When you see the price of the JJRC A353GW drone, the first thought that comes to your mind is that they don’t come cheaper than this.
It is rare to find a cheaply priced quad coming with features such as a 4K camera. However, the times are changing and forward-thinking drone makers like Potensic, DJI, JJRC and others are now packing more features into toy-class quads.
JJRC makes some good models and this one does not disappoint. However, it is hard to tell what a quad packs unless we examine the features and the flight functions that it comes with. We shall be finding out whether this drone truly has a 4K camera, among other things.
JJRC A353GW Features & Technical Details
Here, we look at the design of the drone, the build, the camera, the battery/flight time and the remote controller. So here goes:
Design and Build Quality
This is a small, foldable design. It comes in black or white color. It folds with the blades intact, so you do not have to remove anything.
When it is unfolded, it measures 14.6 by 12.2 by 2.8 inches. When you fold it for transport or storage, the size reduces considerably. It weighs 218g only, which makes it light enough to toss in your coat pocket and not even feel the weight.
You are assured of high durability. The hull is made of ABS plastic, which offers enough protection to the electronic parts inside. This Chinese drone maker also says that some of the parts of this quadcopter are made with explosion proof material.
The motors on this one are powerful. They do not overheat or sustain damage. They also make minimal noise, something that makes them even more fun to use.
Camera Quality
The camera has a wide field of view at 120°. It can take nice shots without getting the front motors or their arms in the shot. The vertical angle of the camera can also be adjusted so that you can get the best shot possible.
This is a 4K HD camera. It has multiple zoom, which means you can get good shots of things that are far away. You will be able to take clear photos whether you are holding a party, hiking, or doing some other activity.
This quadcopter also has 5G WiFi real-time image transmission. You just need to download its app to your smartphone and then you can see what the drone can see. It brings you first person view in good quality and clarity and with minimal latency.
FPV distance is 180 meters.
Battery and Flight Time
You will get this UAV with one battery – 7.4V 850mAh. It will give you a flight time of 11 to 13 minutes, which is fair enough for a battery of this capacity.
Since JJRC offers spare batteries for most of their earlier quads, it will not take long to make spare batteries for the A353GW available.
If you are buying this drone for your kids, you can rest assured that the battery is safe to handle. It is also easy to insert and remove from the drone. Therefore, they are not exposed to any danger.
It takes 100 minutes to charge. That is not too long but still, you will get 13 minutes only when it is fully charged. It is better to find out whether you can order a spare battery or two if you truly aim to make this your aerial camera.
Remote controller
The remote controller is quite simple by design, something that we have come to expect from this drone maker. However, it has all the keys for different functions.
Some of these include headless mode, return to home, one key take off, one key landing and video and photo key.
You will need to buy 3 AAA batteries to power the transmitter. They should be easy to get in the stores.
The smartphone holder is foldable. It can fit almost all of the latest smartphones, so you should have a great FPV time.
Although it has minimal weight, the transmitter is solid and of high quality. The connect range is 400 meters.
Bag and other accessories
Trust JJRC to sell a drone with all the important accessories. These include the high quality carry bag. It is secure with two zips, so you can use a small padlock to make it even more secure.
At the same time, the bag has a shoulder strap so it should be easy to carry. It fits everything and even leaves room to spare because it has a meshed pocket on the top flap.
Other accessories include blade guards and 4 spare blades. There is a screwdriver, some screws, charging cable and user manual.
Flight Functions
Automated flight functions make a quadcopter easy to control and to keep safe. The JJRC A353GW ZW comes with a good number of these.
GPS Positioning
The quadcopter will connect with the GPS in your smartphone and that way, you will know where it is all the time. This also makes it possible to bring the drone back home if the battery charge goes down or if it loses signal.
Follow Me Mode
The drone can recognize you, lock onto you even when you are in a crowd and follow you keeping a respectable distance. If you love outdoor activities, you will be glad to have this function.
Headless Mode
Do not bother figuring out whether the drone turns when you turn. Just engage headless mode and it will realign itself automatically to the position of the pilot. If you turn west, its nose will point to the west and it will fly that way.
High/Low Speed Setting
The drone can fly at high or low speed. If this is your first one ever, fly it at low speed and when you have gained some skill, you can try the high-speed setting.
One key take off and landing
These are actually two functions. The drone will take off and hover at a given height to await your next move. It will also come home to land and hover at the same height when you press the landing key.
Gesture Mode
Show the quadcopter the V sign and it will start taking your photos. This is a good way to take selfies. You may also show it the palm sign to start recording video.
Trajectory Flight
Open the map interface on the app and set a route that the quadcopter can follow when you launch it. Just pick places that have interesting things that you would like on your footage, make dots and then connect them. It will fly along the route unerringly.
JJRC A353GW ZW Pros
- Good for aerial photos and videos
- It is very affordable
- Seems well built, sturdy and lightweight
- Has a well-built bag for storage and traveling
- Easy to fly even for first-timers
- It is also compatible with a 1000mAh battery for longer flight time
JJRC A353GW ZW Cons
- It does not have an SD Card slot
- Does not do well in wind
- Not sure whether the camera really takes 4K shots especially without SD card
Who Should Buy The JJRC A353GW ZW?
At this price, anyone can buy it. If you have teens that you would like to reward for something or get them a good gift for their birthday, this is a good option. It may not be too exciting for advanced pilots, but as far as toy-class quadcopters go, it really is nice. In addition, if you want a cheap quad just for your beginner aerial camera, this one is just perfect.
Conclusion and Recommendation
There is no doubt this drone is worth the money. However, you should take care of many things. First, do not fly it in the wind. If it is caught in a gust of wind, it can fly away and fail to respond to the return to home key. Therefore, fly it when there is no wind.
Small quadcopters do not come with obstacle avoidance systems. Therefore, fly it in a clear space without buildings and trees. Since it can spook pets, do not fly it in their presence.
You may practice flying the A353GW ZW quadcopter indoors at low speed before you go outdoors.
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