Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K Quadcopter Review

Introduction

Yuneec International has proven itself in innovative developments in the field of electronics for small aircraft, as well as gained extensive experience in the field of electric motors and energy storage systems. Has been on the market for over 15 years. Yuneec attracted all fans of the drone hobby in 2015 at the CES exhibition by presenting three drones: Yuneec Typhoon Q5004K/Typhoon Q500+/Tornado H920. After that, DJI Innovation had a worthy competitor. Later, Yuneec signed a major contract with Intel to jointly develop unmanned aerial vehicles.

Peculiarities

Powerful brushless rig
Positioning GPS/GLONASS
Auto takeoff and landing
Hold position
Automatic follow and return modes
12MP 4K CGO3 camera built into 3-axis mechanical gimbal
Personal ground station (remote control) ST10+ with built-in 5.5-inch FPV display
Handheld ground stabilizer CGO SteadyGrip
Max. flight time 25 min
Max. horizontal flight speed 29 km/h
Max. FPV removal distance 600m
Max. lifting height 122m
Transport case
Ready for FPV flight out of the box

Equipment

The developer completes the drone in the only maximum configuration:

Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K
12MP 4K CGO3 camera on 3-axis gimbal
Personal ground station (remote controller) ST10+ 2.4GHz/5.8GHz with built-in 5.5″ touchscreen FPV display
Handheld ground stabilizer CGO SteadyGrip
2 × batteries 3S 11.1V 5400mAh 59.9Wh
4 × main rotors (2CW/2CCw)
2 × spare rotors (2CW/2CCW)
Power supply 220V
Adaptive charger (with a set of cables for connecting batteries to the charger itself)
Cable for charging batteries from the car cigarette lighter
Charger for ST10+ equipment
USB camera and drone firmware upgrade kit
CGO3 UV filter (pre-installed on the camera when you want to reduce the amount of daylight)
MicroSD 16GB (on which downloaded: instructions, quick start guide, recommendations, unboxing video, quick start video and new videos with drones)
Transport case for quadrocopter suspension
Sun visor with suction cups (installed on the remote control display)
Hanging strap (for control panel)
Wrench for installing rotors
Tweezers
Transport case for Q500 Typhoon 4K and related accessories
Keys to the case (not always included)
Instructions for StadyGrip
Instructions for the 4K camera
LED map (description of the assignment of LED indication modes)
Manual for Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K quadcopter

Specification

Drone

Brand:

Yuneec

Model:

Typhoon Q500 4K

Drone weight with battery:

1700gr

Drone weight without battery:

1130gr

Food:

3S 11.1V 5400mAh LiPo

Max. flight time:

25 min

Flight modes:

Intelligent/Visual/Return Home

Max. flight altitude:

122m

Max. turning speed:

65°/sec

Max bank angle:

35°

Operating frequency range:

2.4GHz

Sink rate:

7.2km/h

Max. horizontal flight speed:

Angle Mode: 27 km/h
Follow Me/Watch Me: 35 km/h

Camera

Type of:

CGO3

The weight:

195gr

Matrix:

1/2.3″ CMOS

Lens:

14mm f/2.8 – no distortion

Focus System:

Aerial Optimized Fixed Focus

Line of sight:

115°

White balance:

automatic or manual setting

Video resolution:

UHD 4K at 30 fps
2.7K: at 30fps
2.5K: at 30 fps
1080p: at 24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps

Photo resolution:

12MP

Video stream frequency range:

5.8GHz

Video transmission distance as required:

FCC: 600m
CE: 300m

Input operating voltage:

12V

Operating temperature range:

+10°C to +50°C

Microphone:

there is

Memory (file storage):

MicroSD card/Class 10/Capacity from 4GB to 128GB

Personal ground station

Model:

ST10+

Operating system:

Android™

Number of channels:

ten

Radio transmission range in accordance with the requirements:

FCC: up to 800m
CE: 400m

Video receiver:

Built-in 5.8GHz

Display:

LCD capacitive multi-touch 5.5 inches

LCD display resolution:

854×480p

Flight telemetry:

Yes

Tactile (vibration) and audio feedback:

Yes

Built-in LiPo battery (Voltage/Capacity):

3.6V/5200mAh 18.72Wh

Camera menu:

White balance/Exposure/ISO/Shutter speed/Video resolution/Frame rate/Video recording/Take photo

CGO Steady Grip

Weight (without camera and gimbal):

395gr

Compatible with Cameras:

CGO2GB/CGO2+/CGO3

Appearance

Motors

In the arsenal of Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K brushless motors, own development of Yuneec. The potential of the power plant is fully enough to implement a stable flight even in windy weather. The developer does not specify information about performance.

