If you are looking for an affordable 4K drone, you can get the SMRC S30 4K drone. It is affordable, at least when compared to many 4K drones. However, since a drone is only as good as its features, we shall be exploring its main ones here to see whether it is really worth it.
This is a beginner drone. It is recommended for users of the age of above 14 years. However, that does not mean that it does not have specs that will be exciting enough for advanced users. From the 4K camera to incredibly long flight range, you will love many things about the S30.
There are many things to look for when buying a drone. Here, we are going to look at the features and specifications of the SMRC S30.
SMRC S30 Features & Technical Details
There are several noteworthy features that you will find with the S30. They are as follows:
Design and build quality
By design, this drone has high landing gear. The reason for that is that the camera is not on the nose. Rather, it is under the nose. However, the tall design makes the quadcopter look really nice.
The S30 measures 10.6 by 10.6 by 5 inches. This is not too big and it is not too small either. It has a nice and solid feel to it. It weighs 170g, which is lower than the threshold for registering with the FAA. Therefore, you do not need to register it. It will also be easy to carry around with you when you want to take it to the beach or to the park.
This drone is not foldable. To some people, that is a disadvantage but to others, they really don’t mind whether they get a foldable one or not. Packing it for traveling can be a bit of a hustle, but you can just pack it in a small pack or carry case.
The motors are brushed. Therefore, keep checking them so that you don’t overwork them to overheating. They are a few notches lower than the brushless ones, but still, that does not mean that they are too bad.
The drone hull is made with ABS plastic. It is strong and high quality. It is light in weight but it does not rip open during a crash. This leaves the delicate electronic parts of the drone well protected.
Camera Quality
The first thing that many people ask when they see an affordable drone with a 4K camera is whether it truly is 4K. In this case, all evidence points to this being a 4K camera. The camera is stabilized by an electronic stabilization system. You can control the camera on the remote control too.
You will get a good FPV xperience from this camera. For that, you will need to use your smartphone. You will also need to download the SMRC UAV app so that you can control the drone from your smartphone.
Battery and flight time
The flight time of the SMRC S30 on a full battery is 20 minutes. OK, you might not get all of 20 minutes, but if you can milk 17 to 19 minutes from the battery, that is a good one. You will get one 7.4V 1300mAh Lithium polymer battery. The charging time for this battery is 100 minutes. You can also buy two or more batteries to prolong your flight time.
Remote controller
The remote controller is compact in design. It contains keys for all the functions that you need to fly the drone, take videos and pictures and even bring it home if need be. It is also light in weight. You will need to buy 3 AA batteries to use with the remote controller.
Flight functions
As a beginner drone, you expect it to come with some automatic flight functions. This makes the learning curve shorter and they also make the drone easier to fly for people of all ages. Among some of the most important flight functions that this drone comes with are as follows:
One key take off and landing
This is one of the best functions for a beginner drone. To launch it, just press the key and it will take off and hover at a set height. It waits for you to make the next move. If you punch the key again when the drone is mid-flight, it will come back and hover at a certain height.
Follow Mode
With follow mode, the drone follows you recording footage from a respectable distance. It flies faster if you move faster and vice versa.
GPS location tracking
With the GPS location tracker turned on, there is no way that you are going to lose your drone. You will know where it is all the time. You can also bring the drone back home with the push of a button. The drone connects to the GPS in your smartphone, staying in the loop all the time.
Different flight modes
The S30 can fly forwards, backwards, left and even right. You can have fun with the drone by trying to fly it in different directions.
Wind resistance
The drone has class 6 wind resistance. This means that it can fly in a breeze. However, unlike performance drones that can fly in strong winds, smaller drones like the S30 never do well in the wind. Be wary not to fly it in windy conditions because a gust can make it vanish.
Orbit Mode
You can get the drone to circle around a subject or an object easily. Just engage orbit mode and get footage from all angles.
Waypoint Flight
To use this function, just open the app and on the map feature, make dots along the route that you would like the drone to fly and then connect them with a line.
Headless mode
For a beginner, knowing where the drone faces as it flies can be a bit confusing.To get the drone to align to the position of the pilot, just engage headless mode.
SMRC S30 Pros
- Has long remote control range of 500 meters
- The camera is stabilized electronically
- Nice remote controller
- Easy to fly even for kids
- Has good wind resistance
- Good build quality
- High quality camera
SMRC S30 Cons
- The drone is not foldable in design
- Brushed motors may not be as good as brushless motors
Who Should Buy the SMRC S30
This is mostly a drone for beginners. However, anyone can buy the drone because it has some good features. It also has flight functions that make it fun to fly all the time. With some functions such as wind resistance, this drone is a notch above many of its peers within the same price range. If you love a good 4K drone at a cheap price, you can get the S30.
Conclusion and Recommendation
After reading this SMRC S30 drone review, you have seen its features and flight functions. Now, the next thing is to buy it and enjoy flying it. You should read the user manual keenly, and then only fly the drone in large, open spaces. Make sure you fly it in areas free of people or pets so that it does not spook them. You can also catch a video or two so that you know how to take videos and photos with the 4K camera. Because the camera is stabilized, even when the drone shakes a bit, the photos or videos will retain good quality and there will be no distortion.
