Summary
A great little multirotor to jump into the fun, or an excellent gift if you ought to make your children interested in drones and programming.
Pros
- It has got the DJI’s trademark reliability and quality although they have not formally produced it.
- The Tello comes in yellow, white, and blue covers. It enables you to have a track of your drone easily while racing with your partners.
- Its compact stature lets you take it easily anywhere you travel; no carrying case needed.
- It will land or take off from your palm or some other floor you place it.
- This drone comes with excellent video resolution for the category it is at, and also it is easy to fly and stable.
- With one 1100 mAh (3.8V) battery, you could get around 13 minutes in mid-air.
- Even if you are new to Unmanned aerial vehicles, you can take out your smartphone and take flight with the user-friendly control system.
- You will not need to give up on quality or features just as you are spending such low money. The Ryze Tello Quad will offer you lots of value for your dollars.
Cons
- The Tello sort of feels tiny and as it will damage once you grasp it initially.
- Even the moderate wind will push it aside from you thus you will crash or missing it.
- Advanced modes are not as good looking and precise like with the Mavic Air or the Spark. However, for just below $100, we cannot really complain.
Introduction
Wish you can be the holder of a DJI drone, but not prepared to pay some serious cash? Do not worry. There is a solution.
DJI is supporting a new quadcopter which is called the Tello. Actually, it is the ultimate toy-grade drone that you can buy today, which is a joint project between Ryze and DJI.
It has some unique features under its belt which create it a highly, highly entertaining drone but more on that later.
Let’s begin our Ryze DJI Tello review!
Specifications
- Model: Tello
- Our Rating: 4.5 Star
- Manufacturer: Ryze Tech
- Type: Almost Ready-to-Fly
- Style: Quadcopter / Mini
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Color: White
- Dimensions: 98×92.5×41 mm (3.8 inches x 3.6 inches x 1.6 inches)
- Weight: 80 g (Battery and Propellers Included)
- Propeller: 3” (7.62cm)
- Built-in Functions: Vision System, Barometer, 720p Live View, 2.4 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, Range Finder, LED
- Port: Micro USB Charging Port
- Stabilization: Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)
- FOV: 82.6°
- Photo: 5MP (2592×1936)
- Video: 1280 x 720p at 30 FPS
- Format: JPG(Photo); MP4(Video)
- Max Flight Height: 30m
- Max Flight Time: 13min
- Max Flight Distance: 100m (328 ft)
- Battery: Detachable Battery: 1.1Ah/3.8V
- Control Modes: Tello App or Supported Bluetooth Remote Controllers
- Top Speed: 8 m/s
- Max Horizontal Speed: 26 ft/s / 8 m/s
- Vision System: Downward
- App: Tello App
- Indoor or Outdoor: Indoor
- Bundle Options: Base Model
- Price Range: $$
Drone Tello Packaging
What you receive is a well designed, we could say it, the regular micro drone package having a plastic wrap over the quad itself.
You find in the box a drone, 1 battery, 2 sets of prop guards, and 4 sets of propellers.
And that is it. No charger, no controller, no fancy cases, and no extra batteries.
However, when considering the benefits over other choices in its group, we are not taking the absence of fancy add-ons against the remarkable Tello.
Dji Tello Specs Design
Looking at Tello, this is a portable drone that looks just like the extremely popular and outstanding DJI Spark.
The Tello is tinier than an average adult hand and likewise has a frame which is smaller compared to all other DJI copters on the market.
On the drone’s right side there is the power dial for switching it on or off, and to the left, you will find the Micro SD port to charge.
The DJI’s designers went one stage more and had somewhat angled the arms down and handed them two sets of high heels under the rotor’s bottom.
As a result, you get a quadcopter that includes a durable body build and even far better design for inside flight compared to the Spark.
Size of Quadcopter
The first matter you will see right after unwrapping this UAV is it is super small.
The main drone’s body is as large as a standard matchbox, plus the props are the toothpick’s size.
Since the drone comes with pre-installed propeller guards, it does not appear that much tinier than the Spark.
The drone weighs in at 80 grams together with the prop guards installed and the battery.
So, there is no need to register if you are flying it within the USA.
Ryze Tello Camera
Also, the video camera is remarkably decent for a quadcopter in this budget.
But, do not expect to win any prizes for your footage.
The Tello comes with a 5 MP camera that has an 82.6-degree FOV and records 720p clips at 30 FPS.
Furthermore, this video camera features EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) which improves your video and fine-tunes blurry frames when the quadricopter is moving.
Also, the 14 cores Intel processor ensures it all goes as smoothly as you planned.
