Potensic D80 – affordable 2K drone with carrying case
The Potensic D80 is a relatively inexpensive drone with 2K camera and FPV live image transmission, which is best suited for beginners and novices. The silver-gray camera drone can fly for about 16 to 20 minutes and can be controlled within a radius of about 0.4 miles (700 meters). Particularly practical: The scope of delivery includes a padded aluminum carrying case.
Design and features
The dimensions of the Potensic D80 are 41 x 41 x 8 cm, the weight is about 440 grams. For the proper operation of the drone, you therefore need a drone license plate in addition to a drone liability insurance.
Equipped with dual GPS, you will have enough satellites for positioning at any time. The positioning system also enables some smart flight modes like Follow-Me or Waypoint navigation, and a Return-to-Home function is also included.
The 1800 KV brushless motors of the Potensic D80 provide decent propulsion and allow for top speeds of about 25 mph (40 km/h).
Although the Potensic D80 is not a foldable drone, the quadcopter can still be transported safely and comfortably thanks to the included aluminum carrying case.
Flight time and range of the Potensic D80
Takeoff and landing of the Potensic D80 works with a simple push of a button on the remote control. Once in the air, the 7.4 V, 1800 mAh LiPo battery provides approximately 16 to 20 minutes of flight time before it needs to be recharged. Since one charge can take up to 5 hours, we recommend that you definitely buy one or two more batteries to extend the flight time that way.
By the way, when the battery level is low, the Potensic D80 returns to the takeoff position by itself, so a sudden crash due to an empty battery is impossible.
The Potensic D80 can be controlled at a distance of about 0.43 miles (700 meters). The transmission of the FPV live image to your own smartphone works within a radius of about 330 yards (300 meters).
Attention: Make sure that your smartphone supports the 5 GHz Wi-Fi frequency.
Particularly practical for beginners is the beginner mode of the Potensic D80, in which the drone flies a maximum of 98.5 feet (30 meters) high and 33 yards (30 meters) far. This way, you can calmly get used to controlling the drone before taking advantage of the full range. Please note, however, that drones in many countries may only be flown within visual range.
Remote control and app
The remote control of the Potensic D80 fits comfortably in the hand and has easily accessible buttons and switches whose functions are described with easy-to-understand pictograms.
There is a retractable holder for smartphones on the back of the controller. On the front of the remote control, in addition to the two control joysticks, there are several buttons for access to various functions.
There is also a small LCD display for showing important telemetry data. To operate the flight controller, four AA batteries (or rechargeable batteries) are still needed, which are not included.
To use the smart flight modes as well as to view the drone’s live FPV image, a smartphone must be attached to the remote controller. You will also need the free “Potensic-M2” app, which is available for both iOS and Android.
The Potensic D80 camera
The camera of the Potensic D80 records videos in 2K and photos in 8 megapixels. The camera’s field of view is 120°, which makes it wide-angled. The camera is fixed in the drone’s housing and cannot be tilted or swiveled. Unfortunately, there is also no gimbal, so the drone’s own movements are not separated from the camera.
The quality of the photo and video recordings is quite good, but due to the lack of a gimbal, it is not comparable to the quality of recordings from a DJI Mini 2 or DJI Mavic Air 2. However, the quality of the recordings is more than sufficient for first experiences with camera drones.
The transmission of the drone’s FPV image happens in 720p and works in real time. You can store your recordings on a microSD card with up to 32 GB (not included). Without a memory card, the drone recordings are automatically saved via the app on your smartphone.
Intelligent flight modes
The Potensic D80 has three intelligent flight modes: Follow-Me, Point of Interest (POI) and Waypoint Navigation. In addition, the drone masters the so-called headless mode, which allows you as a pilot a simplified control of the drone.
In headless mode, it doesn’t matter whether the front or the rear of the drone is facing you when you execute a control command to the front, rear, left or right. The drone will always fly in the direction you want, regardless of its instantaneous orientation in the sky.
Although this feature is especially appreciated by beginners, we generally recommend that you only fly in headless mode for a short time and then get to grips with classic drone control, as not all drones have this mode by any means.
In Follow-Me mode, the Potensic D80 follows the signal of the remote control and thus you as the pilot at every turn. As you move, the drone will try to keep you in view at all times, recording video of you as it does so.
Point of Interest (POI) mode allows the drone to independently fly around an object or person while simultaneously recording video.
Waypoint Navigation allows you to set a route on a map in the app before the flight, which the drone will then fly on its own.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x Potensic D80 GPS RC quadcopter
- 1 x 7.4V, 1800mAh LiPo battery pack
- 1 x 2.4GHz remote control
- 1 x USB charging cable
- 8 x Propellers (4 propellers built-in)
- 1 x smartphone mount
- 1 x propeller changing tool
- 1 x screwdriver
- 1 x carrying case
- 1 x German instruction manual
Conclusion
The Potensic D80 is a relatively inexpensive 2K drone with FPV live image transmission, good flight time and long range. The 1800 mAh LiPo allows flight durations of about 16 to 20 minutes, with maximum speeds of about 25 mph (40 km/h).
The camera delivers good photos and decent videos, even though the drone unfortunately doesn’t have a gimbal. Videos will therefore always be a bit shaky. Thanks to GPS, the three flight modes Follow Me, Point of Interest and Waypoint Navigation are available in addition to Return-to-Home.
We find the included aluminum case particularly practical, as it allows the Potensic D80 to be transported safely and comfortably. The scope of delivery also includes four replacement propellers and a user manual.