Selfies and drones are two of the ways we capture and share important moments in our lives. While each provides a unique view of what’s happening, both have their limitations. In selfies, the distance in which you hold your camera determines how many people you can comfortably fit in your picture. With drones, your limitation is space and portability. The Airselfie AirPix Drone seeks to fill this gap by creating a selfie focused personal drone. In today’s blog post, we’ll be reviewing the AirPix selfie drone. My testing for the AirPix was done with an Android phone using the latest Android 11 update.
Portability
I’m surprised at just how small the AirPix is. It’s almost the size of your hand and weighs just over 50 grams. At this size, the drone can be easily transported in your pocket or bag. The body of the AirPix is composed entirely of plastic, which keeps the drone lightweight and durable during accidental bumps and falls. The plastic body has a soft touch rubber coating, giving you more grip when holding onto the drone. I found this helpful when preparing the drone for launch and when catching the drone as it flew back to me.
AirPix setup
Unboxing the AirPix is straightforward and simple. Upon opening the box, you have the drone, charging cables, carrying case, and spare propellers. After unboxing, the instructions guide you towards downloading the Airselfie App. I recommend that you follow this step as the app updates the drone’s firmware and calibrates it for flight. Once this is done, you’re pretty much ready to fly the drone and take selfies.
Airselfie App
The Airselfie App is simple to use and navigate. While companion apps for other devices usually turn out to be nice-to-haves, the Airselfie App is essential. Inside the app you will find tutorials, photo editing features, and drone operation.
Tutorials
The Airselfie App provides several tutorial videos that cover a range of topics including manual control, auto flying, and gestures. The videos are brief and to the point; most are between 2-3 minutes, with the longest being 5 minutes. This makes them easy to consume and immediately test on the drone. One challenge I had on my Android phone was that the app periodically crashed while watching the videos. I was able to get around this issue by visiting the Airselfie YouTube channel.
Photo editing
One of my favourite inclusions in the Airselfie App is the ability to edit. Pictures and video are automatically transferred to your phone when using the app in manual or auto-fly mode. If you use the AirPix in auto-fly without app mode, you will need to use the app to connect to the drone first to download media to your phone. It’s worthwhile to note that on my Android phone I was only able to edit photos. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the Airselfie’s implementation of picture editing software. In addition to the basic editing features, the app includes some fun stickers and text designs. After you edit the image, a copy of the image is saved to your device and is ready to be shared with your friends.
Airselfie operation
The AirPix can be operated in different modes, each with their own advantages and challenges. Operation of the selfie drone can be done in three ways: manual, AutoFly with app, and AutoFly without app.
AutoFly with app
My first few flights with the AirPix were done using the AutoFly with app mode. In this mode, you simply need to tell the drone if you are indoor/outdoor and if you’d like to take a picture or video. To launch the drone, you gently toss it in front of you. LED indicators on the front of the AirPix will let you know when the photo or video recording has started. My favourite part of this mode is seeing the drone fly back to you once the job has been completed. I found this mode to be the most fun and reliable for taking selfies.
Manual mode
This mode feels most like flying a drone, and as the operator you have the most control. Operating the drone in this mode, you have full control over the AirPix’s flight from liftoff to landing. In this mode, you will also need to manually select when to start/stop video and pictures. Using the app, you are only able to turn the AirPix left or right. If you want the AirPix to hover towards the left or right, you will need both of your hands to signal gestures. This can be complicated as you need your hands on your phone to manually control the AirPix while at the same time using gestures.
AutoFly without app
The AutoFly without app mode is the fastest for taking a selfie, but it also requires the most experience. The reason for this is that you need to have a good knowledge of gestures to control the AirPix’s flight and to start/stop videos and pictures. You also need to be familiar with the different blue and red LED patterns on the front of the drone. Because you are not using the app to control the drone, the LEDs on the AirPix are your visual cues as to when a picture or video is being taken. Mastery of this mode is satisfying and can help you make the most use out of the AirPix’s flight time.
Airselfie battery life
Battery life on the AirPix is good for the battery size. Official marketing states that you can achieve 6+ minutes of flight. On a drone this size, the battery will naturally be small, resulting in shorter flight times. If you fly the AirPix outside, battery life will be even shorter as more power is required to keep the drone stable. In my tests, I found the flight time to be between 2-6 minutes. There were occasions when the AirPix reported a low battery after one short indoor flight. Other times, I was able to get 2-4 flights while flying outdoors. To ensure your AirPix is ready for your next picture taking adventure, I suggest charging the drone as soon as you’ve finished using it. Charging the AirPix is done through a USB-C port located on the rear and can take up to 1 hour to charge the drone from 0% – 100% battery.
