Contixo F35 Short Review

The Contixo F35 is a nice foldable GPS drone that comes with a good HD camera that is stabilised by a 2-axis gimbal and has an electronic image stabilisation feature. It has a good flight time of 25 minutes and in good weather conditions, its control range is around 1km. The camera can record in 4k (interpolated) and transmit live video feed in 720p. It comes with 3 autonomous flight modes and has an automatic return to home feature. A good drone that is suitable for beginners but there are better options which I mention near the end of this article.

Key Features

  • HD 4K camera (Interpolated)
  • 100° FOV
  • 2-axis gimbal
  • Electronic image stabilisation
  • 25 minutes of flight time
  • GPS/GLONASS
  • Intelligent flight modes
  • Automatic return home
  • 1km range

Hi and welcome to this review of the Contixo F35 GPS drone with an HD camera and several advanced features such as autonomous flight modes and automatic return to home.

Now, I have reviewed a few Contixo drones and on the whole, they are decent and fun to fly.

However, many of these smaller brand drones may exaggerate some of their features, like for example, the quality of their cameras.

With the Contixo F35, it claims the camera records in 4k, which is true, but the quality suggests that it’s interpolated from either 1080p or 720p. This issue doesn’t really matter because no one is purchasing this drone for professional photography reasons, however, it’s something you should be aware of if you decide to purchase this drone.

So, how does the drone perform? Read on and find out in this review.

Contixo F35 Drone Review

So, first, let’s talk about the design of this drone, it is a foldable drone but because of its large battery, looks kind of bulky. Personally, it’s not very aesthetically pleasing to the eyes as something like the Holy Stone HS720E, which looks much sleeker with its streamlined design.

That’s just a personal preference and should not really determine whether you want to buy this drone or not.

contixo f35 review

One thing I have to mention about its design is regarding the weight of the drone weighs just under 600g which means if you live in the UK or USA, you will need to register the drone with CAA/FAA. If you love anywhere else, please make yourself familiar with the drone laws of your locality and adhere to them.

It has an all-black colour scheme with LED lights on each rotor, if you are familiar with these types of drones then you will know that the LED lights are not there just to look nice if you fly during twilight hours. They help indicate when a drone is synced with the controller as well as indicating when the compass is fully calibrated.

It does come with brushless motors, which is a good thing as they are more efficient and powerful than the cheaper brushed motors. They help keep the drone stable during flight and also allow it to fly faster.

There is no optical flow sensor, which is a shame as it means that you cannot fly this drone in areas that have a weak GPS signal. Its GNSS module connects with both GPS and GLONASS satellite system, so the chances of not finding satellite signal are minimal.

A GPS-enabled drone comes with a few benefits such as tracking the drone on s smartphone via the drone app, so you don’t lose it and autonomous flight modes such as tracking/following you, circling an object, and waypoint.

As for the battery, the drone is powered by a 2500 mAh 11.1v lithium polymer battery that provides a flight time of around 25 minutes, which is good for a drone of this quality. The officially stated time is around 30 minutes, however, tests have shown it to be a little less. It actually does state the correct flight time in the manual but for some reason (marketing most probably) on its product page, it’s stated at 30 minutes.

The battery takes over four hours to fully recharge and it a few LED lights on top to indicate its overall power level. If you would like to extend the flight time, it’s a good idea to purchase at least one more battery, there is an option to purchase the drone with an extra battery, which may be the cheaper option rather than purchasing one later.

The drones remote controller is similar to the Contixo F24, it’s a small controller that is powered by an internal battery and has a nice LED screen in the middle that displays drone data such as GPS signal strength, battery level, what mode the drone is in, and its distance/height.

There is a smartphone holder on top and a pair of hands on the bottom and buttons to switch speeds, emergency stop, take photos/videos and a dial on top to control the camera gimbal.

To use the drones FPV features you will need to download the F35 app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices. However, it should be noted that you will need a 5G smartphone to use the drones FPV features, anything else and you will not be able to view the live video feed from the camera.

The app gives you access to most of the drone’s main features such as intelligent flight modes, camera zoom, gesture control, and a simple video editing tool. You can also set the flight parameters within the app, like setting its maximum height and distance as well as its altitude for when it returns home.

Contixo F35 Camera

contixo f35 review

As I mentioned earlier in the review, the drone comes with an HD camera that records video footage in 4k at 30fps. However, while the quality is good, especially if you record it on a memory card (which you get with the drone), it is not true 4k as it looks to be interpolated or scaled up from a lower resolution.

With that said, it is a good camera, and the resolution for both videos and images is nice and the camera does have a couple stabilisation features to reduce distortion like its 2-axis gimbal and electronic image stabilisation. There is a memory card slot on the bottom of the drone and as I mentioned you do get a memory card supplied with the drone, which was a pleasant surprise because you usually don’t get one with these types of drones. It is a 64GB card and you will need to format it on your PC before you can start using it to record your videos and photos.

The control range to use the camera features is around 1km in good weather and no obstruction. If you keep the drone well within your line of view (which are legally obliged to do) you should have no problem using the camera.

Contixo F35 Intelligent Flight Modes

Like a lot of drones around this price range, the Contixo F35 comes with a few autonomous flight modes that will allow you to fly it hands-free. Now, these flight modes work best in areas with a strong GPS signal, otherwise, they may not work as they should.

These are the flight modes:

Waypoint– allows you to draw a flight path on the app and the drone will automatically fly along that route.

Follow me – As the name suggests, the drone will lock on to your smartphone’s GPS signal and follow you.

Orbit mode – Similar to follow me mode, however, this time the drone will circle or orbit you from a height and distance that you can set within the app.

The drone also comes with an automatic return to home feature, this feature is activated whenever the battery gets low on charge or if the drone goes out of range.

Contixo F35 – Flight Performance

The overall flight performance of this drone is good, it’s pretty easy to fly and as long as you follow the instructions, you should have no problems with this drone. The live FPV feed works best on a 5G-enabled drone and is transmitted in 720p quality. The videos and photos are of good quality, you may notice some distortion in the videos, especially if you record on your smartphone. The control range is around 1km and but for recording video and capturing photos it’s around 50 meters. For a drone that costs just under $300, it’s worth considering.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Contixo F35 is a good GPS drone, it comes with some nice features and a decent HD camera. Its foldable design makes it nice and compact and easy to carry around and it’s priced just under $300, which is fair. If you want some alternatives, check out the Hubsan Zino, SJRC F11 Pro, or the Holy Stone HS720E.

My favourite drone in this price range is the DJI Mini SE, it is DJI’s cheapest drone and comes with some very good features that includes an HD camera that is stabilised by a 3-axis gimbal and can records video footage in 2.7k at 30fps and capture 12MP images.

DJI Mini SE

Best Alternative
9/10 Our Score
  • 1/2.3-inch sensor
  • 3-axis gimbal stabilisation
  • 12MP images
  • Records videos in 2.7k at 30fps
  • 4 Quickshots for one-click cinematic videos
  • 30 minutes of flight time
  • 4km transmission range