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Hubsan H109S X4 Pro – Is This The Best Value For Money Drone Deal?

Hubsan H109S X4 Pro – Is This The Best Value For Money Drone Deal?

Drone Reviews February 5, 2017

After doing a great job with H502S (you can check out the review for this model HERE), Hubsan wants to keep up with the good work so they are presenting us with their new model called H109S. The sleek little fella arrived in front of my door last week. Ever since that happened, I’ve been busting my balls to test it out and give you a proper review. Luckily, my task was quite joyful since this drone is absolutely astonishing. Truth be told, I did not have high expectations for it which is why it managed to surprise me with its sheer performance. Is it really that good? Well, let’s find out!

H109S Review featured image

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As soon as I laid my hands on it, I realized that it’s somewhat similar to H502S at least when it comes to the rough design of the centerpiece. Still, with its firm landing brackets and camera mounted, it is quite heavier than the H502S, which is no surprise considering this is a more of a high-end model. While we’re talking about high-end models, it is important to mention that this little fella comes in 2 variants: standard and a high-end one. We will discuss that later on in this review. For now, let’s take a closer look at the main specifications:

Hubsan H109S X4 Technical Specifications

  • Size: 30×30×20cm
  • Diagonal size: 38cm
  • Weight: 1400g
  • Battery: 11.1V 7000mAh 25C Intelligent Li-Po Battery
  • Flight time: 25 minutes
  • Top vertical speed: 36km/h
  • Gimbal: 3-Axis, 1-Axis
  • Camera: 13MP HD, 1080P
  • FPV transmission distance: 1000 meters
  • FPV frame rate: 30fps
  • Camera Frame rate: 30fps
  • Motors: Brushless KV1000 No.2212 X4
  • Control range: 1500m
  • GPS Automatic Return: Yes
  • Transmitter: FPV1 (Standard Edition), H7000 Smart Transmitter(High-End Variant)
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Features

  • Flight modes – GPS Position Hold, Altitude Hold, Headless Mode, Return to Home/Landing
  • Telemetry includes GPS status, range, speed, battery power, quadcopter position (both latitude and longitude)
  • 1-axis gimbal/3-axis gimbal stabilization system (depends on the variation of H109S)
  • FPV up to 1 mile with its 1080p camera

Hubsan H109S X4 Pro Battery and range

Hubsan H109S reviewSince Hubsan H109S X4 is considered as an FPV explorer drone, it is only logical that it has solid flight time. This is ensured by its powerful 7000mAh smart Li-Po battery carefully tucked away inside the main centerpiece. Without camera or parachute (yup, this drone is one of the first that comes with an actual parachute) it can fly for over 30 minutes, beating even some of the premium models such as DJI Phantom 4. On the other hand, when you connect the camera, due to the increased payload weight the battery will run out quicker. Still, there is nothing to be alarmed for since you will probably get around 25 minutes even with the camera mounted.

Regarding the range, I was quite surprised by the performance of this drone. Even though the official specifications state that it can travel up to 1000 meters both with or without FPV, I got far more than that. Roughly, I got up to 1600 meters (1 mile) on live feed before the interference came along and forced me to make an 180′ turn and head straight back. Still, needless to say, I was impressed by the range which is bigger than that of DJI Phantom 3 which is its main competitor in terms of price and performance.

Hubsan H109S X4 Pro Camera Quality

h109s cameraHubsan H109S is equipped with a high-quality camera capable of recording aerial footage in full HD at 30 frames per second. The FPV quality is excellent and I have to admit I enjoyed it quite a lot while testing it. As I already mentioned above, Hubsan H109S comes in 2 variations. One of them is considered the standard one while the second one comes at almost double the price and has the “High Edition” tag next to its name. One of the key differences between the two is the type of gimbal they come with. While both versions come with motorized gimbals, the standard one does not have stabilization system built inside. True, you can still use the gimbal to rotate your camera, but there is not going to be any stabilization present which makes your footage not that smooth. On the other hand, the high edition’s gimbal is a 3-axis one with built in stabilization system that will take good care of your aerial footage. The stabilization is great and you will definitely be satisfied with the end product.

Hubsan H109S X4 Transmitter

h109s transmitter high endAnother key difference between the 2 variations of H109S models is their respective transmitter. The standard version comes with an FPV1 transmitter which is, surprisingly, quite good. It is responsive, easy to use and best of all – it perfectly fits into the palm of my hand. The only downsides are the relatively cheap-feeling build quality and small display which makes it difficult to enjoy its brilliant FPV feature. The high-end version hangs much better in this department as you will be getting an H7000 transmitter. Not only does it have a much larger display but it also has 2 of them, one (smaller) for telemetry and the second (bigger) for FPV monitoring. Other than that, the cheap-feeling build is eliminated with a great finish and high-quality materials. It is also much heavier than the standard one which I prefer (although some people love lighter controllers… why? beats me…). All things considered, at the end of the day, there’s not that much difference between the two controllers, at least not for casual users who aren’t really that interested in bells and whistles regarding them. Still, it is important to mention that, if you are looking for the optimal FPV experience with H109S, it might be a good idea to get the high-end version not only because of the much better display on its transmitter but also because of its gimbal stabilization system which does wonders.

Final thoughts on Hubsan H109S X4 Pro Review?

I believe I’ve said everything I had to say about this wonderful little drone. Sure, it’s not exactly the best performing drone on the market. It has its fair share of flaws such as not so brilliant build quality and relatively expensive replacement parts… But despite all of that, it still represents a nice refreshment on the drones market and stands tall against some of the big players in the league, the likes of DJI Phantom 3 Standard and Upair One. At the end of the day, I believe it is pretty clear that H109S will definitely find its way into many people’s hearts due to its solid exploring capabilities and immersive FPV experience it has to offer.

 

Zoran Valentak
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