--- SETUP ---
The Snaptain E10 1080p Drone is easy to set up. It comes assembled and in a storage pouch. Charge one of the two included batteries and the remote with a USB-C cable, plug the battery, and you’re ready to start your flight!
--- FEATURES ---
18 minute flight time, Full 1080p HD video recordings, remote control operated via a phone app, 0.9 mile distance limit, auto-landing, low battery landing, circle recording, and hover.
--- EXPECTATIONS and PERFORMANCE ---
This drone is very light. It also comes in a perfectly sized pouch where you can fit the drone, the bulky remote, the two included batteries, and the protective casings for the blades. The pouch conveniently fits everything you need in such a small space, that you can put that pouch inside most average sized purses or small backpacks with ease.
With its lightness comes a few drawbacks. The plastic drone feels cheap and fragile to the touch. It is recommended that you don’t use this drone against strong winds, and this was true in my experience. I took out the drone during the snowy winter we had in TN. Though it was snowy, it didn’t feel too windy. Once I flew the drone above the apartments, it struggled to hover in place of where I wanted to. Controlling it wasn’t easy at high altitudes and it did feel like I could eventually lose it if I left it in the air for too long.
The controls themselves feel a bit off too. If you have ever played a game like GTA where you control a helicopter, that feels natural for a drone. Other drones I own control like a video game helicopter. This one controls like tank controllers. What this means is that you use the same joystick to move forward and to turn. For example, if I want to go straight and turn right, I have to move the joystick forward, then price right on the same joystick, causing the drone to pause while it turns. This feels unnatural in a drone. It would be preferable if I could go straight with one joystick while I turn right with the other joystick. This way, the motion is fluid and not choppy. Other buttons on the controller do feel good and are responsive. There are two dials that allow you to control the camera to look up or down at angles. There’s a button for hover mode, auto-landing, and circle around an object. The circling around was a hit or miss. The first time I tried it, the circle was way too wide and it would only have been helpful in a big open area space. I wanted to try recording while in a dance studio that is big in size, but it got too close to walls and it wouldn’t have worked out. The second time I tried it, I was outside. It wouldn’t recognize what I wanted for it to circle, and it never did.
The app is used for you to see what the camera sees. When the drone is hovering, the image is ok and looks steady. While in flight, there is a clear delay from what the drone sees to what you’re seeing in the app. On frequent occasions, the app has trouble keeping up with what the drone sees. This causes missed or blurry frames that get recorded that way.
The app does have a tutorial on how to use the drone, and it is a bit confusing to navigate. Once you figure it out, you have to keep choosing your specific drone to get the app to function properly, it doesn’t automatically recognize the drone you have.
--- APPROVAL ---
This drone might be good if you want to learn how to fly a drone and what it might feel like for you or a young teen. It is most definitely an entry-level drone, but I don’t think I’d recommend this drone to anyone unless you see it as a toy or novelty.