You know almost everything the big ones do, so even a practicing machine can be a more serious machine before you buy it.

Introductory

In the last six months, about 5-6 different drones have turned up for me. There was something about which I wrote an article, one that I bought as a gift, and unfortunately one that came with a minor mistake, so I couldn’t make proper material about it. The Hubsan model in this article has been resting on top of the closet for over a month, I was simply unable to take the time to write this article, even though my finger has been heavily tingled for some time because it is easy to write and the Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro very good.

Unpacking

The box doesn't come as much of a surprise on the outside, Hubsan gives the vast majority of this white design to the packaging, the difference is at most that it also shows the remote control, which is not usual. It is worth reading the packaging around so that you can be aware of the main capabilities, such as GPS-based positioning, range or flight time. On the back we can see the remote control and the drone, besides them there are even the exact dimensions.

Opening the lid of the box, we are first greeted by the sight of the Desire Pro. Next to it is the part that hides the remote control to the right, and the fake that hides the accessories to the left. In it you will find a small screwdriver, a charging cable, four spare blades and a small bag with small screws. By lifting the drone out and under the cardboard sheet below, you will find the frames protecting the blades attached to the screws, which are definitely worth installing for novice drone pilots.

In addition to what has been the case so far, the packaging only hides one thing: a sufficiently detailed installation guide written in English. In this step, the novice pilot is guided through the settings from commissioning the remote control to calibrating the drone GPS to starting the engine.

External and remote control

Drone

Whoever saw a Hubsan drone saw it all - we might say, but that would of course not be true. There are also smaller models of the company that don’t even resemble in shape, yet, machines that bring the brand a well-deserved reputation, such as the H501S and its Advanced version, look similar. This bird is, of course, much smaller, 18 x 18 x 6 centimeters, meaning it doesn’t even reach 20 centimeters when the arms are fully extended. Its weight is also quite small, only 14 deca, which makes it a heavier individual than a room drone, so on days accompanied by windless or soft breezes we can safely head towards the square / meadow.

The shape is just the same at first glance, the body hiding the electronics and battery a little flatter, a little wider than the bigger brothers. What has not changed, however, is the quality. Hubsan doesn’t give this down, even if the price would even make it acceptable anyway, tending us to squint a little at the portico. This machine is essentially perfect in terms of assembly and material selection. I’m not saying I haven’t seen better anymore, but let’s say the DJI Mavic Pro point, which is my benchmark, costs ten times as much as this, so maybe it’s justified to give something for that bag of money. On the other hand, I can say without exaggeration that I simply can’t hook up to this machine. Everything that could be brought out of the price was brought out for the look and feel.

If you are already on the outside, turn the body of the Desire around a bit. Unsurprisingly, we find the camera tilted from the front, slightly downwards, but fixed, while the battery is behind a sliding door at the back on the opposite side. Fortunately, the latter is neither an encapsulated nor a smart variety, so in theory we can get a spare of it cheaply, although, I haven’t found one that fits in size yet. Let’s just say I didn’t even put too much energy into the search, so I might just not have had any luck.

Remote controller

In the case of Hubsan, there is usually no complaint about the remote control. I didn't have a very cheap structure in my hands yet, so I don't dare say about it, I've met more expensive ones, it was perfect, as they gave this machine a nice controller. The shape evokes a cantilever controller, as with any drone in a similar category. Which, in turn, is not average, but above quality. It is put together very well, it does not crack, it does not crack, there is no feeling of man falling to its atoms during the flight. Its weight with four AAA batteries is convincing, it doesn't want to fly out of our hands, but we won't get tired of having to catch it, even with the phone placed on it, it's pleasant to use.

The manufacturer did not overdo the buttons in the run, the point is the details are available through the phone app anyway. The point is, the most important buttons are there on the remote control, so one-button take-off and take-off, returning to the starting point are functions that can be started from here. In the usual place, ie on the far left side of the left, we find the camera's release key and we can also start recording movies from here. Apart from these, there are only arms whose height is not adjustable - this is not to be expected in this category - but fortunately we get just the right size, so it can be used in children's hands, but they are not lost in larger adult hands.

The phone needed for control can be placed on a fold-out holder. This hides spring mechanics so we can use devices of different widths. Unfortunately, the tablet does not fit. The lower and upper edges of the phone holder have a rubber cover that holds the phone securely with enough force, but does not scratch it in the meantime. Under the folding arm you will find two indicator LEDs, of which red indicates that the remote is switched on, blue shows that a Bluetooth connection has been established with the phone.

Use

We definitely need to start using the application that comes with the drone, as the remote control alone will not be enough to work. On the other hand, things go the other way, without a remote control, we can only use it with a phone. To download the program, you will also find a QR code for Android and iOS phones in the setup guide.

The symbiosis of the remote control and the phone is not common, because here we have to connect the phone to the remote via Bluetooth and the drone to the phone via wifi. The latter controls the structure through the latter connection, which is also one of the weak points of the thing. In the case of wifi drones, there is always the problem that in a densely covered area with wifi networks, the many available networks can be a problem, and this can greatly reduce the already narrow range, which in this case is 50 meters.

