When you buy the HUBSAN H501s drone, well, you will never regret your investment. Would you like a drone that can do 20 minutes of flight time on one charge, has a modular battery, first person view and a good camera for your personal videos and photos? Who wouldn’t? For a combination of fun and functionality, drones in this price range do not come any better than the H501s. However, HUBSAN is well known brand name in the market with many good things to offer for different market segments.
There are so many commendable features in this drone. It is a stylish and good-looking drone. At the same time, it brings you quite a wide variety of features. The performance of this drone is incredible, to say the least. The pricing is very fair, considering the number of features it comes with. With features such as follow me mode, you can have the drone track and follow the remote controller. You can concentrate on shooting your videos and photographs while the drone flies almost by itself.
More about that later…
HUBSAN H501s Features & Technical Details
The design and build quality
The first and perhaps one of the most important features of this drone is the brushless motors. Now, compared to their brushed counterparts, these motors require minimal care and maintenance. They are also quieter when in operation. With brushless motors, you just need to fly the drone, no need to worry about it at all.
About the physical size of the drone, it is neither big nor small. It measures 8.6 inches long by 8.6 inches wide. It weighs 450 g only, which makes it a good traveling companion. However, you will have to register it with the FAA before you can fly it outdoors.
For the storage of your videos and photos, the drone supports a maximum 32GB TF SD card. However, you have to buy this separately as it is not sold with the drone.
Apart from the drone, the battery and the controller, when you get the package, there should be a prop wrench, 8 propellers, battery for the transmitter, charger and AC adapter.
Camera
The HUBSAN H501s comes with 1080P camera for videos. The photo camera is 3MP, which is quite good. This drone might not shoot pro videos. It will shoot shareable videos and photos that you can share immediately with your friends and family on different social media platforms.
This drone has FPV, so you can see your videos in real-time. The good thing is that you do not even have to use your smartphone for FPV because the remote controller has an LCD screen. FPV mode uses 5.8GHz connection and the FPV connection range is 400 meters, so you will be able to transmit videos over that distance.
Flight features
The HUBSAN H501s drone has many flight features. They include the following:
GPS
One of them is the accurate GPS positioning which locks the drone to one position. It helps a lot when hovering the drone at a certain altitude so you can take photos and videos.
Headless mode
This feature is incorporated in this drone to help beginners overcome orientation issues. It doesn’t matter where the nose is facing, just punch the key for headless mode and the drone realigns itself to face the right direction.
Fail safe mode
Fail-safe mode is a safety feature. If the drone loses connection with the remote controller, it automatically engages fail-safe mode. This turns the drone around to head back home and land. It is hard to lose this drone.
Expert mode
The drone is also equipped with “Expert” mode. In this mode, you can increase the sensitivity of the drone. Please note that you should only engage this mode after gaining some experience flying the drone. In normal mode, the sensitivity setting is between 20 and 60 percent. In expert mode, the sensitivity is between 60 and 100 percent.
One key return
In addition to the fail-safe mode, this drone also comes with one-key return so that you can return the drone home when you like. Just press this key and the drone turns and heads back home, the place where you launched it from.
Follow me mode
Follow me mode ensures that the drone follows the remote control. That way, you do not have to worry about the flight of the drone. With the flight system taking control of the drone, you can have the time and mind to take videos and selfies. You will also find the hover is quite accurate.
Auto takeoff and return
The drone also has auto takeoff and return. This is a beginner feature. When you press the key, it will takeoff or land. Ok, not immediately, but the drone will hover at a height of 10 feet waiting for your decision.
ActiveTrack Mode
The ActiveTrack feature helps you set the drone to follow different objects. You will find this feature useful when you take a road trip and you would like to shoot some footage of the car. This drone can recognize different objects and follow them.
Battery and flight time
The HUBSAN H501s has a smart battery that alerts you when it is getting low so that you can bring the drone back home. The 7.4V 1300mAh Lithium Polymer battery can give you a flight time of 20 minutes. The charging time is 3½ hours. However, you might be able to buy one or two spare batteries for extra flight time.
Controller
When you see the H501s remote control, also called the H906A, you will see why HUBSAN has carved themselves a place in the drone market. It is ergonomic in design, very stylish and the keys are very responsive.
The remote control range is 400 meters. It uses the 2.4GHz radio frequency, which works very well even when there is interference as compared to the fuzzier 5.8GHz. This controller also comes with a 7.4V 1300mAh Lithium Polymer battery, which you can charge with the provided balance charger.
The controller has a built-in LCD screen for your FPV experience.It is a high quality screen and you will love the viewing experience. But that is not all because the LCD also displays data such as the speed of the drone, the battery status, the altitude and the position of the drone to name but just a few of the features.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
I have had this drone for just a few weeks and so I have not tried everything. However, the several times I have flown this drone, I was impressed with its handling and features. Jules O.
This is a good drone for the money. Flight time could be longer but it is not too bad at 18 to 20 minutes. Mel T.
If you are looking for a good drone for less than $200, the H501s will meet your needs perfectly. I have used it for several months now and everything works as advertised. Rey W.
Even though this was my first drone, I found it easy to follow the user manual and assemble it. I do not think I will buy another drone in a hurry. Mitch S.
I think the remote controller is awesome, especially because of the built-in screen. I do not have to use my smartphone. Franjes G.
I love the GPS positioning with this drone because it is accurate. I can take nice videos and selfies when the drone is in “hover” mode. Ryce P.
I find it a lot of fun capturing my outdoor adventures in 1080 HD video. I have taken the HUBSAN H501s for road trips, cycling and fishing. Jimmy H.
Pros of HUBSAN H501s
- It is easy to use for first-time owners
- Nice 1080P HD video camera/3MP for photos
- Good flight system, GPS and many flight features
- High quality brushless motors
- Nice remote controller, with built-in screen
- Long flight time from one battery
- Stylish design makes it look quite beautiful
Cons of HUBSAN H501s
- The battery charging time is quite long
- Blinking lights are not any good for night flights
Who Should Buy The HUBSAN H501s?
The HUBSAN H501s is good for a person who needs the best drone under $200. It has many safety, flight and even fun features for anyone. Whether this is your first or umpteenth drone, you will love using this. It has a good camera for videos and stills, but it is not good for professional videography and photography. Even if you have other drones, this is a nice specimen to have in your collection.
Conclusion and Recommendation
For a person who is used to flying drones, there are no special recommendations, except perhaps that you should not fly it in the wind. If this is your first drone, you should read the user manual carefully before you start assembling. Also, do not engage the expert mode before you have learned the ropes of piloting the drone. You may contact customer service if you encounter any hitch with your HUBSAN H501s. They are very helpful.
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