Review: Goolrc T47 Drone

This T47 drone was provided to me by RC Moment to review.

A tiny, hand held drone, with blinkenlights, and SELFIE MODE! The 720p camera can record video as it flies, or turn around and snap a photo of you. It also has a range of SnapChat-style filters. Not bad for something costing £40.

The motors and propellers fold away into the body of the drone - making it less prone to damage in transit.

Black Box

It all comes wrapped up in a portable padded box.

Bundled in with the drone, you get:

• Wii style remote - with joystick and motion detection.
• USB cable (proprietary, unfortunately).
• Repair kit - screwdriver, four replacement propellers, and some foam pads.
• Instruction manual - for once, this is well translated and comprehensive.

The Power of Love

The big issue with drones is how power hungry they are. This is one is no different. There are no LEDs on the battery, so it is impossible to tell when it has fully charged. The flight time is about 5 minutes. Not bad for a small drone - but you'll probably want to get a couple of spare batteries.

One cool thing - there's a charging LED in the USB end of the cable:

A few other power niggles:

• Uses a non-standard USB cable. If you lose it, you'll need to find another one with a barrel connector.
• The remote uses AA batteries. Might have been helpful if it was also rechargeable. But it isn't a big deal

Control

The controller remote looks - and functions - like a Nintendo Wii remote. It has motion controllers built in to it - so you can fly the drone by moving your hand.

The joystick can also be used to control it. The four buttons are unlabelled, and activate various functions. You'll want to keep the manual close at hand while you learn what they do.

App

sigh The Android app isn't great. That's similar to most drones on the market. It is poorly translated and tricky to use.

For forty-quid I don't expect a perfect app, but this is barely capable. The reviews make very clear that it doesn't work for a lot of people.

It didn't work for me. I tried a couple of Android phones and tablets, but I couldn't get it to connect. That meant I wasn't able to use the camera, or test the other features.

Flight Tests

Like all drones, it takes practice to fly. The motion controller makes things fairly easy - once you've worked out how to make it take off!

Verdict

It is ridiculous how cheap these drones are now. You get around 5 - 7 minutes flight time and then need a recharge, that's a little disappointing. The app is woeful - which is a real shame. I was looking forward to taking selfies and seeing where it was flying.

The physical remote is great for controlling the drone's flight. It responds really quickly to the accelerometer and is easy to learn.

Buy it

You can buy this drone - and many, many variants - direct from RC Moment

Discount! Readers of this blog get a US$10 discount with coupon code GOOL.