SJRC F11 Pro Review: Smart Foldable Camera Drone Under $200
- Foldable and portable.
- Affordable.
- Budget-friendly
- Packed with high-quality camera.
- Integrated with GPS module.
- Long battery lifetime.
- Durable, crafted for protection.
Price list
Description and Review
If you are looking for one of these GPS drones such as DJI Mavic Air or Mavic 2 Pro / Mavic 2 Zoom. But these price tags are too expensive for your liking. Perhaps you want to explore for a drone that is more affordable, yet offers high-quality footage that you can truly enjoy and share with your audience. Then look no further, because that’s what SJRC F11 Pro drone is built for.
This brand new smart foldable drone is packed with a powerful camera and integrated GPS module which delivers steady flight controls. Not to forget to mention that the SJRC F11 Pro drone also comes with an intelligent flight battery that keeps you in check regarding the status of its flight time as well distance. The technology is evolving at a rapid pace and so are the drones. Before drones were introduced to the consumer market, they were hard to fly and reserved for the richest people and private pilots who could afford them.
Nowadays, the drones like HS700D Ophelia, Potensic D88 and now SJRC F11 Pro have become much easier and simpler than even a beginner without prior flight experience can learn how to fly one. We assembled an in-depth review of the SJRC F11 Pro drone to help buyers like you make an informed decision. In this review article, you will learn ins and outs about the quadcopter. That being said, let’s dive into the details.
Build and Design Quality
On the first impression, the SJRC F11 Pro drone looks like a flying box with a sturdy body framework. This quadcopter is made of high-grade aluminum that offers impressive protection against impact. I especially like how this drone features foldable motor arms that are designed similar to the DJI Mavic Pro. Not just only that, when the drone is folded, it provides protection to its internal components and makes it very safe for traveling around the world.
If you are an avid traveler like me, you will find out that the SJRC F11 Pro drone’s unique design focuses on portability while offering you the ability to produce precise stills and videos. Each motor arms are outfitted with LED lights that assist for visual purposes. The battery is located on the top that can be easily hot-swapped if you want to continue flying the drone. For some of the readers who are wondering what the heck is “hot-swap” — it means you can swap the battery while it is hot and active with a freshly charged battery.
Design-wise, the SJRC F11 Pro drone is slightly larger than your hand and is a bit smaller than DJI Mavic Pro. One of the major design features this drone brings to the table is brushless motors. These motors last longer and deliver superior performance that keeps the drone running like a real boss. In addition to that, the drone is integrated with GPS / GLONASS module that transforms it into an intelligent camera drone.
Flight Performance
In the next section of the SJRC F11 Pro drone review, we are going to talk about its flight performance. Getting to know how a drone’s performance is one of the most important buying factors when it comes to shopping for expensive quadcopters. The SJRC F11 Pro drone comes with three-tiered speed mode: low gear, middle speed, and high speed. By default, the drone will be in low gear so that beginners can learn the basics of flight controls. Once you understand the basics, you can adjust the speed mode to experience the drone’s true performance.
At a maximum performance, the SJRC F11 Pro drone is surprisingly effective at resisting the wind speed up to level 4. Which makes it very appealing for outdoor flight. In addition to that, the battery is designed to deliver power more effectively. On a single charge, it provides up to 25 minutes of flight time. That being said, the drone also has a maximum operating distance of up to 500 meters. Compared to DJI Spark that can be flown up to 1 mile, the SJRC F11 Pro drone boasts a total flight time of 50 minutes thanks to an extra flight battery.
Performance-wise, this drone delivers an impressive response time thanks to 2.4GHz frequency signal between the transmitter and quadcopter. Additionally, the transmitter utilizes 5G technology to bring complete, flawless streaming video capabilities from the drone’s camera directly to your mobile device in 720P HD. The true footage is stored on the microSD card. We recommend that you purchase either a 32GB MicroSD card or a 64GB microSD card to go with this drone.
