Review

WLtoys Q353 – Amphibious drone testing – for $60.99

Hey, guys! Just a heads up: The linked offer is already a bit older and the price of the gadget might have changed or it might not be available anymore.
Drones are always a good idea to buy, as they are fun for every age. One of these drones is the WLtoys Q353. The Quadrocopter has an unusual design, it has more like a boat shaped and has two floating bodies instead of support feet. Because of that it can land on water, start and even move forward.

WLtoys Q353 Quadcopter Drone

Dimensions36.5 x 36.5 x 12cm
Weight323g
Battery / endurance1200mAh / 7 minutes
Charging timeApprox. 120 minutes
ParticularitiesFloating, splash-proof

So far, I have only been able to unpack the quadcopter and fly once with it, so I do not want to speak about a “test” yet, but I can give you my first impressions. Even if the basic shape with four arms and rotors is usual, the Q353 has some special features. The body is shaped like a ship’s hull and on both sides are floating bodies made of Styropor, including also two small wheels, so the drone can also roll. The arms are strikingly thin and the two at the end can be tilted by about 45° by pushing the button.

WLtoys Q353 Quadcopter Drone PackagingThe special feature of the construction: If you lean the arms forward and accelerate gently, the Q353 moves forward, on land and also on water. Theoretically it can also take off with a usual start-up, even if the Quadrocopter does not need to. The real take off looks so much cooler. ? In this way the copter is more difficult to steer, the forward movement due to the small tires only succeeds on a very smooth ground. I have not tested it on water so far.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn4tQaOR1W4The flight time is seven minutes. The value seems to fit. The loading actually took quite a long time and the two hours indicated for this seem to be correct. By the way, the battery is permanently installed, the connector is located at the rear end under a cover. This is at the same time the power button, to start the drone.WLtoys Q353 Quadcopter Drone BatteryThe operation of the drone has no special anomalies. The control is in the usual mode 2 (sometimes also a mode 1 version can be ordered), and there are four different speeds (40/60/80/100%). All settings for speed, trimming and lighting as well as the battery status of the drone are displayed on a small display: I like this.

In the air the Q353 reacts very sensitive, especially in the height control, and drops rapidly when the thrust is removed too quickly. Especially if you get used to the altitude hold function of other drones (like me). So here fingertip feeling is needed. Apart from this, the control works perfect so far and as soon as you switch to 80 or 100% you can control the drone wonderfully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nog0RhvpCaI

So far, I am quite satisfied with the WLtoys Q353. My personal highlight are the starts, which are simply not possible with most of the drones because they need wheels for it. Also the remote control convinces me, negative points are only the solid battery with the comparatively long charging time and the very sensitive control.

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Maike

My heart beats for all kinds of DIYs, smart and technical gadgets. Of course, the fun factor must not be missing :)

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