Hubsan Zino Mini Pro. Unpacking, Flight, Sensor System Test and Video/photo Quality

Preliminary performance demonstration

Hubsan continues to bring its first lightweight drone to its stated functionality. Recall that a little over two months ago, as part of an online presentation, the developer officially introduced the Hubsan Zino Mini Pro. The announcement turned out to be uninformative and, on the whole, not entirely successful, since the copter launched in the studio, after 40 minutes of flight in position holding mode, made a hard landing. The developer later apologized, citing pilot fatigue.

Nevertheless, despite the failures, the product continues to be brought to mind, as evidenced by the fact that the Zino Mini Pro has been registered with the FCC. Well, finally, a couple of days ago, two long-awaited videos appeared on the network, in which a private observer demonstrated the unboxing, a flight test, the operation of some key functions and the quality of shooting a quadcopter.

Further, everything in order, but first we offer to recall what potential of the machine was declared by the developer.

Key features of the model

• Flight weight 249 grams
• Color: Gray
• 3-way touch system (front/back/bottom)
• 3D visualization of the world
• ATVT 3.0 AI Tracking Technology
• Syncleas.3.0 digital video transmission technology
• Max. FPV removal distance 10 km
• Max. flight altitude 800 m
• Max. flight time 40 min
• 48MP 4K camera built on a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with a pixel size of 2.4μm
• Aperture f/1.85
• 6x zoom
• 3-axis mechanical image stabilization
• HDR mode
• Max. Video Mode: 4K@30fps
• H.265/HEVC video codec
• Video bitrate 200 Mbps
• 1080P video link quality
• Video link bitrate 20 Mbps
• ROM 64GB/128GB (optional; not expandable)

Video #1

Unpacking and weighing

Here everything is standard and we did not have any special questions when viewing. Unless it was not entirely clear that there was space on the copter for a microSD port, which, in fact, is not there, since this model has a built-in memory of 64GB / 128GB (optional). You can also note the kit itself, in which, in addition to the drone and control equipment, there were three rechargeable batteries and a charging hub that allows you to charge up to four batteries in serial mode, and thanks to the built-in USB port, you can charge a smartphone in parallel.

Video #2

Pre-flight calibration, flight, test of obstacle detection and avoidance system, flight modes, image quality

Here, unfortunately, everything turned out to be not as rosy as we wanted, but do not forget that the review is a kind of demonstration report of the developer on the work done over the past two months with a little before those who, in spite of everything, still made an advance payment for the drone.

Let’s summarize

So, after reviewing the test review, we can draw the following conclusions regarding the readiness of the product:

pros

• Quick pre-flight calibration with hints in the mobile application X-Hubsan 2.0.
• The drone system automatically turns off the camera and video link after landing to save power and avoid overheating.
• Precise and stable position holding despite windy weather (GPS module operation coupled with the lower sensor system).
• Flight test (handling, dynamics in different modes).
• The operation of the front and rear sensory system in the “Automatic brake” mode. It only involves stopping the drone when there are obstacles in front and behind (recognizes subtle obstacles: fence net, tripod; good max. detection distance).
• The ability to disable the function of detecting and flying around obstacles without going into the settings of the sensor system.
• The operation of the autoflight mode in a straight line “Life fly mode”.
• Waypoints mode operation.
• The operation of the auto-return to the take-off point “RTH mode” (exemplary return accuracy).
• Max. the flight time in mixed piloting mode was 32 minutes (however, this is noticeably less than the flight time achieved at the time of the announcement).
• The radiator at the bottom of the drone does not get very hot (during the entire test, the radiator remained relatively warm, which eliminates the possibility of burns).
• Zoom operation (in general, the norm for this niche of UAVs, and given that the quality of the shooting is still improved, it will be quite a test function).
• Photo quality (even taking into account the dampness of the product, and in general, we should not forget that YouTube also degrades the overall quality of photos and videos).
• The presence of RAW format (relevant in photo post-processing).

Minuses

• The automatic obstacle avoidance mode is not available (the drone system notifies that this function will be available later with the arrival of the next firmware updates; the browser noted that Hubsan engineers are working on running the algorithm).
• Active Track is not available (the aircraft system notifies that this function will be available later with the arrival of the next firmware updates).
• Incorrect operation of the GPS Follow Me mode, which implies that the drone follows the control equipment / smartphone (does not keep the object in the center of the frame, and it seemed to us that the horizon was a little littered).
• Inaccurate operation of the Orbit mode (does not keep the object in the center of the frame).
• The set of preset automatic flight and shooting modes “Creative video mode” is not available (similar to the DJI “QuickShots” option; the drone system notifies that this function will be available later with the arrival of the next firmware updates).
• Video quality (jelly is observed, which is unacceptable for a drone with the declared video potential; this will definitely be fixed, as well as the overall quality of shooting will be improved with the arrival of the next updates).
• The absence at the moment of any color profiles relevant for post-processing video like D-Cinelike.

