Potensic D58 – Cheap Drone with 2 Batteries & Full HD Camera
The Potensic D58 is an affordable drone with 1080p camera that transmits the live image of the camera in real time to your smartphone. The drone is delivered with 2 batteries and is suitable due to the excellent price-performance ratio especially for beginners who want to gain first experience with a camera drone.
Design and weight
The design of the Potensic D58 is reminiscent of the DJI Phantom 4, but in a completely different price range. In addition, the Potensic D58 is a bit smaller (42 x 42 x 16 cm). The housing of the drone is kept in matte black and makes a noble impression.
The copter has stable landing feet, which protect it during takeoffs and landings on uneven surfaces. In general, the drone is very well manufactured and robustly built. Should a propeller ever break, you can easily replace it with one of the included replacement propellers.
With battery, the drone comes to a weight of 230 grams.
Thanks to optional attachable protectors for the propellers, the Potensic D58 is also suitable as a drone for children. The so-called Prop-Guards not only protect bystanders from contact with the propellers, but also the drone itself.
Equipment and flight characteristics
Thanks to the built-in GPS module, the Potensic D58 holds its position precisely and does not let itself be disturbed even by light winds. However, due to its light weight, flights in stronger winds should be avoided.
Once in the air, the drone automatically maintains the current altitude when you release the control joysticks. There are three different speeds to choose from, which can be switched between via a button on the remote control.
A Return-to-Home mode, which can be activated at the push of a button, ensures an automatic return to the starting position. Incidentally, the drone will also return automatically if the signal is too weak or the battery level is too low. These two safety features ensure that you won’t accidentally lose the drone.
Overall, the Potensic D58 is very easy to use and straightforward to control. The drone responds instantly to changes in direction and exhibits stable flight behavior.
An extremely practical aluminum case is included for transporting the drone and accessories – an accessory that is rarely found on a drone.
The remote control and live image transmission
On the 2.4 GHz controller of the Potensic D58, in addition to the two control joysticks and the on/off switch, there are various other buttons to activate important functions of the drone. For example, there is a button that triggers the drone’s Return-to-Home function.
There is also a button to turn on/off the GPS reception. This can be useful should you ever want to fly the Potensic D58 indoors where there is no GPS reception. Drones where you cannot manually disable the GPS may behave erratically without GPS reception. However, if you can turn off the GPS from the start, you can safely control the drone manually.
The other buttons on the front are for selecting speed and activating Follow Me and Orbit modes.
On the top right side, there are two buttons for recording photos and videos. On the top left side, there is a wheel for adjusting the camera angle.
At the bottom of the remote control, a holder can be pulled out to attach the smartphone. To view the live image of the drone on the smartphone, you first need to download the free Potensic-GPS app. This is available for download for Android and iOS devices in the respective app store.
According to Potensic, the live FPV image can be transmitted at distances of up to 550 yards (500 meters). However, ranges of about 220 to 330 feet (200 to 300 meters) are more realistic and still very good values for a drone in this price range. In addition to the live image, the app also displays other useful information about the drone’s current altitude, distance and battery status.
While the control signals are transmitted via the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the transmission of the live image works via 5 GHz frequency. This WiFi frequency is supported by all newer smartphones and has nothing to do with the new 5G mobile network.
Four 1.5 V AA batteries, which are not included, are still needed to operate the remote control.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the Potensic D58 is specified by the manufacturer with up to 18 minutes per battery. However, flight times of 10 to 15 minutes are more realistic when using the camera and live transmission to the smartphone. Since the drone comes with two 7.4 V, 1000 mAh batteries, you can enjoy a total of about 20 to 30 minutes of flight time before both batteries need to be recharged.
Charging is done with the included USB charging cable. Since no power adapter is included, simply connect the cable to a standard smartphone charger or plug it into a PC, laptop or power bank.
Even though these values already sound very good, we still recommend you to buy at least one more battery to enjoy even longer flight times.
According to the manufacturer, the range at which you can control the drone is up to 550 yards (500 meters). Since drone flights are only allowed within visual range in many countries, this distance is more than sufficient.
The buttons for headless mode, calibration, trimming, and speed levels are located on the back of the remote control.
The Potensic D58 camera
The 1080p camera of the Potensic D58 has a 120° wide-angle lens. The camera can be tilted vertically by up to 90° during flight, from vertical down to the height of the horizon.
The image quality is excellent for a drone in this price range, although it obviously doesn’t come close to the quality of a much more expensive camera drone.
This is also due to the lack of a gimbal, which separates the drone’s own movements from the camera in expensive drones and thus ensures a smoother image. The drone also does not have electronic image stabilization.
Your captured photos and videos are stored on a microSD card of up to 32 GB, which can be inserted into the drone’s camera. Pictures can also be stored directly on the smartphone, but the quality is somewhat lower.
Flight modes
Due to the built-in GPS module, the Potensic D58 is capable of several automatic flight modes. These include Follow Me and Orbit Me.
In Follow Me mode, the drone follows the signal of the smartphone and thus you as the pilot. However, the camera will not always keep you in the center of the frame – this requires additional software features that only slightly better drones have.
In Orbit mode, the drone moves in a circular path around the smartphone’s position. The altitude and distance can be adjusted.
Scope of delivery
1 x Potensic D58
2 x 7.4 V, 1000 mAh rechargeable batteries
1 x USB charging adapter
1 x remote control
4 x propeller guards
1 x set of spare propellers
1 x instruction manual
Conclusion
The Potensic D58 is an excellent drone with camera that is best suited for anyone who wants to gain their first experience with camera drones. The 1080p camera of the drone takes decent pictures, even though they are of course not comparable to those of a DJI Mini 2 or drones starting at 500 dollars. The live FPV transmission works flawlessly thanks to 5 GHz frequency and lets you view the world from above in real time.
We really like the fact that the quadcopter comes with two batteries at once. Thus, flight times of about 20 to 30 minutes are possible. The range of about 550 yards (500 meters) is also sufficiently high.
Since the drone has GPS, it has functions such as Return-to-Home and follow me. The sturdy carrying case is also a great extra and extremely practical for transporting the drone.
All in all, the Potensic D58 is a excellent camera drone with a very good price-performance ratio, which we can highly recommend.