SYMA X12S: A Great Drone for Newbies

The Syma X12S is a good quadcopter to consider when you are looking for a fun and small model that you can pilot wherever you want. If you decide to buy it, you will notice that, instead of being rather small, it’s quite easy for anyone to fly it. It especially works well for newcomers who want to learn how to fly drones on their own.

You will have plenty of fun as you get the device up in the air. The control is very helpful in accustoming newbies to the work of drones as it is very similar to an Xbox One controller, in terms of how you hold it. This makes it very easy to figure out and learn how to make the drone move effortlessly.

Product specifications:

Buy SYMA X12S on Amazon

Keep in mind: As great as the drone may be for newcomers, this is too small to handle its own camera which is why it was designed more with recreational use in mind. Fortunately, it is compact enough to where you could fly it indoors or outdoors.

Build specifications

This drone is an RTF (Ready to Fly) model. Therefore you can get this set up right out of the package.

Still, you will have to charge up the battery for the drone to work properly. You will also have to check and see how the individual blades on each corner are aligned before starting it up.

Packaging

The box that the X12S comes in contains the following:

• The actual quadcopter
• A 2.4G remote control
• USB charging wire
• 4 blade pieces

In order to prepare the drone for flying, you will need the following items to purchase separately:

• 4 AA batteries for your controller
• A small screwdriver to secure the blades in their place

Design & durability

The original version of the Syma X12S has a white body with a few accent colors all around. For instance, some red and green features can show up on the body. Also, some versions come with red or black bodies. On the blades, you’ll find white and black for better orientation and design.

The drone is made with a light plastic body which is in one piece in order to properly cover and protect the mechanical features on the inside. This allows the drone to stay intact without risking any substantial damages if it hits anything.

Considering the size, the drone is about 77mm in length and width and about 27mm in height. It also has a total wingspan of 109mm.

A small series of pegs can be found at the bottom in order to allow you to place the drone on a flat surface. This is useful during takeoffs as he drone doesn’t need to be thrown into flying like other models. It can also land on a flat surface provided that you are gentle with the drone.

The quadcopter design ensures that all four rotors are of an equal distance apart from each other. Also, this provides the drone with a balanced arrangement to where it can get up in the air quite well. The blades are especially labeled to ensure that you know where they are to be set up, thus allowing them to be carefully organized.

Camera

As mentioned in the beginning, this drone doesn’t support a camera. This happens because the size doesn’t allow enough room for an inbuilt camera and the weight will not support an external camera.

Battery and flight time

The Syma X12S quadcopter uses a 3.7V 100mAh battery which only offers about 4 to 8 minutes of flight time on a full charge. Fortunately, it only takes about 60 minutes for the battery to be fully charged.

The battery can be charged with the included USB charging wire. This can link up directly to a computer or wall outlet that offers a USB port. The red indicator on the USB cord will be off while it is charging and will turn on when the drone is fully charged up. If you feel like getting to know the RC batteries a bit better, you can also read our article about drone batteries.

The USB charger can link to a computer that is powered up. However, the charger must be removed from the computer before that computer can be powered down.

The battery will naturally burn off some of its energy after an extended idle period. So, you will have to recharge the battery in the event that it has not been used for at least a month. This is regardless of whether or not the battery was fully charged beforehand.

Controller

The design on the Syma X12S controller is very easy to figure out as the physical body of the controller feels like that of an Xbox video game controller.

Thus, it offers a series of simple controls:

• The on/off power switch is right in the middle of the controller.
• There are separate throttle knobs for left and right controls.
• The smaller buttons on the bottom allow you to make subtle, and gentle left or right adjustments while in the air. This is for cases where the drone keeps on flying forward or backward.
• By pushing the throttle knobs up or down, the quadcopter will change in elevation. These two knobs should be adjusted up or down at the same time to allow the drone to gently move up.
• The top left part of the controller offers a High/Low-speed switch. This lets you move from a low gear to a high gear. When you press the button, this will create a buzz. One buzz will come out when the switch goes on a low speed. Two buzzing sounds will be heard when it goes to a higher gear.

The controller runs on four 1.5V AA batteries.

Flight performance

There are a few important points to look at when it comes to flying the X12S drone:

• This runs at an operating range of about 30 meters, thus giving you enough space to fly it in.
• The drone also runs at a gentle speed that is easy to control. It can move at about 15 miles per hour when used properly.
• The LED lights on the drone’s body will especially show where it is going while in the air. It will light up in a darker setting. The lights can also become more visible depending on where it is flying as the lights will be brighter on spots where the drone is flying at.
• At a little less than five ounces in weight, this should lift quite well and will not create too much drag when it is being piloted properly.
• A four-channel connection is also added. This means that interference will be less of a threat on this quadcopter than what it could be elsewhere. You could use multiple X12S quadcopters in the same room and there will be no interference between anything.

You can also choose to get the drone working with a headless function. That is, the drone will run without a head determining where the drone will be facing while in the air. You will have to position the drone in a proper space and then configure the top of the controller to where it will remove its head setting.

