4k
26 min
1200 m
3 axis gimbal
SG906 Pro 2 is one of ZRC's best drones and a game changer for the brand's lineup. How does it fare when compared to other leading drones in the market?
In this article, I'll discuss every detail you need to know about–from camera specs, and battery life to its accessories and manual instructions–I got it all covered!
Join me as 'til the end as we break down each and every aspect!
Here's what this article will cover:
The most obvious improvement of SG906 Pro 2 from its predecessor SG906 Beast Pro is the upgrade from 2-axis gimbal to a 3-axis one. And with this extra feature also comes extra power, thus, longer battery life. From 2500mAh, the Pro 2 now has 3400mAh.
Aside from gimbals and battery, what other aspects have upgraded in Pro 2?
Stick with me and you'll find it all here….
As mentioned above, SG906 Pro 2's battery is made of 3400mAh lithium polymer, a huge leap from Beast Pro's 2500mAh. This upgrade is primarily intended because of the improvement from Beast Pro's 2-axis gimbal to Pro 2's 3-axis one.
Not only that it supports the extra power needed to keep these gimbals stabilized, this improvement in battery life also paved way for longer flight time!
SG906's quadcopter can go up to a range of 1200m. Considering its price, this is quite far. But when compared to flagship drone models like DJI Mavic Mini (18km) and DJI Mavic Air (10km), it is quite below the radar.
You should also note that the maximum flight distance is highly affected by the terrain and obstacle obstructions surrounding your area, such as hills, buildings, and vegetation. If you fly in a highly urbanized area with lots of skyscrapers, your range distance may reduce. Meanwhile, its maximum flight height could reach up to 800m.
It has a double satellite positioning system composed of GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and GPS on top of the optical flow positioning system. Taken altogether, it paves the way for exact, real-time positioning data. The GPS connectivity makes it harder for you to randomly lose the drone because you can also track it from an app that shows the drone's autonomous flight modes and automatic return-to-home feature.
This aspect also allows the drone to operate more stably due to its excellent hovering feature. To activate this, you just have to press the "video" button for 5 seconds, then you can choose the GPS-assisted flight mode.
But since this feature is GPS-dependent, expect instability when you operate in an area with a weak GPS signal. But do not worry; the lack of a strong signal won't exactly ruin your shot. There's a reason why a backup optical flow sensor is in place, to make sure you can still fly your drone even in these weak spots.
This is the main standout feature of Pro 2 when compared to other models within the $200 price range. With only a handful of other drones in that range that has this aspect, this is already a plus. This aspect gives stability to your shots, resulting in the better image and video quality. It is also an improvement from the 2-axis gimbal system that is present in SG906's previous model.
But realistically speaking, you really can't expect cheaper drones to have it all. To say that having 3-axis gimbals would result in distortion-free shots would be a lie. Of course, we cannot compare this to high-end models like DJI Mavic Mini or Mavic Air. But considering its price, I couldn't complain because it this aspect already makes SG906 a frontliner within its price range.
Another winning feature of this drone is its fast and durable 1806 1700KV brushless motors. For a $200-priced drone, this feature is quite uncommon because you often see this in $250 and above models. To have this feature in SG906 Pro 2 is already a win. Since the motors are brushless, there is less noise in the engines. The seamless operation of engines makes it more stable even in windy conditions and lets the drone hover more accurately, thus resulting in silky-smooth videos. The brushless motors are also more resistant to wear-and-tear as your drone ages, making it more efficient and faster even when adjusting it to several speed modes.
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Yes! The main selling point of a GPS drone like SG906 Pro 2 is precisely its ability to return-to-home when it loses signal, making it more beginner-friendly and safe to use. For a drone that is below $150, I highly recommend this because not all models under this price range have the capacity to have this feature.
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No. Since it weighs 551.8g, you have to secure an FAA registration to be able to fly it.
But if you worry if it's going to be bulky, do not. It may be over 250g, but its dimensions are 174 x 84 x 70mm when folded so it's not much of a hassle when carrying it around.
This quadcopter can fly up to 800m in altitude. However, bear in mind that FAA advises only flying a maximum of 400m in congested areas, especially near urban settlements. With this, you could opt for a beginner-friendly mode that would help you stay within the range.
No. This feature would only be available in its upgrade in the SG906 PRO 3 MAX.
However, it does have alternative intelligent flight modes such as follow-me (check my best drones that follow you), orbiting a point of interest, a waypoint, and flying along an indicated flight path.
In this portion we're going to talk about the real deal when it comes to this drone's visual department. How does it fare in today's market? Does it live up to the expectations of a below $200 drone?
Find out all about that here!
In general, SG906 Pro 2 has a 4K HDR camera with Sony IMX179 image sensor that allows you to capture videos in SD or HRD resolution. These are composed of two cameras, one in the front and one in the bottom.
For videos, the front camhas a2048 x 1080p @ 24fps resolution while the bottom camera records at 1280 x 720p.
For photos, front cam registers at 4096 x 3072 while the bottom one produces 1280 x 720p resolution.
Now let's be real. Do the camera resolutions mentioned above live up to expectations? I'd honestly say, it doesn't deliver to its promise. While it says it has a 4K camera resolution, the quality is actually of a 2.5K camera.
As mentioned previously that it's highly GPS-dependent, operating in areas with weak signal often results in unstable and shaky movements. To avoid this, you just have to make sure that the area you're flying in has a strong signal.
It has two cameras: one in the front and one in the bottom. If you want to change the camera angle from front to ground view, you only have to click the left shoulder buttons (up & down) to give you a better angle.
It could also record simultaneously in micro SD and on your mobile device, a feature not present in its predecessor, SG906. For mobile recording, there is an additional feature that allows you to perform digital zoom up to 50x.
