SJRC F11 4K Pro review: Best 4K drone under 200?

Unexpected Christmas gift

SJRC F11 4K PRO review

The SJRC F11 4K Pro review will be the last drone review for this year. 2020 was a quite productive year for FirstQuadcopter – we published more than 20 authentic product reviews. Our purpose is not necessarily to make sales for our sponsors but rather to provide the best quality information possible about the product in order to help buyers to make the right decision.

Back in 2018, the first generation of SJRC F11 was revealed. It had only an FHD – 1080P camera with electronic image stabilization (EIS). Two years later, the 4K Pro edition was released with many significant improvements. For sure, the most important one for hobbyist-videographer was the 2-axis mechanical gimbal. It allows not just smother videos compared to EIS, but also remote angle adjustment of the camera.

SJRC F11 Pro 4K hands-on review with samples

Disclosure: I received this 4K drone from RCGoing, to test it and do an in-depth review. Although the product was offered for free, all opinions in this article remain my own, with no influence from our partners.

After we agreed to review the SJRC F11 4K Pro, they sent me the tracking number in just 2 minutes. This was the fastest order processing time I ever experienced :).

The SJR/C F11 4K Pro arrived perfectly timed, on Christmas eve. My son hoped that it was another last-minute gift for him that he will find under the Xmas tree. I had to tell him 3 times to believe me that it’s daddy’s new toy.

Unboxing of SJRC F11 4K PRO drone

Unboxing

Apart from the strong, not Chanel-like, fragrance scent, everything looks like unboxing a deluxe expensive drone. A zipped nylon sack protects the stylish hand-case. Inside the bag, all parts have their own compartment for extra protection. The drone and its remote controller are protected from scratching by plastic foil, the foldable propellers being secured with paper rings, and the 2-axis 4K camera by a plastic gimbal protector like DJI drones. User manual and spare propellers have their own cardboard boxes. For more easy transportation, I would suggest them to include a shoulder strap for the case.

At a glance

To be honest, I’m not impressed by the F11 drone’s design. I prefer more rounded shapes than edged ones. The strips on the folding arms somehow remind me about the old Mavic Pro. The fuselage is made from durable ABS plastic, hope that will be not easily damaged if lightly bumps into something.

Design of SJRC F11 4K PRO

Compared to my Beast SG906 Pro 2, it is just slightly smaller (see image below). With folded arms, the aircraft measures 176x105x80mm and weighs exactly 560 grams (1.23 lbs). If you are from the US or Canada you will need to register this drone in order to fly it legally. I suggest you check your local regulation regarding these flying machines prior to purchasing a drone.

SJRC F11 4K PRO Vs Beast SG906 Pro 2

The 2500mAh battery pack is loaded from the top of the drone. By short pressing the power button, you can check the charging level of the battery. In addition to the fake optical flow camera, there are also two fake ultrasonic sensors on the belly of the fuselage. These features will probably be included in the next generation of F11.

Fake sensors

During night flights you will be guided by 4 LED lights (white on the front, blue on the rear), one on each brushless motor.

SJR/C F11 4K Pro highlights

  • Travel-friendly folding design;
  • Powerful brushless motors;
  • 4K camera with EIS and 2-axis gimbal stabilization;
  • WIFI real-time image transmission (FPV);
  • Intelligent flight modes (360° surround, Waypoint, Image & GPS Follow me);
  • Fail-safe RTH on low battery and signal loss;
  • Upgraded transmitter with extended range and new status LCD screen;
  • About 26 minutes of battery life.

Highlights

Price and availability

You can order this GPS enabled 4K drone from here for $198.99. This price includes a storage bag, flight battery, charging cable, and a set of spare propellers. There is also a ‘Fly more combo’ option with 3 batteries for an extra 60 bucks. Using this ‘YQD8Q665G‘ discount coupon you can get 5% off.

