will plan its own route, avoid obstacles, and complete the task on its own."

The dealer representatives at the scene started banging on the table.

Because they know what these three functions mean.

For small business owners in county towns, these three functions mean—no professional operator is needed anymore. Previously, using the F3 required a skilled operator to fly it well. Now, with the F4, almost anyone can operate it.

This means lower labor costs. It means more small businesses can afford drones. It means an expanded market.

So is 3499 yuan expensive?

It's not expensive. Because the labor costs it saves far exceed the extra 1,300 yuan it costs.