JJRC is a well-known brand within the world of radio controlled toys. They are known for making low-cost consumer drones.
Many of their drones I have reviewed here, including the JJRCX12 and X11. These are two of the most popular JJRC drones.
The JJRCX17 is one their most recent drone models. It has many advanced features. The JJRC is a great choice if you’re looking for a cheap GPS drone that can be flown easily and is suitable for most people. However, as this review will show, there are better options.
Contents
JJRC X17 Review part 1
First, let me mention the drone’s design. While I love foldable drones such as JJRC, but I don’t like the orange and green colours it comes in, This is just my personal preference, but I wish they would have kept the standard colours black/white/grey, or a mixture.
Bright colours have one advantage: it will be easier to track the drone further away. It comes with GPS, and you can stream live video to your smartphone. However, you don’t need to be able to see exactly where the drone is.
The word “Poilt” is also at the top. I’m not sure if they misprinted Pilot or if poilt could be a different word in another language.
The drone’s design is excellent, with the exception of the poor colour choice made by JJRC. Because they are compact and easy to transport, the foldable design is most popular at the moment.
What is JJRC drone company?
The Jianjian Technology Company’s radio control branch, conveniently abbreviated JJRC, is a Chinese drone manufacturer founded in 2014 that specializes in high-quality drones for beginner and intermediate pilots. Despite the popularity of their products we haven’t covered them very much on this site, which is why today we’re going to tell you all about the five best JJRC drones for sale.
JJRC X17 Review part 2
The JJRCX17 is a great choice if you’re looking for a budget travel drone.
You should also consider the drone’s weight of just over 500g, especially if your intention is to travel with it. Although it isn’t heavy, the drone weighs more than 250g. If you reside in the USA, Canada, or the UK, you will need registration.
It is very light weigh and the battery life is amazing.
A nice shoulder strap case is one of the cool accessories that comes with your drone package. This will help you save money on purchasing one.
The JJRC X17 has brushless motors which is a nice surprise for a drone under $200. These motors are more durable than their brushed counterparts, and offer greater flight power that will enable you to fly the drone in windy conditions. This is something I would only recommend if you are a seasoned drone pilot.
The rotor arms have cool LED lights that allow you to calibrate your drone’s compass. This is something you will need before each flight. You can fly the drone at night with the lights on. It’s a great sight to see the lights dancing in the night sky.
It is a GPS drone with an optical flow sensor in its belly. This will help you to stabilize your flight, especially if there is no GPS signal.
The official flight time is 30 minutes. It uses a 3S 11.1v 2850mAh lithium polymer battery. This is slightly exaggerated. However, flight tests have shown that it can fly for around 25 minutes on one charge. This is impressive considering that the drone costs less than $200.
The drone can also be purchased with additional batteries. This will enable you to fly longer without waiting for the battery to charge, which can take several hours.
The drone has a micro SD card slot that can hold 64GB of memory cards. To capture high quality images and videos, you will need a high speed memory card.
Before I move on to the camera, I need to mention one last thing about the remote controller for the drone. Although it’s not the most visually appealing drone controller, it is large and features an LCD screen that displays a lot of drone telemetry data. The controller requires 3 AA batteries, which unfortunately are not included.
The drone also comes with several intelligent flight modes and has an official flight time of 30 minutes, although its more in the range of 25 minutes.
It has a pull-out attachment for smartphones at the bottom, as well as a pair fake antennas at the top. It can hold a large smartphone, but not a tablet.
In good conditions, it can reach 800m in total range and 500m in FPV.
This is why you should consider this before buying any drones that work only with 5g smartphones.
You can find more drone options at similar prices in my article on the best beginner drones.
JJRC X17 Camera
It comes with a decent HD camera and a stabilised 2-axis motorized gimbal. Remote adjustment of the gimbal is possible to achieve better viewing angles. It also provides image and video stabilisation.
It states that the camera comes with a 6k camera. Technically, you can take 6k horizontal photos in JPEG format. Many people mistakenly assume that 6k can record video, even though it is not capable of recording such high quality videos. I’ve seen this type of misleading advertising from smaller drone companies.
This camera cannot capture professional-quality photos or videos, but the quality of what you get is quite good for a drone costing less than $200.
Video footage is recorded at 25fps in 2.7k. You may notice some distortions like shakeiness or jello effects, but this is normal for a camera with this quality. Although the live video feed is decent quality, it is transmitted over WiFi so there may be frame breaks or lag issues.
You can record images and videos on either your smartphone or on a memory stick. However, for best results, it is better to use a micro SD card than your phone.
It is overall a decent camera, but I have seen better cameras at similar prices. For example, the B7 has a 4k camera and is less than $200.
Other Features
The JJRCX17 drone comes with GPS and 3 flight modes. This will let you fly it autonomously, giving more time to focus on taking better photos and videos.
These are the flight options:
Follow Me – The drone will attach to your smartphone and track you from behind.
Orbit This mode allows you to lock the drone onto an object of interest, and it will orbit that point automatically.
Waypoint This will let you draw a flight route on the drone app, and it will fly it hands-free.
A drone’s automatic return to home function is also available. This feature activates if there is a loss of connection or the battery runs low. This cool feature will reduce the risk of the drone being lost mid-flight.
These flight modes work only in areas with strong GPS signals. The automatic return to home feature won’t work if either the GPS signal has been lost or turned off.
Geo-fencing allows the drone to stay within a defined range. Gesture control allows you to capture photos and videos using hand gestures.
Flight Performance
Overall, the drone is very stable, easy to pilot, and it is smooth and steady. It does have problems with its compass calibration, which can cause it to spin or wobble when it tries to hover or land. Smart flight modes are not always working correctly, and the live video-feed freezes frequently. You will get the best out of this drone if your smartphone is 5g compatible. If you don’t have a 5g smartphone I wouldn’t recommend it or any drone that works with 5g WiFi.
Cons of buying JJRC drones
Long Flight Timing Drone
The drone’s 1800mAh battery can provide up to 20 minutes of flight time. A package also includes 1 additional battery that will extend your flight time by 40 minutes. (20+20 mins). These add to your flight experience.
Wider vision & Smooth Transmission
120degwide-angle HD drone with camera and anti-shake mount. It transmits video at up to 80m. Clear aerial photos can be uploaded directly to social media via your iPhone or iPad.
Enjoy your Flight
The drones equipped with a camera for adults can be flown at your own pace by drawing a route on the JJRC app control interface. The app can be used to plan your route. The drone will then fly along the route, and the player can concentrate on taking photos and videos. Gravity Sensor control lets you tilt your phone to control the drone.
Easy to Learn
The drones with camera can be controlled by just one tap. The drone is also equipped with Altitude Hold, Headless Mode and 360deg flip functions. This makes it ideal for beginners and newbies alike.
More Considerate Designs
Protective Propeller Guards provide safe flight. You won’t have to worry about sudden shocks or drops because the ABS material is high quality. The drone for beginners “beeps” when it is flying with low battery. The best choice for those who want to have enough fun.
Last Thoughts
It is a decent drone, and at a reasonable price. However, to get the best out of it, you will need a smartphone that supports 5g technology. Click the button below to see more drones for beginners.