Camera and WiFi FPV

As I previously mentioned, compared to its predecessor, the first visible difference is the 2-axis motorized gimbal. This upgrade grants a more professional look for the F11 Pro 4K. The camera features an F2.15 focal length and 100° field of view (FOV). The camera can take up to 128MB micro SD cards (Class 10/U1 or above is recommended) and can record 4K UHD videos with 30fps. Somewhere I read that is also capable of FHD 1080P with 60fps but I haven’t found yet how to change the resolution and frame rate.

Camera perfomace

Through the right shoulder dial knob, you can change de camera’s angle from straight ahead to ground view, allowing you to take the perfect shot. Getting closer to the subject can be done through digital zooming (left shoulder dial).

Adopting image stabilization from both worlds (electronic and mechanical), the videos are surprisingly good. I think will satisfy the needs and expectations of most hobbyists. But even so, due to a lack of manual camera adjustments (ISO, shutter speed, and f-stop), HDR and RAW capabilities can’t be used for truly cinematic footage.

Remote controller – Flight range

SJR/C packs their F11 4K Pro drone with a style eye-catching remote controller with a piano-black finish. Antennas, phone holder, and handler are all foldable. It comes with a built-in battery which lasts for 3-5 flights. SJRC stands that the transmitter has provided up to 1500 meters control range.

During my range test, I managed to fly as far as 570 meters till I lost communication with the drone and the fail-safe RTH has activated.

Transmitter

There are a shoulder button and dial knob on each side of the transmitter. While the left ones allow taking photos and zoom in/out, the right ones start/stop recording respectively tilt the camera.

On the front panel, besides the usual control sticks, the are 4 buttons and an OSD screen. The backlit display has large ‘printed’ icons that light up when a function is activated. Unfortunately, this new type of display can’t provide telemetry data like flight distance, altitude, or elapsed time. In order to see the ‘full picture’, you will need to use in tandem the F11 4K Pro mobile APP.

Main screen of SJRC F11 4K PRO APP

SJ F Pro mobile APP

In addition to live-view (FPV), the SJ F Pro APP provides access to intelligent flight modes such as Image follow, GPS following, Gesture Photo/Video, and Route flight.

Under the Parameter settings, you can enable/disable Beginner mode and adjust max flight distance (20-1500meters), flight altitude (10-120 meters), and RTH altitude (10-120meters). In case you get annoyed by the voice prompting, you can disable it from here as well. The APP also logs your flights, allowing you to review details like total distance and top speed.

Battery life – How long the fun lasts!

Usually, before getting to test the flight performance of a new drone, I run a hovering test at 1-3 meters above the ground. In case the aircraft has a hidden malfunction this should be revealed through this test. During the process, I monitor the battery level as well. With a freshly charged battery, the F11 managed to stay in the air for 27:45 minutes. Almost two minutes more than the advertised time. Real-world flight time is about 20-25 minutes, highly depending on flight conditions (flight mode, flight style, temperature, and wind conditions). After 15 minutes of hovering something happened, the drone started to make circles instead of holding its position. Hope this behavior was an isolated issue and will not repeat again. Just to be sure, I recalibrated everything again.

As I mentioned in the introduction part of my F11 Pro 4K review, the battery has 4 LED charging level indicators and a micro USB charging port. In case you need a longer flight time without waiting 4-5 hours while recharging, 3s/2500mAh F11 spare batteries are available with a starting price of $40 per piece.

F11 4K Pro flight preparation

Usually, in this period of the year, in my country, the outdoor temperature should be below 0°C and everything covered by fresh snow. Instead of the normal weather conditions, this Christmas we had 12°C and light rain. Hope that climate changes will be stopped before is too late.

Due to the rain, I had to make the flight preparations in front of the Xmas tree. I started by reading the provided user manual while I put the flight battery and controller to charge.

Flight preparation

Prior to powering on, you need to unfold the arm. In order to avoid excessive stress of the motors during starting up, I suggest unfolding the propellers too. Also, remember to remove the gimbal protector prior to power-ON. Following the instructions, I performed compass calibration (activated by moving both sticks to inner-up position) and gyroscope calibration (both stick outer-up position).

