The EACHINE E520S is a smart quadcopter that serves beginners as well as experienced users alike. However, its most notable feature is the camera. This is the perfect solution for anyone that wants a high quality aerial camera to capture their outdoor activities.
When you are out there having fun, you need a drone with follow me mode and a high quality camera to capture your footage. You may need a camera drone like the EACHINE E520S. It is easy to see why this product will give you good value for money. First, it is affordable, considering all the features that it comes with, we can say the price is a real steal.
EACHINE has a reputation for making some of the most stylish drones in the market. Their EACHINE E511S, which we reviewed earlier, is a great selfie drone. The E520S is much more than that. With a powerful 4K camera and durable build, you can buy it with confidence knowing you will get good value for money. What are some of its features? What is the build like? What is its flight performance? We will look at these and more items in the upcoming sections.
EACHINE E520S Features & Technical Details
Whether you are always on the move, you are an outdoor enthusiast who is always out there with nature, or you are the grounded sort of person who loves to fly a drone every weekend, the E520S will meet all of your needs perfectly.
Keep reading to see the kinds of features that this drone comes with.
Design, size, build quality and durability
By design, this is a foldable quadcopter. That is good news for people that love to carry their drone when they travel. By being foldable, we mean that it really sizes down to a small and compact shape that is easy to tuck into your travel pack. The propeller arms fold nicely and it does not even require you to remove the propeller blades.
When folded, this drone measures 5.90 by 4.33 by 2.95 inches. When the arms are unfolded, she measures 15.75 by 11.02 by 2.95 inches. You can see that it is not exactly a small drone. With the battery inserted, this drone weighs 280 g. Thus, you have to register it with the FAA since it weighs more than the set threshold of 250 g.
The EACHINE E520S is equipped with brushed coreless motors. For the flight stabilization, the drone has a 6-axis gyro system.
The exterior casing is made of hard but flexible ABS plastic. It will not crack and rip open with a single crash. Therefore, your drone’s interior parts are well protected by the casing. When you get the drone, make sure the package has a remote control, one 1200mAh 7.4V Li-po battery, 2 spare propeller blades, a screwdriver, the drone itself, 4 covers and user manual.
Camera
Physically, the camera is positioned right on the nose of the drone. It is a fixed camera, but to compensate for that, it has a wide angle of view at 120 degrees. With this kind of view, you are going to capture many details in your videos.
Away from the physical aspect of the camera now, what can you get with 4K resolution? Quite a lot. First, a 4K camera has a high resolution that can capture vivid details for your videos. It is simply one of the best aerial cameras for recording your adventures. However, it is recommended that you get an SD card that will be compatible with 4K resolution. The maximum size of SD card that this drone is compatible with is 128GB. This means that you do not have to commit your smartphone resources to storing your photos and videos.
You can also have an awesome FPV experience with this drone. For real-time video transmission though, you will have to use your smartphone. The remote control has a retractable smartphone holder that can fit different iOS and android devices.
You will have to download the EACHINE app for FPV. Just make sure you have enough space in your smartphone for the app. You can also buy compatible VR glasses and combine them with your phone for an explosive virtual reality experience.
The video transmission distance is 200 meters.
Battery capacity and flight time
This drone comes with one battery – 7.4V with a capacity of 1200mAh. It is a modular battery, so it is easy to remove and insert. You can buy a spare battery to make your flight time longer. You could get a maximum of 16 minutes from this battery, but most people report getting 14 minutes. The charging time for the battery is between 120 and 150 minutes.
Remote control
The remote control is just ok, you know, it has all the knobs, buttons and joysticks. The frequency is 2.4GHz and the controls are quite responsive so you should expect the drone to obey your commands immediately. The controller is powered by 4 AAA batteries, which are not provided. They are easy to buy in any store locally. The connectivity range is 300 meters.
