The PowerEgg X drone has a unique design that sets it apart from other drones, including its predecessor, the PowerEgg. The body of the drone is egg-shaped, and it has a detachable bottom panel that protects the camera and gimbal. The top panel is also removable and houses the battery and memory card, along with accessory sockets on the sides of the device.
The main body of the PowerEgg X is lightweight at 522g with a battery and microSD card installed, and the take-off weight becomes 862g when the propeller arms are attached to the accessory sockets on either side of the egg-shaped body. The drone can be used in handheld camera mode by attaching a hand strap or secured to a tripod for the AI camera mode by attaching a tripod mount.
The PowerEgg X is designed to be versatile and perform most aerial tasks expected of a modern drone, including front obstacle avoidance and autonomous flight modes like return-to-home, follow-me, orbit, and time-lapse. It can also transform into a hand-held stabilized camera and a tripod-mounted video recorder with motion tracking ability.
One of the most unique features of the PowerEgg X is its ability to land and take off on water, making it an ideal drone for use on or around water. In drone mode, it handles well in the sky and can fly in wind speeds up to 23mph/38kph. The battery life is advertised as up to 30 minutes in drone mode, and 3.5 hours in other camera modes. However, wind speed, temperature, and the use of the waterproof housing and floats can impact battery life.
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When using the waterproof housing and floats, the drone’s handling in the air is impacted, and it tends to reduce altitude when being flown forwards. The floats also make the drone unstable in the air when it’s windy. Water landings work well, but it’s best to avoid fast-moving water or landing too close to a riverbank to prevent the drone from getting flipped over or caught in reeds. The floats are also useful for landing on snow, mud, and long grass.
In rainy conditions, the top of the waterproof housing can suffer from fogging, but during testing, this wasn’t a problem at the front of the housing where the camera is situated. Rain droplets in front of the camera were visible in videos. Overall, the PowerEgg X is a versatile and unique drone that offers a range of features and capabilities for both aerial and ground-based photography and videography.
The PowerEgg X drone boasts advanced flight technology with front obstacle avoidance and downward sensors to aid with landing. While rear obstacle avoidance sensors would have been an added advantage, their absence is not a deal-breaker. The intelligent camera modes accessed via the app include Follow Me, Point of Interest, QuickShots, and Time Lapse, which are all easy to use and perform as expected.
In handheld gimbal camera and AI camera modes, you can use the drone’s video functionality either handheld or tripod mounted. The AI camera utilizes facial recognition and can smoothly follow subjects, which is continually improved through deep learning and firmware updates. The egg body features a microphone that can pick up sound, and the internal fan’s audible noise is faintly noticeable in video footage, but not to the point of being unusable.
There is a noise reduction facility that can be turned on in the app, but basic noise reduction always changes sound, so you have to compare with and without to decide which you prefer. When flying the drone, sound can be recorded from the controller, allowing the drone pilot to capture ambient sound or add voice notes to video footage. Image quality is best in brighter conditions where subjects appear sharper, and color is more vivid than in dull and cloudy conditions, as with most consumer drones.
In-drone processed JPEGs suffer from heavy sharpening and noise reduction, and the color balance and overall saturation are never as good as when processing Raw files. Shooting through the waterproof housing affects image sharpness and clarity when shooting both stills and video. Despite the small sensor size, shooting in Raw and manually processing the image can produce good results.
The PowerEgg X produces good quality video, but it’s not as good as DJI’s Mavic series. Recording in Raw video formats, such as D-Log, is not currently possible, although it may be added in a future firmware update. However, for short, sharp video sequences in bad weather, the PowerEgg X has a clear advantage. The PowerEgg X Wizard pack’s main USP is that it comes with a waterproof housing for the drone and floats for landing on water. The floats are great for raising the drone, enabling it to land on wet ground, snow, or water, making it an ideal drone for use in heavy rain.
The PowerEgg X Wizard kit comes with everything you need to fly the drone in both standard and waterproof modes. This includes the polystyrene carry case and two batteries that provide around 50 minutes of flight time. The design of the PowerEgg X is like no other drone, with its egg-shaped body and detachable bottom panel that neatly hides and protects the camera and gimbal, while the top panel is also removable, where the battery and memory card live. There are accessory sockets on the sides of the device.
The Wizard kit costs $1,249 and includes a waterproof housing, floats for water landings, an additional battery, two extra pairs of propellers, a propeller arm case, and a mini tripod for AI camera mode. The Wizard kit represents the best value for money, like most drone bundles with additional accessories. The PowerEgg X Wizard is a surprisingly good drone to fly, providing great stability in the air thanks to the large propellers. While image quality is good, it may not be outstanding, and the lack of Raw video formats may deter some professional videographers. However, photographers will be pleased to know that Raw stills can be captured in DNG format. The waterproof housing and floats for landing on water make this unique drone stand out from the crowd.
