AEE-AP9 Quadcopter Review
The AEE-AP9 Quadcopter is manufactured with the latest AEE technology and it’s one of the best entry-level drones that we’ll review here. The AEE is an integrated technology that makes the drone a reliable and advanced one. You can get the drone for a low price, and still can give you high-quality aerial photography. Therefore the drone fits both amateurs and professionals. Besides this, the drone is loaded with great features that are needed for photography and GPS for better geographical tagging.
What’s in the box?
- The AEE-AP9 drone
- Controller
- Battery
- Propeller Guard
- 8x Propeller
- Controller lanyard
- Battery Charger
- Screwdriver
- Users Manual
The package doesn’t conclude the camera, you have to buy that separately.
Specs
- Flying Time: 25 minutes
- Maximum Speed: 20m/s
- Wind Resistance: Level 4
- Control Distance: 500m
- Charging Time: 120 minutes
- Camera: 16MP FullHD 1080P/60fps wide angle
- Transmitter: works with 4x AA batteries
- Battery type: Lithium-polymer (LiPo)
- Dimensions: 14.6 x 14.6 x 5.5″ / 37 x 37 x 14cm
- Weight: 3.1lbs / 1.41kg
How to start?
If you haven’t used a drone before don’t worry. It is very easy to get started with the drone and assemble the parts by simply following the instructions on the user manual. The parts are packaged separately in the box and only need to be fixed together. However, you have to place together only a few parts, the main body frame comes assembled.
After you opened the package, take out the drone’s body and the rotors, and insert them on the drone. Pay attention to the signs on the propellers, it’s important to place them correctly on the drone. After that, you can insert the battery. Usually these are uncharged, so make sure you charge ‘em before flying the drone. The battery will have an indicator that shows you the level of the battery.
Underneath the drone, there is a camera mount for a sports camera. You can either buy the camera dedicated to this drone (sold separately), or you can insert a GoPro if you have one. After everything is set up, all you have to do is to calibrate the drone. Every drone has this procedure before actually starting to fly it. For this, just follow the movements that are shown on the instructions, and pay attention to the beeps and changing LED colors.
Design and build
The AP9 drone is a nice and quite big drone. It comes in a stylish white color and some red paint details. The drone has some bumpers on the bottom and an optional propeller guard. It’s built with an integrated popular AEE technology that makes way for brilliant and steady aerial shots. The drone is a semi-ready to fly a drone that comes with a 1080p action Cam S40 Pro from the manufacturer (sold separately). The camera has to be inserted in the camera mount, which is placed under the drone on the front side.
Transmitter
The drone can be easily controlled with the provided 8-channel capable transmitter that has a frequency of 2.4GHz, which offers it a longer range. But not just the specs are great, but the build of the transmitter as well. It fits just right in your hand, and it makes the piloting quite easy. The transmitter is already bound to the drone. This transmitter is a great device and gives brilliant control. The max range from the controller to the drone is around 500 meters. Besides the two main throttles on the controller, everything is encrypted either by words or symbols. This way you can learn faster the purpose of each button.
Battery
The drone is powered by a 5300mAh Li-po battery. It requires a charge time of 2 hours in order to charge them and it gives 25 minutes of flight time. This time, of course, depends a lot on the environment and your flight style. When the battery runs low, an alert will start beeping, to notify you about the critically low level of the battery.
It is designed in a way to be resistant in mild weather conditions like light rain and wind. It has level 4 wind resistance, which is pretty good. However, it’s not advised to fly it in bad weather. You may lose control easily and damage the drone.
Performance
The drone is enabled with a lot of useful features that can be handy for both beginner and experienced users. The drone has features like GPS, Auto Return Home, Low Battery Alert, Altitude Hold. This features it’s easier to take photos and videos. One of the most used features is the auto-landing feature, which you can activate with just one press of a button on the transmitter. This gives the drone a command to come back and lands safety. This eliminates the possibility of crashing the drone or the camera mount when you land it. For better positioning and orientation it is integrated with a GPS based transmitter, a barometer sensor, a 3D compass for a better direction-finding, and a 6-axis gyro for even more stability.
Pros
- It is great for both beginners and experienced fliers
- High stability provided by GPS and 6-axis gyro
- Return to home feature that can bring back drones when out of sight.
- Relatively short charging time
- Is compatible with DJI Hero cameras
- Level 4 Wind Resistance
- LED lights for better orientation
Cons
- The drone is quite big so it’s hard to transport
- The camera is not provided to the drone
- Battery drains quickly as complained by a few customers.
Conclusion
This AEE-AP9 Quadcopter is worth it for the people that love big drones and already have a good sports camera as seen in our review. Otherwise, it will be a nightmare for you. If you’ve never flown a drone before I would recommend you some smaller, foldable drone like the DJI Mavic Air which a compact little drone with an integrated camera. I’m not saying that you can’t learn to fly a drone on this device, only that it’s more worth it for the person who makes a lot of outdoor videos, even in winds. The flight time and range are quite good on this drone, and you can have a lot of joy while flying this quadcopter.
If you wish to buy the drone you can check out its price on Amazon.