Fight features, functions and performance
This is where this drone really excels. EACHINE have outdone themselves to make a drone with everything for kids and
Here are some flight functions you can look forward to:
GPS Position Mode
With this function, your drone is going to keep track of the flight path in real-time. If the battery runs low or the drone comes across unexpected obstacles in its flight path, you can bring it home immediately at the touch of a button.
Way Point Mode
Open the app and go to the inbuilt map and then draw the route that you would like the drone to follow. As soon as you launch it, it will follow that route without failure. For more fun, just make sure you choose a route that has good scenery and enjoy yourself. This is like the autopilot of drones.
Follow Me Mode
Lock the drone onto the person or object that you want it to follow and it will do that without error. If the drone is locked onto you, it will move faster when you increase pace and slower when you slow down. The drone will keep a respectable distance so you do not have to feel as if it is all over your case.
Altitude Hold
The beauty of having this function in any drone is that you never have to worry about the vertical flight of the drone. Just worry about the horizontal flight. It makes matters easy enough for beginners and kids. Its height is locked to a certain altitude so you do not worry about it.
Orbit Mode
Choose your center of interest and then punch the Orbit Mode. The EACHINE E520S will circle around the point of interest capturing photo and video footage from different angles. You can set a respectable orbit radius so that the drone is not too close or too far. Luckily, you can increase or reduce the radius without having to bring the drone home first.
Auto take off and landing
This function makes it easy to fly for beginners. At the press of just one button, this drone will start to land or take off. When it launches, it flies to a preset height and hovers there.
Headless mode
If the drone gets out of your sight, you do not need to worry about which direction it is flying. Just use headless mode and it will take care of its direction. This function is nice for flying the E520S in low light. Just worry about having fun, not the orientation of the drone.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
They say this drone is for kids, but I love it and I am a senior. I especially love the way I fold it and sneak out when my wife is in the kitchen to fly it in the backyard. Ron K.
Honestly, I thought this drone had brushless motors, so quiet and they never overheat, which is quite a feat for brushed motors. Ken G.
You can adjust the angle of the camera from the remote control. This is hard to find in many drones within this price range. Anton Q.
I thought something was wrong with my drone as I could not keep it as still as I would have liked. However, I realized that it is too responsive to commands. I slowly learned how to handle it and now I can fly it like a pro. Araph P.
The long flight time on one battery, the foldable design and the high quality camera were good enough for me so I bought it. The longest time I have managed to coax from the battery is 15 minutes. Bella C.
Being my first drone ever, I was expecting a long learning curve, but EACHINE has managed to surprise me pleasantly. Gorge T.
I would say this camera is not really 4K. I have seen 4k footage before and it was clearer. However, the footage seems slightly better than what you would get with a 1080P camera. Han J.
Pros of EACHINE E520S
- High quality camera for nice video footage
- Very responsive to commands
- Many beginner and safety features and functions
- Good flight range and flight time
- Designed and built with durability in mind
- Foldable design makes it good for traveling
- SD card support is a nice touch
- Very responsive app across a wealth of devices
Cons of EACHINE E520S
- Too responsive – it can be hard to keep still
- You cannot enjoy using the 4K camera at full speed unless you use a 4K compatible card
Who Should Buy The EACHINE E520S Drone?
This drone is primarily made for beginners but the type of functions and features it comes with tells you why anyone can use it. Just buy it if you fancy a nice drone at a low price. As a beginner, you have a drone that you will not want to upgrade in a hurry. This drone would also make a decent gift for your husband, son or daughter, or even a friend. The camera is indeed high quality and it captures nice footage in the daytime.
Conclusion and Recommendation
After buying the EACHINE E520S drone, you should read the user manual first so that you do the minimal assemblage with confidence. Find a clear field in which to fly the drone and only fly it during the day. You might want to keep your eyes on the controller because the drone hardly keeps still as it is very responsive. Because of this, it would be nice to note where the emergency buttons are so that you can bring it home fast if need be.