Value for money and guarantee

The Syma X12S is one of the most affordable quadcopter drones that you can find right now. You can order this drone for $24.99 in most places, but it can also be found for less than $20 in online stores.

Regarding the warranty, Syma actually does offer one. The warranty lasts for a few months and will only cover anything that might occur due to regular use and not from excessive actions or cases where you tamper with the items on its body.

Unique features

• The controller is clearly a unique point to see on this quadcopter. This allows you to carefully control the quadcopter in a way similar to what you could get out of a traditional video game.
• While many quadcopters do come with LED lights, the ones on this model will certainly be visible. These LED lights on the X12S will provide you with a clear view of the quadcopter as it is in the evening sky.
• Some guards are used on the sides of the blades as well. These guards will keep the blades from getting in the way of anything that might cause them to break apart.
• The pegs on the bottom are especially worth noticing. These will allow you to fly the drone right off of the ground without the need to open or close any pieces of landing gear.
• There are a few small skidding devices on it as well to keep any impacts or abrasions that might occur during the landing process from being too round. This also helps with creating a better surface for it to take off from.

Similar models or main competitors

Helicute M803R Hoverdrone

If you’re not too excited with the X12S specs, the Helicute M803R Hoverdrone is an alternative that you can use. The drone has a slightly weaker battery in that it can last for about 5 minutes on average before it runs out of power. However, it does have a slightly longer operating range at 50 meters.

This model uses 6 rotors instead of the 4 that the X12S has (this actually makes it a hexacopter). Also, it has a plastic body just like the X12S. The control scheme is a little more complicated as the extra 2 rotors will require some extra controlling effort to keep the drone moving properly while in the air.

This is much lighter than the X12S in that it weighs about 30 grams or 0.1 pounds. The Hoverdrone is also a little larger in that it has a wingspan of around 185mm. This larger wingspan is the direct result of the increased number of arms and rotors, so the comparison is not quite fair.

The costs are about the same as with the X12S’s($20 to $25 according to the seller). This should create a good deal although it will be a bit more difficult to pilot than the X12S.

If you like this product you can find and check its price on Amazon.

Huajun W608-2

The W608-2 from Huajun is larger in size but it does implement the same number of rotors as the X12S. However, it comes with a larger series of borders around the central control area offering better protection to the blades and better visibility while in flight.

This is about 510mm wide and long while about 120mm in height. Just like the X12S, it has a plastic body to keep the payload from being too heavy. However, the battery is relatively weak for a drone of this size, allowing it to fly for about 8 minutes on a full charge. It does have a longer operating range though, as the user can operate it at about 100 meters away from the controller.

Unlike the X12S, this has an altitude and position hold feature. This allows the drone to stay in one place while up in the air – it automatically corrects its throttle at this point. However, it does not work with a headless mode like the X12S does.

This drone costs a little more than the X12S but can be easily found for about $40 in most stores.

Like this amazing product? Then you can buy it from Amazon.

SJ X300-2

The SJ X300-2 is the third quadcopter to compare the Syma X12S with. This four-rotor option has a very slim body at about 110 grams or 0.2 pounds in weight. Designed with a bright red body, this is about 300mm in length and width. It is also a narrow option at 66mm in height. A brushed motor is used to keep the drone in air while the battery lasts for about 10 minutes on a charge.

This also has one of the longest flight paths in the industry as it can fly about 120 meters away from the controller before it loses its signal. This does have a return to home feature that will get the drone to move back to the approximate area where it was first started up at in the event that the controller connection is lost.

A position and altitude hold setup is also included in this quadcopter. This analyzes small movements in the drone to keep it running well. Meanwhile, the plastic body on this model is reinforced to keep it running effectively without breaking apart too quickly.

This model costs a little more than the X12S but it is still an affordable option. This is available for $40 to $50 in most places.

Like this amazing product? Then you can buy it on Amazon.

Overview

Syma X12S is an easy to control option, that will fly around any room quite well and with more than enough speed to boot. The drone is very easy to charge up and operate. The simple control arrangement makes it easier for you to bring it anywhere.

Meanwhile, the body is designed to where it will all be ready for you to pilot right out of the box so long as you properly charge up the battery.

Pros

• The drone is very easy to see in most places.
• This can be charged up in about an hour’s time.
• You don’t have to set up a particular head setting on the drone.
• This is a small enough drone to where you can fly it indoors.
• The LED lights make this easy to see from a distance.
• The battery lasts a little longer than what you might expect out of other smaller models.
• The landing gear on this device is especially easy to use. It is built into the drone so it can be placed on a flat surface for takeoff or landing needs.

Cons

• This does not have an altitude or position hold feature.
• It would be extremely difficult to try and get items attached to its body.

You will certainly enjoy playing with the Syma X12S when you are looking for a smaller quadcopter that is easy to pilot and comes with a nice and easy to follow setting. This choice should be explored when you’re looking for a fine small model that doesn’t take much to set up. However, if you think that you need to get familiar with even more small drone models, we suggest checking out our article about micro drones.

You don’t have to deal with lots of technical knowledge to make it work either. You just have to work with the unique controller to help you get it up in the air and flying anywhere you want to take it.