Features
Believe it or not, the SJRC F11 Pro drone is packed with a ton of features. The intelligent flight modes are the most notable feature that makes the whole flight much easier for beginners. There are four intelligent flight modes to choose from: Gesture Mode, Follow Me, Orbit Mode, and Waypoint Mode. Although, you should keep it in your mind that the performance of these intelligent flight modes isn’t that advanced compared to DJI Phantom 4 drone. They are fully functional and perform well enough at the price tag that the SJRC F11 Pro drone is going for. Let’s find how you can use these intelligent flight modes to your advantage.
Gesture Mode
In this intelligent flight mode, you can command the drone using your hand motion. It will have a maximum distance of up to 30 meters and a minimum distance of 10 meters. Beckon toward the drone away. Wave at the drone to bring it forward. Form a V-handshape to capture selfie shots.
Follow Me Mode
Ever want to document your solo journey without the need of a second drone operator? Then look no further because the SJRC F11 Pro drone is equipped with Follow Me Mode capabilities. In this mode, the drone will follow anywhere you go while recording the video. This intelligent flight mode makes it very engaging and entertaining for your audience to experience a third-person perspective.
Orbit Mode
In this intelligent flight mode, the drone will perform a 360-degree orbit around an object. It is commonly known as Point of Interest Mode. You can take advantage of this feature by performing 360-degree videos of a cruising ship or interesting build that offers a complete and immersive experience.
Waypoint Mode
This is one of my favorite intelligent flight modes. You get to customize your flight path. Here’s how it works, you fly the drone and drop a waypoint along the path that you would like it to go. Once you are happy with the flight path, simply press start and the drone will start flying on the flight path while it records the video for you. One of the perks this intelligent flight mode brings to the table is that it simplifies the whole flight operations for you.
Remote Controller
In this final section of the SJRC F11 Pro drone review, we are introducing the remote controller. On the first look, this is a very professionally designed remote controller for a smart camera drone. No doubt about it. It even comes with two foldable arms that are comfortable to handle and gives you maximum grip while you pilot the drone. Furthermore, the buttons are elegantly designed to be simple enough for beginners to understand and operate the drone with ease.
The remote controller for SJRC F11 Pro drone uses its unique battery, which means you don’t need to purchase AA batteries. When the remote controller is fully charged, it will provide an operating time up to approximately three to four hours. Which is pretty good for an entry-level remote controller. Not to forget to mention that it comes with a foldable mount holder for smartphones. You can easily insert your smartphone and enable live video in real-time.
Thanks to the integration of dual antennas that masterfully delivers lighting fast response time to the drone. The levers are carefully positioned to deliver simple and easy controls for beginners. When the remote controller isn’t in use, simply fold it and slip it into your backpack and whatnot. This is a compact SJRC F11 Pro remote controller in a nutshell.
Customer Experience
With an average rating of 3.8 out of 5 in Amazon, 65% of it is comprised of 4-5 star reviews. Those who bought the SJRC F11 drone are happy with its features, especially the GPS and its compact-size, considering its affordable price. Users also love the length of the battery’s life and how easy it is to fly, especially if you’re a beginner drone flier. Perhaps the only minor flaws pointed out by the reviews are its loud beeping controller commands, and the long time it takes to charge the drone battery.
Conclusion
As we wrap up the review about the SJRC F11 Pro drone. You might be wondering if it is worth the money to get your hands on this smart camera drone. If you were to ask me, I would say yes. Because in this package, you get one of the smart camera drones that come with two batteries. Which means you are going to get a total flight time of 50 minutes. In addition to that, it has a decent remote control distance of up to 500 meters. Along with its stellar flight specifications, the quality of the camera is somewhat acceptable.
However, if you are vying to become an aerial photographer in the future and need a drone with a steady camera. The HS700D Ophelia is a better option for you, albeit, it comes at a slightly higher price tag. The only drawback to this drone is that the camera is fixed. This means when you fly the drone and tilt, the camera will tilt. It is an unfortunate design feature, but that doesn’t impact the performance. Although SJRC F11 Pro drone is one of the strongest performing quadcopter packed with a lot of awesome features.
You buy SJRC F11 Pro drone here for under $300 with an extra battery and a travel case. If you are still curious to see what are the top 10 best drones under $300, I recommend you to explore these guides. Alternatively, you can check out our ultimate guide to buying a drone for beginners. I hope you find our SJRC F11 Pro drone review helpful and insightful. Happy flying and fly smart.
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