For making the camera much more powerful, the Tello has “EZ Shots.” These are same as advanced options you could find in the Spark or more advanced drone types.
It makes your filming more fun and effective with modes such as 360, Circle, and Up & Away.
Also, you enjoy a live view on your mobile phone at all times, and even you can use virtual reality goggles, for an immerse FPV flight experience.
One problem we noticed with this cam setup is you do not have a choice to record straight on the SD Card inside the drone.
It means you do not quite find the full footage quality that comes straight from the video camera.
Nevertheless, it makes quick social media posting much effortless than before.
Battery & Flight Time
We can expect a battery life of 5-7 minutes (7 min if you fly it inside only and are really fortunate) on entry-level drones.
Luckily, with the Ryze Tello quad, you can enjoy much more from it; therefore, you will get around 13 minutes of flight time.
That is near to Sparks airtime, which is impressive considering the Spark charges five times more.
Pro Tip: Surprisingly, you do not get a charger cord in the bundle so be sure you got one around should you opt to charge your drone.
Connecting Tello to Software App
- To do this, you have to power the device and link to its Wi-Fi network, after that launch the app.
- Once you are in the application, you have many different options to select – you can specify the flight rate to slow or fast.
- Also, you can change the Wi-Fi network and put a password. The Wi-Fi connection is open by default, so you need not type in a password.
- You can open the Beginner guide from the settings. It explains each of the buttons and features in the software and all the flight settings.
- You can swap the measurement unit between imperial and metric, set the image quality to normal or high.
- Also, you can change the low charge warning level, and if you are flying inside, we recommend setting it at 10%.
- In the settings second tab, you can observe the current software version and your sensors status. It is also in which you may calibrate its sensors and install your most recent firmware.
Ryze Controller
If you prefer to fly freestyle, you will either need to use the smartphone or buy an additional transmitter, since there is not one supplied.
You can control it using your PC if you decide to try Scratch to handle the drone.
However, everyone who tried flying a drone using a phone agrees it cannot substitute the traditional remote controller’s response time and precision.
If you would like a better handle, you should buy the transmitter separately.
Ryze recommends the GameVice transmitter if you favor a conventional RC controller feel.
It works with Bluetooth to transmit the instructions to the Tello app, which afterward sends it via Wi-Fi to the UAV.
It causes a certain level of lag, yet nothing significant.
Have you not flown a drone before? No issue! The Tello’s app makes all things a piece of cake for adults and kids alike. You can perform impressive moves with merely a touch on display.
We particularly love the help menu which is pretty straightforward.
Flight Performance
Among the first stuff that sticks out regarding the Tello is they have built it super effortless to control.
Its durable construction coupled with DJI’s technologies ensure you always can fly with 100% confidence.
In case, you have not piloted a drone previously you are pretty secure with this drone, and you can get used to it soon.
For more experienced and confident pilots, you will find plenty of breakthrough features that would keep them entertained.
Now, for flying, we must say the Tello drone is incredibly steady in an indoor environment.
It flawlessly maintains its position and is simple to handle.
It makes it ideal for beginners and kids.
Also, the 3-inch props turn it more responsive and faster than all other models in its type.
However, if you take it outdoors, there is a danger because of its featherweight, it does not handle wind.
Credits to its Intel Movidius Myriad 2 VPU, this little flying machine includes the capability to recognize subjects.
And, it also can recognize your palm gestures, the function we first witnessed in the Spark.
Features
It is the moment to see all the special features that have made such demand around this small drone.
Altitude Hold
There is something often missing in the cheaper drones is AltHold.
Luckily, the Tello contains this handy function.
It clears you up to concentrate on other things with no need to bother about handling the altitude.
Bounce Mode
It allows the drone to bounce down and up over and over from your palm or some other area with a distance of 1.6 to 3.9 feet.
This feature is secure as sensors can detect the range to the surface.
Low Battery Protection
For protection, the Tello will notify you if the charge is low so you can do the necessary steps to stop an accident.
Furthermore, even when you lose the signal, it can even so land thanks to the failsafe protection.
One Touch Take Off and Landing
A nifty function that makes this Tello Quad fun to soar is the single tap Auto-land and Lift-off.
It makes landing and taking off so much effortless and what you should do is press one switch or touch your display once, and this is it.
Throw and go
Many other UAV’s in this category also marketed as having this ability, but they don’t activate the motors instantly.
You need to toss them and immediately pull the throttle dial upward.
Throw & Go is pretty much self-explanatory.
When you toss the Tello drone in the sky, it will instantly start the engines and quickly balance into an even hover.