AirPix selfie drone camera
Like everything else on the AirPix, the camera is small. However, for such a small camera, the AirPix is still able to deliver 12mp pictures and 1080p, 30fps video. I found the pictures and video to be fairly good for a camera of this size. To get the most out of the AirPix camera, be sure to use it in well-lit environments. Images and video taken in dimly lit environments can lead to blurry or overly dark images. Because the AirPix does not have any camera stabilization, you may see stutters or jittering while recording video. This is particularly noticeable when the drone makes sudden movements such as when there are gusts of wind.
It’s noteworthy that the AirPix cannot be connected to your PC. Because of this, you are unable to download media directly to your computer. If you would like to save your media, you will need to remove the memory card from the AirPix or use your phone and back up media to the cloud.
Final thoughts on the AirPix Airselfie drone
The Airselfie AirPix provides an interesting and fun solution to taking selfies. The different modes of operation give users the ability to grow with the drone and use each mode to achieve different results. The biggest challenges that users will experience are the short battery life and long charging times. That being said, the AirPix drone provides great entertainment and is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Autofly mode for sure ! Amazing feature !
I would like to get experienced enough to mostly use the AutoFly without app mode.
I would primarily use autofly mode.
I would use the AutoFly with App mode as it appears to be the easiest option for me. Thanks for the opportunity!
Controling it with hand movements sounds so much easier than using my smartphone so I’d want to try using the “AutoFly without app”.
Autofly mode with app seems like the best choice
This is the coolest technology! I love taking photos from different perspectives and using the AIR PIX drone in AutoFly mode with app would be an amazing way to share new vistas with others. Thank you!
I would use auto mode the most when flying this drone.
I would use autofly with app. Easier and safer, for me, I think.
I would use Autofly with the App, because I am not a talented flyer!!
I would use Auto Fly with app while I learned how to use the camera, when I have more experience, I might try Auto Fly without app.
I’d use the AutoFly mode with app! Less fiddling around…
I would use autofly mode with the app because it seems the most user friendly
I would use AutoFly mode with the app as that doesnt require pressing any buttons.
I would like to be able to use AutoFly mode with the app as that seems the quickest and easiest
This gadget looks EPIC! Totally need it for the boat! Probably start off in manual mode, but I can see myself using the AutoFly mode with the app.
sounds like AutoFly rules.
I would use the Autofly with app mode at first and then hopefully will be able to try the other modes out with confidence.
To start off with I’d use the Auto fly.
Once I was more confident with it I’d practice using the other modes for sure.
I would use Autofly with app because it seems like the easiest and best mode 🙂
AutoFly mode because it is the easiest!
Autofly with app
I would absolutely use autofly
I would mostly use the autofly with app mode
I would love to use the auto fly with app if you let me win one , haha. PLEAseeeeee
Auto fly with app mode would be what I would use the most
I would probably mostly use it in autoFly with app mode.
autofly with app
I would like to use AutoFly with app!
I would use AutoFly mode!
I’d try to master auto fly without the app. Taking selfies and videos on nature walks without my phone in my hand controlling it through an app would be ideal.
I’d have to agree with the masses here, autofly mode seems to be the route I would go.
I would use AutoFly with app!
I would use the AutoFly with app! 🙂
I would use the “AutoFly without app” 🙂
Since I’m so new to flying a drone I would use the manual mode until I felt more comfortable.
I would use the manual mode
Autofly until I mastered it, then probably manual mode
Auto fly mode … at least until I get it figured out
I think I would use the AutoFly mode with the app. Probably easiest 😉
I would use the manual mode.
Autofly without app sounds like an easy to use mode
I think i would use the AutoFly mode the most for quick picks on the go
To start off with I’d use the Auto fly. Once I was more confident with it I’d practice using the other modes
I’d use all modes but the AUTO FLY sounds fantastic and I’d love to see how it works.
The auto fly mode w/app seems to be the easiest and safest so I’d go with that to begin with.
I would use the auto fly mode with app to get the hang of it, then maybe get brave and try manual (not good at drones)
Autofly with the app sounds like the easiest option for beginners like me. Having the app would make it so easy.
Manual Mode seems fun! Thanks for the chance to win! good luck everyone.
AutoFly mode with the app, as it seems to have the most success!
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