Before I get into the review, I want to clarify that despite owning these other two drones, I consider myself to be a beginner drone pilot. My review is coming from the perspective of someone who has only flown two other smaller drones, and I have no experience with higher-level pro drones. With this in mind, my review can only compare my experience based on flying the smaller toy drones.
The packaging was nice and tight, secure, and solid. I really appreciated the little details, like the small foam pieces inserted in and around the camera to protect it from being jostled during shipping. When I pulled everything out of the box, I laid it all out on the table and was pleased to find an extra set of propellers for the unit. Everything is labeled clearly, with plenty of bright yellow stickers indicating important details for assembly.
A different app is required for this drone compared to my other drones, but this wasn't a big surprise as this drone has more capabilities. It downloaded easily, and I began to follow the in-app instructions, which were very clear and detailed. The booklet also has instructions which go into even more detail than the app, providing plenty of detail and pictures to make sure beginners like me don't mess things up. I was super impressed with this level of detail and user friendliness.
I had some trouble turning on the drone, but then I realized the instructions hadn't specifically said to charge the drone first. Rookie mistake, because I think that's probably a no-brainer. So I set everything aside and charged both the drone and the remote control. I found that the charger was a little wonky and didn't seat as firmly as I'd hoped, so I had to wiggle it a bit to get the charging light activated. Once you see the flashing lights, you know you are good to let it go. The light bars will progress as the charge is progressing, so you'll have a good idea how far it's charged as it goes.
Each arm of the drone requires a specific propeller, but the propellers are clearly marked with CW and CCW for clockwise and counter-clockwise respectively, along with a red or white label–another example of the clarity of the directions and user-friendliness.
Once I was satisfied everything was set up properly and fully charged, we took the unit out to a wide-open space. Our plan was to first just to hover it and get our bearings with the unit. Then we wanted to fly it very simply, just up and around us very close, just to get some video.
Take off was simple, though the hover was a bit unstable. There was a brisk breeze, so the hovering could have been affected by that. Next I tried to do a simple flight, so I adjusted the stick slightly. Immediately it began to wobble in a wide circle and crashed. I suspect the geomagnetic calibration was off so ran the calibration again and the hovering worked 100 times better, and the drone flew up smoothly and with great control. I was impressed with how responsive the drone was and how simple it was to fly.
I think we'll have a lot of fun with this drone, and I can't wait to get more footage. What video I was able to get was just gorgeous. The 4K camera captures the view magnificently.
I definitely recommend this drone for intermediate users, and beginners who are willing to go slow and take your time learning. This unit does not have a gimbal, so it might not be the best drone to get professional footage.