1080p
15 min
No Stabilization
300 m
MJX Bugs 5w ULTIMATE review( vs alternatives compared)
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+ Positives:
- precise GPS
- Camera can swivel
- long range of 1km (although FPV is 300m)
- button return to home and failsafe return ( if battery low or connection lost)
- real time telemetry data ( altitude, distance, battery and signal)
- Live feed option with phone or micro SD card storage
- headless mode for beginners
- great wind stability
- Negatives:
- it isn't foldable so it's harder to carry around
Is this drone as good as it looks?
The MJX Bugs 5w has been quite a surprise to me, as I didn't actually expect it to be better than the Bugs 2w that I tried a while ago.
Contents
I bet you're curious to know what you'll learn about it in this article…
Let's see..
I'll get you through all the specs, how the camera records footage,my own video review and even instructions on how to use it with your phone.
At the end there's also a great comparison table with some of the best competitors in this price category.
The ability to move the camera, the smaller frame and very precise gps made it one of my favorites to fly. It's great for lower budgets builds where you prioritize GPS and framing the perfect shot.
1080p
15 min
No Stabilization
300 m
Foldable Drone
Beginner Drone
Remote + 5G Phone (802.11ac)
Over 250g
Comes with GPS
None
Over 20 km/h
Brushless
Battery Life
Battery life is on par with the other Mjx Drones in the Bugs series, and that is somewhere around 15 to 16 minutes.
One drawback is that the drone transmitter starts beeping as soon as you get to 14 minutes or so, although it still has plenty of juice left.
maximum-flight-time
Range (Flight Distance)
It's always tricky for me to tell people the actual range of a drone.
Mainly because it's not that simple.
You see…
On one hand you have the actual drone range, which is basically how far the drone can be controlled by the remote.
And this drone can go over 800m as you can see in this video on youtube.
And there's also the Live feed transmission that can go about 300m max in my experience.
So I decided to consider the lower value as the actual range, as you probably don't want to fly it without seeing where you go.
remote-control-range
Max height and flight laws
The maximum height allowed to fly in the USA is 400feet which is just over 120m.
The Bugs 5w can go over 100m but no more than 150m, so you're right in that range.
Will the drone come back after reaching the Max altitude?
The drone is set to stop at the maximum altitude of 120 m so it won’t come back down, it will just stop.
There’s also another limitation…
When the battery is getting critically low, it won’t let you fly farther than 20 meters away.
Drone alternatives compared
This is the comparison table I promised between the Bugs 5w and some of the most recent and best drones in the same price category of under $200 (most under $150).
I compared the BUgs 5w vs the ZLRC Beast, SJRC F11 and JJRC X11.
The Bugs has a disadvantage though, as it's the only one not foldable in this setup.
Although you might see that it's the weakest one when it comes to camera, make sure to compare the actual footage before deciding, as I think the Bugs might actually be better than the rest in many instances.
Add to compare
Bellow you can find a filtering system for the main competitor drones I reviewed and you can press the “Add to compare” button if you want to do so.
Latest Comparisons
The camera for the Bugs 5w is quite good for it being 1080p.
It does have a slight fisheye effect, but the good thing about that is that the view angle is quite wide, perfect for capturing landscapes.
It's the same camera that you find in the JJRC x5 (it's actually the same drone rebranded, but changed a little).
And yes, finally, this is a camera that can change angle!
It's so important to be able to do that if you want to actually have control of what you see and record.
That's one of the reasons why I don't think drones like the MJX Bugs 2 are relevant anymore, even if they're great otherwise.
Is the footage stabilized in any way?
No , it's not stabilized by default.
However…
It does come with vibration dampeners and the image is wide enough so you can actually stabilize it in post production.
How good is the footage and photos?
It takes photos in the same resolution as the actual video, and it looks like they are basically screenshots of the footage itself.
You can check out my video review of it where I show a lot of footage and photos from this camera.
Can the camera be upgraded?
Besides the ability to add an action camera at the bottom (yes, it's strong enough for that) there aren't any upgradeable official parts.
There is this video on youtube showing you how to upgrade the camera range though.
What phones work with MJX Bugs drones?
Short answer: any phone that supports 5g 802.11 ac wifi.
All the iphones have this frequency and usually newer android phones, but there are meny exceptions.
If you want to check your phone compatibility, go on GSM arena, search for your brand and then look in the specs if it has 802.11 ac wifi (the AC part is important).
And no, it's not Air Conditioner.
What accessories you NEED and where to get them from
Mainly the chinese hardware suppliers like banggood and gearbest have the most accessories and spare parts available.
