Hello, drone enthusiasts! Welcome to my Potensic A20 Mini review.
The Potensic A20 mini is a toy drone designed to help beginners, kids, and teenagers get familiar with the handle of flying a drone before moving on to a more complex drone. You wouldn’t want to crash your first $900 drone, would you?
The Potensic A20 mini is a beginner drone. So, if you are a new flyer or thinking of purchasing an expensive drone and you do not have any real experience flying a drone, then you might want to try out the Potensic A20 mini or any other beginner drone.
In this Potensic A20 Mini review, I will go over the features and benefits of this beginner drone to show you if the drone is the right choice for you before you go ahead and purchase it.
Quick Overview of the Potensic A20 Mini
The Potensic A20 Mini is capable of performing the eight axes of flight (forward pitch, backward pitch, left roll, right roll, and left and right yaw). It is equipped with a “headless mode” feature and compact, durable brushed motors. It has an automatic take-off button and a 3-speed range mode. This drone is very durable, which is why it is perfect for beginners.
The Potensic A20 Mini is perfect for beginners, kids, and teenagers. It is easy to fly and handles very well. It comes fixed with a protective propeller guard to prevent any injury during accidents.
The Potensic A20 is perfect for beginners, kids, and teenagers. It is easy to fly and handles very well. It comes fixed with a protective propeller guard to prevent any injury during accidents.
What’s Inside The Potensic A20 Mini Box
- 1 x RC Drone
- 3 x Batteries
- 1 x USB Charger
- 2 x Spare Pairs of Propellers,
- 1 x User Manual
- 1 x Drone Charger
Potensic A20 Mini Specifications
- Product Dimensions: 3.5″L x 3.11″W x 1.26″H
- Item Weight: 0.19 Kilograms
- Control Type: Remote Control
- Maximum Range: 15 Meters
- Material: PP
- Battery Cell Composition: Lithium
Features and Benefits of the Potensic A20 Mini
Let’s go over the features of the Potensic A20 and its benefits to users.
Design and Build
The Potensic A20 mini has a compact and sleek design. It has a similar build and design to the Potensic A20W. This drone can be classified as a small drone measuring 3.5″L x 3.11″ W x 1.26″H.
The Potensic A20 Mini weighs about 0.19kg. Even though it is small in size, it does not cut back in mobility or speed. The A20 Mini weighs less than 250 grams, so you do not have to register it with the FAA before flying.
In all honesty, there are certain drawbacks as a result of its size. Like most small-size drones, it can be challenging to try and fly them outdoors, especially during windy conditions. However, it is perfect for flying indoors.
Ensure that you are using the designated USB charger for the drone, if not you might end up damaging the battery of the drone.
Battery Flight Time
The Potensic A20 mini is powered by a 3.6V 180mAh Li-Po battery that gives it a 6-minute flight time, which is different from the 7-minute flight time that’s advertised on the sales page.
After testing, the Potensic A20 mini battery takes around 40 minutes to charge completely. Three of the batteries used effectively can give you a flight time of 18 minutes. You should consider buying more extra batteries if you desire more flight time.
Remote Control
The Potensic A20 mini remote is great to handle; it has a similar design to the Potensic drone’s remote controllers.
The remote control is not difficult to figure out; it’s pretty straightforward, like the on/off button, take-off, headless mode, and speed dial.
The first thing you notice is that the remote controller has a great grip. You will find the left and right joysticks for controlling the drone during flight.
The left side of the drone has a button that serves as the takeoff button and the emergency landing button. In contrast, the right side of the remote controller has the “power button” for switching on or off the remote controller. There is also an LED light that serves as a power indicator.
On the back of the remote controller, to the right, are the buttons for headless mode (which changes the orientation of the drone) and speed (the A20 has 3 speed modes: high, medium, and low).
The remote comes with triple-A batteries that are enclosed underneath the remote controller.
Control Range
The Potensic A20 has a maximum range of 50 meters. These types of drones do have not GPS and are pretty small; so, do not fly them above your line of sight or the maximum range. Your drone may end up missing and if the battery runs out there will no way to locate it.
The A20 is capable of performing 8 axes of flight (forward pitch, backward pitch, left roll, right roll, and yaw left and right). Its control is good, and, personally, I have not noticed any lag during the flight.
Speed and Power
The Potensic A20 mini comes with a 3-speed mode, which can be adjusted by pressing the speed button on the remote controller. Potensic doesn’t give a direct specification of the speed on the sales page, but many people who purchased the drone on Amazon have attested to how far it can go.
You should be careful about going into full-speed mode because it doesn’t have an obstacle avoidance mode. Plus, you’re more likely to collide with obstacles if you’re a beginner drone pilot. so, avoid places with trees
Durability
Like most other drones, the Potensic A20 mini is made of plastic (reinforced plastic). The drone is light and very easy to carry.
The Potensic A20 mini is fairly durable, despite being made of light and strong plastic; it can even stay together after falling one or two times. However, you should take precautions.
Potensic A20 Mini Pros and Cons
Here, I’ll go over what I like and don’t like about the Potensic A20 Mini
Pros: What I Like About the Potensic A20 Mini
- It is pretty easy to fly
- It comes with an internal miniature barometer for flight stability
- Batteries charge fast and are reliable
- It super easy to calibrate
- Handles well when flying indoors
- It pretty durable
- It comes with fixed propeller guards
- Very reliable and fun to use for beginners
- Excellent drone present for kids.
