Holy Stone HS440 Drone Review

Holy Stone manufacturing drones since 2014. To know whether you will get value for money, it is best to consider every HS drone on its own merits. In this Holy Stone HS440 drone review, you shall see its features, and its flight functions.

Looking at the physical structure of the HS440, it looks like a small version of the HS720E. But there is a whole load of difference between the two drones, from the camera quality to the size. The HS440 is in the mini drone class.

This is a good drone for beginners. It also packs more features than most of the mini drones in its price range. For instance, it comes with an SD card slot, so you don’t need to store your footage in your smartphone.

Also, there are not many downsides to note with this aircraft. However, you should be aware that when you launch it with the one key take off and landing function, it might drift a little when it hovers at 5 feet. This is understandable for a drone of this size and weight.

Continue reading “Holy Stone HS440 Drone Review”

February 16, 2021March 1, 2021

Potensic Elfin Mini Drone Review

The black and white Potensic Elfin Mini Done for kids and adult beginners is a good looker. In addition, it is a Potensic, which places it far ahead of many other mini drones in the market when it comes to build quality.

However, it takes much more to make a good mini drone that can hold a stable flight, take good quality pictures and offer a decent flight time. In that case, we are going to look at the features of this mini drone, the camera quality as well as the flight functions.

While the Elfin Mini is a good quadcopter for beginners, it has some downsides too. For instance, it is a bit too bulky with the propeller guards on. Therefore, it “refuses” to fit in the storage bag so you have to tinker with the guards when you are done flying.

Another downside is that the videos and images appear a bit shaky. There is no gimbal, which means the camera is not stabilized. Therefore, you can only take good footage when there is no wind or when you get the quadcopter to hover.

But not all is lost, as you will see in the features and flight functions.

Continue reading “Potensic Elfin Mini Drone Review”

February 13, 2021January 25, 2022

SMRC M21 Drone Review

The SMRC M21 is a new GPS drone with good camera, long flight time, and many advanced flight functions such as smart return, surround flight and more.

It is quite affordable, at far less than $100. It also has an impressive flight time of 30 minutes (we will find out whether this is from one or two batteries) and the 6K EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) camera legit makes it a mini drone that could be worth having.

However, this mini drone also has its flip side. For instance, since it is a lightweight drone, it performs so poorly in the wind. Therefore, it might have stability issues even in the lowest velocity wind. Another downside is that this mini drone does not come with a slot for an SD card. If a quadcopter has a nice, advanced camera, it should have a slot for an SD card to enable you to take photos and videos in the highest resolution possible.

To find out the main things to expect from this quadcopter, keep reading to see its features and technical details, as well as the flight functions.

Continue reading “SMRC M21 Drone Review”

April 4, 2019April 3, 2020

AEE Selfly II Review

And the drones get smaller and smaller, but more effective even in the smallest of sizes. This is the conclusion that you will draw when you read this AEE Selfly II review. Nano drones are not exactly new in the market, with the name nano being used to mean drones that can fit in your palm. However, the AEE Selfly II brings a new kind of small into the market, and it is foldable too. When the DJI Spark was introduced into the market a couple of years ago, it was all the rage in the market. You see, it was the size of a soda can, could fly fast, looked very stylish and could shoot stunning footage even at the top speed of 31 miles per hour. However, now comes the AEE Selfly II, much smaller, foldable and can fit in your trouser pocket with space to spare. It seems the tiny drone revolution has just begun!

Continue reading “AEE Selfly II Review”

July 12, 2018April 3, 2020

DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone Review

Without the slightest doubt, DJI is one of the best drone makers in the world. They manufacture both commercial and hobbyist drones of great repute. The DJI Spark portable mini drone is one of a kind, so affordable and small, yet so feature-rich. Any casual user searching for a perfect drone should consider the Spark. You will taste the difference in technology as compared to other big drones. You can use the Spark to capture high quality videos and photos even with no prior experience at using a drone.

This drone has great features such as obstacle avoidance, great design and flying modes, which we shall look at later in detail. It is small, which makes it easy for you to carry it to the park or wherever you want to fly it. It comes in with switchable tops of different colors like green, yellow, blue, white and red.

DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone Features & Technical Details

The Drone Design, size and shape

When you get your DJI Spark, straight away, you will notice its minimal weight and the small size. It measures 143 by 143 by 55 mm and weighs 0.67 pounds. This small size and weight also means that you will not be required to register the Spark with the FAA. This means you can carry this drone anywhere without feeling the weight. However, it may be light in weight, but it is not delicate at all, as you will see when you start flying it. It can withstand some abuse. Flying and landing a drone subjects it to a lot of bumping and vibration.

Obstacle avoidance

One feature about DJI Spark is its capability to avoid obstacles. This drone is able to avoid and sense objects just as the big drones do. DJI engineers built a very intelligent drone. However, note that the Spark can only sense close range objects/obstacles, furthest at 16 feet. Also, note that when Obstacle Avoidance is on, the drone will fly much slower.

Great flying modes

Besides its capability to avoid obstacles, DJI Spark has impressive flying modes. It flies in modes such as Helix, Rocket, Circle and Drone. In addition, this drone has the ability to recognize gestures. This gesture recognition allows the user to fly the drone without a controller or a Smartphone. You will love the TapFly feature where you just tap your smartphone and the drone flies towards the direction of the tap.

With the ActiveTrack feature, the drone is able to recognize differently shaped and sized objects and track them actively depending on what the objects are and how fast they are moving.

You can also put on the DJI Goggles, switch the drone to Sport Mode and fly at high speed while you experience a world of color and amazing detail with the First Person View feature, which allows you to fly the drone with a pilot’s viewpoint.

Camera

Any DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone review will show that one of its landmark features is the 12MP camera, which is capable of shooting 1080p videos. It is designed with a ½.3-inch CMOS sensor that enables the user to take high quality 1080p videos and great still photographs at 12MP. Because of the camera’s high sensitivity to light, it records colors accurately, capturing much detail.

Another feature is the 2-axis gimbal, which is a mechanical stabilization feature designed to reduce the effects of rolling and shaking on the shutter thus keeping the shots and videos stable and rich in detail.

Battery and flight time

Spark uses Lithium Polymer (LiPo) 1480 mAh battery. It takes 45 to 55 minutes to charge one or two batteries. You can charge these batteries using a micro-USB cable.

If you are flying the drone in calm weather when there is no wind, then you can do about 16 minutes of flight with a full battery. However, this speed is gauged on a speed of about 12.4 mph. You can buy extra batteries and keep them charged to increase the flight time.

Short summary of feedback from existing owners

I bought DJI Spark mini drone and I already love it. I cannot help wondering just how DJI were able to pack so many features in such a tiny wee-bit drone, but I love it. I am yet to fly it in the park in some wind, but I have flown it in my backyard and it is excellent. Ramsey N.

I use this drone to capture videos and photos of my family as we ride our bikes in the park. My children also love that they can use hand gestures to take selfies. It is the best investment that we made for this summer. Alice Q.

My son has become the envy of the neighborhood crowd ever since I bought him the Spark soon after its launch. I love flying it with him and I am amazed at the quality of its videos and pictures. Anderson B.

I wish this drone came with longer flight time but as of now, I will have to do with 15 minutes. It is worth it though because the video and still quality is awesome. I intend to buy an extra battery or two though, so no problem there. Simon N.

Pros of DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone

Has intelligent obstacle avoidance
Great flight performance
Many intelligent flight-modes
Available in many colors
2-axis gimbal stabilization for high quality videos and photos
Easy to carry and use
Edit and share videos on social media from the drone

Cons of DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone

Lacks 4K camera
Just 15 minutes or so of flight time

Who Should Buy DJI Spark Portable Mini Drone?

While it does take good pictures and videos, the DJI Spark portable mini drone is most suitable for hobbyists. Anyone can use it though because even beginners can use it to capture great shots like professionals without a big learning curve. Features like Active Track and TapFly make piloting this drone a joy. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced user, you will love flying this drone.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Small, nimble and incredible at flight and battery life, this is one of the best tiny drones from a renowned brand. You can buy it with confidence that you will have the best value for your money. Compared to other drones of it size in the market, the 15 to 16 minute flying time per battery is pretty impressive. You can buy this drone to take your hobbyist videos and you can give the DJI Spark Portable Mini drone as a gift to a family member who is an outdoor enthusiast. It is sold with a carry case, so packing it in your backpack should not be any trouble. Be in control of your selfies, videos and photos.

Show me the price !

==>Hot Deals on DJI Store<==

DJI Mavic Mini Review

Best Drones Under 250 Grams With Camera

Best Foldable Drones 2019