Back in August of 2018, Yuneec formally hopped on the portable UAV bandwagon and also released a folding video camera drone. The Mantis Q, as it’s called, is successfully the company’s response to DJI’s wildly preferred Mavic line, and thus, it’s equipped with a flurry of enjoyable features that the business wishes will certainly coax you away from DJI :- features like folding arms, 4K cam, voice/gesture acknowledgment, as well as a cost under $500. However can it really stand up to DJI’s fleet?
Now that Yuneec has had a few months to work out all the twists, we took a Mantis Q out for a prolonged test to see just how it compares to the competition.
Standout Features and also Specs
In terms of its dimension, the Mantis Q is not that a lot bigger than DJI’s tiny Spark drone, as well as it’s still tiny adequate to remove from your hand. It’s likewise bigger (specifically with the propeller arms prolonged) as well as thicker, which offers it some pretty distinctive benefits. That added space is made use of for a considerably bigger battery, which purportedly supplies a massive 33 minutes of flight time (much more on that later), as well as bigger propellers that obtain the Mantis as much as a top speed of 44mph, which is pretty fast for what’s arguably an entry-level drone.
On top of that, the Mantis Q sporting activities a 1/3.06 inch CMOS cam sensing unit with the ability of 4K video clip at 30fps, which appears great theoretically, but in method was a little underwhelming. Because of the reality that this drone counts on digital photo stablizing rather than mechanical, you lose image stabilization functionality when you shoot in 4K. In other words, you’ll require to tip down to either 720p or 1080p at 60fps, or 1080p at 30fps to obtain even more steady video.
On the bright side though, it does come with some nifty video camera modes that partly make up for lack of mechanical stabilization. Surroundings mode, for instance, immediately changes the color balance of the photos you require to ensure that the shades actually stand out– which is really good if you do not want to invest a number of time post-processing all your photos.
As far as we can inform, the Mantis Q is quite damn sturdy.
The Mantis Q also flaunts a series of smart flight settings, consisting of trip (flies away and also to an item in linear fashion), point of interest (a round trip path around a chosen things), as well as return to house– though it’s worth noting that these modes aren’t various as they remain in some contending drones. The Mantis Q also sustains restricted voice control to take pictures, videos, and flying performance, yet it feels gimmicky and unneeded. Are you truly going to heckle your drone to make it do stuff? Most likely not.
This brings us to an additional problem: the drone’s obvious lack of obstacle avoidance like in Skydio 2. While it does have down encountering sensing units to ensure solid landings, you ‘d be wise to fly this bird in an area devoid of blockages. It can’t notice its environments, so it’s up to you to prevent them manually.
Yuneec Mantis Q Review & Evaluation
Yuneec On the whole, this drone is a pretty good worth at its cost point, as well as a slight enhancement over the Breeze. But with DJI’s Spark currently below $400, the Mantis Q really feels somewhat behind the moments after only being out for an issue of months.
Yuneeq Mantis Q Build Quality and Longevity Review
Yuneec dropped the plastic hull of the Wind for a stronger steel unit with the Mantis Q, which includes a little over three ounces to the Mantis Qs weight (16.9 oz)– an appropriate tradeoff for the added longevity. You won’t have to stress over harming this thing conveniently in case of the unpreventable unpleasant crash.
Regardless of its responsive controls, the Q isn’t rather as secure as we would certainly like it to be.
We didn’t deliberately crash our Mantis Q throughout our examination, but we additionally didn’t notice any kind of considerable damage after subjecting it to a few tough drops. As for we can tell, it’s pretty damn tough– as well as since it’s not geared up with any kind of type of obstacle evasion, that’s most definitely a good thing.
The controller is pretty conventional, with a flip-up extendable holder that was simply hardly large sufficient to fit our apple iphone XS Max with a thin protective instance. It was absolutely safe though, so we can’t actually complain concerning the develop quality. The controller does feel respectable in your hands, although we ‘d say the phone owner could gain from being tilted back a little extra to make the screen extra understandable in the means most people would certainly hold a controller while flying.
Yuneec Mantis Q Battery Life Review as well as Recharge Time
While Yuneec claims that the Mantis Q can stay in the air for over a half hour, our examinations put it somewhere in the order of 20-25 minutes or so– which had not been despite having us pressing the drone to its limitations. This is only partially much better than the Glow and also most other drones at this rate factor, and also we ‘d picture it would do no much better than many in “Sport mode” provided its performance in normal trip.
The controller charges in regarding 2 hours making use of the included USB-C cable, as well as we had the ability to bill the battery in the included battery charger in concerning 50 minutes from full discharge. That’s not overly impressive, however excusable either. It behaves that the battery can charge up to four batteries simultaneously– and also added Mantis Q batteries are priced at a reasonable $60 each, although it deserves it to purchase them as part of the $650 X-Pack choice when you purchase the drone originally.
