Hubsan x4 review

This is a review of the Hubsan x4 (h107L) micro quadcopter. I have designed and built some normal size quadcopters before, so I am not a beginner. With indoor season coming I wanted to try one of those micro ReadyToFly quadcopters. I got mine at a hobby fair here in Sweden for about 50 USD, and I am not disappointed.

The Hubsan x4 is a RTF kit and comes with its own transmitter, It is not compatible with any bind and fly system. The overall feeling and quality is surprisingly good for the prize. The quadcopter itself measures 90 mm from motor to motor diagonally and the weight is about 35 grams including battery. It uses a 1 cell 240mAh LiPo that is charged with an included USB charger. The flight time is about 6-8 minutes and the included charger recharges the battery in about 45 minutes. There are a lot of spare parts available. You can for example buy new motors, propellers and even the empty frame separately if you manage to break it in a crash.

This quadcopter feels very stable and dialed in like all other micro quads out there. It uses gyros as well as accelerometers, like probably all micros do. This means that it instantly auto levels when you let go of the stick. It can fly fast forward and still be hovered with relatively high precession. I can maintain a steady hover without drifting around more than one or two decimeters (about 4-8 inches). It has plenty of power and can climb really fast while applying full power, even at the end of the flight.

The sticks on the included transmitter does not have that distinct centering feel that normal RC transmitters have. It feels more like the analog joysticks on a game controller. This is a little strange at first but you do get used to it. The transmitter has two modes, beginner and advanced. When powered on, it starts in beginner mode. In this mode, the tilting angle of the quad is limited to about 5-10 degrees in all directions. This is great for learning to hover or flying indoor in small places. To enter advanced mode, you press down on the right stick. In advanced mode to angle is limited to about 30 degrees. This makes the quad more agile and faster. Useful for flying outdoor or in large places. You can easily fly to far away so it becomes hard to see how it is oriented. I have not experienced any problems with the range on the radio though. The range seems to be more than plenty. The transmitter can be adjusted to work in mode 2 or mode 1. I fly in mode 2 which was the standard setting.

There are only one battery is included in the kit, and you do want to fly more than 6-8 minutes. The “Walkera two pin connector” is used on the batteries, which seems to be a standard on those micro quads. This means it is possible to get more batteries from HobbyKing ore other hobby shops, you do not need to get the original batteries.

The only bad things I have found after about 10-15 flights is the strange feel of the centering of the sticks on the controller. Overall I am very satisfied with this little quadcopter, and I would recommend it, but I have not tried any other micro quad so I have nothing similar to compare it with. I also agree on micro quads being a great way to learn to fly for new pilots that want to get into multirotors. Those microquads are obviously a lot cheaper and more durable than the normal size multirotors.