Since DJI released Mavic Air in January 2018, it quickly became popular among beginners and photographers who are looking for an entry-level drone to start with. Not surprisingly, some toy-grade drone companies decided to make a baby version of DJI Mavic Air. Introducing the JDRC JD-20S foldable drone that looks just like a DJI Mavic Air, but smaller and leaner. In my JDRC JD-20S review, I’m going to talk about the qualities and features of the drone.
The review will be divided into four categories: build quality, performance, features, and remote controller. Through sifting the reviews and researching the product page, I’ve assembled the JDRC JD-20S review. The purpose of this article is to guide shoppers like you to make an informed decision about whether the JDRC JD-20S is a perfect match for you. Read below to find out more information about this baby DJI Mavic Air clone.
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Build Quality
On the first impression, the JDRC JD-20S RC drone looks just like DJI Mavic Air. Although it has a body dimension of 8.07 x 6.69 x 3.54 inches, which is smaller than its grand sibling. It also weighs merely 0.38 pounds. It’s incredibly lightweight enough to bring with you anywhere you want to go. The JDRC JD-20S RC drone features jet black coating around its body with a sliver encase frame around its rear and sides.
It uses durable ABS plastic which provides durability against collision. Thanks to built-in weight, it provides natural resistance against a wind that makes it super easy for beginners to fly outdoor as well indoor. The motor arms are foldable which can be folded and unfolded to create room for storing in a travel case or backpack.
Inside the box, you’ll receive a drone with a built-in 2MP 720p HD camera, a transmitter, a 3.7V 1800mAh Li-ion Battery, a USB charger, Extra Propellers, a Protective Cover, a screwdriver, and an instruction manual. As you can see that most of the modern drones such as Ophelia and X12 drone use Li-Po battery to operate. The JDRC JD-20S RC drone uses a Li-ion battery which is much stronger and effective. As of a result, it gives a flight time of 12 minutes.
Furthermore, the drone comes with built-in LED lights that assist with visual positioning. It’s a very useful feature to spot the drone quickly during the day time. Not only just that, but it does also make a good night light show in the skies. Overall, we think the build and design quality of the JDRC JD-20S drone is pretty solid. Coming up in the next part of the JDRC JD-20S review is performance and that’s my favorite part.
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Performance
The JDRC JD-20S drone in general performs exceptional well. Thanks to upgraded 6-axis gyroscope that provides the stability it needs to maintain hovering position. The drone comes with speed mode that allows a smooth and gradual learning curve for beginners who has never flown a drone. On your first flight mode, the speed will be dumbed down. This is done so that beginners and kids can learn how to control the drone.
Once they master the flight controls, the speed mode can be adjusted to challenge themselves. It creates the ultimate training drone for any beginners and kids who wants to be able to pilot one of those professional camera drones for money in the future. The JDRC JD-20S drone is responsive to the controls and flies with precise. Plus, it can perform 360-degree flips that’ll certainly impress the people who are watching you flying the drone.
Even though the JDRC JD-20S drone uses brushed motors, it possesses an amazing flight time of 12 minutes (realistically) and a control distance of 100 meters. In this price range, it’s about just right for a drone like this. You can see more of the JDRC JD-20S drone’s performance and camera quality in action by checking out the video below.
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Features
Typically we’ll think that if a drone gets a lot of features, we expect them to be big in terms of size, right? That’s not always the case. The JDRC JD-20S RC drone is around one time and half the size of your palm hand. Yet, it’s bustling with a lot of features that make it quite very popular among beginners, recreational remote pilots, and even kids. Do you know why? Because it encompasses beginner-friendly features that are both incredibly useful and helpful which makes the whole flight experience simple.
First, it comes with Headless Mode and Altitude Hold Function. You might be wondering what Headless Mode does. What it does is switch the control orientation to the remote controller. Instead of flying the drone-based on its face direction, you pilot the drone by the direction you’re pushing the movement lever. This alleviates beginners’ concerns so that they can focus more on flying the drone. The altitude hold function is pretty much self-explanatory so I’m not going into details.
Along with these two features, the JDRC JD-20S drone can perform automatic landing, takeoff, gravity sense control, and create waypoints. The waypoint mode is especially a cool feature for making a simple video. Simply enough, you tell the drone and point the waypoint. As long as you have two or more waypoints and start recording the flight path. This method is commonly used in more expensive camera drones such as Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic 2.
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Remote Controller
In the next part of the JDRC JD-20S review, I’m going to talk about the remote controller. This transmitter is pretty much common and used by other variety of drones such as the Eachine E58, IN 1802 Drone, X12 drone, and Thunder FQ35. So there isn’t much to be said about this remote controller. On the right side is a movement lever. The buttons surrounding the lever are trimmers to help you balance the drone if it is flying unsteadily.
On the left side is a lever for altitude and rotation. The buttons around the left lever are features such as altitude hold, headless mode, and gravity sensor mode. On the shoulders are the button for speed mode and 360-degree flips. The remote controller also comes with a foldable mount holder so that you can insert your smartphone. On the side note, antennas are just additional touch-ups and serve no purpose.
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Conclusion
Before I conclude the JDRC JD-20S review, I think this is one of the coolest looking DJI Mavic Air clone for less than $100. It’s very popular (see why the customers are buying here) among beginners and is very durable. Thanks to several upgrades such as a better gyroscope and a high-quality camera, this foldable drone makes the perfect choice for beginners and kids who wants to learn how to fly a drone. But, also to practice and develop aerial photography skills.
Even with a flight time of 12 minutes, the JDRC JD-20S drone can be flown up to 100 meters. In my experience, it’s more than enough to give plenty of flying practice for first-time flyers. You also can view the drone in FPV mode. Although, because the camera quality isn’t that stellar, I don’t recommend you to rely solely on FPV mode. But overall, the drone itself is fancy that will certainly last for long service life.
