by 91 reviews.
G11MINI Drone with Camera for Adults 4K: A Comprehensive Review
The G11MINI Drone with Camera for Adults 4K is a lightweight, feature-packed drone designed for beginners and hobbyists. Weighing under 250g, it’s FAA registration-free, making it a hassle-free choice for recreational flying. With a 4K/25fps or 2.7K/50fps camera, 60-minute flight time (thanks to two included batteries), and advanced features like GPS auto-return and 5GHz transmission, this drone promises to deliver a seamless flying experience. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into the details based on real customer experiences.
Pros and Cons: What Customers Are Saying
Build Quality and Durability
The G11MINI has impressed users with its robust build quality. One reviewer mentioned that even after a year of use and "spectacular crashes," the drone continues to function perfectly. The dark green shell and durable camera shield add to its premium feel, making it stand out in the budget drone category.
However, some users noted that the drone’s lightweight design (under 250g) makes it susceptible to wind. Even light breezes of 3-5 mph can push it off course, which might be frustrating for those flying in less-than-ideal weather conditions.
Ease of Use and Setup
For beginners, the G11MINI is a dream come true. Many users praised how easy it is to set up and fly. One customer reported having the drone airborne within 10 minutes of unboxing. The app, Gleesfun Fly, is intuitive and walks users through calibration and setup before each flight.
The remote control is simple to learn, with most users getting the hang of it within 30 minutes. However, some found the multiple button presses required to turn the drone on and off a bit cumbersome. A single-press power button would have been a welcome addition.
Flight Performance and Stability
The G11MINI’s flight performance is a mixed bag. On the positive side, it handles moderate wind conditions surprisingly well, with users reporting stable hovering even in 5-10 mph gusts. The brushless motor ensures smooth and responsive control, making it a joy to fly.
However, the drone suffers from a common issue known as the "toilet bowl effect," where it struggles to maintain a steady hover and begins to drift in widening circles. While this can be managed with manual control, it’s a noticeable drawback for a drone in this price range.
Camera Quality
The 4K camera is one of the G11MINI’s standout features. Users were impressed with the sharp, punchy photos and stable videos it produces. The 120° FOV and adjustable camera angle (0-90 degrees) allow for creative shots, making it a great choice for capturing vacation memories or nature scenes.
That said, the camera’s stability is affected by wind, leading to jumpy footage in breezy conditions. For a budget drone, though, the camera quality is considered excellent value for money.
Battery Life and Charging
With two included batteries, the G11MINI offers up to 60 minutes of flight time, which users found more than sufficient for casual flying. However, the lack of a dedicated charger in the kit was a point of frustration for some. The batteries won’t charge from high-capacity USB-C chargers, requiring users to dig out older, lower-capacity chargers.
GPS and Return-to-Home Functionality
The GPS auto-return feature is a hit-or-miss for users. While it generally works well, some reported inaccuracies, with the drone landing up to 15 feet away from its takeoff point. This is a far cry from more expensive drones that can land within inches of their starting position.
On the bright side, the app’s tracking feature is highly accurate, helping users locate their drone within inches if it goes off course.
Conclusion: Is the G11MINI Worth It?
The G11MINI Drone with Camera for Adults 4K is a solid choice for beginners and casual flyers. Its ease of use, impressive camera quality, and durable build make it a great entry-level drone. However, its susceptibility to wind, "toilet bowl" hovering issue, and minor GPS inaccuracies might be dealbreakers for more experienced users.
If you’re looking for a fun, budget-friendly drone to dip your toes into aerial photography, the G11MINI is hard to beat. But if you’re an experienced pilot seeking precision and advanced features, you might want to explore higher-end options.
Overall, the G11MINI delivers excellent value for its price, making it a worthy addition to any beginner’s drone collection.
