Today, camera drones and racing drones are very popular. Several professional photographers use high-end models to expand their photography with aerial shots. And it’s no exception why there are so many people wanting to buy a professional-grade copter. Introducing the Hubsan H501S X4 drone, one of the most advanced quadcopters packed with features, high-powered performance, and a design that appeals to everyone.
Through sifting the reviews and researching the product, we’ve assembled the Hubsan H501S X4 review to help you make an informed shopping decision. When it comes to shopping for the perfect drone, you need to keep these things in your mind: how easy is it to fly? Is it durable? Does it have good camera quality? If you’re looking for a mid-tier camera drone to start with before you spend on expensive quadcopters such as the Ophelia or my personal favorite Mavic Pro. Read more to find out if the Hubsan H501S X4 drone is the drone you want to check out.
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Build & Design Quality
In the box, the Hubsan H501S X4 includes a drone, transmitter, charger set, spare blades, tool and English user manual. The drone features two different type of colors: white and black to match your preference. It only weighs 2.33 kg and boasts a body dimension of 8.66 x 8.66 x 2.76 inches which is around 2 times bigger than an adult palm of hand. I especially loved how the Hubsan H501S X4 drone comes with gold-plated around its motor arms and cockpit. It does certainly adds nice finishing touch on the drone.
Unlike most drones such as the Snaptain S5C drone or Amcrest A4-W Skyview that uses brushed motors. The Hubsan H501S X4 is equipped with brushless motors that provide better performance and longer durability. It also helps reduces the amount of power it drains from the battery to fly. A single battery on average gives a flight time of 18 minutes which is quite impressive for a quadcopter at its price range.
Lastly, it has a 1080P HD camera built-in that delivers images and videos directly to your smartphone. I’ll talk more about the camera quality later in this review. But, one of the most important design features that Hubsan H501S X4 has to offer is LED Lights. This acts as a visual assistance positioning that’ll help you spot the drone. Not just only that, if you plan to fly the drone during night time, the lights will add special effects that make it look awesome in the dark. And did I forget to mention that it can support up to 32GB micro SD card? Yep, you read that right.
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Performance
In the next section of the Hubsan H501S X4 review, we’re going to talk about this advanced GPS drone performance. Knowing how well a drone performs is the single biggest factor when it comes to choosing the right drone for beginners and recreational pilots. As I mentioned previously, the H501S X4 drone is equipped with brushless motors that provide more power thanks to higher propulsion force.
In addition to that, the H501S X4 drone includes a built-in GPS module that enhances its stability for responsiveness and smoother flight controls. Beginners and recreational pilots will find themselves having an easier time flying the drone thanks to the inclusion of a GPS module. Not only that, but the drone also utilizes an altitude hold that detects changes in the air pressure and adjusts accordingly so to keep the drone’s height steady.
With a flight time of 18 minutes and a control distance up to 800 meters. There is plenty of flying room to soar around for beginners. Because of the H501S X4 drone’s incredibly powerful performance, I highly recommend you fly it outdoor only. Since its propellers are so powerful enough to accidentally damage inside objects if you aren’t careful. For some remote pilots, 18 minutes might not be enough. If you want to extend your flight sessions, I recommend you to purchase additional batteries. You also can check out the Hubsan H501S X4 drone to see its performance in action.
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Features
The Hubsan H501S X4 drone is packed with a lot of features. Mainly because it uses a GPS module that gives access to more advanced features. For beginners and recreational pilots who are looking to buy travel drones, you should consider checking this advanced GPS quadcopter out. The Hubsan H501S X4 features intelligent flight mode such as Follow Me mode and Waypoint Mode. The Follow Me mode is the perfect choice for solo travelers who wants to document their entire journey and share with the audience.
On the side note, there are multiple beginner-friendly features such as altitude hold function, headless mode, and smart automatic return-to-home function. The headless mode as its name suggests switches the control orientation from the drone to the remote controller. Which means the drone will fly based on the direction you are pushing the movement lever at. This makes the whole flight operations easier for beginners and first-time flyers. The rest of the features is pretty much self-explanatory which has been discussed in the performance section.
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Camera Quality
If you’re an aerial photographer looking for a serious and professional camera drone to produce high-quality videos, the Hubsan H501S X4 won’t meet your expectations due to a lack of gimbal camera systems. Instead, I recommend you to read my top 5 best drones for professional and commercial purposes that makes you money. The H501S X4 drone, in general, makes a great training quadcopter for beginners who wants to start with a smart drone. But also to develop and hone their aerial photography skills before moving on to more expensive models such as the Phantom 4 Pro.
That being said, the Hubsan H501S X4 drone uses a built-in 1080P HD camera that does quite an exceptional job at delivering sharp and clear image quality. My only gripe with this GPS drone is that it doesn’t have a built-in gimbal system. However, you can opt to go for an action camera with a gimbal camera and install it on this quadcopter as a choice. A good cheap action camera such as AKASO V50 Pro Native is sufficient for aerial photography. Check out the drone’s camera to see its quality in action.
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Remote Controller
The Hubsan H501S X4 drone has one of the most advanced remote controllers out of all. At first glance, it does look very professional remote controller that probably could be sold at the price of $250 to $300, similar to the Mavic Pro remote controller. It even comes with its own build-in HUD screen that lets you see videos in real-time. This has a major advantage over using your smartphones for two reasons: the remote controller uses 5.8GHz frequency that ensures smoother videos. Secondly, the connection between the drone and remote controller built-in HUD screen is much stronger and reliable.
I would prefer to use a drone with a built-in HUD screen because it is reliable. However, it does come with limitations such as you can’t choose how big you want the screen to be. Regardless, the remote controller can be quite confusing at first. But, it is very straightforward and easy to understand thanks to the inscription on the buttons. Beginners and first time flyers will not have a hard time flying the H501S drone.
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Conclusion
Overall, the Hubsan H501S X4 drone is very stable, easy to fly, and comes with built-in GPS mode for advanced flight modes. The remote distance is quite impressive for a GPS drone. It gives plenty of flying room for the pilots to fly the drone around. In addition to that, the drone’s shell is built with durable ABS plastic which provides layers of protection that ensures it doesn’t break and keeps it in service for a long lifetime.
For a drone under $300, this copter is quite the value compared to other drones within the price range. So far, it has several features such as smart return to home, follow me, altitude hold, and headless mode all works flawlessly. The battery lasts for 18 minutes without any issues and runs fine even in cold weather. Because it has an exceptional range and performance, it’s easy to see why beginners and professional remote pilots want to buy the Hubsan H501S X4 quadcopter.