Eachine E010 Mini quadcopter review

Eachine E010 review

At the time when the Eachine E010 Mini was announced everyone was curious if it could beat in terms of features and specs the Blade Inductrix or the Tiny Whoop (TW). Especially because the E010 Mini is sold for a fraction of their price.

Although the above-mentioned mini quadcopters have approximately the same design, only the TW features an FPV camera. I saw some tries to FPV upgrade the E010 Mini but the results were disappointing. The total flight time was reduced dramatically to 1 minute, which is too short and not enjoyable. Also, probably, the motors will burn out more quickly, being stressed by the extra weight of the camera. For example, the most lightweight AIO FPV camera that I could mount on the E010 Mini is the Eachine MC01, which has 7g.

Shortly after I agreed to review this Eachine E010 quad, I was contacted by another partner to test the Eachine H36. After a short study, I concluded that these two models are practically identical. The only difference seems to be that the E010 is sold in blue and red color and the H36 in blue and gray.

Eachine E010 Mini quadcopter review

I was happy when Banggood offered me this mini quadcopter for review because I use it as a gift for my son’s friends. They are very happy when they receive such RC toys.Eachine E010 vs Balde Inductrix vs Tiny whoop

The package arrived in about three weeks with the visible effects of the long-distance shipping. The box was almost totally smashed but luckily, its content was still intact.

Inside the box, I found, besides the tiny Eachine E010 mini quad and its transmitter, a complete set of spare propellers (four blades), a battery charger, and a user manual.

The ducted fan design of the Eachine E010 perfectly copies the TW. The unibody propeller guard serves as an airframe. The motors, as well as the receiver board (JR-NH010R), are mounted on the propeller guard. The mainboard is protected with a tiny removable cockpit.Eachine e010 mini review - First impressions

Usually, even the smallest drones have at least 4 LEDs, so I was surprised to find out that this E010 Mini features only two LEDs, one blue in the front and a red one in the rear.

Powered by a small capacity 150 mAh battery, the advertised flight time is about 5 minutes. The battery is swappable, which is nice because you can have a charged spare one ready for a more fun time.

Even if the nylon material is used to make this drone look cheap I’m confident that the E010 quadcopter will survive bravely to many crashes.

Manufacturer’s features and specs

  • Compact and durable design;
  • Headless flight mode (Compass mode);
  • One key return to home (without GPS);
  • One key course reversal;
  • LEDs for night flights;
  • Low battery voltage alarm;
  • Up to 5 minutes of playtime;
  • About 30 meters control range;
  • Size: 8cm x 8cm.Eachine e010 mini review - Inside view

Eachine E010 Mini review – Transmitter

The black/green remote controller with the size of only 10 x 6cm may be a little small in my hands but all the controls can be easily accessed even by adults.

Besides the usual control sticks, trim switches, and two shoulder buttons, the transmitter features a small button (in the middle of the RC) which allows you to switch between slow and fast speed rates.

This time I will not get into details about the function of all the buttons and switches because the Eechine E010’s user manual is very ambiguous. I’m still trying to figure out “Carefree mode” or how to perform control trimming.Eachine e010 mini review - Transmitter

Moving the direction stick (right one in mode 2) to the lowest left position will activate the gyroscope calibration sequence. Keep the stick in this position till the LEDs stop to flash.

Eachine E010 Mini review – Test flight

Being very small, I tested it first indoors. Thanks to the large propeller protectors, you don’t need to worry about hanging onto something. The “Slow” speed is perfectly tuned for beginner pilots and safe for indoor flight.

Outdoor, by default (slow rate), the quad is easily taken even by the lowest wind. When I switched to “Fast” rate, the quad gained power, and I recovered the control, allowing to fight against the wind.

I crash it few times just for the fun and to see how durable it is. The Eachine E010 survived all my test crashes so it is absolutely recommended for first-time pilots. Anyway, it can be easily repaired because spare parts are widely available.

Short outdoor flight video with the Eachine E010 Mini

After about 5 minutes of flight, when the battery was nearly empty, the LEDs started to flash, notifying me that it is time to land and recharge.

Pricing and availability

If you are a newbie and decided to start your journey in quadcopters with this affordable mini quad, you should know that it can be found here with free shipping for $15.99. If you need more play time, you can purchase five extra batteries with multi-plug charging cable for an extra $ 12.99.Eachine e010 mini review - Verdict

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Price–performance ratio
Design and build quality
Flight autonomy
Remote controller
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.
eachine-e010-mini-quadcopter-reviewCertainly the Eachine E010 is a nice alternative to the other higher-priced ducted fan quadcopters. Unfortunately, the large propeller protectors has a drawback, the quad is easily taken by the wind. Indoor the quad is very stable and easy to control. The self leveling performs very well and the 5 minutes of flight autonomy is excellent for such a small RC toy. <br> Pros<br> +Dual speed rates;<br> +About 5 minutes of playtime;<br> +Almost indestructible;<br> +Removable battery;<br> +Decent control range;<br> +Stable self-level mode;<br> +Spare part availability.<br> <br> Cons<br> -Small transmitter;<br> -Poor wind tolerance.<br>

13 COMMENTS

  1. Can’t but agree with the “poor wind tolerance” part. The thing I like about that particular model is that it’s very sturdy – it has survived a a lot of falls. All works fine with mine, except that I can’t find a way to get the return-to-home feature to work. If ypu have any advice, please share. Cheers

  2. Very similar to the Tiny Whoop but much cheaper lol
    Love that all these drones are getting tiny and better as time goes by. These micro racers are excellent for indoor fan.

  3. Hi, just got this for my son for Christmas next week. Making sure everything works, I can’t get it to pair with the remote control. Power up the quad and light are solid for a moment then both blink. Power up the remote and it beeps twice, I take left stick from bottom to top (no beep) then back to bottom and get 1 beep. I then try to calibrate gyro by moving right stick to 7 o’clock position and nothing changes. Lights on quad are still blinking through all of this.
    Please help!
    Joysticks also don’t click as buttons. Not sure if they are supposed to.
    Thanks! Merry Christmas!

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