Air Hogs Helix X4: Space-Looking Design and Insane Stunts

The Air Hogs Helix X4 comes as a adrone that is meant for aerial stunts and is usually characterized as an “Elite” drone model made for “Expert” drone lovers. Usually, when words like “Elite” and “Expert” are involved, it means that the drone is hard on the controls and difficult to fly, but, in this case, that doesn’t apply.

Judging by reviews received from owners, as far as the flying goes, the Helix X4 is one of the easiest quadcopters.

Basically, thanks to the gyro stabilization (which is, by the way, just a fancy way of saying that the quadcopter stays leveled all the time), flying the X4 is much easier than flying most of the RC helicopters.

Product specifications:

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However, when we are talking about flying RC toys, we must have in mind that everything that is related to controlling, is relative and that each person has different flying habits. This means that, even though many people say that this drone is easy to fly, if you are a beginner or used to other models, you might find it a bit difficult to control it in the air (at first).

But, don’t worry, just like with everything else in life, practice makes perfect, and after a few flights, you will get the hang of it and enjoy the stunts this quadcopter offers. Here you can check out what Helix X4 is capable of and get some tips on how to fly it:

When it comes to X4’s looks, it might not look as pretty as some other models on the market, but then again, it depends on the kind of taste you have. For some, the unusual design is a necessary evil in order for the drone to be durable.

On the other hand, if you are a Sci-Fi movie fan, you will fall in love with it the first time you take it out of the box. Those who are familiar with the Star Wars saga will probably compare the design of the Helix X4 with the famous StarFighter.

Friendly Warning: The controller needs 8 AA batteries, and they are not included in the package. So, it would probably be a smart investment to buy 2 sets of rechargeable batteries. It might be a bit of an investment for a toy, but in the long run, you will spend more money for regular batteries once you get addicted to flying your drone, and believe us, you will get addicted!

Build specifications

Packaging

The original package should include the following:

• 1x Air Hogs Helix X4 Quadcopter
• 1x USB Charger
• 1x Controller/Charger
• 1x User Instruction Guide

Design & durability

Most drone lovers will probably agree that the Helix X4 is not going to become famous for winning a “quadcopter beauty pageant”, but then again, none of the Flying Hogs models are known for having a beautiful look. However, we have to say that their design is justified by the performance they offer in the air, and once again, beauty is relative.

When you take a look at this model, you will immediately notice that it doesn’t look like most of helicopters or quadcopters available out there. With it’s4-port and ducted propeller design, it resembles more of a hovercraft than a drone. This idea is both great and not so great.

It’s great because this design allows the drone to have an amazing durability, but on the other hand, the design might not be a pretty sight for everyone. The quadcopter itself is made of a foam that is both crash-resistant and durable, and the ducted propeller design allows the rotors and propellers to be protected from impact.

Even though the design could be a bit more modern and improved, it actually helps the whole drone to stay durable and compact. Thanks to the fact that all the parts close to each other, the drone offers admirable agility and speed, which is great if you have some obstacles in your way.

Camera

The Air Hogs Helix X4 Stunt quadcopter is meant for having fun with flying, not filming or taking aerial photos. That is why it doesn’t have a camera nor does it have a support for a camera of any kind.

In our opinion, this might be considered as a bad thing, because we all know that having footage of your flight is awesome! But, even if it had a camera, with all the stunts it offers, you would probably forget to press the record button anyway. If you definitely want to find a model that is not that expensive and comes with a camera, we suggest checking out our article about cheap drones with a camera.

Battery & flight time

Each Helix X4 unit comes with a non-removable 3.7 V LiPo battery, while, as we already mentioned, the controller needs 8 AA batteries to work. The drone itself can be charged with a USB charging cable, and you can use your PC or laptop USB slots, or simply use any smartphone charger.

If you are flying your X4 outdoors and you run out of batteries, you can just plug the drone into the controller, and recharge it that way. As for the controller, if you buy rechargeable batteries, you can recharge them with the USB cable as well.

Depending on which mode you are in, the flight time goes from 7-8 minutes in Expert mode, or 10-12 minutes in beginner mode.

Controller

In order to allow both beginner and expert pilots to enjoy flying with Helix X4, the manufacturers have made the controller with two control modes, Beginner, and Expert modes. The Beginner mode allows you to take off easily, and thanks to the gyro stabilization, you can slowly find out how the drone handles and easily recover control after stunts.

On the other hand, the Expert mode is meant for more experienced pilots, and it offers more power and speed, allowing you to perform some serious stunts like figure 8 and loops. Until you master those stunts, you have the automatic stunt option to impress your friends. With a simple push of a button, the X4 will perform an 180-degree flip, barrel roll, and a back flip.

Pairing your X4 with the controller is easy. All you need to do is place the drone on a flat surface,  and turn it on,  switch the controller to the Novice or, if you know what you are doing, to the Expert position. It is very important that the throttle is pushed all the way down before turning the controller on.

Flight performance

From the tech perspective, the Helix X4 is pretty amazing. It comes with 4 ducted fans, which allow it to achieve some serious speeds and show very high maneuverability.

The manufacturer claims that the technology you can find inside the drone, is state-of-the-art and that the specs it has can be compared with military technology. Whether this is true or not, a fact that is definitely true is that the Helix X4 quadcopter offers great aerial acrobatics, and every drone lover will be thrilled to fly one of these. With the performance it offers, it rightfully wears the Stunt tag.

