Yuneec’s Q500 Typhoon might be the best consumer drone out there yet
There’s a newcomer on the consumer drone market, and it’s already a contender for gold.
Yuneec’s Typhoon Q500 4K is a newbie to the drone market, but you wouldn’t know based on the maturity of the copter.
The Typhoon (starting at $1,299) does it all — shoots 4K video on a smooth, 3-axis gimbal with video streamed through the RC transmitter to allow for first-person view flying.
The attention to detail on Yuneec’s drone is fantastic; a SteadyGrip hand-held device allows users to take handheld shots with the camera, there’s a “FollowMe” mode, and it comes with two batteries — a clear sign that the drone’s maker has the user in mind rather than trying to skimp on costs.
The drone is mostly ready to fly out of the box — just screw on the propellers, charge the batteries and you’re good to go. It carries beautifully — the flight is smooth and steady, not to mention it just looks elegant in the air.
RC Transmitter
The RC transmitter (what Yuneec calls a ‘Personal Ground Station’) really takes it to the next level by providing first-person view on the transmitter. To start with the bad news, the controller does look complicated — too complicated. There’s something beautiful about the sleek simplicity of DJI’s controllers. But for the good news, the controller is also the reason I loved this copter so much. Powered by Android, the Personal Ground Station displays the camera’s video feed on a screen, eliminating the need to hook up your tablet or smartphone. The screen on the transmitter also helps guide pilots through changing settings on the camera or the flight mode.
The Video Quality
The camera captures:
- 4K/30fps ultra high definition video
- 1080p/120fps slow motion video
- 12 megapixel photos with No-Distortion Lens
The RC transmitter allows pilots to control video resolution, white balance and light exposure during the flight. The camera offers a 115° field of view, allowing you to control whether the camera points straight ahead or downward. The camera isn’t perfect; I did experience some lens aberration when the camera pointed directly into the sun (see test footage video), but it wasn’t a huge issue. The camera can also record stills simultaneously while shooting video with the click of a button.
Here’s some test footage I put together while taking my drone out to test during a weekend trip to the American River (for review purposes, this video was not color corrected to show how the video quality looks directly from camera to computer):
The colors are not quite right — you can especially tell this in the scene facing downwards with the yellowish rocks on the water. The rocks and people are washed out, while the water appears too dark, a sign of too much contrast. The camera lacks the ability to see details on the ground, but in general, it’s smooth video perfect for consumer purposes.
The verdict?
The Yuneec Q500 Typhoon really is an incredible piece of equipment. Where DJI’s Phantom is the Mini Cooper (it’s cute, easy to fly, small, dare I say, even lovable), the Typhoon is a BMW — sleek, strong, powerful, gorgeous.
I can’t tell if the Yuneec is intended to be a competitor to the DJI Phantom or the Inspire, but it’s certainly a competitor to both in some capacity.
It’s priced nearly the same as the Phantom 3 Professional, and its specs are quite similar. But the Typhoon comes with a bonus of a full Personal Ground Station and two batteries (buying a second battery for the Phantom 3 will cost you $149).
Unlike the Inspire ($3,399), the drone doesn’t allow dual pilot operation, so my shots weren’t as good as they likely could have been had someone else been controlling the camera. It also doesn’t have the Inspires’ HDMI output, so users wouldn’t be able to record the live feed to a video capture device. But like the Inspire, the Typhoon offers a detachable payload, high-quality flight performance and a slick design that doesn’t resemble a toy a la the Phantom.
The Typhoon offers a wealth of features that – for the cost – may make it the best drone on the market yet. The camera could be slightly improved, but the design of the drone and attention to detail far outweigh the slight problems with the camera. I’m shocked by how low the drone costs compared to its competitors, and how far the technology has come in just a few years. I’m eager to see just what a possible Typhoon 2 or other Yuneec-made drone will be capable of doing.
The drone market is desperately in need of competition. DJI makes great copters, but they are Goliath in a market of very few Davids. Yuneec is a huge underdog; their name is largely unheard of against DJI or drones like the yet-to-hit-stores Lily, that survives solely off huge marketing hype. And then there’s this Typhoon, a greatly underrated copter that you can buy now. With a marketing push from Yuneec to become a household name the way the Phantom is, the drone market may finally have two Goliaths.
