Hubsan Zino 2 Short Review

The Hubsan Zino 2 is a great foldable drone that comes with a good 4k camera and several advanced features. The camera sports a Sony image sensor and has an advanced image chipset from Ambarella which will help capture more colours for a higher dynamic range. It has a dual GPS module and comes with a vision positioning system to help with flight stabilisation. The drone comes with several intelligent flight modes that includes image tracking, waypoint and orbit mode. The Zino 2 drone has one of the best flight times for a consumer drone at around 30 minutes and has a transmission range of 8km.

Key Features

  • 4k/60fps, 2.7k/60fps, 1080p/120fps camera
  • Sony 1/2.3-inch sensor
  • 12MP still images
  • Ambarella H22 chipset with EIS and HDR
  • 3-axis gimbal
  • Panoramic photography
  • 720p live video feed
  • 30 minutes of flight time
  • Intelligent flight modes
  • 8km transmission range

Hi and welcome to my review of the Hubsan Zino 2 drone.

This is the latest drone in the Hubsan Zino series and it’s their most advanced drone to date. The Zino drones have become quite popular as they are cheap alternatives to the likes of DJI and Autel drones.

Consumer drones have exploded in popularity over the past few years, however, until very recently, drones that came with a camera that could be used for professional photography, usually were very expensive.

If you are looking to get into drone photography, the Hubsan Zino 2 might be what you are looking for, tt’s not too expensive for a photography drone (costs just under $500) and comes with lots of advanced features that includes a very good 4K HD camera.

Having said that, DJI just recently released the successor to their popular Mavic Mini, called the DJI Mini 2. It comes with many of the innovative features that have made DJI so popular and it costs under $500. In any drone battle between a DJI drone and another brand, usually, the DJI drone will come out on top, however, as you shall see from this Hubsan Zino 2 review, this is a good drone for photography without the huge price tag.

Hubsan Zino 2 Review

So, in terms of design, the Hubsan Zino 2 does not deviate much from the original Hubsan or the Pro version. It’s built from ABS plastic and has a very solid structure, this is a drone that you will be able to fly in windy conditions if you want.

hubsan zino 2 review

It’s a foldable drone, although it is one of the larger foldable drones on the market and weighs just under 1kg. Its weight means you will have to register the drone if you live in the UK, Canada or the USA and if you plan on using it for commercial reasons, you will need permission from your local aviation authority.

One of the advantages of foldable drones and the reason why they are my favourite type of drones is because they are very compact in their folded form, this makes them easier to carry around and the best choice of drones to travel with. So, if you are a travel photographer and looking for a drone to expand your services, foldable drones like the Hubsan Zino 2 are the way to go.

One of the accessories you get with Hubsan Zino 2 is shoulder strap carry case which will be useful if you plan on travelling around with the drone, it also saves you money from having to purchase one separately.

As for the overall aesthetics of the drone, it has a black and white colour scheme and a nice looking green logo on top.

It comes with a dual GPS module for more accurate positioning data and better flight stabilisation. Its GPS system also allows for the drone to fly autonomously via its intelligent flight modes which I will explain later in this article.

It also has a set of infrared and optical flow sensors on its belly that help with flight stabilisation, this vision system comes in handy if you are flying in an area with a weak GPS signal. In theory, this will allow you to fly the drone indoors, however, as its quite a big drone, the indoor area would have to be large for you to fly the drone safely.

hubsan zino 2 review

The drone comes with powerful brushless motors and they are one of the reasons the drone flys smoothly and can maintain a steady altitude while hovering. Underneath each rotor arm are LED lights that will help you calibrate the drone’s compass and also allow you to fly the drone in twilight hours.

There is a micro SD card slot on the side of the drone, it takes memory card of U3 or above and the maximum capacity is 128Gb. Unfortunately, you do not get a memory card with the drone, so you will need to purchase if you want to records videos and images at their best quality.