We love this function, and in fact, it is easy to use, indeed excellent for the starters.
Vision Positioning System
It is another system you can find just in $500 or more expensive camera drones.
It enables you to accurately and easily hover, assuming no wind considered in the picture.
8D Flips
Micro-drones are well-known for their swiftness but you hardly ever find one as agile as the DJI Tello.
A simple swiping on the transmitter, you can turn it in any of 8 ways with the best of safety and ease. No other quad can do that.
We honestly love the 8D flips and believe they are cool, mainly when you have not piloted a drone which can do stunts.
Also, we enjoy how steady the device is soon after completing that flip.
The issue is with a few GPS drifts; occasionally it could get a bit nearer than we expected that resulted in us stepping back also it carrying on to advance.
Do not expect facial recognition or anything similar to that. This drone uses your smartphone to transfer the GPS transmission.
Nevertheless, it is a pretty great use of the technology at a low price range we think.
Headless Mode
A unique function is a headless mode that means forward is ever forward depending on your controller’s starting position and left side is in the forward’s left motion.
It is super helpful if you are thinking grid type. However, if you flip over because you traveled the drone right behind you, you will need to remap the controls mentally for having the drone execute what you need it to perform.
One Touch Take Off
Press the one button take-off, and the props whirr to action lifting the quadcopter to about five feet from the ground at which point you can observe it holds its position.
Return to Home
Also, there is a one push return to home feature that will come right back for you with GPS signal.
It is pretty handy because the drone got a distance of around 300m that is pretty good for a model at this amount.
Tello Programming
The manufacturer has created a lot more enjoyment and flexibility into the device by including Scratch, an MIT-developed coding platform.
This system uses a high-level language which is quite basic and intended for kids.
Essentially, you could program the Tello to fly specific directions depending on the code you have prepared.
So similar to the Olympic games opening where we spotted hundreds of drones making automated patterns and performing a light event.
If you are a more experienced user; you might create and develop new applications and features with Tello SDK.
It will help you learn the programming basics while having a blast.
Till you get used to it, Scratch programming might appear a bit difficult, and there is no official documentation for this procedure.
However, you will find a ton of YouTube videos, making it fun and easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between DJI Tello and DJI Spark?
- Design wise these are very comparable with Tello weighs just 80 grams and measures 98 x 92.5 x 41 mm vs. 300 grams and 143 x 143 x 55 mm on the DJI Spark.
- The Spark includes an advanced camera with 1080p video and 12MP stills, but you still can get great video using the Tello to most purposes. The Spark consists of a two-axis gimbal while the Tello banks on EIS.
- Distance is one department where the DJI Spark significantly outrun with a 2000m range compared to the Tello’s 100m.
- Even though the Tello comes with a few sensors, the Spark features a proper collision avoidance technology.
- At over four times the cost, you undoubtedly gain much more from the Spark compared to the Tello.
Should I get a Spark or a Tello drone?
If you want the obstacle avoidance and superior camera, and got the money, go ahead and get the Spark.
In case, you want to conserve a fair sum of bucks but not compromise on features or quality select the Tello, and you will not be disappointed.
Can I fly Tello indoors?
Yes, Tello drone is secure to fly inside. Also, you can fly outside, but is only suggested to do this in a windless climate.
How do I fly Tello?
You can fly Tello directly through Tello application or using a compatible Bluetooth controller linked to the app.
How do I recharge Tello’s battery?
You can both charge a single battery through the USB slot on the quad or charge 3 batteries simultaneously with the battery charger hub.
How do I change propellers?
You can change props by manually detaching the existing ones and installing new ones.
Is it waterproof?
No.
What is Tello’s flight distance?
Max video transmission distance is around 100m, but this range may differ based on your environment.
Which programming language can I use to code Tello?
Tello currently facilitates Scratch coding. More programming languages will be possible in future – says DJI.
Which drone model is the closest competitor to Tello?
The only aircraft you can find from this group and in this same amount is the Mambo by Parrot.
It has an FPV goggle and controller but is a country mile behind the Ryze Tello in most aspects.
Conclusion
Like you can notice from our above review, the Ryze/DJI Tello is a force to be reckoned with in the micro-drone class.
It is overall an extremely well-priced, very well-built drone that can provide you with non-stop fun and entertainment.
We don’t think you can label the Tello drone a toy since it is a lot more than this. You are having a drone capable of a few cool things other drones do not offer.
Thanks for checking out our article and don’t forget to leave your comments below and our experts would like to listen to your opinions or to reply to your doubts.