GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast – Cheap 2K Drone with 2 Axis Gimbal

The GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast drone is an affordable 4K drone with a 2-axis mechanical gimbal. The Beast drone shoots stabilized 2K videos and 4K photos and is best suited for beginners looking for a solid camera drone at an affordable price.

Design and weight

Externally, the GoolRC SG906 Pro is completely black. On the top, there is also a small gray logo in the shape of a buffalo head, which probably gave the SG906 the nickname “Beast”.

When folded, the foldable drone measures 17.4 x 8.4 x 7 cm. When unfolded, it measures 28.3 x 25.3 x 7 cm. The material and workmanship quality looks high-quality and promises a long service life.

The take-off weight is about 530 grams. By the way, the SG906 Pro is available in three different versions, with one, two or even three batteries. We recommend that you buy at least the version with two batteries, so that you don’t have to go home right away when the battery is empty, but can enjoy another 20 minutes of flight time.

Gool RC SG906 Pro Drone
GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast Drone.

Equipment and flight characteristics

GoolRC SG906 Pro with Optical Flow Sensor.

Thanks to the built-in GPS module, the GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast is stable in the air and can hardly be disturbed even by weak gusts of wind.

The drone is powered by four brushless motors (1806 1700KV), which are quieter and more durable than cheaper brushed motors.

In addition to the automatic flight modes described later in the text, the drone is also capable of Return to Home mode. At the push of a button, it returns independently to the drone landing site or takeoff position and lands there. By the way, the drone also starts the independent return flight when the battery level is too low.

The built-in Optical Flow Positioning System provides additional stability near the ground. This consists of a barometer and a small downward-facing camera. The system also allows you to fly the drone indoors. Since you don’t have GPS reception indoors, the drone relies on additional sensors here.

For good visibility in the sky, there are four elongated LEDs on the copter’s booms. A practical extra is the included carrying bag, which comfortably holds the drone and remote control.

Remote control and app

The remote control of the SG906 Pro has a very simple design and comes with a fold-out smartphone holder and a practical LCD display. Very handy are the removable control sticks, which provide even more compact dimensions for transport.

On the small LCD display of the controller, you can read a lot of helpful information during the flight. You will get information about the current number of connected satellites, the instantaneous altitude and distance of the drone, as well as the battery level of the drone and remote control.

To view the live image of the drone on your smartphone, you first need to download and install the free app “HfunPro”. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices. To operate the remote control, you still need 4 AA batteries or rechargeable batteries.

The controller of the GoolRC SG906 Pro.

Flight time and range of the GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast

Over 20 minutes of flight time.

The flight time of the GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast is about 20 to 25 minutes per battery charge. This is a decent value for a drone, especially in this price segment. The 2800 mAh, 7.4 V battery can be recharged in about 6 hours using a USB charging cable.

The control range is about 0.75 miles (1200 meters). Please note, however, that multicopters in many countries may only be flown within visual range. Nevertheless, a high maximum range is always an advantage, because it has a positive effect on the signal quality.

Since obstacles such as trees or buildings, but also other electronic devices that transmit on the 2.4 GHz frequency, reduce the maximum possible range, the 0.75 miles (1200 meter) distance can only be achieved in the fewest cases.

The transmission of the video signal between the drone and the controller takes place on the 5.8 GHz frequency. In order to view the live image of the drone on your smartphone, your mobile device must therefore support the 5G WiFi frequency. However, 5G has nothing to do with the LTE successor here, but refers to a WiFi standard, more precisely the IEEE 802.11a 5GHz WiFi standard.

As long as you own an Apple device from the iPhone 5 onwards or have an Android smartphone from at least the same time, everything should work smoothly.

The maximum distance at which the FPV live image transmission works is about 660 to 875 yards (600 to 800 meters). However, the first jerks can occur even at slightly shorter distances. Overall, the transmission quality is more than okay for such a cheap drone.

Camera and gimbal

The 4K camera of the GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast records videos in 2K (2048 x 10880p) at 24 fps and photos in 4K (4096 x 3072p). Thus, 4K videos are unfortunately not possible. In return, however, the SG906 Pro has a mechanical 2-axis gimbal that provides noticeable stabilization of the video recordings – a real rarity in drones under 300 dollars!

The camera can be tilted vertically by 110° and thus not only film vertically downwards but also somewhat towards the sky. You can operate the camera during the flight either directly via the remote control or via the app.

The quadcopter takes photos in JPEG format, RAW is unfortunately not available. Videos are saved in MP4 format. A 32 GB microSD card, which is even included, serves as storage medium.

A small extra of the drone is the possibility of gesture control. While you can’t completely control the drone this way, you can command it to take photos and record videos. For example, simply stand directly (3 to 15 feet or 1 to 5 meters) in front of the drone and form the fingers of one hand into the “Victory” sign. The drone will immediately take a photo of you.

The camera of the GoolRC SG906 Pro.

Flight modes

Thanks to the built-in GPS module, the GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast has several intelligent flight modes. On board is, for example, the ever-popular Follow Me function, in which the drone independently follows the signal of the remote control, and thus you as the pilot, while recording a video. This works remarkably well, but doesn’t work quite as well as you’d expect from significantly more expensive drones with cameras.

There is also a waypoint navigation mode. Simply set any flight path in the app before flying. The drone will then fly the set waypoints independently.

In Point of Interest or Surround Flight mode, the drone can independently fly around an object or person and make a video at the same time.

Beginners in particular will also be pleased with the so-called headless mode. In this mode, a simplified control of the drone is available to you as a pilot. While you normally always have to pay attention to how the drone is instantly oriented in the sky, this does not matter in headless mode. Regardless of whether the front or rear of the drone is facing you at the moment, if you give a control command to the left, the drone will always fly to the left as seen from you. It is the same for the other directions.

However, we recommend that you don’t fly in headless mode for too long and also deal with the normal controls of the drone, because not every drone has such a mode.

Scope of delivery

  • 1 x GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast Drone
  • 1 x remote control
  • 1 to 3 x drone battery (depending on selected version)
  • 1 x USB charging cable
  • 1 x spare propeller set + screwdriver
  • 1 x screw set
  • 1 x carrying bag
  • 1 x 32 GB memory card + card reader
  • 1 x user manual
The GoolRC SG906 Pro is available with one, two or three batteries.

Conclusion

The GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast is an excellent camera drone with mechanical gimbal at a very fair price. Stabilized 2K video recording is extremely rare to find in drones under 300 dollars. The price-performance ratio of the SG906 Pro, which weighs about 530 grams, can therefore be confidently described as very good.

Other positive features include the long flight time of over 20 minutes and the high range of over one kilometer. Only the long charging time of about 5 hours could be improved.

Thanks to the GPS module, the drone independently maintains its position in the air and can be precisely controlled. Intelligent flight modes such as Follow Me and Waypoint Navigation are available and thus offer interesting possibilities for video creation.

All in all, the GoolRC SG906 Pro Beast is an extremely well designed drone and best suited for beginners and all those who are looking for a cheap drone with a good camera!