Because this quad is quite popular, it does come with most spare accessories and almost anything you could think of to be replaced in case you break.
From everything that's plastic on it, case, charger, motors, pcbs,screws, dampners, camera and even battery.
Here are the 3 most important ones I recommend you buy along with the drone itself.
Spare Battery
You need at least one of these, as you might find yourself not having enough time in the air.
Good Waterproof case
This is a great way to carry this quad around, with a few spare batteries also.
Multiple chargers
If you don't want to wait up to 2 hours at a time for one battery to charge, why not do a few more in paralel.
Design and Unboxing
Although it doesn't look that portable because of the solid design (by that I mean not foldable).
It's actually smaller than the previous bugs models and can easily fit in a small backpack.
IT comes in the package with a ton of accessories, and frankly with another spare battery and a backpack you're ready to rumble!
- Battery
- Charger
- Screwdriver
- Remote
- Spare props
- Removable sticks
- Drone
- Phone holder
I know, the transmitter above is from JJPRO, however it’s exactly the same as the bugs one.
A pretty good controller, with a button for return to home, a wheel for changing the camera angle and even the ability to turn the GPS off for more thrills.
App, camera settings and flight modes.
The drone comes with more flight modes than the really popular Bugs 2 for example, with the addition of follow me and circle around an object.
Waypoints
I almost never use this function, but the Bugs 5w has it, and it basically flies from waypoint to waypoint on the map as you set them from the app.
Point of interest
You can set things like the speed the drone circles around, the direction and range.
It's not as precise as the DJI circle around, but definitely usable for a nice effect in your videos.
Return to home
Since this drone comes with GPS it also has an included RTH function, which is obviously one of the most useful feats in the package.
In my experience the precision is between 1 and 2 meters, which is more than enough, since you’re going to take the controls from a certain point anyway.
Follow Me
The Follow me mode is great for playing around and impressing your friends, as it actually even rotates to catch your position in the shot even as you move around it.
The price for the Bugs 5w is usually quite well under $200 and that’s quite affordable considering it doesn’t really have much competition.
The flight range of the drone is in fact about 1 km, but I put the actual range at 300m as that’s about as far as the video signal goes.
And yes, the quadcopter is suited for beginners too. Why is that?
Mainly thanks to the GPS that allows you to easily learn the controls and if you mess up you just stop pressing any buttons and the drone will simply hover.
Click on the tabs bellow to answer a few of these questions.
Is this drone worth the price?
ABSOLUTELY
I don't really think you can get better for under $150.
All the specs, the flight stability, modular camera that even comes with the ability to stabilize video (to some extent) make it a great choice.
Having GPS for return to home and flight stability is also a great feature for beginners to have.
-
Where to buy it from?
This time, if you're not in much of a hurry I drecommend buying from banggood if you don't want spare accessories.
If you want spare batteries, case and so on, check out Geekbuying.com
Download the official manual and instructions bellow
If you want to have a look at the controls before you buy it or just simply forgot your manual somewhere you can simply download the manual by clicking here.
Check out the following article guides that will turn you into an expert!
9Expert Score
MJX Bugs 5w - a very capable GPS drone!
This quadcopter has it all for the price... Although it didn't get into the current trend of foldable drones, and that's a bit of a shame, as everything else is really on point. It doesn't have stabilized video, but the footage is really clear and the range of the quad is enough to satisfy most people (although FPV signal is lost before 300m to 400m).PROS
- precise GPS
- Camera can swivel
- long range of 1km (although FPV is 300m)
- button return to home and failsafe return ( if battery low or connection lost)
- real time telemetry data ( altitude, distance, battery and signal)
- Live feed option with phone or micro SD card storage
- headless mode for beginners
- great wind stability
CONS
- it isn't foldable so it's harder to carry around
Paul Archer
I'm a big drone enthusiast, the owner of DronesGator.com and I also make weekly videos on my drone YouTube channel.
Specification: MJX Bugs 5w ULTIMATE review( vs alternatives compared)
| camera | 1080p |
|---|---|
| drone type | Beginner Drone |
| Medium | Outdoor |
| GPS | GPS |
| image-stabilization | No Stabilization |
| Speed | Over 20 km/h |
| maximum-flight-time | 15 min |
| Motors | Brushless |
| obstacle avoidance | no obstacle avoidance |
| remote-control-range | 300 m |
| Remote Type | Remote + 5G Phone (802.11ac) |
| Weight | Over 250g |
| foldable | foldable |
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MJX Bugs 5w ULTIMATE review( vs alternatives compared)
ozcryptian –
You are incorrect there… it does have a ‘follow’ and ‘orbit function’ One later and cheaper this has barely no peer.