Potensic Dreamer 4K – drone with extremely long flight time
The Potensic Dreamer 4K is a GPS camera drone with FPV live image transmission that is primarily aimed at beginners. The quadcopter takes photos in 8 MP and videos in 2.7K, while it can stay in the air for up to 31 minutes.
Design and weight
The design of the Potensic Dreamer 4K is very reminiscent of the DJI Phantom 4, which, however, is in a completely different league in terms of price. The Potensic drone comes in all white, is well-made and measures 35 x 32 x 19.5 cm. Since the drone does not have a propeller guard, it is only conditionally recommended as a drone for children.
With a weight of about 760 grams, the Potensic Dreamer 4K is already one of the somewhat heavier drones, which also has an impact on the necessary flight requirements for you as a pilot.
Equipment and flight characteristics
The Potensic Dreamer 4K is equipped with a dual GPS module and can thus access the signals from GPS and GLONASS satellites. This helps the drone precisely maintain its position in the sky.
Takeoff and landing work as easy as child’s play at the touch of a button. After takeoff, the drone climbs to an altitude of about 5 feet (1.5 meters) and then remains stable in the air.
Once in the air, the drone reaches speeds of up to 17.9 mph (28.8 km/h). For a safe return to the launch position, they can use the integrated Return-to-Home mode.
Should a propeller ever be damaged, it can be replaced in seconds thanks to quick release technology.
Remote control and app
The 2.4 GHz remote control offers space for clamping smartphones of almost all sizes (9.7 – 17.8cm in length). What we like: The controller has a permanently installed battery that can be recharged via the included USB charging cable. So no extra batteries are needed. One charge of the remote control lasts for about four hours of operation.
To transmit the live image of the drone via 5.8 GHz frequency to your smartphone, you still need the free PotensicPro app, which you can download for Android and IOS devices from Google Play and the Apple App Store, respectively.
The app provides a lot of practical information about the current flight and shows, for example, the current altitude and distance of the drone.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the Potensic Dreamer 4K is up to 31 minutes. The long flight time is made possible by the 3000 mAh, 15.2 V battery (4S LiPo), which can be recharged within 2 hours using the included charger.
A handy safety feature is the drone’s automatic return when the battery level is too low.
The maximum control distance is about 0.5 miles (800 meters). However, this is a maximum value that can only be reached under perfect conditions. Please always remember that drones in many countries may only be flown within visual range.
Unfortunately, the reception of the live image from the drone camera does not reach as far as the control of the drone is possible. This is already the end after a few hundred yards- depending on the ambient conditions, because obstacles such as houses, trees and other WiFi devices can negatively affect the range.
If you want, you can switch to the beginner mode for practice, in which the maximum range is reduced to about 100 feet (30 meters) high and 22 yards (20 meters) away.
The camera of the Potensic Dreamer 4K
The sensor installed in the camera of the Potensic Dreamer 4K is a 1/3-inch Sony CMOS chip. This, contrary to what the drone’s name suggests, allows you to record videos in 2.7K (2688 x 1512) @ 30fps or 1080p at 60 fps.
The videos will always be a bit shaky as the drone has a vibration damper but not a full-fledged gimbal. The camera’s Field of View (FOV) is 78°, making it slightly wide-angle.
On the positive side, the camera can be adjusted vertically by up to 90° during flight. This makes it possible to change the perspective during video recording.
The frame rate of the videos is unfortunately only 20 Mbps. This is also noticeable in the quality of the video recordings. They show a low dynamic range as well as compression artifacts. The recordings are saved in MP4 format.
The Potensic Dreamer 4K takes photos in 4K or 8 MP (3840 x 2160). Only JPEG is available as a format; RAW photos are unfortunately not possible.
Your photos and videos are stored on a microSD card of up to 128 GB (not included).
It should be said at this point that the quality of the recordings can be quite satisfactory for beginners in this hobby and you can also already do something with the recorded videos. However, the pictures and videos do not come close to the qualities of a more expensive camera drone. Especially the lack of a mechanical gimbal makes the biggest difference here.
The pictures are transmitted to the smartphone via the 5.8 GHz frequency, which is initially positive since there is more bandwidth available than on the 2.4 GHz frequency. However, the transmission range is limited.
Note: Your smartphone does not have to have 5G to use the live image transmission. The 5.8 GHz frequency is a WiFi frequency band that is supported by all modern smartphones.
Automatic flight modes
The Potensic Dreamer 4K has a total of three automatic flight modes. In Follow Me mode, the drone follows the signal of the remote control and thus you as the pilot, while simultaneously recording a video.
Orbit Flight allows the drone to independently fly around a selected object or person while simultaneously taking a video.
Waypoint Flight mode allows you to plan a flight path in the drone’s app. The drone then flies independently around the set waypoints.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x drone
- 1 x controller
- 1 x battery (3000 mAh, 15.2 V)
- 1 x charging cable for drone
- 1 x charger
- 1 x extra pair of propellers
- 1 x USB charging cable for controller
- 1 x instruction manual
Conclusion
The Potensic Dreamer 4K is a GPS camera drone that primarily impresses with its long flight time of up to 31 minutes. The drone’s camera can record videos in 2.7K and photos in 8 MP, unlike the drone’s name suggests.
The quality of the videos is okay for the price, but the shots are always a bit shaky due to the lack of a gimbal. The range is relatively high at up to 0.5 miles (800 meters), but the FPV image transmission does not work quite as far.
We think the drone is a bit too expensive for its features. For about 50 dollars more, the Holy Stone HS720E is a better choice, and the much better DJI Mavic Mini is now available for under 400 dollars.
All in all, the Potensic Dreamer 4K is a solid drone for beginners who mainly want to enjoy long flight times. However, if you are looking for a good camera drone, you should rather spend a bit more money to avoid disappointment.