SJRC F11 Specs and Features
In this section we're going to go over what its main specs are and how it is relevant in the current context of drone technology?
Is this still good enough for the price?
We'll see...
1080
35 min
800 m
no img stabilization
The SJRC F11 is one of the more serious drones released by the company lately, as they do have a strong history with toy drones.
ALSO READ:
SJRC F11 4k Pro drone review ( the upgrade for the original F11)
It comes with more advanced features like GPS, brushless motors, follow me and it's one of the drones that can fly quite far.
All this for an affordable price. Don't expect the camera to be great, but it's a 1080p one that you can move from the transmitter.
The main feature that stands out when it comes to this drone is its insane battery life. It's on par with some of the high-end drones from DJI like the Mavic!
In this section we're going to go over what its main specs are and how it is relevant in the current context of drone technology?
Is this still good enough for the price?
We'll see...
The SJRC F11 has a 25-minute battery life, which is completely amazing for its price.
Even for 2023, this standard is quite high!
In my experience, this drone has such a long battery life that you can actually get bored of flying before it runs out.
For charging you just need to use the standard wall plug charger it comes with the package.
The overall charging time is about 2 hours(since this is such a big battery).
The battery for the FImi x8 was always very good (at least 30 minutes), but with the newer versions, it got even better.
The newer battery of the Fimi x9 SE 2020 model has a 35-minute flight time compared to the 33-minute flight time of the 2019 model.
It's not a lot more, but it shows Xiaomi Is indeed improving.
I think this might just be the best battery life-to-price ratio on the market right now.
The actual range of the drone is about 800m, but I Limited it to 300m because that's about as much as you can normally get with the Wifi transmission.
You'll need a 5G 802.11ac wifi capable phone to make the FPV work with this drone.
I was pleasantly surprised by the good signal strength the F11 presents.
If you use it as a fishing drone, just so you know it won't handle more than splashes, so check some completely waterproof drones instead.
The maximum height allowed to fly in the USA is 400 feet which are just over 120m.
This drone can go up to 120m so you'll be more than okay in that regard.
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 are also other limitations…
When the battery is getting critically low, it won't let you fly farther than 20 meters away.
As promised, these are some of the best alternatives to the SJRC F11, both in the same category and with similar specs.
The image table comparing them below is updated for 2023 as well as the comparison table below it.
I chose the ZLRC Beast vs the SJRC F11 which is one of my most popular reviews so far.
I also picked the BUgs 5w, a really great drone with the amazing video even if it's limited to 1080p (but not foldable, unfortunately).
And I also compared it with the JJRC X11, a 2k foldable GPS drone.
Some people are confused about the spec differences between the F11 and its pro version, and there's not much information online about it.
To put it short:
The main difference is the camera quality and how many frames it shoots in. Respectively 20 vs 25 FPS and a 1080p camera vs a 2.7k camera.
The 5 FPS for the framerate might not look like much, but it's gonna make the footage creamier and on par with the cinema standard of 25fps.
The camera of this drone isn't something comparable to what you would see on DJI drones, but it's pretty good quality and has a wide field of view.
That photo above is a really nice close-up shot I took of the moving camera of this drone.
It's quite standard already for this price range to come with 1080p cameras that you can rotate from your transmitter.
The camera doesn't come with a gimbal, so it's not stabilized.
A motorized gimbal would cost quite a lot at this price and putting EIS on this would also mean more processing power and probably cutting from the sensor resolution a bit.
It does come with the ability to tilt 90 degrees from a dial on the transmitter so you can better capture whatever you want.
The application comes with quite a few interesting functions including the ability to return home and follow as you can see in the image.
The photos this drone takes are in the same resolution as the video, 1080p, but you can't really complain about this price.
If you really want a better photo camera, go for the more expensive DJI spark or the Xiaomi Fimi A3, or you could just slightly increase your budget and look into the best drones for under $300.
Because this drone is quite strong (thanks to its brushless motors, you could actually carry an action camera with it and do just fine.
Of course, you'd get much less flight time, but it's a thing you can do.
Unfortunately, the form factor of a foldable drone makes it harder to carry a GoPro underneath and manage to land properly without crashing.
A solution would be to stick it on top and record while you use the main camera as the FPV guide.
A downside is that you'll probably see the propellers in the frame most of the time.
An alternative to this drone that has a modular camera is the SG906 Beast.
There's no better way to show footage than a good old youtube video and let you decide by yourself.
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 many 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.
Both Amazon and banggood have accessories for this drone, as it's quite a popular model.
This is actually one of the only times when I don't think it's that necessary to have more than one battery unless you know for sure you're going to use the drone a lot.
The package gets you most of the stuff you need, including spare batteries and even a bag if you find the right offer...
The foldable design is something that reminds me a lot of the DJI Mavic, but the comparison is a bit obsolete since nowadays most quads are like this.
There are a lot of spare parts for you to buy online. Click this image if you want to see a few.
The transmitter for the SJRC F11 is quite well made, with a compact design, trying to copy the one from the DJI Spark a bit.
The bottom arms can be folded for a better grip, just as well as with the antennas.
It comes with:
As mentioned before, the GPS on this drone allows for the standard follow and circle-around functions.
The follow function actually works by drawing a box around the tracked subject you prefer.
Headless Mode
Allows you to fly the drone judging by your relative position to it, not by how it's actually oriented.
If you want to know more, check my tutorial on what is headless mode and the best drones with it.
This makes it easier for beginners, but I think it can actually make it harder for people to learn how to fly a drone.
Waypoints
I almost never use this function, but the F11 has it, and it basically flies from waypoint to waypoint on the map as you set them from the app.
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.
Most people are scared of reaching the maximum range and losing signal to their drone but don't be afraid, as you'll, first of all, lose the FPV image first and only long after the actual inability to control the drone will follow.
For example, the SJRC F11 has a maximum FPV range of about 300m but an actual drone range of 600m.
So let's say…
You lost the FPV image but still can control the drone with your transmitter.
Then you simply press the RTH button on the remote and it will come back home.
Even in a worst-case scenario, let's say you lost the drone signal too.
IT, fortunately, has a return to home on the loss of signal and RTH on low battery.
But please avoid situations like these as it might hit something on its way back if you're not careful.
Being under the price of $150 if you're lucky and get a good price on it, makes it a definite recommendation for the budget.
I'm sincerely really impressed by how cheaper consumer drones have evolved in the recent years.
It's a YES!
This drone is really popular with most drone amateurs because it's something they can experience flying with and even get some of their friends into action for not that much money.
It can make for a great gift for that tech-savvy friend or simply for yourself if you want to take videos and photos from time to time or prepare for something more expensive and feature-rich in the future.
This time, if you're not in much of a hurry I'd recommend buying from banggood if you don't want spare accessories.
These places below are constantly updated by the site algorithm to choose the best offers for you, some might be expired soon so hurry up because by now you should have decided.
Become an FAA-Certified Drone Pilot
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