SYMA X500Pro GPS Drones with 4K UHD Camera for Adults, RC Quadcopter with 50 Minutes Flight Time, Brushless Motor, 5G FPV Transmission, Follow Me, Auto Return Home, Included Carrying Bag

After playing with its smaller cousin, the Syma X300 drone for a little over a month, I decided to take a step into a higher level drone and bought the X500. I wanted to explore the features and feel of flying a larger drone complete with GPS and a camera that enables FPV flight. After searching brands and price points, I decided to get into the 500. Between the x300 and x500, I’ve gained valuable flight experience all for just over $250 ($189 for the x500 and $75 for the X300). I’ve put in a lot of hours on the X500 and am getting to the point where I feel comfortable dropping $1k plus on a drone.Let’s talk about some great points on the X500; It folds up compact and comes with a very nice form fitting carry case which holds the drone, extra battery (comes with 2 batteries), charger, and controller. The case is small and fits nicely in a backpack. I threw it in my hydration pack and took it on a hike so I can capture some really great imagery. The camera has motion command. If you fly it in front of you and hold up your hand, it will automatically snap a still image so you can be hands free instead of holding a remote. The possibility of great photos in areas with high exposure (cliffs, etc) makes it safe and easy to capture photos of you and your group.One of the greatest features I could not find in any under $200 drone: The Syma X500 has built in GPS. What does that mean for the pilot? It means that if you get into a situation where you are in a panic….hit a button (the green lights on the drone will turn red) and let the automation / GPS take over the flight controls landing the drone safely where it took off. You can also program it to fly to waypoints on a map so it can run video capturing missions without the need to fly it with the controls. This has been great fun for my son who has a huge interest in robotics. You can program the waypoints on your smartphone easily using the Syma App (free) and even get into the picture if you decide to record video. Or use the “follow” mode and the drone will follow you (or whoever has your smartphone) like a personal flying videographer. You can capture some really cool footage while riding a bike or trail running.The “Orbit” Mode is another fun feature which allows the drone to focus the camera and circle around any point you designate which makes for interesting composition on a video.You never have to worry about losing the drone if you run out of battery power. The battery lasts around 25 minutes and if you run it too low, it knows to return to the point you took off and will do so without you having to fly it home.The camera is 4K which gives great HD imagery, but I would recommend flying it in low to no winds if you want to really get good video. There is no image stabilization in the camera and if that is important to you, you’ll need to spend a lot more money. But again, my goal is to learn how to fly drones and explore the features. I would be afraid to step right into a $1200 plus drone and that is my eventual goal.The controller is really easy to use and holds your smart phone which you get real time imagery of where you are flying so you really get the feel and understanding of FPV flying.SYMA has a solid name and is not a newcomer to the drone market. I attend CES every year in Las Vegas and their booth is always a “must see” with consistent crowds. My experience in owning the x300 and now x500 has been great and also a great activity for my teenage sons. If you want to get into flying drones or get your kids interested in robotics (which is a fast growing industry to forge a career in), I would not hesitate to buy the X500.

I have flown hundreds of hours with Phantom drones, so I really wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this for my 9 year old. First of all, it comes in a nice carrying case. The drone and controller fit snug inside and there is plenty of room for batteries and all the spare parts that are included.The drone is nice and compact when folded up and seems very solid. Controller is a nice size and fits well in my hand. It isn't too big for my 9 year old either. He can access all the controls without much effort. Like most of these drones, there are two speed modes. Click the right joystick down to toggle between the two. I typically fly on the low speed inside my house and then the high speed outside. I flew this inside first and was surprised by how steady it was. It held its position very well without much input from the controller.We took the drone outside next and switched to high speed. It took the drone a while to lock onto the GPS satellites, but once it did it seemed to hover pretty well. There was a little bit of drift, but not terrible. There was a light breeze that night and the drone was definitely affected by it when flying around. It wasn't too strong that the drone couldn't overcome the wind, but it did affect it significantly. My son crashed it a couple times, once into a tree and another into the ground. The drone held up very well though. No visible marks or scratches anywhere, propellers didn't even have a dent in them. I was really impressed at the durability. I also crashed this drone inside my house and it landed on tile. Same thing, not a mark or scratch anywhere on the drone. Battery life is really close to the manufacture's 20 mins/battery. Depends how fast you're flying, but I was definitely surprised how long it lasted. Camera is not on a gimbal, so the images aren't stable, but clear as long as you aren't moving when you take them.We have flown this many times inside and out since and love the easy take off and landing. I wouldn't recommend flying this outside unless you have an open area and it isn't too windy. Very well built drone, excellent for someone who wants to learn to fly and not spend a thousand dollars.

I bought this drone and another less expensive Syma drone for my 13 year old son for Christmas. He had some experience with drones but I wanted to get a drone with more features. The other syma drone was supposed to be what he used to get more experience flying a drone before he tried this one since it’s more expensive. He flew the other drone and did great the first day. I had him practice with it for a few months before he was able to fly this Syma drone since it cost more and I didn’t want him to lose it.So, the big day comes when I feel he is handling the other Syma drone really good and I let him try this drone. He starts it up and the thing takes off full speed without any direction from my son. It took an hour to find the stupid thing. He was very disappointed and went back to using the less expensive drone with no problem.A few weeks pass and I want him to try the new drone again. Same thing happens, he starts it up and gets it in the air to hover. He doesn’t touch any control and the thing flys off at full speed into the woods. We found it again after searching for a long time.This drone is very frustrating and since I didn’t let my son try it as soon as I gave it to him, the return period has expired.This drone flies on it's own and flew away completely opposite to the directions he was giving it, like it was being controlled by someone else. My son starts the thing up, sets it down, pushes the stick forward for it to just lift straight up, and it will lift up about ten inches and then fly full speed horizontally at a random angle and crash into something. We have never had a product that has failed to perform the task it is designed to do as poorly as this drone.This product is trash and a way to scam people out of their money. I will never purchase a Syma product again.