Snaptain A10 – Foldable Mini Drone with HD Camera
The Snaptain A10 is a low-cost mini drone with HD camera and live FPV image transmission. The compact, foldable drone comes with two batteries, is very robust and easy to control.
Design and weight
The design of the Snaptain A10 is very reminiscent of the DJI Mini 2, but the price is in a completely different league. In addition, the Snaptain A10 is even smaller than the DJI Mini 2. When folded, the small drone measures only about 8 x 9.5 x 3.5 cm.
The ultra-compact dimensions are made possible by the foldable arms and propellers. When unfolded, the drone measures approximately 15.5 x 10 x 6.5 cm and is thus still quite compact.
In terms of color, the small drone comes in a chic light gray. The mini quadcopter is made of robust and durable ABS plastic, which not only ensures the necessary stability of the drone, but also its low weight.
To ensure that you do not lose sight of the drone even in difficult lighting conditions, there are several LEDs on the outside of the drone.
At the front, a bright white LED shines in the direction of flight, while there is a green LED at the back of the drone. There are also two blue LEDs on the outer sides of the drone chassis.
Features and flight characteristics
The Snaptain A10 can be controlled either with the help of the included remote control or simply with your own smartphone (Gravity Sensor Mode).
Before you take off for the first time, you should first calibrate or trim the drone. You can find the corresponding instructions in the user manual.
Takeoff and landing work quite simply at the push of a button, but a throw takeoff from the hand is also possible.
Once in the air, you have three different speeds to choose from, in which the drone flies back and forth either leisurely or quite agilely.
By the way, the Snaptain A10 maintains its current flight altitude completely automatically thanks to the Altitude Hold function. So you don’t have to permanently use the thrust control to keep the drone in the air.
For tricky situations, you can use the emergency stop button, which stops the drone’s motors instantly.
Since the quadcopter is primarily intended for indoor use, we definitely recommend you to attach the included propeller guard for indoor flights. With the rotor guards attached, it can then also be recommended as a drone for kids.
The brackets around the rotors protect the drone in case of contact with walls or furniture and thus ensure a longer durability of the copter.
But bystanders also benefit from the propeller protection, as they are protected from the fast-spinning rotors.
Beginners in particular will also be pleased with the so-called Headless mode, which provides you with simplified control of the drone. If you activate the mode, it doesn’t matter how the drone is currently oriented in the air when you give control commands to the left, right, front or rear. So there is no need to rethink based on front or rear orientation in this mode.
However, we recommend that you do not test the Headless mode for too long and also get to grips with normal drone control, as not all drones have a Headless mode by a long shot.
Flying time and range
The flight time of the Snaptain A10 is about 7 minutes – per battery. Since the mini drone comes with two batteries, you can fly up to 14 minutes before both 3.7 V, 380 mAh LiPos (lithium polymer batteries) need to be recharged.
The batteries are charged with the included USB charging cable, which still needs to be connected to a standard power adapter (e.g. from a smartphone). One charging process takes about 45 minutes.
The control range is about 87 yards (80 meters) if you use the included controller. If you only want to control the drone with your own smartphone (Gravity Sensor Mode), the range is reduced to about 33 yards (30 meters). At altitude, a maximum of about 50 feet (15 meters) is possible.
The range of the FPV live image transmission works up to a distance of about 27 yards (25 meters).
If you want to fly with the Snaptain A10 not only indoors, but also outdoors, we recommend doing so only in calm or minimal wind, as the drone drifts easily due to its light weight.
The remote control
The 2.4 GHz remote control is relatively light and feels good in the hand. The controller has a retractable smartphone holder and has various buttons to set functions like Headless mode, 3D flips, speed, etc.
Three AAA batteries or rechargeable batteries are still needed to operate the remote control.
The camera of the Snaptain A10
The HD camera of the Snaptain A10 takes photos and videos in 720p. The FOV (Field of View) is 120° and thus wide-angled. The camera is fixed and cannot be tilted during or before flight.
The quality of the 720p recordings is surprisingly good for this price range. Although the drone does not have a gimbal for image stabilization, as is usual for this price range, the recordings are still quite respectable.
However, if you are looking for a drone with a camera for highly professional shots, you should definitely buy a different drone. However, the video quality is more than sufficient for first experiences with camera drones.
The transmission of the FPV live image to the own smartphone is also in 720p. In order to display the live image on your own smartphone, you first need the “Snaptain Air” app, which is available for free download for both Android and iOS devices.
Since the Snaptain A10 does not have a slot for a memory card, photos and videos are stored directly on the smartphone.
Flight modes and extras
Even though it doesn’t have a GPS module, the small mini-drone still has a few automatic flight modes that provide some variety in the sky.
In Circle Mode, it performs tight circles on its own at the push of a button. The mode can be triggered via a button on the controller.
For acrobatic flight maneuvers, the Snaptain A10 also has a 360° flip function, in which it flips over in various directions.
Those who do not want to control the drone with the controller or smartphone can do so to a limited extent with the built-in voice control. The following commands are available: “take off”, “landing”, “left”, “right”, “forward”, “backward”.
Although the drone responds to the commands in most cases, precise control via voice is almost impossible.
Thanks to the built-in camera, the Snaptain A10 can even interpret some gestures and perform corresponding actions. For example, show the drone your thumb and it will start recording a video of you. Shape the “Victory sign” and the drone will start taking a photo.
Scope of delivery
- 1 x Snaptain A10
- 1 x remote control (batteries not included)
- 2 x 3.7 V, 380 mAh Li-Ion batteries
- 4 x propeller guards
- 4 x spare rotor blades
- 1 x USB charging cable
- 1 x screwdriver
- 1 x instruction manual
Conclusion
The Snaptain A10 is an ultra-compact mini drone with HD camera and FPV live image transmission. The foldable mini quadcopter is visually very reminiscent of the DJI Mini 2, but is even more compact.
Thanks to good material and workmanship quality as well as an attachable and detachable propeller guard, the copter is very stable and almost always survives small collisions with walls or furniture unscathed.
With three different speeds and optional Headless mode, the drone can be easily controlled even by beginners, both indoors and outdoors.
The 720p camera takes very decent footage for this price range, which can be streamed to your smartphone in real time. The flight time per battery is about 7 minutes. Since two batteries are included right away, you can enjoy up to 14 minutes of flying fun before the batteries need to be recharged.
All in all, the Snaptain A10 is an excellent mini drone with HD camera at a fair price, which we can highly recommend!