The propeller guards of the EACHINE E020 FPV drone make it stand out from the others because of the way they are lit up with blue and red LED lighting. While some people say they are hard to see in bright sunshine, they are quite a joy for night flying. Eachine is known for making some of the best-looking drones. However, with the E020, looks are not all there is to it. It has great flight features, functions and physical features, which we shall look at in the upcoming sections.
Eachine E020 Features & Technical Details
In any drone, features are the real deal. They make all the difference between a good and a not-so-good drone. With the E020, you will be spoilt for choice. Tens of features make this drone a joy to fly. However, also note that this drone has a few downsides that we will discuss later on in this article.
Design, Build Quality and Durability
Talking about the size of this drone, it is small. It should be easy to carry with you wherever you go. It measures 9.84 by 9.84 by 5.12 inches. However, this drone is not foldable, but it should be easy to carry when you remove the propeller guards and the landing gear.
The drone hull is made of high quality ABS plastic. It protects the delicate interior parts. Even if the drone crashes onto an obstacle, it need not rip apart and suffer irreparable damage.
The flying weight of this drone is 280 g. While it is not too high, it is still above the 250 g threshold for drones that do not need to be registered with the FAA if you are in North America. Therefore, register yours online before you can fly it.
Battery and flight time
The Eachine E020 comes with a 7.4 Volt 1100mAh battery. This is a modular battery, so it is easy to remove and insert. You will get about 12 minutes of flight time from this battery. This is understandable because this is really not a high capacity battery. For the price that you will pay for the drone, we feel that they should have made the battery at least 1800mAh, but it is what you get.
The benefit of using a low capacity battery like this one is that the charging time is usually short. For example, this one charges in 150 minutes. While not as long as the higher capacity batteries take to charge, we still feel that waiting for 150 minutes so that you can get 12 minutes of flight time is not very fair.
This is a powerful drone and as a result, it requires a powerful battery. A good battery makes the drone perform exemplarily in flight.
Camera Quality
When it comes to the camera, Eachine has gone over and beyond. First, this is a 4K camera, with a wide field of view of 120 degrees. You will be able to capture high quality aerial footage for both photos and videos. You also get a good first person view experience with this drone. The image resolution is 3840 by 2160P.
When buying the drone, some online marketplaces bring you three options for the camera. These include 720P, 1080P and 4K. This EACHINE E020 drone review is for the 4K camera. The transmission distance for FPV is 50 to 80 meters.
You will realize something different with this camera. It is not fixed on the nose or on the belly of the drone. It is suspended under the nose of the drone. Therefore, when you do not need to take footage, you can remove the camera. This reduces the weight, making the drone fly for longer. Even when the drone is delivered to you, it arrives with the camera detached.
There is something a bit odd with this drone though. You have to connect the camera to the battery casing. You will see how to connect it in the user manual. The 6-axis gyro keeps the camera stable even when the drone slants. It maintains the right orientation for the video and photo footage.
Finally, this camera has a shock absorber. This prevents the camera from shaking, therefore, taking stable footage all the time.
Please refer to the user manual so that you can know the app that you should download to enjoy many of the flight functions as well as first person view.
Remote controller
The remote controller is small, gray-black in color and easy to use. The keys and buttons are responsive but they are not too sensitive. Because of the light in weight of the RC, you can use it for the entire flight time of the drone. When you open the box, you will see that the controller is covered with a small labeled carton. The labels show you what every key on the controller is supposed to do. Therefore, even if you are a beginner, you will find it easy to use.
It has keys for functions such as one key return, headless mode, camera button and many others. It also has a foldable smartphone holder so that you can get your first person view with it.
For power, the remote controller uses four 1.5V batteries, which you have to buy separately. The door to the battery compartment is attached with a screw for security.
Landing gear
In the box, you will also find a pair of high landing gear. You have to attach them to the drone before you can fly it. The high design keeps the camera safe when the drone lands. The gear is quite stable and the camera stays safe even if you land the drone in a rush.
Eachine E020 Flight Features and Functions
With many drones being targeted at beginner users, they come with many automatic functions. We shall discuss some of them here.
One Key Return
Every beginner drone must have this function. It makes it safer to fly the drone because once you punch this key, the drone turns and comes back home.
Altitude Hold
The altitude hold function comes in handily when you want the drone to hover precisely so that you can take pictures and videos. As a 4K camera, you do not want to take footage that has distortion. Steady hovering helps in that.
Headless mode
When you do not know where the drone’s nose faces, just engage headless mode and the drone will realign itself according to the position of the pilot. With this mode engaged, you can always trust that the drone will be facing the right direction all the time.
Trajectory Flight
Open the app and draw a flight path that you would love the drone to follow when you launch it. This will enable you to fly the drone hands-free and watch it follow the flight path that you drew on the app.
One key take off and landing
Learn how to calibrate the drone in the user manual and after that, you just have to press the one key take off and landing button. When you press this key, the drone takes off and hovers at a certain level waiting for your next move.
3D Rolls
This is a fun function. The drone can perform flips mid flight. Please note that executing these moves may cause the drone to consume more battery charge.
3 Speed Modes
If you are a beginner, start with the low speed mode. Once you have learned the ropes of flying the drone, move on to medium speed and eventually, hit the high-speed mode.
External storage support
This is not exactly a function, but you can use a micro SD card of up to 128GB so that you can store more video and photo footage. The pixel of the footage stored in the SD card is 2560 by 1440P.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
I am looking for a carry bag for this drone. I wish they would have included one, but since I need to travel with my drone, I need one, or a small pack. Aaron G.
This drone has a powerful flight performance. The footage is quite impressive when you use the camera in daylight. Rubi H.
I love the fact that this drone maintains a horizontal orientation for the footage even when it slants when cornering. Terian K.
After using this drone for a short time, I have come to a few conclusions. First, it is a good deal for beginners. Second, advanced users will find it quite enjoyable especially because of the 3D flips and the fast speed mode. Third, you can take good quality videos and photos, including selfies. Kelvin C.
I have noticed that when I fly the drone without the camera, the battery lasts longer. Has someone tried this? I would also like to know whether I can get a second battery. Bonny W.
I love the bright blue and red LEDs of this drone. She looks quite outstanding especially when she flies in low-lit conditions. Jack S.
EACHINE E020 Pros
- Made with good, engineering-quality plastic
- Nice 4K camera takes good photos and videos
- Good flight performance
- You can enjoy 3D flips
- Drone has many automatic flight functions
- 3 speed flight mode make it good for beginners and advanced users
- Sturdy remote controller
- Flies well via app or remote controller
EACHINE E020 Cons
- Short flight time
- Performs poorly in the wind
Who should buy the EACHINE E020
Advanced users are going to enjoy some exciting features and flight functions. Beginners also find the user manual well detailed and they too enjoy a faster learning time. Therefore, any person can buy the drone. If you would like to buy an unforgettable gift for a person who is very dear to you, this drone is a good purchase.
Conclusion and Recommendation
As we saw in our EX4 review, Eachine drones are quite impressive in both looks and functions. Therefore, when you buy the Eachine E020, you can be sure that you will get good value for money. Everything from the hull to the landing gear and camera is made of high quality material. The user manual is detailed and we recommend that you look at it first. The flight time is too short though and so you might want to buy a second battery to prolong your fun. Do not fly this drone in the wind.
