It is no surprise that Potensic D88 is so rich in features, considering that this is one of the best names in the drone market. They have many drones under their belt. One of them is the Potensic T35 that we reviewed earlier. If you look around, you will notice that their drones attract rave reviews, because they are that good.
When you get the Potensic D88 drone, the first thing that you will notice about it is the eye-catching packaging. The compact and sturdy aluminum case is very presentable and secure when traveling or in storage. Surely, if a company cares enough to make packaging that is this good, then it means the product itself is of excellent quality. Here, we certainly can judge a book by its cover alright.
So what, apart from the packaging can you look forward to in the D88? Well there is quite a lot. The 2K camera is notches above the regular 1080P resolution that most drones in this price range come with. Anyway, we will look at these things in detail later, in the upcoming sections.
Potensic D88 Features & Technical Details
Design and build quality
This is a cool drone, with good flight and technical features. First, it is a foldable drone. Foldability is good for traveling, when you want to pack stuff in your backpack and then squeeze the drone right in.
Thos drone also comes with brushless motors, specifically the 1350KV motors. If you have been around the drone market for sometime, you must know the benefits of brushless motors. First, they do not overheat even when worked for a long time. They require minimal care and maintenance and thirdly, they are quieter and they last a long time. With such incredible benefits, it is easy to see why Potensic has been incorporating brushless motors into its latest drones, and the D88 is the newest of them all.
The build quality is quite good. Tell you what, this drone will not rip open and spill its guts if it collides with a wall. It can take a lot of abuse, but do take good care of it all the same. The hard casing is quite protective.
Another very important feature that we must mention is the GLONASS and GPS Module that they have integrated in this drone. The main work of the GS module is to liaise with the satellites and help you keep the drone on the intended flight path. This would be hard to achieve without the GPS. Drones with GPS are also easy for beginners to pilot.
Camera quality
We can confidently say this is an aerial camera. After all, a 2K camera is just a few steps away from the 4K camera, which is like the Holy Grail of video resolution in drones. The one-axis gimbal is very helpful at keeping the camera stable and preventing distortion that would be caused by vibrations. The real-time transmission is quite extensive as the 5G reach is rated at 2624 feet. You will have a great first person viewing experience. You must use your smartphone for FPV because the remote controller does not have a viewing screen.
The D88 also has a slot for an SD card. It can support 16/32GB cards, quite awesome for storing your video and photo footage.
Finally, one more thing about the camera is that it has a wide angle of view at 110 degrees. The camera is also adjustable by 90 degrees for better footage.
Flight features
Stable at high flight speed
The Potensic D88 is a high-speed quadcopter. It can do a maximum speed of 50km/h, and stay stable even at that speed. Thanks to the brushless motors and the high capacity battery, this drone is thriller. Even at top speed, you will still be able to capture video and photo footage.
Way Point Route
The app has a built-in map. On this map, you can make dots connecting the flight route that you would like your quadcopter to follow. You can choose the route with the most beautiful features that you would like to see in your footage. When you launch the drone, it will follow this route without error.
Point of interest
This is another interesting feature incorporated in the recent Potensic drones. You just need to pick a point of interest. It could be a tree, a person, a building, anything, and the drone will circle that point, capturing photo and video footage until it returns home.
Auto return home
For safety, this drone has the auto return home. If you engage this mode, the drone turns and comes back home, where it was launched from. Engage this mode if you have any signal problems or as soon as the battery gives you a low alert.
Automatic takeoff and landing
In your drone-flying career, you know that no other feature is as important as the auto takeoff and landing. This is a beginner feature, a very helpful one. It takes the guesswork out of the picture. When you engage this mode, the drone either launches or lands, depending on what it was doing.
Battery
This drone is sold with one, high capacity 7.6V 3400mAh Li-po battery. You will be able to enjoy a flight time of 20 minutes from the battery. Being a smart battery, you will see how much charge you have remaining. You are also going to get an alert when the battery runs low. You will get one charging hub that can charge two batteries at the same time. If you want more flight time, you can buy one or more spare batteries. The charging time for the battery is 4 hours, so you can definitely see that you need a few spare ones.
The transmitter
It looks a bit small but it has everything you need. The ergonomic design ensures that your hands do not feel unduly cramped when you have to hold it for the entire flight time of 20 minutes. The smartphone holder is retractable and it is designed to fit different android and iOS devices for your FPV experience.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
I love how the drone hovers steadily and captures awesome footage. I think this was $300 well spent. Wendy K.
I thought the price was a bit high for me but then I threw all caution to the wind and ordered it. I am so glad I did because this drone flies like a marvel. Kevin P.
I am an amateur photographer/videographer and I plan to use this as my backup aerial camera. I already love what I did with it when testing it out. Juan R.
I had never flown a drone before I bought this one, but I decided to go for it so that I do not have to upgrade in future. I did spend some time watching YouTube videos about how to fly it, but I did it. Shanil P.
The video quality is stunning and the FPV transmission range is quite long. I love this drone, and I am glad I bought it two days after its release. Julius M’K.
I am a seasoned drone pilot and I know a good deal when I see one. Brushless motors, foldable propeller arms, incredible camera and long flight time sold me to it immediately. Shaf G.
Pros of Potensic D88
- Battery lasts a long time
- Brushless motors give a high quality flight time
- Stable even at the highest speed of 50km/h
- Good camera quality
- Nice charging hub that can take two batteries
- Sold with a spare set of rotors
- Nice packaging, aluminum case for storage and travel
- Has a slot for SD card – up to 32GB
Cons of Potensic D88
- Long charging time as is common with high capacity batteries
- Calibrating the gyro is hard for the a first-timer
Who Should Buy The Potensic D88?
Anyone that loves to get value for their money should buy the Potensic D88. This is an affordable beast of the air with high speed, long flight range, great FPV experience and many more. If you are a beginner that is looking for a drone that you will not need to upgrade soon, buy this one. For the advanced drone pilot, this one still packs good features for the money. If you are a photographer or videographer, you can buy the D88 for your backup aerial camera. To capture your travel adventure on camera, you need a foldable drone like this one.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Owning an aerial camera such as the Potensic D88 gives one such a good feeling. However, there are a few things to do if this is your first drone. For example, we would recommend that you give the user manual a good look-see, know what every feature entails especially if the D88 is your first drone. If you have flown a drone in this price range before, you can dive right into it. You must download the app so that you can get an FPV adventure. Finally, and this is for the first-timers – watch some videos for how to fly drones. That way, you do not risk crashing your D88 unnecessarily.
