XBM-55 review: Nice design and lots of features

XBM-55 drone review

Yesterday, my wife came home with a package. I was not waiting for any quadcopter but out of boringness I immediately opened the box. Surprise! It was the T-Smart XBM-55. I was waiting to receive this drone for review for about two months and honestly, I thought it was never sent or the package got lost so I completely took my mind off it…

At the time the XBM-55 quad was announced by XiaoBaiMa, features like altitude hold and smartphone APP control were totally new for such cheap RC toys. I am also impressed by the excellent Hubsan-like design of this T-smart drone.

Later, I found out that the manufacturer plans to release an upgraded, more powerful variant of the XBM55 powered by 2s Li-Po batteries. Hopefully, they will use appropriate brushless motors  (7.4V – 8.4V rated ones) otherwise they will burn out quickly.

T-Smart XBM 55 review - IntroductionXBM-55 quadcopter highlights

  • Altitude hold;
  • One key take-off/land;
  • Headless flight mode;
  • One key return to home (not GPS);
  • Path flight (follow finger / virtual waypoint mission – not tested);
  • Multiple flight speed rates (30%, 60% and 100%);
  • Triple control modes (physical RC, virtual sticks, and gravity control through XMB-UFO APP);
  • WiFi real-time image transmission;
  • Micro USB charging port;
  • About 6-8 minutes of flight autonomy.

XBM-55 quadcopter review

Before I get into details, I should thank Alice from GeekBuying for their continuous support through offering new exciting products.

The box of the X-Smart XBM-55 is very colorful and nicely designed. Inside, besides the quadcopter and its transmitter, I found the following: a complete set of spare propellers, a flight battery, a micro USB charging cable, a USB card reader, a screwdriver, and a user manual. Unfortunately, the package does not include blade protectors and memory cards.XBM 55 quadcopter review - First impressions

XBM-55 review – First impression – Design and build quality

As you can see in the image above, both aircraft and transmitters have a nice design. The build quality looks better than usual for such cheap RC toys. The design of the cockpit reminds me of a British fighter aircraft called Supermarine Spitfire. The low-profile approach will prevent overturning even during the hardest landings.

During night flights, you will be guided by 6 LED lights—green LEDs in the front and blue ones in the rear (one under each arm). Two white LEDs on the front of the aircraft will additionally help the operator to determine the exact orientation of the drone.

The frontal HD camera is integrated and does not allow any angle adjustment. The micro SD card slot is located under the belly of the aircraft. Note: on the right side there is a second opening that looks just like a micro SD slot – don’t try to insert anything there!

While the power button is located on the right side of the cockpit, on the opposite side, you will find the micro USB charging port. A red LED will light when the charger cable is connected.XBM-55 quadcopter review - Lights

The 3.7V 800mAh battery pack can be loaded from the rear part of the aircraft. If you need spare batteries, you can try to search for this code “DS 902351”.

XBM-55 review – Camera & Wi-Fi FPV

According to the specs in the drone box, the XBM-55 can be purchased with two types of cameras. With HD 720P camera (as the one I received) or with a lower-quality 0.3MP camera. As mentioned, the camera is integrated so you can’t upgrade from 0.3MP to 720P.

Thanks to the micro SD slot, you will be able to capture photos and videos without quality loss that are typical for records from the Wi-Fi live video feed.

If the T-Smart quadcopter is connected to your mobile device through the XBM-UFO APP, the videos/photos can be remotely previewed and downloaded to your smartphone.

Two minutes of recorded video occupies about 51MB. While photos have a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, the videos are recorded with a resolution of 1280×738@25fps.

Regarding the camera’s performance, I can say that no one should expect great image quality from such cheap products, even if they are advertised with slogans like “HD quality” or “Brilliant aerial videos”. Anyway, I was positively surprised that the videos are sharper compared with those recorded by the more expensive Syma X8SW.XBM-55 review drone - Camera / WiFi FPV

My biggest disappointment regarding the camera was the Wi-Fi FPV, as it is not working properly. The live video feed looks like it has been scrambled. I contacted the seller, and they said the other reviewers had not experienced this issue.

XBM-55 review – Remote controller & XBM-UFO APP

The XBM55 drone features multiple control modes. It can be controlled with the included transmitter or through your smartphone – using virtual sticks or a gravity sensor.

The nice gamepad-style remote controller is extensible to fit not just smartphones but also tablets. The RC is powered by 4 pierces of  AAA batteries, which are loaded two-by-two on each side of the transmitter.

On the left side, below the throttle stick, is located the power button and a cross button. “Auto take-off” can be engaged using the “Up” key, and “Auto landing” by using the “down” key.
The left side of the RC is a little more crowded. Under the direction stick are four trimming buttons and another 5 buttons for Headless mode, One key return to home, Light On/Off, Photo/Video, and Emergency stop.XBM-55 review - Remote controller / XBP-UFO APP

While the left shoulder button allows enabling the 360-degree flip mode, the right one allows you to toggle between speed rates (30%, 60% and 100% – full speed).

Although the XBM-UFO APP includes all the functionality of a transmitter, I recommend that newbies to begin to practice with the physical remote controller. BTW using the APP, I noticed some backward flying.

Reading the XBM-55 user manual, I found out that the APP offers some additional features like: Voice command, 3D view, and Path Flight. I tested the voice control but it seems to be not implemented yet.

XBM-55 review – First usage / Test flight

Last weekend was just the perfect winter day for test flights. It’s not too cold and not too windy.

Starting your flight is very easy, you just need to push the “Up” button under the throttle stick, and the XBM-55 will rise one meter above the ground.

Even at 30% speed rate is surprisingly agile. The altitude hold performs very well. At low wind gusts, the drone began to slightly but not very annoying.

The XiaoBaiMa XBM-55 is a quiet flyer for a brushed motor drone, which makes the aerial videos more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the fun ended after 5-6 minutes and recharge takes almost 2 hours :(

Pricing and availability
Thanks for your time spent reading my TSmart XBM55 review. If I aroused your interest in buying this nice all-in-one drone, unfortunately, you need to wait because currently is “out of stock”. You can check the availability here. Hopefully, after restocking, spare parts like batteries and motors.XBM-55 quadcopter review - Verdict
REVIEW OVERVIEW
Price–performance ratio
Design and build quality
Transmitter
Camera
WiFi FPV
Senior editor and co-founder of FirstQuadcopter.com. Everything started about 4 years ago when I purchased my first drone. I still own that Syma X5C . Since then I have had the luck to review and test more than 100 drones.
xbm-55-quadcopter-reviewExcepting the faulty WIFi FPV I can say that the T-Smart XBM-55 is a nicely designed drone with lots of features. First time pilots will appreciate the “Emergency stop” feature. This will allow them to stop the motors instantly in case they lose the control over the aircraft or are about to hit something. <br> Pros<br> +Cool LED light for night flights;<br> +Lots of features;<br> +Nice expandable gamepad style RC;<br> +Silent brushless motors.<br> <br> Cons<br> -APP control is not the smoothest;<br> -WiFi FPV does not work correctly (at least for me);<br> -No spare parts are available.<br>

1 COMMENT

  1. Thank you very much for the review!

    I also initially felt skeptical if this drone is suitable for newbies like me – too many features…
    But finally order it, and I’m very happy with it :) Btw, in case of my XMB55, there is no FPV issue. I got clear image on my iPhone 7.

    Great job !

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