SIMREX X11 – GPS drone with 2-axis gimbal
The SIMREX X11 is an affordable GPS camera drone with 2-axis gimbal. The quadcopter records videos in 1080p, streams them in real time to your smartphone (FPV) and offers great features at a fair price.
Design and weight
The SIMREX X11 is a compact quadcopter with landing skids and a relatively large camera attached to a 2-axis gimbal below the drone. It comes in all black, is made of sturdy plastic and measures about 29 x 25 x 18 cm.
Below the four rotors, you’ll find blue and red LEDs that help you tell the front and back of the copter apart in the air. The installed motors are so-called brushless motors, which are more powerful and durable than cheap brushed motors.
The relatively large remote control fits well in the hand and has a pull-out smartphone holder as well as a large LCD display. Four AA batteries or rechargeable batteries are still needed for operation, which are not included.
The LCD display shows various flight parameters such as speed, altitude, distance, number of connected GPS satellites and current charge status. By the way, if you want, you can control the SIMREX X11 without the controller, using only your smartphone.
Included are four propeller protectors that can be mounted on the booms to protect the drone from damage in case of collisions.
Since the model weighs well over 250 grams, you will need a drone registration number in addition to a liability insurance that covers drone flights for legally compliant operation (not in the USA).
Equipment and flight preparation
The SIMREX X11 has a GPS module and is therefore stable in the air, even in moderate winds. It also independently maintains the current flight altitude (Altitude Hold) and can be flown at two different speeds.
However, before you take off for the first time, you must first mount the propellers. Here, make sure that the differently inclined rotors (“A” and “B”) are attached correctly. Afterwards, the drone must be paired with the remote control and then calibrated. Since the English instruction manual is sometimes a bit difficult to understand, we will briefly explain how the process works.
First turn on the drone and then the controller. Then press the left control stick up and then down to pair (bind) the drone with the remote controller.
To enter calibration mode, press the upper left button on the remote controller. Place the SIMREX X11 on a flat surface or hold it straight up in the air in front of you and rotate it horizontally around its axis two to three times until you hear a beep or the LEDs turn green. Then rotate the drone by 90° (the battery must point downwards) and now rotate it again two to three times around the other axis until a beep sounds again or the LEDs flash. You can then take off.
To start the motors, push both control sticks down and out. Takeoff and landing work easily by pressing a button or using the control stick.
If you want to land the SIMREX X11, you can do it either manually or by pressing the Return-to-Home button. The drone will then independently return to the takeoff position and land.
By the way, the Return-to-Home mode will automatically turn on if the battery level gets too low or if you lose the signal to the remote control. This is to ensure that you don’t accidentally lose the copter.
Another safety feature is the emergency stop function, which allows you to bring the motors to an instant halt. However, keep in mind that the drone will then fall out of the air on the spot.
Flying the SIMREX X11 is best done outdoors, in an open area. On the other hand, if you want to launch indoors as well, you should first disable the GPS (long press on the upper right button on the controller). However, we recommend only advanced users to fly without GPS, because the control is then much more difficult.
Flight time and range
The flight time of the SIMREX X11 is about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on whether you use the camera for the entire flight or not. The 3150 mAh battery is charged using a USB charging cable. You simply connect this to the power adapter of your smartphone or connect it directly to a laptop, PC or power bank. The charging process takes a little over two hours.
The control range is about 550 yards (500 meters), which is an excellent value for a drone in this price range. However, the FPV transmission of the live image to your smartphone does not work quite as far, despite the 5 GHz frequency.
The camera of the SIMREX X11
While the SIMREX X11’s camera is promoted as a 4K camera, it only records video in 1080p. The camera’s field of view is 118°, making it very wide-angle. The camera sensor is a 1/2.9″ sensor.
The real highlight of the drone is certainly the 2-axis gimbal, which stabilizes the camera’s footage. This works extremely well for a model in this price range and ensures smooth shots.
However, the quality of the pictures does not come close to that of a much more expensive camera drone, such as the DJI Mini 2 – you should not get the wrong idea here. For a drone in this price range, however, the sole presence of a 2-axis gimbal is a real rarity and should therefore be emphasized positively.
By the way, thanks to the gimbal, the drone camera can also be adjusted vertically during flight to capture different perspectives.
To view the live FPV image, you first need to download the “LW FPV” app, which is available for free for iPhones and Android devices. To avoid confusion with other apps of the same name, we recommend scanning the QR code in the user manual to get to the download.
The app is clearly designed, offers many functions and runs stably. The live FPV image of the drone is transmitted in 1080p and thus has the same resolution as the saved recordings.
By the way, the photos and videos can either be stored directly on the smartphone or on a microSD card. We always recommend using a memory card, as the quality of the recordings is much better that way.
Flight Modes
The SIMREX X11 has several smart flight modes for recording videos and also has a headless mode.
In Follow Me mode, the drone automatically follows the signal from the remote control, keeping you in view at all times as you move.
In Circle mode, the X11 can circle you while recording video at the same time. Waypoint mode lets you set markers on a map in the app before flying, which the drone then flies independently.
Headless mode provides you with simplified control. Normally, when changing direction, you always need to know how the drone is instantly oriented in the sky. In headless mode, this is not the case. The X11 will always fly in the direction you pressed out, no matter which way the front of the copter is pointing. However, we recommend that you do not fly in headless mode for too long and also learn the normal controls, as by far not all drones have such a mode.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x SIMREX X11 drone
- 1 x battery (3150 mAh)
- 1 x remote control
- 4 x propeller guards
- 4 x spare propellers
- 1 x screwdriver
- 1 x instruction manual
Conclusion
The SIMREX X11 is an extremely well designed drone with camera, which is an excellent choice in the price segment of drones under 200 dollars. The 2-axis gimbal provides good stabilization of the camera and enables (almost) smooth Full HD videos.
The flight time of 15 to 20 minutes is sufficiently long and the range of 550 yards (500 meters) is a very decent value in this price range. Thanks to GPS, the quadcopter is always stable in the air and also masters the Return-to-Home function.
Together with features like Follow Me and a waypoint navigation, the SIMREX X11 offers great features at a fair price. We can therefore highly recommend the quadcopter and wish you a lot of fun flying it already!