The 3DR Solo drone has been discontinued by the manufacturer, and sadly, support for the Solo has followed suit.
But don’t worry, if you’re still keen on getting your hands on this drone, there’s a good chance you can find it on eBay or from second-hand sellers.
Known for its highly user-friendly features, like autonomous flight modes, the 3DR Solo is designed to capture high-quality aerial footage. It makes snapping professional-looking, cinematic aerial shots a breeze, even for beginners.
In this post, you’ll get the full scoop on how the 3DR Solo drone stacks up in different areas – its specs, price, features, and more.
3DR Solo Drone: Specifications
Here are the key specs of 3DR Solo Drone:
- Camera: Compatible with GoPro Hero 3+ and 4
- Flight Time: 25 minutes (20 minutes with Gimbal & GoPro)
- Weight: 3.3 lb / 1.5 KG (unladen), 4 lb / 1.8 kg (with Gimbal & GoPro)
- Maximum Speed: 55 mph / 88.5 km/h
- Maximum Altitude: 400′ / 121.9 m AGL
- GPS: Yes
- Battery: 5200 mAh Lithium-polymer
- Wi-Fi Range: Up to 2640′ / 805 m
Full Review
The 3DR Solo Quadcopter lets you attach a compatible GoPro (Hero 3+ & 4) for capturing aerial shots. Please note that the drone itself doesn’t include a built-in camera. You need to buy a GoPro separately. The shots captured by the drone are super stable, thanks to the attached gimbal that enables smooth & shake-free footage.
The 5200-mAh battery of 3DR Solo offers up to about 20 minutes of flight time on a single charge. With a wonderful maximum payload capacity of about 0.4 kg., and a transmission range of up to 805 meters, the 3DR Solo is a fantastic scouting tool too.
Here’s how the 3DR Solo drone performs when it comes to its different features:
GoPro Compatibility
As mentioned above, you won’t find a camera on the 3DR Solo drone. Therefore, the obvious downside to buying this drone is that you’ll need to spend extra 400-500 bucks if you don’t already own a compatible GoPro model – GoPro Hero 3 or 4 – to start capturing aerial shots.
What’s more, 3DR has integrated GoPro to the drone very well. Once you’ve plugged your camera in, you’ll be able to control all its settings during the flight right from the 3DR controller.
Speed
The 3DR Solo drone is definitely a speedy drone! It can hit over 55 mph speeds, which is a good 10 mph faster than DJI’s Phantom 4. Therefore, if you need your drone that can match up the pace of, say, your car or motorcycle, then the 3DR Solo is a fantastic choice.
Autonomous Flight Modes
You get multiple autonomous flight modes on the 3DR Solo quadcopter, which include:
- Selfie Mode – In this mode, the drone will first focus the camera solely on you, and then dramatically reveal your surroundings by going away.
- Cable Cam Mode – This mode lets you choose two different points for the drone to fly between.
- Orbit Mode – It makes the drone fly in a wide circle around a particular point that you choose.
- Follow Me – As the name suggests, in this mode, the drone will follow you wherever you go.
All these modes make it super easy to get professional-looking aerial footage from the 3DR Solo.
Build Quality
The 3DR Solo is a superbly well-built drone. It is highly durable, with strong arms, glass-reinforced nylon props, and rigid legs. The drone can withstand hard landings without much damage to the camera because its legs jut out in such a way that they protect the gimbal and your GoPro.
Battery
Equipped with a rechargeable 5,200 mAh 14.8Vdc lithium-ion battery, the 3DR Solo offers a decent 25 minutes of flight time without the camera and about 20 minutes with it. It takes about an hour and a half to recharge the battery. So, I recommend that you buy a few of them if you plan to use the drone for a long time.
Range
With a maximum range of only about half a mile, the 3DR Solo falls short when compared to its DJI competitors. But, we feel that you’d rarely need to go farther than that. As it is, the drone becomes almost invisible once it goes about a quarter-mile away. And, there’s good news too – the live 720p HD video feed will stay intact on the 3DR controller until it’s about a mile away.
Should You Buy 3DR Solo Drone?
The answer is a resounding no. The world of drones is constantly evolving, with new models appearing on the market and older ones being discontinued.
The 3DR Solo, known for its sturdy build and reliable flight stability, is incredibly user-friendly. It’s so easy to pilot that even beginners will find it a breeze to control. However, these days you can only find it on eBay or through second-hand sources. But don’t worry, there are plenty of exciting new drones available on the market, offering similar or even better specs at great prices.
Find the best drones with cameras for beginners>>>
Thanks for reading!
I hope this guide helped you know all about the 3DR Solo drone 🙂
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