- Its user interface is pretty basic, and novice fliers will quickly catch up.
- Instruction manuals are easy to follow (they did a great job transmitting from Chinese to English)
Cons: What I Don’t Like About The Potensic A20 Mini
- It can be difficult to fly during windy periods.
- The drone does not have GPS. The chances of your drone getting lost are high if you fly above its range.
- The button can have a lag response time
- It doesn’t have obstacle avoidance mode, which means you have to fly the drone in open areas without obstacles like lamp posts, tall buildings, electricity lines, trees, and others.
Potensic A20 Mini Set Up
I’ll go over some basic setups for the Potensic A20 Mini if you’re a beginner drone pilot who doesn’t know how to set up the drone. However, you’ll have to exercise patience so you don’t screw things up.
1. Charging the Potensic A20 Mini
The first step is to charge the Potensic A20 Mini batteries with the battery charger provided in the box. You should not use any other charger except for the specific charger given to you (to avoid battery damage or explosion).
The remote controller is not rechargeable, and if in the event it stops working, you can unscrew the lid and change the batteries.
2. Assembling the Potensic A20 Mini
Putting on the propellers: This shouldn’t be too difficult. Potensic provided a magnetic screwdriver to help in attaching the screws to prevent them from falling off. They also provided extra screws in case you misplaced some while attaching the propellers to the body of the drone.
Install the propeller guards if you want
Insert the charged battery in the battery slot of the drone
3. Pairing the Potensic A20 Mini With the Remote Controller
The drone pairs with the controller quite easily. Just switch on our drone and remote controller and move the joysticks upward. You will hear a beep to notify you that the pairing is complete.
4. Calibrating the Gyro of the Potensic A20 Mini
Switch on your A20 Mini drone and ensure that the green and red lights on the bottom are switched on. Push both joysticks up and down. You will hear a beep to notify you that the drone has been calibrated.
5. Function of the Potensic A20 You Should Know
One Key Take-Off: The one key (auto) landing function performs well. The drone is sure to land softly to avoid damage. It has the propensity to drift backward, which is why you have the trim feature. Ensure you modify the forward direction to avoid bumping into obstacles.
Altitude Hold: The Potensic A20 Mini comes with an internal miniature barometer that helps maintain its height and stability. It will drift slightly as the altitude hold is not as good as that of more sophisticated drones.
Trimming: Because of its tendency to drift. You would have to trim the drone to avoid it drifting sideways.
Best Alternatives to the Potensic A20 Mini
In this section, I’ll share with you three alternatives to the Potensic A20 Mini to give you more options:
1. Potensic Dreamer Pro (Best Overall Potensic Drone)
The Potensic Dreamer Pro is my best Potensic drone. It has a 4K camera for taking selfies and landscape photography, a 3-axis gimbal for stabilizing the camera during flight, 28 minutes of flight time per battery, and a ton of awesome features that provides a fun flight.
2. Potensic Atom SE (Best Potensic Drone With The Longest Flight Time)
The Potensic Atom SE is my best Potensic drone with the longest flight time. The package comes with dual batteries, each having a maximum battery life of 31 per battery. This gives you enough time to explore the sky while capturing your favorite scenes.
3. Potensic T25 (Best Potensic Drone Under 250 Grams)
The Potensic T25 is my best Potensic drone under 250 grams. It saves you from the hassle of registering your drone with the FAA because it weighs less than the minimum weight. Plus, it also has a ton of awesome features without breaking the bank.
Potensic A20 Mini Safety Tips
- For your safety and that of the drone, avoid flying near or over obstacles, such as high-voltage power lines, crowds, trees, water bodies, and airports.
- You’re advised to fly in open areas, where you can maintain a line of sight, preferably below heights of 120 meters.
- Be careful with rotating motors and propellers, and keep a distance to avoid ear damage from the drone’s nose.
- Avoid flying in extreme weather conditions such as rain, fog, snow, and strong winds.
- Avoid flying the drone when tired, under the influence of alcohol or medication, or in any physical discomfort.
- Keep the drone clean and well-maintained.
- Read the user manual thoroughly before flying the Potensic A20 Mini.
- Follow the battery safety rules as outlined in the user manual.
- Fly the drone with a fully charged battery and perform all the recommended pre-flight procedures before take-off
- Follow your local laws on drone flying and avoid flying in No-Fly zones.
- Always check the drone, controller, and battery for damages and correct installation before a flight.
- The onboard compass can be affected by electromagnetic fields near base stations or power lines.
Final Thoughts on the Potensic A20 Mini
The Potensic A20 Mini is one of the best beginner drones for learning how to fly a drone. The A20 is a toy drone, so it is a perfect gift for kids and teenagers. It may have simple features but it does not take away from the flight quality.
Remember that this is a toy drone with amazing features that are also found in professional drones. Avoid flying in windy conditions and environments with lots of obstacles like trees.
You can also check out the best Potensic drones to see the reviews of various drones from the Potensic series and see what benefits they have in store for you.
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