20 min Battery
1km Range
1080p Stabilized
Brushless Motors
The new "Fimi" series from Xiaomi was a direct response to the latest DJI drones, including the Spark and the Mavic. But is it still relevan in this day and age?
The Fimi A3 is still relevant in 2023, it was one of the most unique experiences I ever had with a camera drone.
Probably the most important feature when it comes to recording in general, especially in the drone industry.
THe Xiaomi Fimi not only has a 2 axis gimbal but also comes with electronic image stabilization.
This makes the videos look hypersmooth and have a very good flow feeling to them.
You should look for the following in a drone if you want good image stability:
It's pretty obvious that you need enough battery life in a drone that's supposed to stay in the air for enough time to capture what you're interested in.
The 16 minutes of flight that the Fimi A3 has are quite enough for getting most shots.
What's more, there are already spare batteries for sale, and that will make quite a difference.
This Xiaomi drone comes with GLONASS and GPS, which means it will have the maximum number of satelites connected.
It doesn't come with optical flow sensors underneath, but it doesn't need them anyway.
It's great that it doesn't suffer from the toilet bowl effect and flies on the same spot very well.
Brushless Motors are a must at this price range, as they are considerably more durable and more powerful compared to cheaper brushed ones (usually found in toy drones).
The camera is 1080p on this drone and records that way on the MicroSD card that's on it. However, at the same time it trasmits 5.8ghz analog signal to the remote/ goggles.
Why is this so special?
You can watch with as many friends as you want at the same time through cheap fpv goggles and have an incredible experience that feels like you're flying compared to just watching your phone.
I admit that one of the most impressive things was the controller itself and the quality it comes with. It's more than a great controller alternative to DJI drones, the quality of the materials and thoughtful design is one of the best I've seen.
You can see the live feed from the camera without bit of lag (thanks to the 5.8 ghz transmission) and the great thing is that anyone else with a monitor or a pair of FPV goggles can see it too in real time.
It comes with a return to home button and a very useful 5 directional joystick for getting around in the menu.
The sticks feel smooth and the antennas are real, unlike many other drones these days.
Overall, the Xiaomi Fimi A3 is still a very relevant drone even in 2023, as it comes with a stabilized FPV camera and a sleek design, but it is left behind a bit in terms of raw camera capability.