F11 4K Pro review: Flight experience

By default, the SJRC F11 4K Pro drone starts in ‘GPS mode’, which blocks arming the motors without GPS coverage (indoors). Toggling between GPS and Altitude mode can be done by long-pressing the ‘RTH’ button.

Just like I predicted, in the absence of vision positioning, it drifts a lot in an indoor environment. My personal recommendation for newbies is that they should play only outdoor in a large space. Definitively, the F11 is not suitable for practicing in your living room.

Outdoor it is much more stable, but sometimes still moves without any reason. You can switch between Sport (high speed), Normal (medium speed), and Camera (low speed) flight modes.

Its ‘Image follow’ function is different from DJI’s ActviceTrack. The drone just keeps the object (after dragging a box around it) in focus but without changing its position. In GPS follow mode, the aircraft follows the phone’s movement. This can be fun if you are on a mountain bike and you want the drone to shoot a video of you.

I suggest you use these Follow Me modes only when flying your drone in wide-open spaces where there are no obstacles such as houses, trees, or power lines. Remember, the F11 4K Pro does not have an obstacle avoidance system.

Orbit mode is doing a great job. It makes circles around the subject with a preset radius. During the process, you can adjust the camera angle to make your best shot.

I didn’t found out why, yet, but the mobile APP randomly showed this warning message: ‘Compass is interfered, open propeller arm? Mobile drone calibration compass‘. In the beginning, it was very frustrating, but after a few flights, I got used to it…

Best SJRC F11 4K Pro alternatives

In the price of the SJRC F11 4K Pro, you can find plenty of nice drones from various brands. MJX R/C has Bugs 12 and Bugs 20, ZLRC has Beast SG906 Pro and Pro 2, the VISUO K1 PRO is also a great alternative, and I could continue the list with more. The Ruko F11 GIM is a 100% clone of the F11Pro4K.

If you want a DJI drone, you will need to double your budget. Their cheapest 4K drone, the Mini 2, is priced at $449.

Best alternatives of SJRC F11 4K Pro

SJRC F11 series comparison

SJRC F11 V1 SJRC F11 Pro V2 SJRC F11 Pro 4K V3
Camera FHD – 1920×1080 2K – 2592×1520 4K – 3840x2160P
Frame rate 20 fps 25 fps 30 fps
Stabilization EIS EIS EIS + 2-axis gimbal
WIFI FPV range 500 meters 500 meters 1200 meters
Onboard recording Yes Yes Yes
Control distance 1200 meters 1200 meters 1500 meters
Battery 3s/2500mAh 3s/2500mAh 3s/2500mAh
Max flight time 26~28min 26~28min 26~28min
Weight 520 grams 520 grams 585 grams

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all drone lovers!

Wishing you lots of fun and excitement, and a super fantastic year to come!

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Value for Money
Design and build quality
Camera
Remote controller
Battery life
Easy to use
Features
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.
sjrc-f11-4k-pro-reviewThe F11 4K Pro is definitively an improvement compared to its predecessors. The combination of EIS and 2-axis gimbal allows creating smooth, almost cinematic-like, aerials. Actually, it is the first drone under $200 with a true 4K camera that I reviewed for now. Battery life and control range is comparable with the one any drone in its price range has. The lack of an optical flow sensor makes the F11Pro 4K to drift a lot indoors. Outdoor, with good GPS coverage it is very stable, but still doesn’t hold its position all the time. RTH worked well, but is not as accurate as my DJI drone’s, it missed the landing pad by few meters. <br> What I liked<br> +Budget-friendly;<br> +Deluxe packing and included case;<br> +True 4K camera with mechanical and electronic image stabilization;<br> +Superb battery life;<br> +Image and GPS tracking;<br> +Fail-safe return to home (low battery and RC signal loss).<br> <br> What I didn't like<br> -Charging the battery takes an eternity;<br> -APP showed warning messages with no reason;<br> -Fake vision and ultra-sonic positioning sensors.<br>

