Syma X5HW -1 WIFI FPV Quadcopter

In short, SYMA X5 series is considered as one of the best beginner quadcopters in low priced category that is much more than just fun. By no means it is easy to fly this one, but surely take you through first steps on flying a full fledged FPV system, familiarise with the controls and functions fully before moving on to bigger quadcopters like DJI Phantom or similar. Please note that this specific version has altitude hold and extra features, so quickly skim through the manual if the control seems bit unfamiliar to you.

If this is your first time flying, it is bound to have some crashes - don’t worry. Most of the time damages occurs to the blades. In the pack you get 4 spare blades (2 sets as another bonus pair included) and if you need more you can get it from amazon for very cheap prices. You may not need it, as the blades / propellers has prop guards (crash guards) and it protects the blades fairly well. The crash guard will not be able to protect if the drone lands upside down or fly into smaller objects, but the chances for this is rare as most of the weight is towards the bottom part of body. Other than tricky situations, the drone has all around protection.

Batteries and charging is not difficult - the controller takes 4x AA batteries, that you need to supply. SYMA X5HW comes with built in replaceable battery, which can easily be detachable and attach to the supplied USB cable to charge. Batteries are cheaper to buy, so you can charge as many you have, so you will not run out of battery when you are out in the field. And for the FPV monitor, you can use your Android or iOS phones. So, the biggest advantage is none of these need direct AC supply to charge, so a good portable battery pack / power pack will solve all the charging needs.

Altitude Hold

In the field or outdoors - SYMA X5HW done well for me irrespective of light windy (breeze I’d say) conditions. The drone itself is light weight, but the propellers are strong enough to withstand lighter wind conditions. But if the wind is bit strong, it is almost certain that your drone will fly away.  In flight mode, it’s fairly stable at all times with the help of altitude hold feature. Controlling is extremely easy, as you can set the controller response to easy to difficult. Flying time will be around 5-7 minutes depends on how you fly. On a windy day or if you do a lot of manoeuvre or tricks, the flying time will be reduced considerably. This is in addition to the camera recording.

All good things
a. Cheapest entry level FPV quad before moving to big ones
b. Great landing guards, prop guards and one touch return to base.
c. Very decent controller, responsive and great ergonomics.
d. Altitude hold

Not so great things
a. better camera
b. Very light weight, not able to withstand anything beyond breeze

What could be improved
a. Build quality
b. Higher capacity battery or a spare battery
c. Better prop guards

Few points to first time flyers

a. Set the controller response to lowest (bottom left - down control), set to headless mode (left to power button)
b. Take advantage of the altitude hold, once you are in desired height, you can take off your fingers from left lever on controller. This helps you to focus more and train your muscle memory to take quick actions
c. Order some extra blades and additional batteries when available for cheaper price.

Overall one of the best and cheapest beginner FPV Quadcopter, most of the parts are user replaceable and available for cheap in Amazon and other stores. Please do check out the pictures and video for a closer look and see what you get and how it looks in real life.