DYS 230 = well flying and cool design but overpriced

DYS just released a new cool little "drone" with a form factor that I feel is very relevant to the future of consumer video drones.  
The DYS x230 can be purchased from CarolinaDronz.com use the code fpvguy230 on check out to save $100
Click through to see how the new quad deliver on that promise.

 There is no doubt the new DYS x230 strike a cool new profile,    the look of the integrated drone, which were popularized naturally with the Phantom P1.    and I convinced this is a look we will see a lot more in the future.

 
Check out the video review on YouTube,  make sure to like and subscribe as we got a lot more videos on the way.

Below I have provided some pictures of the sample,  just to be clear, DYS did not provide the sample it was purchased directly.   

The motors are embedded in the arms, creating a nicely integrated and finished look,  my biggest issue here is the loose-nut props.  I just simply feel consumer drones should have twist on props for safety.
*Actual FPV racing mini-quads naturally do not fall under that category as the owners are living on the edge of speed and risk,  and carefully optimize all parts of the racer, including props.

The battery gauge on the back of the battery,  I gotta say I love the convenience, but dislike the extra wight and cost to each battery,  much better to put the gauge on the quad itself.  other than that, one piece batteries are easy to plug in and there are no cables for your dog to chew on.

On the side of the quad body you can see the micro-SD card for the camera,  the USB plug for the camera and the camera reset button.

Belly of the DYS x230

The leg which I removed because it feels kinda flimsy to me.. and I don't like stuff that can catch when landing.  but in all fairness, the first couple flights were with the legs on and nothing happened.

The battery-unit,  3S 2200mah.  I had problems finding replacement batteries, but came up with a workaround which is covered in the video.

The little charger is really clever and charge quicker than I expected.  

The DYS x230 controller is clean and easy to use,  unique feature is the build in 5.8ghz receiver,   make sure the number here matches the number on the quad.  you can connect the video-out on the backside to your FatShark goggles.

Top of the controller,  notice the flight mode switch (to the right in this picture) need to be in the UP position to be in stability,  the DOWN position (nr 2) is RATE MODE.

Backside,  you can see the manual angle adjustment for the camera tilt.

The articulated flight camera,   frankly I love the quad in general, it flies well, looks nice,  the radio is incredible comfortable to use while flying.  But the camera leave me with 3 issues,
1.  there is a fairly significant lag-time on the video, which makes goggle-FPV questionable unless you are flying up high.
2.  the camera is advertised as a 1080p camera, technically the video file meet this standard, it is spec wise 1080p, however the resolving power of the camera is NOT 1080p,  its more like 640x960pix than 1920x1080pix,  the video quality is simply unacceptable for a camera advertised as 1080p.   That don't make the quad bad, but unfortunately the video quality is un-exciting.
3.  So I got over the video quality,  I still want to have this camera optionally look DOWN, maybe 45 degrees, so that I can shoot some selfie video when kicking it in the jacuzzi tub at a vacation spot. unfortunately the camera only tilt up.

The DYS x230 can be purchased from CarolinaDronz.com use the code fpvguy230 on check out to save $100

SAMPLES:
 

Comments

[Bo Lorentzen]

Hey David, yeah agree, like I said, I would feel very different about this even at $350 than 450. just just a bit too steep, that said, in DYS's favor, this is a INCREDIBLE nice syma-compattbile product. build the way we would have hoped syma build theirs, and with a real battery, brushless motors etc.. (not syma brushed gear motors)

[David]

Hi Bo-thanks again for the new product review.

My take on this is that it is really toy grade due to poor video, no GPS (although I am assuming it had altitude hold?), no FPV screen, no self-locking props, etc. I further speculate that there is no way to view the video from a smart phone, so no app and not even a phone holder. That being said, $450 is not reasonable for this. This seems to be "Syma compatible" product and will probably sell to newbies in the $200 range.