Related posts:
I love the Yuneec, espeicially like that they give you everything you need and it all fits inside the box that also comes with it.
Dear DroneGirl, funny enough, I read your appraisal for the yuneek 500 a few minutes after having transformed a large pine tree into a Christmas tree… hanging way up with all its bright lights after sunset… quite a view! I must say, I have the former version, not the 4k camera, but mine had severe calibration problems.I have never seen such a fly away as today. It become totally wild, not following any command any more, dancing in the sly according to who knows what data. Suddenly it flew away in opposite direction to myself for more than half a mile… I gave the command to return home…without result for a few minutes. then it decided to come back, after another tour…and finally ended in the famous tree… well too long description to say that I had problems since the beginning with this machine, more than any other. Absolutely no comparison with the phantom 2 or 3, or any of the Walkera (voyager, 350 Pro) or the Blade. I was very happy with the stability of the image, true, and the camera was only the cg2+. The photos of your Yuneek give the impression of a little bit of differences from the previous version, so I hope that the improvement is not only in the shape!
Wow, thanks for sharing your story. I had never flown the earlier version of this drone, so I can’t speak to it, but I’m glad you did! And sorry to hear you had a horrible flyaway experience.
You need a fcc license
[…] Yuneec’s Typhoon drone is the BMW of drones (as I once called it), then its Tornado drone is the […]
[…] Yuneec’s Q500 Typhoon may be the best consumer drone out there yet […]
[…] 2015 was a whirlwind year for drones — consumer drone sales hit records, the FAA called for drone registration, and the commercial drone regulation deadline was missed. We saw drones epically (and dangerously) crash, and we also saw epic innovation in the technology, with everything from improved cameras to quads that are easier to fly than ever. […]
[…] ” 2015 was a whirlwind year for drones — consumer drone sales hit records, the FAA called for drone registration, and the commercial drone regulation deadline was missed. We saw drones epically (and dangerously) crash, and we also saw epic innovation in the technology, with everything from improved cameras to quads that are easier to fly than ever. […]
[…] of the Typhoon H — expected to be a huge upgrade from the Yuneec Typhoon — include proximity detection, intending to prevent collisions with obstacles. If some type […]
[…] Highlights of the Typhoon H — expected to be a huge upgrade from the Yuneec Typhoon — include proximity detection, intending to prevent collisions with obstacles. If some type of […]
[…] loved the Typhoon Q500 4K when I reviewed it in August. At the time, it cost $1,299 (the same price that the Typhoon H […]
I bought this drone after the $800 package deal included everything including case, spare battery, additonal props and kit which is way less than a DJI Phantom 3. It flies great! Love the home and follow me features which make flying a joy.
I just bought one of these refurbished for $425 after tax, but I already own an X-Star Premium. The Typhoon I bought is actually the Typhoon G, but with the CGO3 camera included. It doesn’t have a case but has a GoPro gimbal included and has a full one year warranty (though I’ve heard YUNEEC support is terrible).
I can return it for up to 30 days so long as I don’t open it, but I can’t decide whether I should or not! I want to own two drones and was planning on just buying a second X-Star Premium or a Mavic, but at this price with the 30 days return policy I decided to buy it and then question whether or not to keep it.
Sally do you have an opinion? I will be flying 100+km away from any cities so I’m not too concerned about interference, and I figure since I already have the X-Star then I don’t need to consider the fact that the Typhoon has a lower range since I can just use the X-Star for long-range flights and the Typhoon for closer range ones. The video quality seems very comparable, but all of the reviews are from 1-2 years ago so it’s really hard to make a decision. Portability is not a concern, but I NEED to be able to take take off and land by hand instead of from a platform.
I purchased the Yuneec 520e in May 2022 and I love it thus far. There is much to learn but camera & gimbal produce great video footage. The damping plate prevents jittery footage and the color amazing. A zoom in feature would be nice but the camera with that feature cost $3000.00 alone. A bit pricey for a prosumer enthusiast.