No. It could only take photos in JPG compression format.
In this part, I'm going to break down the parts of the drone from a macro to a micro perspective. From the overall look to the parts that make up the whole, I'm giving it to you detail by detail.
Scroll down to learn more about the backbone of this drone.
The drone's all-black matte finish, giving it a sleek, modern design. If you use it for recreational and professional usage, this look can be versatile to blend in casual and formal events.
It also comes with LED lights on its rotor arms. Although they are not bright enough to illuminate the surroundings at night, they have the ability to flash when the drone compass has been fully calibrated.
The material is made of durable matte plastic, making it more beginner-friendly because it can resist minor scratches during unexpected falls and budges.
When compared to more expensive models that are on the front lines of the best drones, like DJI Mavic Air and Mavic Mini, SG906 Pro 2 is clearly behind. But considering its price of $200, it could actually be my top choice within this price range.
Pro 2's battery has a 7.6V/3400mAh power, a slight improvement from its predecessor's 7.4v/2800mAh. However, these two LIPO packs are of the same size so they can be interchanged if you want.
There is also an option to charge the battery through a micro USB port. For faster charging, I'd personally suggest this so you could instantly remove and insert it to the drone. The battery also flashes the remaining amount of charging time.
A small monochrome LED screen you can find at the bottom part will let you know of certain details like the quality of the GPS signal, number of satellites, altitude, range, flight modes, and battery level.
This quadcopter comes with two remote control joysticks on the front top side of the drone. At the top of the joystick, you'll find a telescopic connection where you can install your smartphone to monitor the view while operating the drone.
Aside from controlling the forward and backward movements of your drone, you can also adjust the front camera's view from the remote controller.
The package also offers the following accessories:
What apps do you need to download to control your drone? With $200, do you have as much flight modes to choose from?
The answers to these questions are right below!
The transmitter comes with two foldable dummy antennae that serve as a phone holder. To use it, be prepared with four pieces of AA batteries. It has an 800m FPV range, not bad for its price. It is also equipped with 5G technology that lets you stream live video footage.
The only downside to this is that after quite some time, the removable sticks may fall out due to wear-and-tear, according to complaints from users.
Any would do! There isn't really a specific phone or tablet model that is solely compatible with SG906 Pro 2. Whether Apple or Andorid, you can control the drone with a navigation app called HFun Pro. I'll discuss more about that in the following point.
HFun Pro is available for both Android and Apple users. This app gives you access to navigate features like flight modes, flying using a VR headset for drones, and speed modes.
However, the app is not perfect. With a review score of just 3.1, it certainly has a lot to improve on, like the random screen freeze, crashes, restarts, bug in battery level reporting.
How to connect with it?
1. First, you have to install a charged battery.
2. Afterwards, you press the power button to calibrate the compass.
3. Then, you press the photo button on the joystick and hold it until the signal pops up.
4. Rotate four times vertically and horizontally around the axis until the Bee signal lights up.
You can have access to the following settings:
For its price, I'm quite impressed to know this drone has seven (7) flight modes. This is more than what I've expected. And to me, this sets the bar higher for other models in its price range.
Here are the following smart flight modes the SG906 has:
The drone can follow you within a 30-meter diameter distance while also adjusting its speed relative to your location. However, this feature is not so flawless so expect some glitches along the way.
Fair enough, this drone can withstand low-intensity winds, just not the storm-level ones, cause it will certainly be swayed.
Simply put, this could be your perfect assistant to your selfies.
If you want to summon your drone to go home, you only need to click one button.
Tracking where the nose of the drone could be a challenge when you operate it on a long-range basis. When you turn this one, the drone automatically adjusts itself to the position relative to the pilot. If you want to learn more about this check out my article on the best headless drones.
This is one of my favorite features because it's fun to use. With the help of the HFun Pro app, you just draw the route where you want your drone to follow, and just like that it will capture all footage within the path. Amazing, right?
This instructs your drone to circle around you while it captures photos or videos from all angles. Just imagine your drone being your halo, but moving and capturing everything you do.
In addition, this drone also has 3-speed modes that lets you use a drone VR headsetto give you a more interactive flying experience.
nd just like that, we're now in the last section of this review. If you haven't decided yet to buy this drone or not, this could be your deciding moment.
Now let's get you started with operating the drone–if you wish to buy it.
How to start your drone?
How do the features work?
The are four (4) control buttons (from left to right) found on the front panel:
To activate the gyroscope and gimbal level correction: long-press the "speed" button for 5 seconds.
To turn on/off the GPS-assisted flight mode: long-press the "video" button for 5 seconds.
The LCD screen at the bottom of the controller shows real-time telemetry data of:
And lastly, the "mode" icon shows the status of the aircraft
mode 0 - no connection
mode 1 - altitude mode
mode 2 - GPS mode
I would recommend this drone to both beginners and veterans who would like to save themselves some pennies. The fact that it's a $200 drone and it has all of the above-mentioned features, it is indeed a cheaper alternative to more posh, talk-of-the-town drones like DJI Mavic Mini or Mavic Air.
The standout features for me are its various flight modes, the GPS system, and the 3-axis gimbal update from its predecessor. If you're a beginner and you're just about to learn the ropes of drone-flying, the seven flight mode options SG906 Pro 2 has are definitely a good start to help you navigate through various terrains and experimental shots.
But do take note, this drone is nowhere near perfect. As with the other drones, it certainly has its limitations and glitches, such as its tendency to lose stability when faced with strong wind gustiness. Nevertheless, the pros outweigh the cons.
Perhaps I've pretty much detailed multiple times that this drone costs $200.
But where can you get it? You can find it easily available online on Banggood, Geekbuying, and Amazon.
Please take note that price may differ from one store to another because of the promotional discounts offered.
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