Tencent's economical Ying drone uploads photos to WeChat

Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd is set to launch a drone that could enable users to share live streaming video directly through WeChat, its instant messaging app, as it enters the burgeoning consumer drone market.

The Ying drone, coproduced by Tencent and drone maker ZeroTech Intelligence Technology Co Ltd, is now available for preorder on its website and is expected to be officially released at the end of this month.

Priced at $299, the 425-gram drone has a 13 megapixel camera and can shoot video at 4K resolution. It can fold up neatly to be carried in a bag.