Author Archive: Gareth

Unboxing 6 Axis Mini Quadcopter Drone with Camera

Purchasing a drone is an expensive task. You can really lay out a lot of money to get something stable, smooth and will produce good results. It is probably recommended you check out a cheaper Quadcopter first for a couple of reasons.

Your ability. They can be difficult to fly. Up, down, left right and rotating are the main commands however you also have to take into account wind speed and surroundings. The more you pay the easier this becomes and enthusiasts will likely throw money at a manufacturer to have more tech no board to assist with their flight.

Your need. Curiosity is the main reason I asked to review one. On the one hand I wanted to see if I would use it, on the other I wanted to have a look at my roof without having to get out the ladders. Two reasons that hardly need to have big bucks invested in tech.

So when I noticed that Mobilefun had a little drone for £40 with a camera on-board this would cover the need. The only thing was the ability.

Flying a lower end drone is not an easy task. A smaller, no frills drone is easy to lose control of, becomes susceptible to wind and will require extreme patience to find enjoyment in.

First up is the built quality. This is going to take a beating in its first hour off the ground. It will crash into trees, walls, hedges and ultimately, the ground. This little drone will take a licking, not a massive licking but will sustain a bit of rough treatment as it collides with everything around it. It looks good, feels light in hand and will impress anyone passing by. The controller isn’t as sturdy as the drone, built from cheap plastic and the buttons are horribly clicky. The beeps from the controller are shrill, the screen is basic and I am not convinced that all the buttons work.

Secondly is the use. I am of the mindset that a more expensive drone will be easier to control with gyroscopes to assist flight. For this Quadcopter a small gust of wind can upset the flight path and depending on the quality of the pilot may send it tumbling to the dirt. Rotors can bend easily upon impact and thankfully there are a couple of spares in the box. I haven’t had to use any however the casing had needed to be clicked back into place after a meeting with an apple tree. The thumb sticks are not particularly accurate. However this is £40 alternative and the fact that is even flies is enough to impress.

Third, is the battery. Flight time is about 7 minutes. Not a lot, however the size of the battery will directly affect the performance as this needs to be light. I’m happy with the flight time as there is enough time to have some fun and charger takes little over an our. The first few time do become somewhat annoying when the battery dies as it seems to come at a point that you are beginning to understand the method behind keeping it in the air.

The camera isn’t particularly great however it’s a welcome addition. Whilst only a 0.3 megapixel offering the quality isn’t a bad as you might think as you will see from the footage in the unboxing video. Instead it appears quite serviceable, especially for checking out a roof. The drone is quite noisy and as such the microphone is a bit of a waste.

Whilst this will be considered a toy by most it’s a great learning experience. I am even more interested in drones now having played with this and will be looking for a more advanced model in the near future. I do however have a little voice in the back of my mind telling me that these might be made illegal at some point and investing money in a high end drone would be a waste.

 Grab one from Mobilefun.