81 COMMENTS

  1. I’d like to know about this drone and like to look at the user manual and flight instructions, but I can´t download it from anywhere.
    Can anyone help me? Thanks

  2. Hi again!
    This is about a year and a bit I have this drone. I can see I made some comments about Jan 2022.
    Many crashes since but still flying it.
    I guess by now I’ve got an ‘antic’!
    A few things, regarding this drone, have changed for me.
    I could not start it anymore with the little ‘dance’ at the beginning. But I found out a new way to start it.
    I switch it on, then switch the controller on; as described in your article it is on GPS mode by default.
    Then I disable the GPS (Long press on RTH) – and that’s it I can take off with both control down and inward.
    Next, when in the air I enable again the GPS and…At some stages it will be activated.
    My big problem with this has always been the Auto Return. (RTH)
    In your article here you described that after 15 minutes you had the drone circling around. My bet is that it triggered the auto return and should also have shown red lights flashing indicating low battery + return home.
    This return home really puzzles me. It does not necessarily return to where you started it. It certainly does not return where your controller is. And so it is very unpredictable.
    My guess is, (considering my way or starting it) It wait for the GPS to be activated to determine the “Starting point”. And if you are moving around with it, it could be anywhere, until it is activated, perhaps with the phone you get a better idea where this happens!
    I also noticed something even more puzzling is that when flying entirely non GPS…It still will activate the RTH regardless.
    This means that you can really trust a 15 minutes flight if you have moved about!
    One thing I have to say, is this drone is a tough cookie! With many bad RTH accident (Yes it will take off, up in the air’ through whatever is on its path to find its way ‘home’ This can be a tree, a wall or yourself and hopefully no one next to you! I know you’re not suppose to fly it around people…) But really it would be good if you have full control of it at any time. (I have been told if I wanted one like this I should have bought a more expensive one…)
    I have learned to replace a broken arm and re glued a few times the front legs and other parts.
    However, today I bumped again on this very good review as I was trying to see why my camera will not respond to the controller wheel. (When I want to film my roof I have to tape it face down!) I also don’t get a smooth filming anymore, like if the blades interfere a little with it.
    I can see at the back of the camera mounting a part with two holes in it like if screws were missing on each side of it.
    Buy it’s no more a big deal as I seldom film, yet it would be nice if I could fix it.
    I may consider in the future, as you’re saying here, doubling the budget and get a more sophisticated drone; now I understand a little more about them.
    Speaking of budget, it would be nice if reviewers mention the currency they use when quoting prices. My drone (with 2 extra batteries) was AU$ 400… So it a little different than $200+ $40 + $40!

  3. I need firmware for my sjrc f11 pro. Because my drone cannot connect to my android phone. There is no available wifi connection for my drone. Please help about this problem. I love drone.

  4. I like this drone. The photos and video are insanely good, very clear and the video is very stable. Rang could better, but not bad for a WIFI drone.

  5. I don’t quite understand what you said here: By default, the SJRC F11 4K Pro drone starts in ‘GPS mode’, which blocks arming the motors without GPS coverage (indoors). Toggling between GPS and Altitude mode can be done by long-pressing the ‘RTH’ button.
    I thought the recommendation were to disable gps indoor (to be able to control it).
    As for the batteries, mine does take up to 8 hrs to charge.
    I don’t know what you mean by “Battery life” since you seem to have it only for a trial
    My f11 4k has as you mentioned some very erratic behaviors. especially with gps activated but it seems also to trigger the low battery level RTH without GPS (you seem to call it “altitude mode?)
    I have a lot to learn and had a few problems with it already but somehow did not incapacitate it yet (Gimbal jumped out of its frame or got stuck in an angle or completely inward.) This is mainly due to Auto RTH that I would not mind disabling. I use my drone to replace my dog and take it to a maybe 2 km walk. Until I strike RTH it’s ok. I also don’t trust gps (out of the blue it will go ‘fast backwards’ and crash on the ground because I’m flying it low….So, yes, I have a lot to learn to improve this situation.