Specification G11MINI Drones with Camera for Adults 4k, 60mins Flight Drone, 4k/25fps or 2.7k/50fps Video, Under 250g, GPS Auto Return, Drone with Camera 4k for Beginner，5GHz Transmission, Brushless Motor:
Comments from Amazon:
This is a fun mini drone that comes in under 249 grams allowing recreational flying without registering it. It arrived in a nice zippered case that held, two. Batteries, spare props, charging cables the controller and a pocket for documentation. Due to the recent weather I've only been able to fly it twice. It's quick and very responsive. The controller paired quickly and the app walks the user through the setupa and calibration before a session. Today's weather conditions were clear and COLD 35⁰ F. Battery condition was 100% at the start of the session and each battery lasted about 25 minutes. One note here about the batteries, while the kit includes charging cables it does NOT include a charger. I discovered that the batteries will not charge from a high capacity charger like my PD usb-c chargers. I had to dig out some older chargers to charge the batteries. Coming in under 249 grams makes flying this dragonfly fun BUT it also makes the drone harder to control in in light breezes. Wind today maxed at 3mph gusts and those really did blow me off course. Full disclosure I am a professional photographer (40 yrs experience) for family and 'fun' photos the 4k camera takes snappy & punchy well saturated photos. The videos are equally good although I found that even light breezes made for jumpy videos. For the price I think the camera quality is a good value. For ME the thing I would immediately change is all the button pushing to turn thr unit in. How about we push the button once and it turn on the drone and displays the battery level for 15sec. ? Push again for off... just a thought. Finally I'll review the app. It was stable on my Galaxy s23 Ultra. It walks you through setup before each session. It is well laid out and intuitive. I will update this as I plan to try again with the app running on a 10" tablet.
I just bought this Gleesfun G11Mini drone and I love it. I couldn’t wait to charge it up and get it in the air. I am happy with it for many reasons. I believe it’s a great choice for both beginners and drone hobbyist: From the moment I unwrapped it, I was impressed with the feel and design. The G11Minini is well-built and feels robust. It does not feel like a beginner drone, it has a real sleek design and feel quite solid in your hands. Nice dark Army green color too. Stability: I flew it on a windy day and it was able to hover quite steadily and was very responsive in moderate wind condition. The remote control is very simple and easy to learn. It took about 30 minutes for me to understand all its functions. Be sure to read the manual before you fly. The manual is simple and easy to understand as well. Camera: 4K/25fps is exactly what I need to take on vacation with me. It is fun to operate with its vertical 0 - 90 degree adjustable camera and 120 degree FOV. The battery life is pretty impressive as well. It came with 2 batteries that will give you about an hour of flying time. The return to home RTH function is on point. It was able to land within inches of when of where it started its flight. This a huge plus for me and something I wanted when I purchase this drone. I recommend setting to beginner mode for your first few flights because it is fast and quite responsive. Don’t forget to download the app. You will enjoy flying this aircraft. Overall, it is small, compact, fast, responsive and very easy to fly. The app, Gleesfun Fly has a lot of features. It has a tracking feature that you can used to find your drone if it lost. This feature is very accurate. I tested it and located my drone within inches of where the app directed me to look for it. I truly recommend this drone. It is fun to fly whether you are a newbie or have flying experience.
after 1 year the drone continues to function perfectly even after some spectacular crashes. i have also found the drone and app work well connected to an ipad pro and vitrue xr glasses. this gives a decent FPS view while flying. for an entry level drone this is hard to beat. received the drone today and had it flying within 10 min. packing and case are top notch and the whole kit appears to be well made. each battery had about 50% charge so my first few flights were a bit short. the bad stuff first: as others have reported online this drone suffers from the "toilet bowl" hovering issue. it appears to have issues holding a solid hover more than a few seconds. it slowly begins moving in ever widening circles after a few seconds. this is easily managed by manual control but for the price i'd expect it to be a bit more solid. the drone requires you phone be dedicated to connect to the drones wifi. for video and advance flight features such as waypoints and follow modes. not a problem just be aware it is required. Gps accuracy for return home was pretty far off. my other drone will land within a couple of feet of launch. this one was about 15' away. not a big deal for a budget drone and return did work well enough. the good stuff: SUPER simple to fly and get started. this drone is amazingly simple to calibrate an fly. the app is solid. all feature are easy to access and appear to work well. follow and waypoint modes worked well for a small drone it handles wind pretty well. winds were in the 5-10mph gusts at one point and while it did get blown around it easily handled them and had plenty of power. the camera takes excellent video and videos and pics were surprisingly stable. the gimble system works pretty well. overall this a decent budget level entry drone for a new flyer. i feel the price is a bit high for the performance but the quality is pretty solid and the drone and it's accessories do appear to be solid and well made. if you are an experienced drone pilot this wont be the drone for you. it more in the toy category. if this is a first drone and you want to see if this is your thing, you can do a lot worse.