For beginners we have once again selected a particularly interesting drone model for an unbeatable price. This is the Razor FPV Transonic Quadcopter, which originally cost about 100€, but is now available on Amazon for less than 40€.
The drone is small and handy. In addition, the remote control has a holder on which you can install a smartphone to view the FPV image.
It is possible to control the small aircraft by remote control or only with the help of the Smartphone.
Technical data and facts
With a weight of just 60 g, a diameter of about 17.5 cm and a height of 3.5 cm, the Transonic Quadrocopter is quite compact. You can easily transport the remote controlled model everywhere. Furthermore, the Razor is not subject to any identification requirements and you don’t have to get a drone driver’s license, since the total take-off weight is less than 250 g.
The maximum range is about 100 meters, even though the drone is so small. This is a real advantage compared to some other models in this size category, which sometimes have a transmission range of only 30 meters. If you want to fly at top speed, you can accelerate the drone to up to 20 kilometres per hour, which is definitely quite good for a mini drone like the Transonic Razor.
Unfortunately, the battery lasts for a maximum of 7 minutes, after that you have to charge it for about 75 minutes. But there is a second flight battery included and you can change it. Furthermore you have the possibility to buy more batteries.
A HD camera was installed with which you can produce high-quality photo and video recordings. The recorded video signal is transmitted live to the smartphone in real time, this function is called “First Person View” (FPV). The resolution of the recorded photo and video recordings is 1280 x 720 pixels.
As mentioned at the beginning, the drone can be paired with your smartphone, for which a corresponding application is required (available for iOS and Android devices). These are free of charge and in German language. The menu navigation is quite simple and easy.
You can set various great functions here, including the following flight modes:
Tracking: With the help of this function you can make the drone fly the manoeuvre drawn on the screen of your smartphone.
Hold Altitude: As the name suggests, the drone automatically holds the flight altitude, thanks to several sensors in the lower section.
Home Function: This mode can be activated by a button on the remote control. Thereby the drone lands on the starting point.
Somersaults and rolls: You can inspire your friends, family or colleagues with acrobatic stunts without really having much flying experience. There are pre-programmed flight programs which you can start by pressing certain keys. The Transonic Wave Razor Quadrocopter then performs these stunts and then goes into hover flight without you having to do anything else.
Throw Start: As the name suggests, this is about the ability to start the drone from the palm of your hand. Just activate the Throw Start mode and throw the Wave Razor into the air, it will automatically go into Hold Altitude mode.
Headless Mode: Here the quadrocopter is controlled independently of the orientation of the “muzzle”. If you stand with the drone in such a way that the front of the drone is directed towards you, you move the control stick forward and are in headless mode, the drone will not fly towards you but away. This takes the work of “rethinking” away from you, so to speak, so the Headless Mode is very suitable for beginners.
Operation, control and flight characteristics
The Transonic Wave Razor Quadrocopter has a reliable 6-axis gyroscope and automatic trim. A drone pilot does not have to fly daredevil maneuvers to keep the aircraft in the air.
Otherwise, the drone can be controlled quite normally, just like any other quadrocopter model. After a short time you will have a good flight feeling and know how to steer the Wave Razor intuitively without creating collisions or crashing.
Besides the already mentioned headless mode, there are also 3 different speed levels. For beginners, the lowest speed level in combination with the headless mode is recommended. You can then gradually fly in normal mode and increase the levels. The remote controlled model is quite robust, especially because of its compact size and low weight.
Advantages and disadvantages
The price is extremely low at the moment, that is a fact. Nevertheless there are some disadvantages, which we would like to inform you about. To give you a better overview, we will summarize the most important positive and negative facts in the following lines.
Advantages:
- Enormously safe flight characteristics due to reliable 6-axis gyroscope system and automatic trim
- Perfect for beginners – drone has headless mode and 3 different speed levels
- Great acrobatic flight stunts at the touch of a button
- The flight battery is exchangeable
- With this drone you will learn relatively quickly an intuitive control
- Various flight mode and app functions for a more interesting flight experience
- Maximum flight range is about 100 meters – which is above average for a mini drone
- FPV live image transmission directly to your Smartphone
- For the terminal device a corresponding holder is included in the scope of delivery
- Small and compact – can be transported everywhere
- Incredibly good price/performance ratio
Disadvantages:
- This is not a photo drone but a mini drone
- Camera quality is not comparable with a photo drone
- The maximum flight time is only 7 minutes
- In total you need 75 minutes to charge the flight battery
- Slightly susceptible to wind (strong gusts of wind cannot balance the drone)
Scope of delivery
The Transonic Wave Razor Quadrocopter is a RTF (Ready To Fly) model. That means you don’t have to assemble the drone yourself, just charge the battery and you can take off.
The scope of delivery includes the necessary components plus some additional parts:
- 1x Transonic Wave Razor Quadrocopter
- 2x rechargeable battery (the normal flight battery and a spare battery are included in the scope of delivery)
- 1x USB charging cable
- 4x spare rotor blades
- 1x Remote Control with Bracket
- 4x Duracell AAA batteries (for the remote control)
- 1x screwdriver
Other mini drone models
We have tested several mini drones so far, including the Mambo and Airborne drone from the French manufacturer Parrot, as well as the DJI Spark. The latter, however, requires a significantly higher budget.
Parrot Mambo & Airborne
Parrot’s Mambo and Airborne drones originally moved in a similar price range as the Transonic Quadrocopter, so these flight models can be compared well.
Compared to the Mambo and Airborne, the Wave Razor has a front camera and has a live image transmission function (FPV). In addition, it is currently available at Amazon at a much lower price. This is exactly why we believe that the price/performance ratio of this model is currently unbeatable.
If you want to compare yourself:
Click here for the Parrot Mambo test report
Click here for the Parrot Airborne test report
DJI Spark
Those who already know DJI drones know what a concentrated load of quality awaits you when you decide to buy a quadrocopter from the market leader DJI.
You have to dig a lot deeper into your pockets, but then you get a fabulous mini drone, which can withstand strong gusts of wind, a very good camera, gesture control and an incredible number of flight modes and features.
Here you can read the test report of the DJI Spark
Conclusion
Meanwhile, there are a lot of mini drones on the market, we have tested a handful of this category, which are quite similar. The Wave Razor Quadrocopter from Transonic is clearly ahead, especially regarding the price/performance ratio.
Of course you should not look too closely at the point of photo and video quality, because this is not a large photo drone, which would be much more expensive. It is therefore not suitable for photographers and videographers. However, beginners can do quite a lot with the drone, will have a lot of fun and can slowly get used to the flight characteristics of a quadrocopter. They will be supported by numerous flight modes.
All in all, it is a very good mini drone with a high price/performance level, currently there is a discount of about 60€, because it normally costs just under 100€ and is currently available for under 40€.
Here you can buy the Transonic Quadrocopter cheap on Amazon!
