If you have been searching for an affordable performance drone with a good camera, your search ends here with this SIMREX X11 drone review. It is one of the latest entrants into the market in the X line of SIMREX drones.
SIMREX is not new to the drone market. They have been making toy drones and indeed other types of toys for many years. We reviewed in detail the SIMREX X300C drone some months ago. Today, we look at the X11, which is another fun toy drone in their lineup.
Other drones that they offer include X400-V2, X101, X500 and X600. They also make a collection of high-speed remote-controlled toy cars, water guns and many other kid toys. For a one-stop center for children’s toys, SIMREX does not disappoint.
The X11 is a good drone for beginners and intermediate. It has many features and the camera quality is good. With a 2-axis gimbal for stabilizing the camera, you can get this as your aerial camera for all of your memorable family moments.
SIMREX X11 Features & Technical Details
Any drone is as good as its features. The SIMREX X11 has many features and flight functions. This is why we recommend it for beginners. If you are just starting out, the X11 is good to use for learning how to fly drones. Later on, you can go for costlier drones such as the Holy Stone HS700.
Design and build quality
The first thing that you will note about this drone is the high landing skids. There is a reason why they have been included – the camera. It is suspended under the drone. Therefore, the high landing gear helps keep the camera clear off the ground when the drone lands.
When the drone is delivered, it requires minimal assemblage before you take it to the air. You just have to attach the blades, insert the battery and then start the launching preparations. Inside the box, you will find the charger, one drone battery, controller, propeller guards, two sets of blades and the drone itself.
This is not a foldable drone. It measures 11.3 by 9.7 by 6.9 inches. You can see it is not too big for traveling with, as this size is easy to pack in your travel backpack. The weight is 2.8 pounds. You will definitely have to register it with the FAA before you can fly it.
The motors are brushless. You can fly the drone for the entire battery time of 22 minutes and it will not overheat.
The drone is designed with a built-in GPS module. This has many benefits. If the battery runs low, the drone will automatically return home. If the drone loses signal with the remote control, it will come back home.
Camera quality
You will get 1080P videos with this camera. This is good enough if you capture your footage during the day. The camera has a wide field of view of 118 degrees. However, the most valuable feature is the 2-axis stabilizer.
What this means is that even if the drone slants when it is in flight, the camera is not going to slant in the same way. Thus, it will always capture high quality, distortion-free footage. For FPV, you can use your smartphone. Get an opportunity to see what the drone can see as it flies.
Remote controller
From the first impression, the controller looks a bit bulky. However, it is light in weight and it fits snugly in an adult’s hands. It may be too big for children but they will manage. The controller uses AA batteries, which you will have to buy separately.
This controller has a smartphone holder for your FPV experience. However, it also has another small LCD screen near the bottom, which displays battery parameters. The phone holder is retractable, so it stays out of the way when you do not need it.
The controls are very responsive and they are not overly sensitive. In fact, many people prefer to fly the SIMREX X11 drone with the remote controller rather than using the app.
The control range of the remote controller is 500 meters.
Battery and flight time
The X11 drone comes with a 3150mAh high capacity battery, which is going to give you 22 minutes of flight time. You can also order spare batteries if you like to increase the flight time tremendously. This is an intelligent battery so you will see how much charge remains. It is also easy to insert and remove from the drone.
The charging time for high capacity batteries such as this one is long. Therefore, it is advisable to buy extra ones if you love having extended time with your drone.
Flight functions and performance
What surprises most users of this drone is that it has features that you only find in drones that cost more than $400. With many automated flight functions, this a good drone to learn how to fly with and then upgrade to a more advanced one, or just stay with it.
Auto return key
When the battery runs low, which you will of course see in the small LCD screen on the remote controller, just press the one key return and the drone comes home. Even if the drone loses signal and it fails to respond to the key commands, it will return home automatically.
Orbit Mode
You can fly this drone in orbit mode. It will fly around the object shooting footage from all angles. You can also engage this fun feature so that the drone orbits you, taking video and photos from all angles.
Altitude Hold
Lock the drone to its altitude and worry about the horizontal flight alone. That way you can shoot high quality videos and images from the same height.
Follow Me Mode
Engage the follow mode when you want the drone to come after you, capturing video and photo footage. Lock the drone to a car, yourself or any moving object. When you move faster, the drone increases the speed and vice versa.
Trajectory Flight
On the app, you can draw the route that you would like the drone to follow. As soon as you launch the drone, it follows that route without erring.
Gesture mode
This drone responds to gestures. With this mode engaged, you can fly the SIMREX X11 using your hands like a real pro. You can even use your palm to control the drone to capture selfie shots.
One key take off and landing
When you are a beginner, you don’t have the time to figure things out. That is why you will enjoy using the auto takeoff and landing key. Press it and the drone takes off and hovers at a respectable height.
Headless mode
Fly the drone in any direction without worrying about where the nose faces with headless mode.
Short Summary of Feedback from Existing Owners
With all the features that my SIMREX X11 drone comes with, I think the price is quite a catch. This drone flies very well. I am so glad I got it. Tim H.
This nice little drone comes with unbelievable features. It has brushless motors, packs good weight such that it is not pushed around in small breezes and has many flight functions. Paul P.
I thought this drone was too costly especially as it seemed to be targeted at beginners. However, after flying it for the first time, I was glad I bought it. It is a powerful drone with a long lasting battery and powerful brushless motors. Hawi T.
At this price, I wish it came with a 2K camera. However, it is what it is and it captures decent quality footage. Jeanelle W.
They do not come any better than this drone. I am looking for spare batteries so that I can fly it longer than 20 minutes. Mike R.
The app is so feature-rich and easy to use. I hardly use the remote controller especially after I found out that I can control the drone strictly from my phone. Joseph G.
Pros of SIMREX X11
- It has powerful brushless motors
- Long flight time from the battery
- Many flight functions
- The drone is easy to fly even for kids and beginners
- Good quality video at 1080P resolution
- Camera maintains a horizontal orientation even when the drone slants
- The drone is a bit heavy which helps when flying it in the wind
- GPS-enabled and it has auto return home
Cons of SIMREX X11
- There is no carry bag for the drone
- Two batteries would have been better at this price
Who Should Buy The SIMREX X11?
This is a good drone for anyone who needs a performance drone without spending a fortune. While it does not live up to the drones costing several hundreds of dollars, it comes close. It has some fantastic features such as the 2-axis gimbal for camera stabilization, thus enabling it to capture footage that is free of any kind of distortion. I think this drone is too costly to buy for a kid but if you supervise them when they are using it, they will have a great time.
Conclusion and Recommendation
Once you unpack your drone, there are a few things to do. First, read the user manual to see how to attach the blades and their guard frames. You can also read about how to calibrate the drone for flight. For your FPV experience, connect the drone WiFi with the phone’s WiFi. You may even use VR goggles if you have compatible ones for a more immersive FPV experience. The SIMREX X11 drone will give you great value for your money.
