Deerc DE22 Pro Drone Short Review

The Deerc DE22 Pro is a mid-tier drone that comes with an HD camera capable of recording 4k video footage and captures images in 8MP. It’s a foldable drone which makes it easier to carry around and travel with. It comes with some good features like over 20 minutes of flight time, intelligent flight modes and an automatic return to home feature. It’s a good drone but there are alternatives at a similar price point which I mention near the end of this review.

Key Features

  • Sony sensor
  • 100° FOV
  • 8MP images
  • Records videos in 4k@30fps 
  • 2-axis gimbal
  • Dual GNSS receiver
  • EIS
  • Intelligent flight modes
  • Automatic return to home
  • 28 minutes of flight time
  • 1.5km control range

Welcome to this review of the Deerc DE22 Pro drone, this is a relatively new drone that was released around the end of 2020.

Deerc are a popular mid-tier drone brand on Amazon and a quick peruse of their customer reviews shows most of their products are getting positive feedback.

The Deerc DE22 Pro drone is an upgrade to the original DE22 drone, the main upgrade being its camera and flight time.

I should add that this drone is being sold under two other brands, the SJRC F11 Pro and the Ruko F11 Gim.

So, if after reading this review, you decide to purchase this drone, you may want to shop around and see if the other ones are selling at a cheaper price.

One thing I must note is that this drone weighs around 550g, which means if you live in the USA or UK, you will need to register the drone with the FAA or the CAA.

If you live anywhere else, please familiarise yourself with the local drones laws and make sure to abide by them.

Deerc DE22 Pro Drone Review

The Deerc DE22 Pro is a medium-sized foldable drone that has a large body mainly because of its battery.

Although foldable drones are my favourite and probably the most popular type of consumer drone, I personally do not like the overall design of this particular drone.

Its large body is not aesthetically pleasing compared to something like the Holy Stone S720E, which has a more elegant aerodynamic design.

This is just my opinion and shouldn’t be a factor in your decision on whether you purchase this drone.

Its size and weight do have some benefits, the main one being the drone holds up well in slightly windy conditions.

The Deerc DE22 Pro comes with brushless motors, which is now standard for drones in this price range. Brushless motors provide more flight stability and speed as well as lasting longer than brushed motors.

There are LED lights at the end of each rotor, which seems to be standard for these mid-tier drones.

The lights look cool if you fly in twilight hours, although I don’t recommend this, especially if you are a beginner.

The lights also help indicate things like compass calibration, flight mode and help identify any issues with the drone.

There is a micro SD card slot on the side, it takes a maximum capacity of 128GB, unfortunately, a memory card is not included with the drone package.

You will need one if you want to record images and video footage in the highest possible resolution. It is advised you purchase a memory card with a Class 10 rating or above.

The drone is powered by an 11.1v 2500 mAh lithium polymer battery which provides the drone with a flight time of around 22-26 minutes.

This is a pretty good flight time, and you are provided with an extra battery which will extend the flight time without having to wait for the battery to recharge.

One of the best features of this drone is it’s remote controller, its small and has a minimalist design and is comfortable to hold thanks to the pair of handles that pull out from the bottom.

The controller has a nice LDC screen that displays telemetry data about the drone and has a smartphone attachment on top.

The controller has an overall range of around 1500 meters and for image and video transmission, its around half that range.

There is no need to purchase any batteries for this controller as it is powered by an internal battery.

To use the drone FPV feature and its smart flight modes, you will need to download the official Deerc GPS app.

It’s available on both Google Play and the Apple App store and works on devices that are running on Android 5.1 or later and iOS 9.0 or later.

Deerc DE22 Pro Camera

The camera is the best feature of this drone, it’s an HD camera that will allow you to capture some good aerial photos and video footage.

The camera has a Sony sensor with a fixed aperture of f/2.15 and has a 100° FOV.

It’s stabilised by a 2-axis gimbal and also comes with an electronic image stabilisation both of which reduce distortion like shakiness and motion blur.

The camera captures images in 8MP and can record videos in 4k at 30fps provided that it is recorded on a fast micro SD card.

Otherwise, the video footage will be recorded in 720p on your smartphone.

Live video footage is streamed in 720p and you will need a smartphone that has 5G WiFi to use sits FPV feature.

Overall, the camera quality is good, however, as it is priced between $300-$400, I think a drone like the DJI Mini SE or the Mini 2 would be a good alternative.

Deerc DE22 Pro Features & Performance

The drone comes with several advanced features that provide users with a better flying experience.

It comes with dual GNSS receivers that allows it to connect with two satellite systems, specifically, GPS and GLONASS.

It has several speed modes that will allow you to test your flying skills, it has a top speed of 27 mph which can be achieved in its sports mode.

There are 3 GPS enabled intelligent flight modes, these flight modes are accessible via the app and work only in areas with a strong GPS signal.

Since the drone comes with a dual GNSS receiver, it would be hard to find an area with a weak signal.

The three intelligent flight modes are, follow me, orbit mode, and tap fly.

Follow me mode is self-explanatory, the drone locks on to your smartphone and follows you from behind.

In orbit mode, you can lock the drone on a point of interest, and it will automatically circle that position.

The final intelligent flight mode is tap fly, here you can tap anywhere within the app and the drone will fly to that position.

The drone allows you to capture images and videos from close range through hand gestures.

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

You can also activate it via the remote controller or the app.

The drone fly’s well, is stable and doesn’t drift much and is easy to operate which makes it suitable even for beginners.

Most of the features work well and the camera does produce decent quality images and photos.

The drone is advertised as having 28 minutes of flight time, this is slightly exaggerated, you will get around 22 minutes of flight time, maybe a little more if weather conditions are perfect and you don’t fly too fast.

Final Thoughts

This is a good drone and comes with some advanced features, it’s fun to fly and the camera is of good quality. However, as it costs between $300-$400, you may want to look at alternative’s drones at a similar price range.

My personal opinion would be to check out the DJI Mini drones, the Mini SE costs under $300 and the Mini 2 costs under $400.