FIMI X8 SE First REVIEW: The First Folding Drone from Xiaomi
Xiaomi company continues to improve its drones. After the release of FIMI A3 a month ago, the Chinese manufacturer announced its new FIMI X8 SE folding drone. Considering the specifications and features, new Xiaomi drone can complete with other drones of its price category, and even more expensive, such as DJI Mavic Pro.
FIMI X8 SE is the first folding drone from Xiaomi. It shoots video in 4K resolution, while its flight time is about 33 minutes. The maximum flight distance is 5 km. Thanks to its folding design, the drone can easily be carried with you in a backpack. Let’s take a closer look at FIMI X8 SE. As usual, we will start with unboxing.
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FIMI X8 SE: Unboxing
The drone comes in a white square box. On the top it has a plastic handle for convenient transportation. The front panel of the box has an image of the drone, the model name and main features.
Opening the box, we see the remote control and the folded drone. By the way, do you notice that remote control and folded drone have almost the same size? It is amazing!
Also, you will get a charger, a long charging cable, a Lightning cable, a MicroUSB cable and a USB Type-C cable. There are CW and CCW propellers and a user manual. All details and accessories are made in white color, just like the drone.
FIMI X8 SE: Design
FIMI X8 SE is very compact and stylish drone. It is available only in white color option, but there are a few details in black. The dimensions of folded drone is 204 x 106 x 73 mm and weight 790 grams. It means that Xiaomi new drone in folded state is a little larger than regular smartphone.
The drone has a rectangular shape with four legs and screws on the sides. The legs are located at different heights not to cling to each other when folded. To start the flight, you just need to unfold the legs with screws. The propellers need to be screwed on their own, but this is not a problem, as they have special tags for proper installation.
Let’s take a closer look at the drone. On the front it has 4K camera lens, but we’ll talk about its specifications later. Above the camera there is a small black panel with GLONASS and GPS sensors inside. Above the long gray power button are four LED indicators. They show the battery level. On the sides there are small gray buttons to remove the battery.
On the right side there is a small compartment for charging the drone and microSD memory card.
FIMI X8 SE: Remote Controller
Now let’s talk about remote controller. As we said earlier, it is only slightly wider than the folded drone. The remote controller is also white with black control buttons. It has a sliding design, and it is safe to place both a smartphone and a tablet with a diagonal of up to 20 cm.
Below there is a small rubber plug, under which are hidden USB 3.0 port and MicroUSB port for connecting to a smartphone. All necessary cables are included in the package. On the right side the remote controller has a small compartment to store the cable, when it is not in use.
On the left side there are four LED indicators. They lit in white, when the drone is synchronized with the smartphone. Above the LED indicators is a control lever.
The remote controller is very comfortable and ergonomic. Thanks to the matte finish, it doesn’t slip and lies nicely in the hands.
FIMI X8 SE: Functions
Let’s start with the camera. Xiaomi drone received 1.2/3-inch sensor Sony IMX378 with f/2.2 aperture. It is mounted on a three-axis mechanical suspension. The camera records 4K video at 100Mbps. Maximum resolution is 3840×2160 at 30/25/24 frames per second. The footage is stored on a microSD card up to 64 GB.
FIMI X8 SE has a flight time of 33 minutes. This is a very good result for a drone with these specifications. The flight range is 5 km. Thanks to the function Search and Rescue, which gives access to GPS coordinates and a three-fold digital zoom, the drone can be used in search operations.
The drone is powered by lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 4500mAh. If necessary, FIMI X8 SE will warn you when the battery is low. In addition, there is an automatic return home feature. It will allow you to quickly return the drone to you.
FIMI X8 SE: Modes
The drone has brushless motors. It provides several flight modes. Let’s look at the most interesting of them.
FPV mode allows displaying real-time image from the drone camera on the screen of the paired device, for example, smartphone.
FIMI X8 SE has some smart modes, which provides different functions to make stunning videos. The first mode is Cine Shot, which offers 4 different types of object filming.
The second mode is Smart Tracking. It provides 3 options for tracking an object in motion. The third mode is Flight Planing. This mode allows you to plan a flight and shoot the most interesting locations. The next mode is called Panoramas. It allows you to make three types of panoramic images. The last mode is Hyperlapse. As you understand, in this mode the drone shoots hyperlase videos.
By the way, when you start the drone from a certain point, the drone not only memorizes its GPS coordinates, but also takes a photo of the take-off location. This provides a very accurate automatic return.
FIMI X8 SE: Price
So, today we reviewed a new Xiaomi drone called FIMI X8 SE. It certainly deserves your attention. After all, it received a compact folding design, a convenient remote controller, a long flight time and many interesting modes.
The drone can be useful for everyday shooting, and even for rescue operations. Right now you can pre-order Xiaomi FIMI X8 SE for the price of $499. The first deliveries will begin in mid-January 2019.
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FIMI X8 SE Video Quality Footage
FIMI X8 SE Unboxing Video
Source: fimi