Yuneec Mantis Q Piloting, Control, as well as Autonomy Review
Piloting of the drone really feels no different than any type of various other drone in its course, as well as the Mantis Q is extremely responsive to controller commands. While you can pilot the drone using the phone-based digital controller, the application controls are (as usual) a little bit mushy as well as imprecise. Thus, we suggest sticking to the physical controller whenever feasible.
However, regardless of its responsive controls, the Mantis Q isn’t fairly as secure as we would certainly like it to be. We have actually flown our DJI Spark in rather gusty conditions and seen it hold setting like it’s bolted to the sky– but that’s not the instance with the Mantis Q. Even in extremely light winds, the drone seems to wander means greater than it should, which suggests you’ll require to stay on top of the controls quite a bit.
The drone’s self-governing trip settings work acceptably, but are hindered in their level of use by the Mantis Q’s shaky video. Again, we actually wish this point had a mechanical gimbal.
Also, Yuneec’s voice control system appears like a feedback to the gesture-recognition systems that DJI builds right into its drones, yet it’s a truly newfangled feature. Honestly, we ‘d rather Yuneec spent all that time and effort to enhance the cam as well as software to aid the drone remain in one area better.
Yuneec Mantis Q Cam and Accessories Review
While it might have been a selling point, the cam is where the Mantis Q struggles. It’s not only the stablizing problem that is the trouble right here, which we’ll illustrate. We have actually consisted of some example footage, as well as attempted to take both our Spark and also the Mantis Q on similar flight courses. You’ll see an obvious difference.
At 4K, the Mantis Q just matches the Spark’s 1080p video in regards to quality, although with some distortion of the perspective line when is not focused aware (barrel distortion). You’re likewise managing method way too much restlessness to truly be able to utilize the video footage. Tipping the Mantis to 1080p 60fps or 30fps, the electronic stablizing begins, yet the photo sheds sharpness– although the 60fps framework rate makes rapid movement smoother (DJI’s Spar supports a max of 1080p 30fps).
The absence of stablizing in 4K setting makes motion video footage honestly a little bit painful to enjoy. Likewise, your initial second or 2 of video while the drone is in activity is pointless too, because the drone tilts to start flight in your preferred instructions, causing the electronic camera to point either descending or upward briefly.
The Mantis Q sets up a good battle, yet it’s inadequate to dethrone DJI.
We’ll give the Mantis Q something, though, and that’s high quality photos. Our pictures looked sharper with the Mantis versus the Glow, however we’re presuming most individuals are seeking wonderful aerial video clip rather than still photographs, so this likely does not indicate much.
Added devices in package are a little bit slim. There is no included carrying case, yet Yuneec does include an extra collection of props in case you break the ones already consisted of with the drone. If you want additional batteries as well as a situation, you’ll require to tip up to the X-Pack, which is an additional $150. It includes an instance, three added batteries, as well as an additional set of spare props. It’s an added expense, yet prices less than it would if you got all these products separately.
Our Take
The Yuneec Mantis Q sets up a great battle, yet it’s not enough to dethrone DJI. In spite of flaunting an exceptional set of specs and features, the drone fades in comparison to a lot of similarly-equipped competitors. Eventually, the lack of mechanical picture stabilization is what spoils it. The trip controls are excellent, the drone itself is resilient, as well as it has a lot of the trip modes you need– however given that the 4K footage isn’t supported, this isn’t a drone that we would certainly suggest.
Is there a better alternative?
With the Mantis Q’s cam concerns, we definitely think so. The DJI Spark– while just sustaining 1080p video, average picture abilities, and a disappointingly brief trip time– usually scores much better than the Mantis Q in practically every metric. It’s unsatisfactory. Yuneec’s newest drone feels like just a little action above the Breeze as opposed to the transformative jump that would certainly make it a rival to DJI’s original Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, or Mavic 2.
Parrot’s Anafi drone is likewise one worth thinking about. For $500, it uses most of the exact same functions, much better position hold, and a considerably better video camera arrangement. It additionally has a 3-axis gimbal with 180 levels of tilt freedom, so it’s more secure and also more creatively liberating than what you’ll get with the Mantis.
How long will it last?
We have absolutely no concerns that this drone won’t stand the test of time, as well as possibly much better than Yuneec’s Breeze in harder collisions. Yet there’s no hardware upgradability right here, so what you see is what you obtain. We fear that the Mantis Q may currently be technologically out-of-date considering the competition. That’s troubling.
Should you purchase it?
No. If you’re in the market for an inexpensive 4K drone, there are better options than the Yuneec Mantis Q. The unstable video will annoy you, as well as the Parrot Anafi runs circles around it in regards to picture high quality. Heck, even if the Anafi isn’t your speed, we advise saving some money and stepping up to the DJI Mavic Air. There are better alternatives available.