With fully charged batteries, the X4’s average flight time is around 7 to 10 minutes. Of course, it depends on what mode you are in, and how much throttle you give to the drone.

The charging time for the battery is around 45 minutes. Like with any other drone, you might find stronger batteries that are compatible with your X4, however, you must have in mind that using stronger batteries will shorten the lifetime of the motors, and burning the motors just to make the drone go a bit faster is, in our opinion, just not worth it. To get a better understanding how drone batteries work, we suggest checking out our article about quadcopter batteries.

The highest altitude you can achieve with this drone is around 50 meters.

Above is a video of the drone in action, posted by a happy owner.

Value for money & guarantee

If you want our opinion of “Value for the money”, we think that it is a pretty good deal, because for around $80 dollars, maybe you can get a better looking and bigger drone, but will it be as durable and almost indestructible as the X4? And will it be able to do what X4 does? We seriously doubt it…

We were not able to find any guarantee on the Air Hogs site, but since it is sold by Amazon, the guarantee is probably the one offered there.

As with any other type of online purchase, the general rule is that, if the package arrives at your address damaged or defected, the seller should provide a replacement. But, just to be safe, check the guarantee policy before ordering.

Unique features

If you take a close look at the remote, you will notice some sticks.These are located in the place where usually trim controls are, and they are there just for the spectacular look and basically do nothing.

Before the expert pilots among you start saying: “How can you control it without trim control?!”, allow us to tell you that it doesn’t need trim controls. It has a built-in gyro stabilization, thus, the trim control is not needed. In our opinion, this is a nice touch, because this way, even the “mortals” can fly this drone without having any prior experience in drone flying.

Whether you want to admit it or not, trim controls are known to be pretty confusing. If your drone goes to the right, you should turn some knob on the control towards left, and who the hell knows when to stop turning?? No one!

So, the gyro stabilization is a nice way to attract kids and parents into the world of RC toys, and just let them enjoy the flying without giving them a headache with settings before or during the flight.

Similar models or main competitors

Helix Video Drone

The Air Hogs Helix Video Drone comes from the same manufacturer, and it has the same Air Hogs trademark design, but it also has a high speed, 60 fps action camera. Together with that camera, you get a 4gb memory card, which allows you to film all your flying stunts or whatever it is you want to do with this drone.

Just like with the Helix X4, the famous Air Hogs Exoframeoffers protection to the propellers, but to anyone or anything that might come in your way. For a bit over $100 dollars, you can film fast moving events, or even shoot extreme action videos.

Main characteristics:

• 60 fps camera that captures high-quality footage.
• The camera starts recording with just one push of a button on the controller.
• Easy to fly and perform stunts.
• Has 4 ducted propellers which allow amazing maneuverability and serious speed.
• The Exoframe protects the drone from bumps and crashes.
• It is both for indoor and outdoor use.
• The package includes 1x Helix Video Drone, 1x Remote Control, 1x Instruction Manual, 1x USB Cable, and1x 4GB Micro SD Memory Card.

If you think that this product could be great for you, then you can check its price here.

Helix ION

The Air Hogs Helix Ion is a pretty stable and agile, micro quad-copter. Thanks to the Air Hogs Exoframe, and the gyro stabilization, the drone is very responsive and capable of performing some serious pro stunts. It doesn’t come with a camera, nor a camera support, but it is ideal for both new and experienced pilots.

Main characteristics:

• Amazing aerial stunts
• Control modes for both beginners and experienced pilots.
• Built in Gyro-stabilization, 2.4 GHz communication, and accelerometer.
• Package includes: 1x Helix Ion, 1x Controller, 1x Instruction Manual

Like this great product? Then you can check its price here.

Sky Viper S670 Stunt Drone

The Sky Viper 670 Stunt Drone is a pretty great looking drone, and its black and green color scheme gives him a modern, and cool appearance. The material that the drone is made of allow it to be very durable and crash resistant.

Like all the other drones out there, it also comes with LED navigation lights and is capable of performing flips and barrel rolls.

However, it does offer a few things that might give it an advantage against other drones in its class. For example, it comes with two batteries as a standard package deal, and it has 3 flying modes; Novice, Medium, and Expert. This allows you to select the level of control and difficulty that best suits you. The most difficult mode, Expert, is great for outdoor stunts, and when there is the wind.

Main characteristics:

• Great stunts
• 3 flying modes
• Removable blade guards
• Package includes: 1x Sky Viper S670 Stunt Drone, 2x Lithium Ion batteries, 1x Instruction Manual

Like this great product? Then you can check its price here.

Overview

With all things considered, the Air Hogs Helix X4 quadcopter offers hours and hours of fun, but it doesn’t quite take the flying experience to another level as the manufacturer claims. It performs great stunts and it is extremely durable but doesn’t have a camera.

Pros:

• Durable and practically indestructible
• Performs great stunts
• Has a gyro stabilization for stable flight
• Very maneuverable and fast
• Interesting design
• You can recharge the drone by plugging it into the controller

Cons:

• Doesn’t have a camera or a camera supporter
• Needs 8 AA batteries for the controller

It does have an unusual design which might not be a plus for some, but we like it anyway.

When it comes to personalization possibilities, we are afraid that it doesn’t offer any, but that will not lower the fun factor this cool little drone offers to you. At the end, our verdict is that the Helix X4 drone is definitely worth checking out, and numerous owner reviews we found will confirm that.