One of the main selling points of this drone is its flight time, which is around 30 minutes, this makes it one of the longest flight times for a consumer drone at any price range. It’s a good flight time and one of the reasons is because it is powered by an intelligent lithium-polymer battery that has a 15.2v 3800mAh rating.

This is a powerful battery, but it does take a few hours to fully recharge, so if you want to extend the flight time, it is advised that you purchase at least one more battery.

One last thing I want to mention is regarding the drone’s remote controller, which has also been upgraded from the previous version. It has a longer flight range at around 8km and uses a better image transmission technology. There is a smartphone attachment that pulls out from the bottom and one of the best features is the LCD screen in the middle. This screen displays vital telemetry data about the drone such as its battery level, number of satellites, its GPS status, the drone’s height and distance and its flight mode.

To make use of the drones FPV and intelligent flight modes, you will need to download the X-Hubsan 2 app which compatible with both Android and iOs devices. This is an updated version of the original app, its very user friendly and gives you access to all of the drone’s features like live video streaming and the intelligent flight modes.

Hubsan Zino 2 Camera

hubsan zino 2 review

So, the best feature of this drone is definitely the 4K HD camera.

Cameras are the main reason for the huge popularity for drones, they allow you to view the world from a completely different perspective and experience places you may have not otherwise seen.

With the Hubsan Zino 2, you get access to a camera that is capable of recording HD video footage in 4k at 60fps and at a recording speed of 100Mbps. You can also capture images in 12MP and in both RAW and JPEG which will give you more options for further enhancement in post-production.

The camera is stabilised by a 3-axis gimbal that will minimise any kind of distortion in videos and photos. The camera also comes with an image chipset from Ambarella which will allow it to capture more colours for higher dynamic range and also provides extra stabilisation via its EIS system.

You can also capture different types of panorama photography and hyperlapse videos via the app. The 3-axis gimbal is detachable, so in theory, you can attach a different type of camera, however, at this moment, I don’t know of any camera that is compatible with the Zino 2 drone.

Overall, it is a very good camera and for its price, totally worth it. However, if you want more options at a similar price range, check out this list of the best drones under $500, I personally believe the DJI Mini 2 is the best drone in this price range.

Intelligent Flight Modes

As you would expect from an advanced GPS drone, the Zino 2 comes with several intelligent flight modes that will allow you to operate the drone autonomously, giving you more control over taking better photos and videos.

The intelligent flight modes are accessed via the app and only work in areas with a strong GPS signal. These modes include the following:

Follow me – There are two options to this smart flight modes, you can either follow people via its image tracking feature or it can just follow you by locking on to your phone.

Orbit mode – In this smart flight mode, you can lock the drone on to a point of interest and the drone will orbit that position on autopilot.

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

Line Fly – This is similar to the Waypoint mode, however, you don’t draw a path but just tap positions on the app and the drone will fly to that point.

The drone also comes with an automatic return to home feature that will minimise the risks of losing the drone in mid-flight. This feature is activated if the drone battery gets low on power or if you lose connection with it.

Flight Performance

The overall flight performance of the Zino 2 is very good, this something you would expect from a Hubsan drone. Thanks to its advanced flight features, it hovers accurately and maintains steady altitude whilst flying. It has three flight modes, a normal mode, a speed mode and movie mode. The speed mode allows the drone to reach a top speed of 70 km/h and should only be used by experienced pilots. In the movie mode, the drones speed a drastically reduced to allow you to capture slow-motion cinematic videos. It’s a relatively easy drone to fly and thanks to its advanced technology, even beginners will find it easy to operate.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the best low-cost drones for photography, it’s not as good as the DJI Mavic or Autel Evo drones but for its price, I think it is worth considering, especially if you are on a budget but want to get started with drone photography. Having said that, I do believe there is a better alternative in the new DJI Mini 2 drone. It’s around the same price range and comes with many of the same features and crucially, it comes with the DJI name. Both are great drones, but I would personally go with DJI drone if there isn’t to much difference in the price.