HUBSAN FPV X4
£160 inc VAT • hubsan.com
Also known as the H107D, the FPV X4 is Hubsan’s latest mini quadcopter. It builds on previous versions and addresses quite a few of the criticisms. It now has rubber feet but, much more importantly, it offers a live video feed to the 4.3in colour screen built into the controller. That’s why it’s called the FPV: first-person view.
The quadcopter itself is miniscule, roughly the same size as the Revell X-Spy. It comes with a propeller guard, which is useful to use while learning to fly. You’ll have to use the included tool to take off the rotors as the guard isn’t fitted by default.
Video is higher resolution than the X-Spy, but at 640x480, it’s nothing to get excited about. You can record the video, but you’ll need to install a microSD card in the slot in the controller. That wouldn’t be a problem if the quality of the video signal were better. Unfortunately, in our tests, the signal was choppy and all the interference gets recorded to the SD card. You’ll see the least interference if you fly outdoors far from buildings in an open area.
Oddly, video is stored in AVI format in 640x240 format, so you’ll have to find a suitable video converter if you want to watch it on your PC or upload it to Facebook or YouTube. Given the poor quality, you’ll probably decide not to bother. In fact, it’s such a faff that Hubsan includes an addendum to the manual to explain all this.
The manual, surprisingly, is written in good English and explains everything you need to know in order to learn to fly the quad along with sensible advice to avoid breaking or losing it. The controller has two modes. There’s even an Expert mode that lets you configure the controller sensitivity, so you get full control of the drone for more accurate flying. It means you can grow into the FPV X4 as you get more skilled in flying it, and perform flips and loops.
We found the FPV X4 was a bit easier to control than the X-Spy, but like its rival, you’ll find the learning process slow going as you get only seven minutes of flight time between charges. At least recharges
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are faster at 30- to 45 minutes. It’s really hard to make it hover, as it drifts around like most ‘dumb’ quadcopters, and it’s too small and light to deal with flying outdoors in windy conditions.
The good news is that spares are widely available, with batteries costing as little as £3.30 if you buy in bulk. You’ll want to invest in some rechargeable AA batteries suitable for high-drain devices, as the controller will finish off a set of alkalines in next to no time. You can’t turn off the live video screen to save power, but it does have a timer, which starts the moment you power it on, so you can keep track of how long you’ve got until the battery is about to run out. VERDICT: For the price, video quality is poor, so don’t expect to be recording amazing footage from the air. If you invest in some extra batteries and time in learning to fly it properly, the Hubsan FPV X4 can be a rewarding and fun quadcopter.