SG900 Drone Review – A Decent HD Camer Drone For Less Than $100

Hi and welcome to my review of the SG900 drone, a drone that comes with an HD camera, some cool features and costs less than $100!!

A few years ago, there were hardly any drones that came with an HD camera and smart flight modes. Those that did, cost well over $100, however, nowadays we are really spoiled for choice, not only are there many drones with advanced features but a lot of these drones are also budget-friendly, like the SG900 drone.

If you are looking for a cheap drone, that is suitable for beginners and comes with some really good features, carry on reading this review of the SG900 drone as it ticks all those box’s and is a good overall drone.

SG900 Drone Review

When you first see the SG900 drone, the first thing you will notice is that it is a foldable drone, it does not have to slickest of designs but it is compact which makes it easier to carry around and also makes it a great travel drone.

Something else you will notice is how light the SG900 drone is, it weighs just over 200g, this is important because if you live in the UK, Canada or USA, any drone over 250g will need to be registered, however, since the SG900 is under this weight limit, there is no need to register it.

If you live in any other country, please do check what the rules and regulations are before purchasing any drone.

In its expanded form, the SG900 drone is rather large, measuring 29*29*4 cm, it has a sturdy build which means it will not break easily, so if you manage to lightly crash it now and then, there will be no serious damage to it.

The drone comes in two colours, black or white, I personally prefer the black version, it looks a little more futuristic and it matches the colour of the controller.

It comes with brushed motors which will need maintenance from time to time, so keep that in mind before you purchase this drone ( I prefer drone with brushless motors, they are more powerful, last longer and don’t require as much maintenance as brushed motors).

Like most drones, the SG900 comes with some cool LED lights that are situated underneath each rotor. These lights will come in handy if you want to fly during the night and they also help to indicate when the drone is fully calibrated.

The drone is powered by 7.4v 1100 mAh lipo battery, which fits on the belly of the drone and the battery will provide you with a flight time of around 10 minutes, which is not a lot. However, you also get the option to purchase the drone with a battery that has 1600 mAh capacity which provides around 20 minutes of flight time. It will cost a little bit extra, but in my opinion, it is worth it.

Whether you purchase the low capacity battery or the higher one, I always advise people to purchase at least one extra battery because they take so long to fully re-charge and you cannot fully enjoy flying a drone for just 10-20 minutes.

One of the best features of this drone is the remote controller, I have seen a lot of drones that come with controllers which look ugly and do not match the aesthetics of the drone. However, the controller for the SG900 looks very modern, it’s not too big, is comfortable to hold and has a minimalistic design.

The controller is powered by an internal rechargeable battery and has several LED lights in the middle that will indicate the battery charge level. The control sticks are easy to manoeuvre, and it has buttons for take-off, landing, taking videos and images. There is also a smartphone attachment on the top that can hold a large smartphone but not a tablet.

SG900 Camera

Now, to my favourite feature of the SG900 drone (actually my favourite feature of any drone) and that is its HD camera.

As many of my regular readers will be aware, cameras are my favourite parts of a drone and although, you will not be winning any awards with the SG900 camera, you will be able to take some decent videos and aerial images.

The camera has 120° FOV that will give you a wider range of view allowing you to capture more details in every shot

It is a 1080p camera and you can adjust the angle manually 45°, although it would have been more convenient if you could do this via the remote that way you would have been able to see the angle that you want and adjust accordingly.

Unfortunately, the drone does not come with a micro SD card slot, so the video footage and images will be recorded on your phone, so do make sure that you have enough memory space. The video streaming quality is decent enough, to get the best quality, make sure you stay well within the FPV transmission range which is around 80 meters.

It’s not the best camera, but for something under $100, its more than worth it.

Other Features

The SG900 drone comes with a few other features that will make it easier and more enjoyable to fly this drone.

GPS – Will give an accurate position of the drone on the app and allows for a more stable flying experience.

Altitude Hold – Allows the drone to maintain a steady altitude for a more stable flight and will allow you to take better aerial images.

Automatic Home Return – Both the app and remote controller have a one-button return home feature. Once activated, the drone will return to its flight of origin, this mode is will be activated automatically if you lose connection or if the drone has a low battery charge.

Orbit Mode – This is one of three smart flight modes the drone comes with, in orbit mode, the drone will lock onto a point of interest and orbit that position from a height and distance of your choosing.

Tracking – The drone will lock onto your smartphone and follow you wherever you go. A cool way to record yourself if you are out on a long walk.

WayPoint – This is a smart flight mode that every drone seems to have nowadays, you can draw a flight path on the app and the drone will fly along that route and come back home automatically.

All smart flight modes allow you to take video footage and aerial photography without having to worry about controlling the drone.

Flight Performance

The SG900 drone is easy to fly, it holds up well in the air and maintains a steady altitude, it has a couple of speed modes but nothing too fast that a beginner cannot handle. The controller comes with a button that flips the drone 360° which looks cool during night time when the LED lights can be seen. It’s a very light drone, so it will not hold up very well in windy conditions.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a beginner-friendly drone for under $100, the SG900 is a good choice. It comes with a decent camera, some good features like GPS, smart flight modes and automatic home return. For a good alternative to the SG900, check out the DJI Tello drone which also sells for less than $100.