Micro quadcopters, as you might have guessed, are very small and will fit into the palm of your hand. Within the past few months, like most other drone categories, small quadcopters have seen a significant increase in popularity. That is perfectly understandable, as they offer cost effective introduction to the hobby of quadcopter flying. Many manufacturers have noticed this trend and have released their own small drones. Their major benefits are as follows:
- Price: Because of their size, manufacturers can't equip them with high end components, which makes these micro quadcopters cheap
- Ease of use: Most mini drones are aimed at the novice pilot and are easy to fly
- Indoor usage: They are created primarily for indoor use, as even a little bit of wind can get them in trouble
- Durability: Even though they are small, they are very durable. You can fly them into a wall dozens of times and they will still work perfectly fine
Today, we will have a closer look at 3 popular micro models and decide which one of them deserves the throne of "Best Micro Quadcopter 2015".
Hubsan X4 H107D
The Hubsan X4 series is arguably the most popular amongst micro drones. This doesn't come as a surprise, as these drones are the most cost effective small quadcopters currently available on the market.
The most remarkable thing about the H107D is the integrated 720p camera that broadcasts directly to the controller. This works up to a distance of 320ft, at which point the camera image becomes distorted and will eventually break down. If you have a micro SD card installed in the transmitter you can easily record what the drone sees. Of course, the quality of the footage is far from those of bigger drones, but since the H107D is an entry level drone, unlike it's big brothers it is much more affordable. There is, however one thing to note about the video: It will be recorded in an odd format of 720x240, but Hubsan provides information on how to convert it to the correct resolution of 720x480, including a list of free tool to do just that.
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- Hubsan H107D transmitter
The H107D has 2 modes of control. By pressing the right stick on the transmitter, you can switch between normal and expert mode. The normal mode is obviously aimed at beginners and makes the drone easier to fly while the expert mode gives you a lot more control over the quad and allows you to do flips.
Overall, the X4 H107D is an awesome quad for beginners and intermediate users alike.
Features
- Lightweight, but durable airframe
- Smallest FPV ready-to-fly drone available
- Live camera feed up to 320ft away with the ability to record to SD
- 2 flight modes: normal and expert
- 6-axis gyro flight controller
- LED lights to make it easier to see in the distance and at night
- Charging time: about 30 minutes
- Flight time: about 7 minutes
Box contents
- Hubsan X4 H107D drone
- 1 transmitter
- 4 extra propellers
- 1 propeller removal tool
- 1 propeller protector
- 1 USB charger
- 1 manual
Blade Nano QX RTF with SAFE
The Nano QX is the smallest model produced by Blade and an awesome quadcopter for beginners. It features a new technology called SAFE, which is short for Sensor Assisted Flight Envelope. This technology uses extra sensors on the drone to stabilize it and prevent it from getting out of control. It means that even completely unexperienced pilots will have no problem flying the Nano QX right from the start. Even though it is very unlikely, if you get into a situation where it feels like the quad is getting out of control, just let go of the sticks and the Nano QX will stabilize itself. If you are a little more experienced, change to agility mode and the drone fly faster and will let you do tricks like flips. To alternate between the two modes, just press the right thumb stick down.
Even if you crash into a wall or the ceiling, that is no problem for the QX. It comes with propeller guards which ensure the safety of other people that might be around, as well as protect the propellers from breaking when you happen to fly into a wall or the ceiling.
The QX comes with everything you need to fly right out of the box. All you need to do is charge the battery. It's as easy as that: Unpack, charge and then start flying. You can simply plug the USB charger into a laptop, and it will recharge the battery in about 30 minutes.
Features
- Ready to fly out of the box
- 2 flight modes: stability and agility
- Lightweight airframe with blade guards
- Propeller guards, to prevent damage when you fly into walls
- Charging time: about 30 minutes
- Flight time: 5-10 minutes
Box contents
- 1 Blade Nano QX ready-to-fly quadcopter
- 1 extra canopy
- 1 transmitter
- 1 battery (150 mAh lithium polymer)
- 4 AAA batteries
- 1 USB charger
Syma X1
The Syma X1 is the cheapest micro quadcopter we have seen in a while. Not from the perspective of the parts, which are actually pretty good quality, but from the actual cost. For less than $50 you get the drone AND the transmitter. As you can see in the image above, it is available with 3 different canopies: BumbleBee, Spaceship and UFO.
Syma X1 Transmitter
- Syma X1 Transmitter
As with most other micro drones, it has 2 flight modes: The "low rate" mode features some additional stabilization which makes it easier to fly the drone. While it is helpful, it is not as powerful as the SAFE technology in the Nano QX. If you switch to the "high rate", you get more control at the cost of losing the additional stabilization.
The transmitter of the X1 comes with a little twist: On the top right, it has a so called "Flip switch". If you keep it pressed while the drone is in high rate mode and then press the right stick in any direction, the drone will perform a flip. Even though this is cheating, it is fun nonetheless. Just make sure the drone is flying high enough, as you will lose altitude.
Please be aware that the X1 does not come with propeller guards! That means the propellers will hurt other people or break if you hit a wall!
Features
- Available with 3 different canopies: Spacecraft, UFO and BumbleBee
- Ready to fly out of the box
- 2 flight modes: low rate and high rate
- Doing flips is very easy with the help of a dedicated button on the transmitter
- Charging time: about 40 minutes
- Flight time: around 6 minutes
Box contents
- 1 Syma X1 quadcopter
- 1 transmitter
- 1 battery (350 mAh lithium polymer)
- 1 USB charging cable
- 4 extra propellers
- 1 manual
Conclusion
Well, it's time to make a final decision: What is the best micro quadcopter for 2015? After weighing all the features of the tested drones against each other, we suggest you get the Hubsan X4 H107D. An easy to fly drone that sports a FPV camera is just too much fun to not try it out. The Blade Nano QX comes in as a close second.
Overall, there are many good micro quadcopter models out there and we have only taken a closer look at three of them. We hope our review gave you a little glimpse into the universe of tiny quadcopters.
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