If you are looking for an affordable drone with many features and flight functions, you might want to try the ZLL SG108 PRO YAN drone. It comes in a striking orange or black color and the camera takes decent photo and video footage.
Looking at the details, you will be impressed. First, it has an SD card slot so you need not store video and photo footage in your smartphone or tablet. Secondly, it comes in a nice, folding design. Being a GPS-enabled drone, it will find its way home if the signal fails.
As usual, there are some downsides, which are not deal breakers. For instance, the SG108 PRO is so lightweight. Therefore, in the wind, it can be hard to trim. It is advisable to fly it when there is no wind.
We shall be looking at these features and automatic flight modes packed into this quadcopter in the upcoming section.
ZLL SG108 PRO Features & Technical Details
No matter how fair the price of a drone sounds, you need to know that the features are worth it. In that case, here are the main features of the SG108 PRO.
Design and Build Quality
This drone has a sleek and folding design. Therefore, if you are a traveller, it becomes easier to pack and carry. The split design of the propeller blades also means you get to fold the drone intact. When you get to your destination, you just remove it from your pack and fly it.
This drone comes with brushless motors. They help it to fly better in wind and they are more powerful than brushed motors. Another benefit of having brushless motors is that they spend the battery power more economically.
The takeoff weight of the SG108 PRO is 278 grams, which is higher than the threshold under which you can fly a drone without registering it. Thus, you have to register it with the FAA.
You can get the black or the orange SG108 Pro. The color is the only different thing. Aesthetically, the drone comes with a black strip on the top. It also comes with the name YAN marked on both propeller arms.
When buying the quadcopter, you get the option to get it with a storage bag or without, with one, two or three batteries.
Finally, the manufacturer uses high quality ABS plastic to make the fuselage of the quadcopter. This strong material protects the interior electronic parts if there is a crash.
Camera Quality
The quad has been equipped with two cameras – a 4K HD nose camera and a lower resolution bottom camera. Also, it has a two-axis mechanical gimbal that removes distortion caused by shaking, slanting and vibrating. Mechanical gimbals are better than electronic image stabilization.
It would have been better with a three-axis gimbal, but for this price, two-axis is a fair deal. It can control the pitch and roll by up to 110° and 65° respectively.
The photo resolution is a real 4K since it is 4096 by 3072P for the nose camera while the bottom camera is 1280 by 720P.
The video resolution is 2048 by 1080P for the nose camera and 1280 by 720P for the bottom camera. Both cameras have the same frame rates of 25 FPS.
Also, this quadcopter is FPV enabled. From the remote controller, you can switch from the nose to the bottom camera to see all the terrain that the drone flies over.
Battery Quality
On full charge, the 7.4V 2200mAh battery is going to fly the drone for 25 minutes. Two batteries are better than one so you should get the package with two. The charging time is 4 hours, so you definitely need one or two extra batteries to enjoy extra flight time.
Each battery will come with its own charging cable. Besides, these are modular batteries so they charge outside the drone.
Remote Controller
The remote controller has a smartphone clip that will hold any device that is 5.5 inches wide or lesser. It also comes with a rechargeable battery that charges in 40 minutes. The small capacity 3.7V 350mAh battery can fly your drone through 75 minutes and still have some charge to spare.
The remote control distance is 1000 meters.
Regarding the other features of the remote controller, it is light in weight. In addition, it has retained a simplistic design where the face is not cluttered with buttons and keys for various functions. It is also quite small.
Perhaps one downside we might mention is that the smartphone clip is located beneath rather than at the top. When looking at the smartphone, the position compels you to take your eyes off the drone for too long.
Intelligent Flight Modes
Smart flight modes make drones easy and more enjoyable to fly. In the case of the SG108, it comes with some common flight modes that make it more fun to fly. Here they are:
GPS Return to Home
This drone stays connected to the GPS module in your smartphone. If the battery runs low, the drone turns and comes back home automatically.
If it loses signal, it will turn and come back home automatically. Alternatively, you can punch the return to home key and the drone will come back home immediately.
Custom Flight
On the app, you can draw a route on the map and then launch the drone and it will fly along that route. That way, you can concentrate on capturing good footage while the quadcopter flies by itself.
Intelligent Follow
Engage the smart follow mode to get the drone to recognize you, lock onto you and follow you wherever you go. This is yet another way to fly the aircraft in hands-free mode. The GPS following distance is 30 meters and the image follow distance is 3 meters.
Circle Flight
Circle flight mode enables the drone to fly around a monument or landmark capturing footage from all angles. You can also set the radius that you want the quadcopter to maintain.
MV Filter
You get filter effects for enhancing your footage before you can share it with your followers on social media. You can also add music to your footage.
Headless Mode
Since the ZLL SG108 PRO has a long distance range, you will appreciate headless mode. When you are not sure whether the drone is flying in the right direction, just engage headless mode. The aircraft realigns itself to the position of the pilot.
Gesture Control
Show the aircraft the palm sign and it moves to the right distance to start capturing videos. If you show it the victory sign, it starts to take photos. Gesture control is a good function for capturing selfies.
5GHz WiFi for Image Transmission
Drones with long flight range use a combination of 2.4GHz and 5GHz for image transmission. The latter is especially good for FPV transmission over a long range.
ZLL SG108 PRO Pros
- Nice LED lights for night flights
- MV effects allows you to enhance footage and share it
- Considering the features, the price is very affordable
- Has phone control function so it flies whichever way you wave it
- Has two cameras for better FPV
- The flight time is quite good for one battery
- Many flight functions make it easy to fly
- It supports SD card for footage storage
ZLL SG108 PRO Cons
- Does not take 4K videos, only photos
- Poor wind resistance
Who Should Get the ZLL SG108 PRO Drone?
Because of the affordable price of this drone, anyone can buy it and have fun with it. Beginners will find the drone easy to use because of the many intelligent flight modes. On the other hand, advanced pilots will find the aircraft a lot of fun to use. The advanced functions such as MV Filter, smartphone control and the long flight distance appeal to experienced pilots.
Conclusion and Recommendation
The ZLL SG108 PRO is a nice drone with the speed, the performance and the features that should cost more. But it is affordable too. Before flying it, read the user manual to know how to calibrate it and how to use the different functions.
Do not fly the quadcopter too far away out of your sight. At first, learn how the aircraft performs before you can take the whole distance. Also, fly it when there is no wind to trim it easily.
We also recommend that you get the package with the carry bag. It makes storage so easy for you.