  6. Op zich is het een prachtige drone maar ik vind de beelden van en de telefoon als van sd kaart gewoon slecht. Als je inzoomed krijg je een grove korrel. Is het al gevonden hoe je de instelling kan veranderen van de camera?
    In itself it is a beautiful drone, but I think the images of the phone and the SD card are just bad. If you zoom in you get a coarse grain. Have you already found how to change the setting of the camera?

    • Yes, It should work with most android phones that have 5GHz wifi, including the Galaxy S7, S8, S9, S10, S20, and S21

  7. Hi! great review. Do you know which VR goggles are compatible with the drone? I what to buy dome but i haven’t found that yet, thanks.

    • Only, passive phone boxed VR headsets can be used with this drone, but due to the high latency I would not recommend this! Try to fly only line of sight (LoS).

  8. What’s the difference between F11S 4K Pro and F11 4K Pro? Just the optical flow sensor or is anything else?
    Thank you

  9. My Ruko F11 fell from the sky today (~50 meters). It was less than 2 weeks old. Never even had a scratch before this.. any idea where to find a spare gimbal and front arms?

  10. After I read your review I ordered my f11 4k pro drone. My problem is that doesn’t connect to the remote control. I have live view but RC is unusable. Thanks so much for any suggestions

  11. Any sun shader option? In the bright sun, I can’t see my phone. There is any shop that sells parts and accessories for the F11?

    • The F11S has a fake flow sensor. Everyone that has opened one up has found nothing behind the lens. Yours have a true OFP sensor?

  12. Donde puedo encontrar un manual en español del srjc f11 pro 4k
    Where can I find a manual in Spanish of the srjc f11 pro 4k

  13. Great detailed review! What are the maximum speeds (km/h) in each of the modes for the SJRC F11 Pro 4K? Mine is super slow on all rates..
    Cheers.

  14. Hi there,

    I bought the F11 SJ RC drone.

    I installed the app, completed all the calibration steps, however, I can’t connect the app/drone with the GSP.

    It says: waiting for the GPS signal all the time. I am using an iPhone 7 and all location services are approved.

    How can I make the GSP connection?

    Thanks,
    Renaldo

  15. I just found this mini-tutorial for Surround/Orbit Mode:
    – First, you need to put the F11 over the object to fly around. Then press the photo button and the video button at the same;
    – Retract the drone from the object it will fly to create the desired radius of the circle. Adjust height and camera angle to fit;
    – Finally press the photo button and the video button at the same time again to start orbit flying.

    Villy

  16. I also have an SJRC F11 4K but yours looks pretty good. Mine had some shake on it which is surprising for a 2 axis gimbal + EIS. There is a way to make the footage more stable?

    • Yes, you can use but it needs to have its own remote (dropping trigger). The F11 drone does not have an aux port for such devices.

    • If your living in Europe I would wait to buy the next drone until it has C class type approval. Because if you get your A1/A3 certificate you still have to fly according to A3 (150 meters away from everything). So I hope the manufacturer of the F11 series realize this.
      Check here for more details : https://www.easa.europa.eu/faq/116452

  17. Hello, is the point of interest mode truly working using F11 4k Pro? I need this feature to monitor my land around the house.

  18. Happy New Year!
    is it possible to bind the old remote control to a new F11 4k Pro? I lost my drone while trying to catch fireworks…. and I intend to buy only the drone again…

  19. What kind of USB charger should be used with the SJRC F11 4k Pro Drone (volts & amps)? Something that will be faster than 5 hours…

  20. Love it!! A really great GPS drone! Everything included in a bag!
    True stabilized 4K footage, steady in the air, and flies more than 25 minutes. It has multiple intelligent flight modes such as Follow me and circle hovering.

    • Personally, I used a class 10 16GB U1 Sandisk card. I think it not worth investing in a larger capacity. IMHO a 16/32GB U3 is just perfect for the F11 4K Pro.

  21. For the price, this is an excellent drone! Has a nice build quality and feels sturdy. Great drone for first time pilots.

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