Outcome

Based on the foregoing, we can say with confidence that at the moment the drone requires significant improvements at the software level, which means that under no circumstances can it be recommended for purchase at least until the first positive reviews.

Below you can find the previous information about the upcoming novelty.

Series launch is inevitable

The network is again talking about the 249-gram upcoming novelty Hubsan Zino Mini Pro, the declared potential of which, coupled with the price, predetermine the appearance on the market of a significant competitor in the niche of GPS drones up to 250 grams.

Despite the absolute rawness of the presented prototype, unwittingly demonstrated during the official announcement, since May 2021, the Zino Mini Pro has even been available for pre-order. However, the matter never came to a dispatch. But now it seems that the serial launch of the model is inevitable. And that’s because the Zino Mini Pro has appeared on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) database, which is usually the last step before a new product is commercially released.

Images released to the FCC

Hubsan apologize for the delay

According to the officially released video, the main reason for the delay was the ongoing shortage of chips in the world. On July 5, the drone manufacturer shared a video of apology to those who pre-ordered the Zino Mini Pro drone. Hubsan even noted that they are willing to purchase chips at a higher price if it helps speed up the delivery process, and also offered compensatory bonuses in the form of free access to the Hubsan Care Refresh Extended Warranty, along with a gift package.

DJI Mini 2 competitor?

Zino Mini Pro features a 48MP 1/1.3″ CMOS sensor camera that shoots 4K video at 30 frames per second (Mini 2’s 12MP 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor; Max. : 4K@30fps). The drone can fly 40 minutes on a single charge, which means it gives you an extra nine minutes of flight time compared to the Mini 2. And the Zini Mini Pro’s signature feature is the 3-way obstacle avoidance system, a first for lightweight GPS models. For understanding, DJI Innovations offers drones with an obstacle avoidance system starting at $799.

The new Hubsan drone does seem to outperform the DJI Mini 2 in some ways that are relevant to hobbyists. But all this is still on paper. Hubsan has not yet shown us how their visualization system works in the real world. We also haven’t seen any drone video samples that could demonstrate the Zino Mini Pro’s larger sensor in action.

Price, configuration and launch date

The latest information about the launch date for mass production indicated July 27, 2021. No other information has yet been received. Regarding prices and trim levels, the developer announced the following:

1. Zino Mini Pro Standard Version with 1 battery 64 GB (64 GB internal memory + 4 propellers (2CW/2CCW) + 1 battery) – $469
2. Zino Mini Pro Standard Version with 1 battery (128 GB) (128 GB internal memory + 4 propellers (2CW/2CCW) + 1 battery) – $519
3. Zino Mini Pro Portable Version with 2 battery 64 Gb (64 GB internal memory + 2 batteries + 8 propellers (4CW / 4CCW) + transport bag) – $ 549
4. Zino Mini Pro Portable Version with 3 battery 64 Gb (64 GB built-in memory + 3 batteries + 12 propellers (6CW / 6CCW) + transport bag) – $ 579
5. Zino Mini Pro Portable Version with 4 battery 64 Gb (64 GB internal memory + 4 batteries + 12 propellers (6CW / 6CCW) + transport bag) – $ 609
6. Zino Mini Pro Portable Version with 2 battery 128 Gb (128 GB built-in memory + 2 batteries + 12 propellers (6CW / 6CCW) + transport bag) – $ 589
7. Zino Mini Pro Portable Version with 3 battery 128 Gb (128 GB built-in memory + 3 batteries + 12 propellers (6CW / 6CCW) + transport bag) – $ 629
8. Zino Mini Pro Portable Version with 4 battery 128 Gb (128 GB internal memory + 4 batteries + 12 propellers (6CW / 6CCW) + transport bag) – $ 659
9. Zino Mini Pro Thermal Version — $1,499

Below you can find the previous information about the upcoming novelty.

A presentation that didn’t go as planned

Hubsan has finally officially unveiled its first lightweight drone, the Zino Mini Pro, which was soon announced in April this year. For obvious reasons, the presentation was held online, in which the developer spoke about the advantages of the novelty with a flight weight of 249.2 grams, and also demonstrated the autonomy of the machine in hover mode, thereby confirming the max. flight time stated in the specification.