Camera

On board the drone is a 12MP 4K camera built on a 1/2.3-inch CMOS matrix. Lens: 14mm f/2.8 – no distortion with 115° field of view. The camera is built into a 3-axis mechanical gimbal. Tandem provides high-quality stabilized aerial photography in video recording modes: 4K at 30 fps; 2.7K at 30 fps; 2.5K at 30 fps; 1080P at 24/25/30/48/50/60/120 fps. Recorded material is stored on external media in microSD format with a capacity of 2-128GB (16GB included).

FPV

First-person flight for the Q500 Typhoon 4K is realized thanks to the built-in 10-channel video transmitter operating at an analog frequency of 5.8GHz. The picture from the camera is transmitted in real time without delay to the 5.5-inch LCD display built into the control panel, and the built-in telemetry module allows you to display the main control data about the flight. According to the specification, the tandem provides reliable video stream transmission at a distance of up to 600m.

Flight modes

At the disposal of the user are available:

smart modes

watch me – activated from the remote control on the display (red eye icon), after which the drone camera is directed only at the pilot. In this mode, if you move the right stick to the left or right, the drone will make a “lap of honor” around you.
follow me – the drone follows the control equipment, the user is in the center of the frame.
home mode (Return to Home) – returns the drone to the control equipment.

Angel Mode

It reveals the full potential of the drone, the angles are maximum, electronic assistants, such as position holding, distance control, are disabled. Suitable for advanced users.

Food

The drone is powered by a 3-cell (3S 11.1V) lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 5400mAh. By default, two batteries are included in the package. Provides max. flight time – 25 minutes. In practice, this time is on average about 20-22 minutes. It is charged from the included charger, and charging can also be carried out from the car cigarette lighter using the appropriate cable (included).

Personal ground station

The Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K quadcopter is controlled by a 10-channel personal ground station with a built-in 5.5-inch touchscreen FPV display – Yuneec ST10+. Provides radio monitoring at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. Thanks to the built-in video receiver operating at a frequency of 5.8 GHz, it allows you to receive a video stream from the drone’s camera and display it on the LCD display. The equipment is powered by a built-in lithium-polymer 2-can (3.6V) battery with a capacity of 5200mAh 18.72Wh. Charges with included charger. According to the specification, the maximum radio monitoring distance is 800m.

Assignment of buttons and switches

Test Drive

Showed excellent flight characteristics, dynamic and wind-resistant. Note the positioning, revealingly accurately holds the position. The first takeoff is recommended to be done in the “Smart” mode. In this mode, the drone will not take off unless it has acquired 10 satellites, which in turn ensures a stable and safe flight.

I was pleased with the “Safe Circle” function, it provides a safe zone for the pilot within a radius of 5-8 meters, the drone will not be able to cross it, even if the pilot forcibly wants to do so.

All smart modes worked flawlessly. Angel mode is for more advanced pilots. It should be borne in mind that in this case the “Safe Circle” function does not work!

In the event that for some reason the connection with the drone is lost, the Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K will automatically switch to the “Return to Home” mode and return to the place where the control panel is located.

In the “Home” mode, the drone obediently returns to the control equipment and lands within a safe circle (provided that the quad does not encounter any obstacles on the return path).

Price

The Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K quadcopter is sold through all known trading platforms at a price of $400.

Conclusion

Yuneec Typhoon Q500 4k from $400

Functionality

8/10

Flight time

9/10

flight qualities

8/10

compactness

5/10

Equipment

10/10

Reliability

10/10

Price quality

10/10

pros

Design
High quality workmanship
Flight performance
smart modes
Positioning Accuracy (holds position as anchored)
4K camera (image quality)
First Person Flight (Video Stream Quality)
3-axis gimbal operation
CGO Steadygrip V3 included
Ready for FPV flight out of the box

Minuses

Doesn’t fly around obstacles
The battery does not display information about the current charge (displayed only on the remote control)
FPV Removal Distance (up to 600m)

An excellent drone for the implementation of high-quality amateur aerial photography. A worthy replacement for the expensive 3rd generation Phantom. The full potential of the drone will be appreciated by advanced users. It is worth noting that Yuneec Q500 Typhoon 4K is delivered in finished form and does not allow soldering. Age limit 16+.