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JJRC X13 Review

JJRC X13

For this price, we must say that this drone has quite a lot going for it. However, price alone is not enough to make you buy a drone. Therefore, in the upcoming sections of this article, we shall look at the JJRC X13 drone features, flight functions, build and design quality and even the pros and cons.

This drone is a DJI Phantom look-alike. However, there is no problem in that since many drones look alike. However, even though it doesn’t measure up to the Phantom, still, there are good things to say about it. For example, many drones in this price range come with brushed motors, but the X13 comes with brushless ones.

This drone does not come without its downsides too:

For example, it is not a foldable drone. While this is not a big deal, it would have been great to make the drone foldable.

Another thing that you may not like about this drone is the JJRC X app. On Google Play, there are quite a number of complaints about the poor connectivity and other issues.

The other disadvantage is that while this drone is a 4K camera, it will only record 720P videos if you do not have a memory card to store your footage.

Keep reading as we explore more of the features of this drone in detail.

JJRC X13

JJRC X13 Features & Technical Details

This Chinese drone maker has tried to include good specs in this drone. Let us start with the design and build quality.

Design, build quality and durability

Because it is hard to own a drone for months or years without crashing it once or twice, it needs to be well built. And it is!

First, the hull of the drone is made of strong ABS material. This kind of plastic is thin, light in weight but resilient all the same. It may not be in the same league as the carbon fiber, but the latter is only reserved for racing drones such as the EMAX Tinyhawk 2.5. The ABS plastic cover protects your drone’s delicate interior parts.

This quad has high landing gear. The reason for this is that the camera is suspended under the nose. Therefore, when it lands, it needs proper ground clearance for the camera.

The weight of the X13 is 460g. It is way above the FAA registration threshold of 250g if you are in North America. Therefore, make sure you register it before you can fly it.

Measuring 13.4 by 13.4 by 5.9 inches, this is a moderate size. It means it is neither too big nor too small. However, it has a good, albeit bulky carry case to pack the quadcopter when traveling or keeping it in storage.

Finally, we did mention that the X13 comes with brushless motors. As a result, it is quieter, gives a better performance and the motors last longer with minimal maintenance.

JJRC X13 Details

Camera Quality

First, we have seen that the JJRC X13 drone comes with a suspended camera. There is really no advantage to that apart from making it look real cute.

However, this camera has a wide field of view at 120° and you can adjust the vertical angle for a better view by 90°. The good thing is that you can adjust the vertical angle right from the remote controller.

This is a 4K camera, which is truly commendable at this price range. The video resolution is 3840*2160 at 4K HD and 2048*1152P at 20 frames per second. This is quite good.

On the app, there is an image enlargement and filter feature. This camera takes good images, but you can enhance them further for use on your social media accounts.

For FPV, you have to use your smartphone. The remote controller has a secure holder for that and it can fit smartphones of almost all sizes. It has 5G WiFi transmission so you will be able to view videos in real-time in high quality and with minimal to zero latency.

Battery and Flight Time

Again, in the area of the battery, this drone has done very well. It comes with a 20C 7.4V 2200mAh battery, which can give you 19 minutes of flight time.

Usually, when a manufacturer gives you a certain flight time, always take that with a pinch of salt, but even 17 minutes would not be bad at all.

This is a modular battery. It is safe to insert and remove from the battery. Since you can charge it out of the drone, you can buy one or two spare batteries to prolong your flight time. Of course, this will depend on how available the batteries are since this drone is a new release, at least by the time of writing this review.

The battery takes 300 minutes to charge fully.

Remote controller

You will love the simplistic design of this remote controller. It has the joysticks, which are nice and responsive by the way. There are a few buttons on its “face” surface, which are the power button, return home and a few others.

Let us just say that both on the surface and the side of the remote controller, there are buttons for all the flight functions that the drone comes with. The only thing that the controller lacks is a display screen and therefore you cannot see the battery, distance, height and other drone stats when it is flying.

The smartphone holder is located on the top side of the remote controller. It is retractable/foldable so you can keep it out of the way when you do not need to use your phone. With the remote controller, the connection distance with the drone is 500 meters.

You will have to buy 4 AA batteries for the remote controller though.

JJRC X App

You will have to download the JJRC X app to your mobile phone. There are a few things to note though. The app does not work very well for some people.

It could be an issue with their mobile devices, or it could be the app. It is also hard to record 2K videos on the app if you do not have a memory card. Chances are that the app could also fail completely to connect with the drone.

Drone Functions

Unless it is a racing drone, we know it must come with a few to several automatic functions. They make flying the quadcopter a lot of fun and some enhance the safety of the drone.

Here are the most important flight functions this one comes with:

Dual GPS positioning

To use this function, the drone connects to the GPS module in your smartphone. This in return ensures that you are always aware of the position of the drone. It makes it hard to lose the drone. Therefore, you can enjoy your flights knowing the drone is immune from loss.

Follow Me

With this function, the camera locks onto the pilot and follows him or her wherever he goes. It will capture video and photo footage all this time, while keeping a good distance.

Gesture Control Mode

When you engage this mode, show the drone your palm so that it can start taking a video of you. Also, you can show it the victory sign to start taking photographs and selfies. This is a hands-free mode of taking videos and photographs.

Surround Point

This function helps when you have a center of interest and you would like the drone to capture its images and videos from all angles. The drone will circle the surround point.

One key take off/landing, one key return home

With the one key take off and landing function, the drone is so easy to launch. It will take off and hover at a given height waiting for the next move. It will also do the same when you bring it home.

The one key return home brings the quadcopter home when it runs out of battery charge or when you want it to come home.

In addition, the X13 has automatic return to home when the battery runs low or when it loses signal with the remote controller.

JJRC X13 RTH

Way Point Mode

Open the app/map and draw the route that you would like the drone to follow. When you launch it, it will fly along that route.

JJRC X13 Pros

  • Comes with a sturdy carry case
  • The blades are in split design so you can fold them for storage
  • Really takes nice videos and images especially if you use memory card for storage
  • Has fail-safe functions
  • You can fly the drone in newbie mode for more safety
  • The camera has an anti-shake function to keep the footage distortion-free
  • Has brushless motors

JJRC X13 Cons

  • App could be better
  • The drone has no blade protection
  • Short 5G image transmission range
JJRC X13 Size
JJRC X13 Drone Size

Who Should Buy The JJRC X13 Drone?

Beginners as well as advanced users will find this drone a lot of fun to fly. It comes with nice features and flight functions, but it misses the mark on the app. If you cannot afford the Phantom, this one looks like it by design and it is more affordable. If you are looking for a drone that you will not have to upgrade too soon, get this one.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Be careful with the JJRC X13 especially as it does not come with guards for protecting the blades. Therefore, if it collides with anything, they could break.

As usual, we advise you to fly your drone in an open area where there are no animals because it can spook them. Also, to avoid collisions, just find an open space where the drone can do the full range.

If this is your first drone, it has beginner mode. Please use this mode to get the hang of the whole flight thing. Later, you can punch it to top speed, which fortunately is not that high.

Finally, read the user manual and take careful note of the fail-safe functions and their keys. That way, if the quadcopter should lose signal with the remote controller, you know what to do.

Show me the price !

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