This product review is written by Garfield (member of our Multicopters International Facebook Group) and edited by Oscar. Many thanks to RC online shop Gearbest for sending us the quadcopter sample.

Get your Syma X5SC Here.

The package includes everything you need to begin a great quadcopter flying adventure. You are also given a 4GB SD card and a screw driver, this is a complete ARTF Multirotor.

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Syma X5SC RTF Quadcopter Unboxing

My first impression when I opened the box was: “Wow , this product must be created by a team of professional engineers!” Even though the Syma X5SC was designed for novice pilots, I’m sure experienced pilots will enjoy this beautiful Baby too :)

The X5S series is a newer, improved model of the X5. In the X5S Series there are 2 versions: Syma X5S-1 and X5SC-1. The appearance is more or less the same, but the X5SC comes with additional onboard camera, so I guess the letter “C” in the name probably means “Camera”.

Specification

• Packaging Size: 16.25 x 13.75 x 3.75 inch
• Product Size: 12.4 x 12.4 x 4.1in
• Packaging Weight: 2lb 1.7oz
• Control Mode: Remote Control
• Control Distance: about 30m
• Battery for RC Quad Copter: 3.7V 500mAh LiPO Battery
• Charging Mode: USB charging
• Charging Time: About 130 mins
• Flight Time: About 5.5 mins

Includes:

• 1 x Syma Syma X5SC RC Quad Copter
• 1 x 2.4G Remote Controller (does not include 1.5v AA batteries)
• 1 x USB charging cable
• 4 x Rotating blade
• 4 x Protection frames
• 4 x Landing gears
• 1 x Screwdriver
• 1 x 3.7V 500mAh LiPO battery
• 1 x 4gb Micro SD card
• 1 x Card Reader
• 1 x User Manual

There are one 1s LiPo Pack ( 3.7V ) and an USB charger, Propellers are already mounted on the quad, and a set of Propellers Guards.

The Syma X5SC-1 comes ARTF (Assembled, ready to fly), all you have to do is mounting the 4 landing gears on the quadcopter, the screws are already in the holes so you just need to take the provided screwdriver and tighten the screws.

There is a spare set of propellers in the box. These propellers are very tough and very difficult to break. For beginners I recommend using the Prop-Guards provided, to protect the props, and people / property around the quadcopter.

This little quad is very light, with battery only weights 114g

A little heavier than the old version, X5 which is 102g.

Dimension

Syma X5SC-1 can fit in a 19cm Square box without propellers on, 11cm Height with Landing Gears on (the older version X5 is 7.2cm height), Propellers are the same as the X5: 13.6 cm. With Prop-Guards the Quad can fit in a 31 cm square box.

The lipo battery pack is a 3.7V 500 mAh ( Height: 8.26mm x Width: 25.73mm x Length: 43.28mm) and the battery holder is little larger and permit to hold larger batteries ( Height: 10.82mm x Width: 28.59mm x Length: 56.7mm). According to Syma, the stock battery can power the quad for almost 5:30 minutes. But I found mine flight time to be almost 6:30 minutes , I imagine with 650-700mAh Lipo we can get 9-10min flight time.

You can carry the Syma X5SC around without problems, it is very light good for travelling.

About the radio signal: the Documentation claims 50m of range , and I was surprised that I was able to control the Quad up to 150m far. The range seems to decrease batteries voltage level. Probably not a good idea to fly it when your battery level is low.

Motor Measurement

What’s New in the Syma X5SC

In this Upgrade compared to the Syma X5, the battery holder opens up without the need to move the camera. As the holder is larger, the battery can be take off easily when charging.

This was the old X5 holder

I would recommend taking the LiPo battery off the holder before charging for safety reasons. With the provided USB cable , the charge time is about 2 hours ( 130mn on the Manual ) , and almost 1 hour on a smart phone charger.

The power switch is no longer on the back side, but under the frame which is very handy. The camera is removable in this upgrade as it was secured by screws in the last version. In this version, the radio can also be setup in either mode 2 or mode 4: Throttle and Yaw = Left Stick.

Stick trims are available for roll, pitch and yaw , but the throttle trim is used to take photo ( up ) or trigger Video Recording ( down ). The 2 buttons on the top of the 2.4Ghz Radio transmitter allows you to select different rates (how big the stick movement is), the left one to choose Low mode ( beginner level ), and High mode ( advanced level ), the left button can also activate the head-free Flight mode by holding down the button for 3 seconds, the right button is used to perform nice acro by pressing and auctioning the rudder stick simultaneously , this make 360° Barrel Roll , Front Flips, Back Flip etc.

The buttons on each side of the LCD are only decorations, they don’t do anything :)

The Landing Gears are little higher than the previous version, perhaps we can attach a RunCam / Mobius or some other small Keychain Camera : something to be tested in the future :)

Ready For Some Action

Here is how to get started.

You power on the Radio first, place the Syma X5SC on the ground, hook up the lipo battery to the quad, and switch it on ( the button under the frame ) . The Light located on the back of the arms should flash, then hold the throttle stick full on and full down to synchronize the radio and the quad, once you have done that the lights will stop blinking. Now we need to arm the quad, by holding Throttle stick down, Yaw Right, Pitch stick down and Roll Right Simultaneously.

Now You are Ready For action!!!

I only tested simple movements to make sure the quad flies well. It’s very easy to control even for beginners. I let my friend to have a go on this quad (who is a complete beginner), I am completely impressed, it took him no more than 5 minutes to learn how to fly this quad relatively well, and became a confident pilot.

Next Level : Functions

Throwing Flight !!

There is a funny function on the Syma X5SC quadcopter, which is called “Throwing flight”, I didn’t make this up. :)  You are supposed to throw the quad in the air, push throttle stick up and the Quad should level itself thanks to the 6-axis Gyroscopes sensor, and you can continue to fly it normally.

Head-Free Flight Mode

For many beginners, it’s easy to get confused about where the quadcopter is heading, especially with distance it gets more difficult as you fly further and further away.

This mini quadcopter offers a solution: head-free flight mode.

Regardless what direction the quad is facing, it will always follow your pitch/roll stick movement,  Be careful this mode relies on your relative position to the quadcopter, so after you trigger head-free flight mode, don’t walk anywhere.

3D Eversion ( Acro )

The acro mode (rate mode) is called 3D eversion on the Syma, this allows the pilot to make all sorts of acrobatic moves like Barrel Roll, Flip, back-flip etc.

Onboard Camera Test

Tests on the way.

Conclusion

Cons

I really like this quadcopter. Even a complete beginner can master flying this quad in half an hour. For more advance pilots, you can practice flying indoor when it rains, because it is very well balanced and stabilized, With the Prop-Guard you can do acro in your dining room without scratching your TV screen :)

The headless flight mode is great in emergency situation to avoid fly-aways and crashing.

I like the design of the frame, this Quad is incredibly light compared to the other RTF quadcopter I fly with.

Cons

Don’t expect to fly this quadcopter outdoor on a windy day , the Quad is so light and cannot fight the wind.

The battery is too short , and average of 5 minutes , need to order some more spare batteries.

While the camera is pretty good quality in daylight, it’s not great in low light condition. The camera also draws quite a lot of power and reduces flight time when it’s on.

Documentation has some errors, although not critical but could cause confusions to beginners.

For more Syma X5SC gear.