ReviewedByPhil

Buy it at Amazon: GoolRC T47 Foldable Drone w/Gravity Remote Control [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Compact/portable, easy gravity controls, stable hovering, but short battery life.

You'll receive the drone in a rigid clamshell case. Inside you'll find the drone, a remote controller, a USB charging cable, and two re-chargeable batteries. You'll also receive an instruction manual. The drone is small and lightweight measuring 5.5"L x 2.75"W x 1"H when folded up. The fan blades fold out from the sides and the footprint is 8"W x 7"L. On top is a single power button for turning the drone on and off. On the bottom is the battery bay which simply gets seated in the compartment and slid up until it locks. There's also a 720p camera on the front that is adjustable up to 90 degrees.

The remote control requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. The controls are interesting because they are gravity sensing and you control the panning of the drone by tilting your hand forward, back, left or right. Starting up the drone was a bit tricky, though once you get the sequence down is quick. Pressing up/down on the joystick will cause the drone to rise/descend and left and right rotates the drone. The bottom button on the remote is the emergency stop which kills the rotors. Be careful when doing this as the drone will drop out of the sky like a stone. The left button toggles on and off the front and back lights. The trigger button in the front changes the speed/power mode level from low to medium to high. The top button enters the drone into headless mode and the remote will beep while the lights on the drone flash to let you know when you're in this mode. Although it took a little getting used to, I actually like it a lot better than the traditional two joystick remote control as it's a bit more intuitive.

The other way you can control the drone is using the GoolRC mobile app. After turning on the drone, go into the phone's WiFi settings and connect to the UAV wireless network. Then launch the app and click connect. The drone's camera feed should show on your phone's screen. The virtual joysticks work just like a regular dual joystick remote. The camera and video buttons in the app activate the camera shutter for taking photos and movies and you can also perform 360 flips in the app, features that are not on the gravity remote. If you want to get all the features out of the drone, you'll have to use the mobile app but even without the camera features and 360 flip, flying with the gravity remote is pretty fun too. I also really like that it folds up compactly, is very stable during flight, and easy to get a hang of.

Buy it at Amazon: GoolRC T47 Foldable Drone w/Gravity Remote Control [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: GoolRC T37 Mini Foldable RC Drone Quadcopter w/Gravity Remote [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Very well-balanced, compact, easy to control, nice app, but one battery shorted/died.

You'll receive the drone, a soft fabric carrying bag, a remote controller, 3 rechargeable batteries, a USB charging cable, an extra set of rotors, two sets of rubber feet, and an instruction manual. The drone is compact and light measuring 4.5" x 2.25" x 1" tall when folded up. The fan blades fold out from the sides and the footprint is 6.75" x 5.75". On top is a single power button for turning the drone on and off. On the bottom is the battery slot and the batteries easily slide/click into place. There's a 720p camera on the front that is not adjustable but takes decent photos/video. You'll want to take four of the rubber feet and install them in the holes on the bottom of the drone before you get started.

The remote control requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. The controls are interesting because they are gravity sensing. Starting up the drone takes a few steps but once you get the hang of it is simple. I really like the gravity sensing remote because I find it to be more intuitive than the traditional toy joystick rudder/throttle controls. The drone is very balanced in flight and can hover fairly still. I also like that the remote has an emergency stop if the drone is flying out of control or being taken by the wind, but keep in mind your drone will simply fall from the sky so make sure the way below is clear before hitting that button.

The other way you can control the drone is using the GoolRC app on a mobile device. The app sometimes connects, sometimes doesn't so it's a bit finicky. When it works though you'll get full control of the drone including camera functions for photo/video and 3D flips. If you want to get all the features out of the drone you have to use the app since you can't control the camera or 3D flips with the remote. However, the remote is still a fun way to fly the drone without those features and it's great that the drone folds up compactly. Because of its size, it works best indoor where you have few obstacles because it's unaffected by wind. Outside, a breeze easily carries it off so you have to be careful to keep it in range of the remote, as it won't return to you automatically if it loses connection. On a full charge you'll get about 10 minutes of flying time max but average around 5-7. The only problem I had was that one of the batteries shorted during charging and started smoking, so I had to toss it because I was afraid it would be a fire hazard. Always be careful with Lipo batteries and use a fireproof bag when charging! Otherwise a pretty fun toy.

Buy it at Amazon: GoolRC T37 Mini Foldable RC Drone Quadcopter w/Gravity Remote [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Contixo F1 Plus Flying RC Car Drone Quadcopter [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Fun and easy to fly, great balance, durable, RC car option.

The drone comes with 4 replacement rotor blades, a remote control, 2 batteries, USB charing cable, a power adapter, mini screwdriver and instruction manual. The drone is made of a lightweight plastic and weighs only 4 oz with the battery installed. The rotors do not have blade guards on this unit. There are 4 foam wheels which makes the landings on this quadcopter pretty soft and it can also be driven like a car. There are two models of this drone: one with a 2.0 MP camera and one without. The camera is mounted in front and angled slightly downward and can take still photos and video. The version with a camera comes pre-installed with a 4GB microSD card. Be sure to charge the batteries before first use, which takes 20-30 minutes. Each battery will last 6-8 minutes of flight time. While the battery is charging, there will be no indicator light on the USB charger, but when the battery is full, a red LED light will illuminate.

The remote control requires 4 AA Batteries which are not included. Use the included screwdriver to access the battery bay on both the remote and the drone. When the drone is grounded, the left joystick (rudder) will act as the control for the car. The other buttons on the controller can adjust trim, take photo/video, change the acceleration speed (short press left-shoulder), turn on/off the LEDs (long press left-shoulder), and activate 3D flip mode (right shoulder button).

To bind the drone to the remote, turn the drone on and set it on a flat level surface. Make sure the throttle is all the way down, then switch on the remote. You'll here the remote beep and the light on the remote will be flashing. Calibrate the remote by pressing the throttle all the way forward and then bringing it all the way back. Then it's all ready to go. While on the ground, you can drive around using the rudder. I found that the foam wheels don't grip rough terrains well, and it seems kind of sluggish on asphalt and pavement. On smooth hardwood floors, however, it moved much faster.

Lift off and hovering with this drone is smooth and easy to control. I was actually impressed with how stable this drone is compared with others that I've used in its class. The drone's flight and balance were quite good and this drone would make for a great starter drone for folks new to drone flying. The camera quality is as expected for only being 2.0 MP. It's a bit grainy and at times choppy with the occasional refresh rate blur, but it's still fun to watch the videos after your flight. The only thing to note here is that the video can only be activated when the drone is in flight. You can't start a video when the drone is grounded. A 3 minute video takes up about 500 MB. The unit does record audio, but mostly you get the sound of the rotors. Keep in mind that you don't get a card reader with this unit, so you'll need to supply your own way of getting the images and video off the card. Overall, this drone is fun and easy to fly. It's well-balanced and it seems to take hard landings pretty well.

Buy it at Amazon: Contixo F1 Plus Flying RC Car Drone Quadcopter [Affiliate Link]