We don’t need no introduction for the new brushless drone from MJX. It has been a while since MJX has launched the Bug 3 on the market.For those who are not familiar with this drone, it is important to know that the MJX Bugs 3 is an affordable brushless drone with quite acrobatic capabilities. This is certainly not a toy and personally I do not recommend it to use it straight out of the box if you are not familiar with flying drones. As a lot of users will tell and also contained in the user manual, precautions need to be taken before flying with this machine. It certainly has enough ummmffff, if you know what I am talking about! Before going into details let’s see what does this drone offer for a retail price situated around $115.
Size and weight
It does have a respectful size as it is 310 mm (12.2 inches) long, measured diagonally between the motor’s axis. and has a width of 410 mm (16.1 inches) without the prop guards. The gross weight of the drone is 485g which in the hand doesn’t feel that heavy. It can certainly lift any Gopro, Xiaomi, Sjcam camera, but it will certainly impact the flight times.
Motors
As previously mentioned the MJX Bugs 3 is equipped with powerful MT1806 1800Kv motors, which have a lifting capacity of 230 g each. Taking into account the weight of the drone, it will easily lift off any action camera you want.
Battery and battery life
The drone is equipped with 2s 25C 7.4V 1800mAh high capacity battery which comes packed in a proprietary plastic housing. The battery is rated to assure a flight time between 18-19 minutes, which certainly is a little bit over estimated. For sure this time depends upon a lot of factors, like wind speed, the way you are flying, and so on, but with everything detached (prop guards, landing gear, camera mount) you can reach around 15 minutes of flight time with ease. With a camera mounted this time would be around 8-12 minutes depending on the camera weight.
Can you use 3s batteries?
For sure you can user 3s batteries as it is able to handle 11.1V battery with ease. The result is better maneuverability than with the 2s battery, coming very close to the characteristics of some racing drones. Also you can add a much larger capacity. There are some after market batteries out there which fit inside the battery compartment. For those interested in buying a second 3rd party battery the size is 115mm x 36mm x 20mm.
One important aspect is the charging time of the battery which unfortunately is around 5-6 hours.
Controlling distance
This baby can operate between 300 and 500 m which is really above average for drones in this price tag. In comparison the Syma X8 has a control distance between 50-100 m. For sure the best practice is, to keep the drone in the eye sight as this is a completely manual drone. It is very easy to lose orientation if you are not familiar with flying it. It certainly requires some practice for beginners. I don’t recommend flying it in windy weather. It certainly will give you some adrenaline moments if you get panicked. Try to fly it in an open field. The drone itself is quite sturdy so it probably will survive some crash landings, but be prepared to buy yourself some spare blades as they can get worn if it lands in high grass.
Conclusions
This drone is a really nice flyer. It flies like a charm. For sure it is not recommended for absolute beginners. It is very easy to fly. Practice makes perfect. For sure it will give you some adrenaline moments, but thanks to its powerful motors it will handle the situation. Before purchasing this drone, the option would have been the Syma X8, but you won’t regret your decision. In this price range it does not have much competition.
Where to buy?
Get you MJX Bugs 3 from Banggood: MJX Bugs 3 black
Or if you prefer the red version you can purchase it from Gearbest:
MJX Bugs 3 red
[P_REVIEW]
MJX Bugs 3
$ 114.99
Pros
- Great maneuverability
- Powerful brushless motors
- Great battery life for the price paid
Cons
- Not for beginners