What went wrong, you ask? In fact, the presentation from the first minutes did not go according to the script. At first there was no sound, and the problem was not immediately recognized, which forced the guys to start all over again. Then, during the performance, a drone was launched in the studio to thereby show the viewer his real autonomy in hover mode, and this was undoubtedly important. However, the organizers did not take into account one nuance – the quadcopter was launched in one auditorium, where the noise from the motors nullified the ability to hear the presenter and his interpreter, which ultimately forced them to speak in raised tones for an hour.

And everything would be fine, but at 41 minutes of stable hovering, the car began to descend independently due to a low battery charge (a beep was heard), and this did not look like an auto-landing, since this process is always stable. In this case, the drone began to move randomly, touched the floor several times, after which it began to move to the side and eventually hit a light stand under which it made a hard landing.

Why it was so persistent to keep the drone in the air is not entirely clear, and why it was impossible to use the auto-landing button also remains unclear. Perhaps this is due to the absolute “dampness” of the product. The developer later apologized in the comments under the video, explaining that the pilot was overworked and made a mistake in piloting.

Outcome

Very strange for Hubsan, absolutely unprofessional approach to the presentation. The quality of shooting and sound is no. Only a static hover of the drone has been demonstrated. Where is the quality of the onboard camera? Where is a demonstration of the operation of the system for determining and flying around obstacles? I would like to believe that in the near future the first field reviews of the Zino Mini Pro will appear on the network, confirming the declared potential of the model. Otherwise, the company risks losing the trust of users, especially those who have already paid for the pre-order.

Video presentation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gaf6lIxeolk

5000 pre-orders

These are the numbers that Hubsan announced regarding pre-orders of the Zino Mini Pro. It was also reported that now the device is at the stage of production and software testing. The date of the start of sales does not seem to be mentioned, or we missed something.

Key features of the model

The key features of the drone, as stated by the developer:

• Flight weight 249 grams
• Color: Gray
• 3-way sensor system (front / back / bottom) 3D visualization of the surrounding world
• ATVT 3.0 AI Tracking Technology
• Syncleas.3.0 digital video transmission technology
• Max. FPV removal distance 10 km
• Max. flight time 40 min
• 48MP 4K camera built on a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with a pixel size of 2.4μm
• Aperture f/1.85
• 6x zoom
• 3-axis mechanical image stabilization
• HDR mode
• Max. Video Mode: 4K@30fps
• H.265/HEVC video codec
• Video bitrate 200 Mbps
• 1080P video link quality
• Video link bitrate 20 Mbps

Appearance

Drone

Control equipment

Drone versions

On the Banggood page in the “Version” section, three versions of the drone are 64GB/128GB/Thermal. From which it follows that the Hubsan Zino Mini Pro will be sold in three versions: with 64GB and 128GB of internal memory, and a drone with a thermal camera will also be available at an incredibly low price, which has not been mentioned anywhere else.

Price and availability

The Zino Mini Pro is currently available for pre-order on Banggood starting at $549.99 (no shipping, no taxes).

Below you can find the previous information about the upcoming novelty.

Hubsan is preparing a powerful lightweight competitor

Hubsan has been pretty quiet over the past few months, and there seems to be an explanation for this. A teaser video appeared on the official YT channel, foreshadowing the imminent entry into the lightweight niche of a new competitor with a very powerful potential for a mid-budget solution – Zino Mini Pro. Based on the stated primary specification, the portable quadcopter should compete with such well-known hobby models as the DJI Mini 2, Mavic Mini and Fimi X8 Mini. As they say, we live and we will see, but for now we offer to get acquainted with the key features of the novelty.

Peculiarities

Key features, which became known from the presented video:

• Flight weight 249 grams
• 3-way sensor system (front / back / bottom) 3D visualization of the surrounding world
• ATVT 3.0 AI Tracking Technology
• Syncleas.3.0 digital video transmission technology
• Max. FPV removal distance 10 km
• Max. flight time 40 min
• 48MP 4K camera built on a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with a pixel size of 2.4μm
• Aperture f/1.85
• 6x zoom
• 3-axis mechanical image stabilization
• HDR mode
• Max. Video Mode: 4K@30fps
• H.265/HEVC video codec
• Video bitrate 200 Mbps
• 1080P video link quality
• Video link bitrate 20 Mbps

Announcement date and price

At the moment, Hubsan does not disclose the date of the announcement and the price, which is generally a matter of time.