Once the connection is established, only two things are needed. One is for the drone to “see” at least six GPS satellites in the sky, and the second is to calibrate the drone. To do this, we get the necessary instructions in the form of diagrams, so we really don’t have a hard time, we rotate a little drone here and there, and we’re done.

X Hubsan application

I can only praise the app for the drone. The program is really professional in appearance and use, who learns to use it later and will easily cope with the software of a more serious machine, because the use itself is very similar to Mavic Pro, for example. Of course, the latter’s setup options are much more complicated, but you don’t have to scroll through them at a basic level for flying.

By launching the app, you can click on the top drone icon on the left to select a flight mode, start en-route flight, turn on tracking, and orbit mode when the drone flies around with a camera continuously pointed at us. These modes worked flawlessly for me, again I can only say that we can control larger machines in a similar way.

The left side of the top bar of the program is for telemetry, on which we can see the speed, the altitude and the distance from us, more precisely from the phone. To the right you can read the battery charge, the charge of the remote control and the number of visible satellites.

The gear pictogram that entails the settings reveals quite a few settings. On the first tab, you can set things needed for en-route flight, such as average flight altitude, maximum flight altitude. In the second point, you can turn the virtual joysticks on or off on the display, select a joystick mode, or switch the sensitivity in three levels, so anyone who feels more professional can choose the Advanced level. The map tab, by definition, contains map settings such as what view you want to see in flight, you can have a smooth street view, a satellite view and you can also choose night mode.

In summary, the Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro is one of the great strengths of the software. We get a pleasant, easy-to-use, well-transparent surface that evokes larger machines with full telemetry. If one learns how to control drones on this, it will easily thrive on more serious machines later on.

Flight

The Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro is a machine for beginners or teenagers. The control is the same, as is the power and speed of the machine. It is capable of speeds of roughly 18-20 km / h, which is ample, especially knowing the maximum distance for remote control. Of course, the latter can be avoided, but a little later on.

As you may have read above, the weight of the drone is small, though much heavier and bulkier than a room drone. The fact that it’s designed for the outdoors also shows that you need to see the satellites, six pieces, because without them you can’t fly. There are not yet enough sensors in this structure to be able to fly almost automatically without satellites.

In flight, the Hubsan is sure to be in your hand, you don’t want to break out, it flies nicely, but it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s sensitive to the wind, so in the event of gusts of wind, we may have an unpleasant surprise.

The flight and tracking modes worked perfectly for me. As you have read, the range is small, but we can increase it in two ways. The need to get a wifi range extender is being hinted at all over the internet as a tip, which can even double the distance. The second mode doesn’t need any tricks, just route tracking. This may be because after setting the route and starting the flight, there is no need for a live connection between the phone and the drone, which means that the Desire Pro can be more than 50 meters away from us. with due care we can make quite nice videos even from a greater distance. What must be done, however, is that the drone does not fly any further when it reaches the last point. If you are farther than 50 meters away in this case, so it is worth setting the end of the route to a part close to us.

Camera

So far, I’ve only praised the Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro and it won’t be any different. This beginner bird has a full HD resolution camera, plus it's not bad. Surprisingly high quality recordings can be made with it, not only pictures and videos. Of course, it wouldn’t be normal to forget from the article that no one expects quality made with a camera platform. In this drone, the camera does not have any stabilization, it wobbles along with the machine. In other words, in-flight films will not be like what we see on National Geographic. Apart from this, we can say that the built-in camera is of outstanding quality at this price level!

Summary

I don’t deny, I ordered this drone specifically for fun and testing. Since I have DJI Mavic Pro on duty, I have no desire for the better. With the Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro, I had no choice but to try out a high-end, entry-level machine from a reputable manufacturer like Hubsan.

In my experience, I have to say I was disappointed, but in a positive direction. I didn’t expect such quality, such controllability, so many settings and features. Simply perfect. The introduction of the drone law has been going on in Hungary for some time, but according to the drafts, it will be proposed to offer functions such as automatic return, landing and take-off for drones that can be used in public places. The Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro knows all this, and much more.

Based on roughly a dozen flights, I can say that the Desire is a really good fun, pleasant relaxation machine. Although I recommend it for beginners, it is worth adding that its use can also be a hallway for purchasing a more serious drone, because its software and control are similar to them, so this machine is perfect for practice. However, if you don’t have such a plan, you just want to look at our house from above, or want more than a beach shake on your vacation, it can still be a good choice.

We were still in debt with one thing, and that is the price. The Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro is currently available for just under $ 100, which is half, and a third of the price of drones with similar knowledge, though they are stronger and larger for the most part due to the longer flight distance and carbon brush-free engines.

I ordered from here: Hubsan H216A X4 Desire Pro

Here you will find hundreds of drones in all sorts of prices: A thousand and a kind of drones

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Finally, a few minutes of the test: