After trying out a few budget drones, I figured it was time to go for something better, and the 4K camera with a 2-axis gimbal really caught my eye. As soon as I got it, I took it out for a spin. The setup process was pretty standard, similar to other drones I’ve used (seems like there’s a universal way to do it). The remote and the drone itself feel really high-quality, even though they’re probably made of plastic, they have this metallic sheen to them.
Even though it was a bit windy that day, the footage was surprisingly stable. The drone’s movement in the wind didn’t really affect the video at all. Before I got it, I was a bit worried that the 4K camera might be overhyped, but it turned out to be even clearer than advertised. It seems like the wind has a noticeable impact on flight time, though. I flew for just under 15 minutes before the drone returned to the takeoff point, but I hadn’t charged it fully beforehand—the battery indicator was only showing three bars. So, I can definitely expect the flight time to meet my needs when it’s fully charged.
Oh, and the GPS on this thing is super accurate. If I remember correctly, the landing spot was almost exactly where it took off. I’m really looking forward to more flights with this drone!”

As a preface, I have flown drones as a hobby before so I’m no beginner, but I still remember my first time flying a drone and did my best to place myself in that mindset to be able to mimic someone who had bought this as their first drone. To say the least, this drone is a good beginner drone but there will be some work required in order to successfully get used to flying one. This is my review of the Contixo F28-Premium Camera Drone.
*TLDR at the bottom
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IN-THE-BOX/SET UP:
In the box, you get all the items needed to fly this drone. You even get a nice hard-shell case which many drone manufactures do not include. But one of the key items that were not included is a power brick to charge these devices. You can get away using a typical 5V phone power brick which some may have laying around. But I would’ve liked it if they had included one. On the bright side, a short USB-A to USB-C cable is included but it is only one so you will need to provide another. Another key missing item is a micro-SD card. This drone seems to be for beginners with little to no experience, and with that, I strongly think that a micro-SD card should have been added so a beginner will not have to worry about anything except learning how to fly the drone. Luckily, I had one laying around and used that one. But note that the drone can still be used without an SD card.
Setup time can vary depending on skill level and tech savviness. I would say it can typically take about half an hour or so. The video that Contixo has on their website explaining the setup is quick and to the point but does miss a lot of essential information that drone owners should know. For example, this drone is about .55 grams so there is no need to register the drone with the FAA. A drone will need to be registered if the weight is above 250 grams. If you are a complete beginner, I certainly recommend to watch some intro drone videos that explain everything from manual takeoff, landing safely, flying do’s and don’ts etc. Once you get these videos out of the way, you will gain the confidence to be able to fly one without any doubts!
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
This drone is at the cheaper end. At first impression, the drone and the controller feel cheap. They both seem to be made with mostly plastic. And unfortunately, it doesn’t feel like the “durable” plastic. I understand due to weight and cost constraints, Contixo may not have wanted to choose something more premium, but the drone seems to feel like it’s one crash away from completely obliterating itself. The controller on the other hand is mostly plastic too but it looks like it will hold up better compared to the drone if there is a drop of some sort. On the other hand, the case has a nice soft texture on the inside and a rough hard shell on the outside which is great for protection. The case is small too, which helps with portability.
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DRONE FEATURES/CONTROLLER:
The F28-Premium drone has many features that mostly focuses on the built-in 4k camera. There is the option to take a selfie, get the drone to follow you, and take time-lapse photography. Another feature that is not camera related is the return to home base. This works well from the minor testing I was doing since I was mostly landing the drone manually.
The controller on the other hand feels alright. It is not the most ergonomic, but I do enjoy how far the compartment expands on top where your phone rests for those large phone users. The adjustment dials on the controller feel good, they are used to control the camera. The controller also has a tiny LCD screen where there is a lot of useful information like information on distance, height, D-Speed, V-Speed, devices connected, and more are all shown on this screen.
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FLYING/VIDEO & CAMERA:
Takeoff can be done manually or from the app. There is no difference between both, it’s just a preference. You can takeoff from the bare ground or by using the included fabric helipad. It is on the cheaper end and mine did unfortunately come with a couple of rips, regardless, I found that if there is nothing holding the helipad down, the helipad does get pushed away from the sheer wind that the propellers produce. One of the first things I noticed was that the drone doesn’t seem to be balanced. If the drone is left in the air to hover without any input from the controller, the drone tends to sway and drift slowly. I flew the drone on a day where there was little to no wind which gave me the impression that something with the weight balance of the drone may be off. Despite this minor issue, flying the drone felt easy. Input was flawless, sudden stops were responsive, and this little guy can go fast.
There is a camera gimble cover. Make sure to remove that before turning the drone on. Once the cover is off, there is a piece of removable film on the camera, be sure to remove that as well, otherwise, your footage will be grainy. I did learn this the hard way. There will also be permissions in the app that seem rather intrusive but will need to be accepted to get live video footage of the drone to your phone. A neat feature that I found was that the camera gimble does auto adjust to remain level with any position the drone is in. Video and photo quality is decent, it is clear enough to remain acceptable, but I did find that the camera has a hard time keeping most detail whenever you zoom in into a recorded photo or video. But I cannot complain at this price point.
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CONCLUSION:
Overall, this is a decent beginner drone. If you have never flown a drone before, there is a learning curve to learning how to fly one. While, the video that Contixo provides is helpful and straight to the point, I recommend doing research outside on drone flying and video/photo basics. The drone is at the cheaper end, so it is mostly made of seemingly cheap plastic. I did not crash the drone so I cannot speak on durability, but the drone seems to be the most vulnerable compared to the controller which feels more high quality. Luckily, portability and storage are easy as Contixo provides a nice hard-shell case for the drone. Video and photo quality is good enough. If you are in search of a beginner drone, especially for a child or complete beginner, I would certainly consider this one. But keep in mind that if you are at a more intermediate level there are far better quality drones out there at the cost of a higher price which are more bang for your buck.

I’ve used drones before, but this one still surprised me with how smooth it is. I’ve had drones with gimbals before, and they’d sometimes wobble, or even worse, fly off on their own! This one is totally different—clear, stable footage every time. I’ve flown it three times, always until the battery is about to die, and the GPS is super accurate. It even lands right back on the launch pad! Controls are precise and do exactly what I want. My only wish is that they offered a bundle with extra batteries because when you find a great view, you’ll want more than 20 minutes of flight time.

The Contixo F28-Premium is my first budget-level mini gimbal camera drone. At first glance it seems nearly an exact copy of another brand name drone but at a more affordable price point; however, there are several differences, namely the camera and software features, that sets it apart.
The drone comes with a 5 GHz remote control with built-in stats LCD, 1 removable battery, replacement parts, landing pad, a USB-C charging cable, and semi-rigid carrying case. The plastic body of this drone is extremely lightweight and feels almost toy-like though is not as delicate as it seems and can survive bumps and mild crashes. The drone arms fold in and nest for compact storage, but the blades aren’t secured in place when folded. The joysticks on the controller can also be unscrewed and stored in its base. Note that you will have to supply your own microSD card up to 128GB (Class 10 or higher) for recording video and taking photos with the 4K camera, as one is not included.
If this is your first drone, you may need to register with the FAA for a small fee, however, drones that are under 249g, like this one, are exempt if using solely for recreation and not business (e.g. content creation, marketing, or real estate etc.). Regardless, even unregistered drone users must follow all FAA UAV regulations, and a number of mobile apps can help you determine where there is unregulated airspace in which you may fly the drone safely.
The drone’s battery and remote control each take about 3 hours to charge fully when depleted; a wall adapter is not included. On a full charge the remote can run for approximately 90 minutes while the drone’s battery lasts for around 20-25 minutes of flight depending on flight conditions and flying habits. Given such a short flight time, I wish that the drone had come with at least 1 spare battery since there is such a long lead-time between charges.
The 4K camera and gimbal have a protective cover over it that needs to be removed before flight. To power on/off the drone, press and hold the button on the battery for about 5 seconds. When powering on the remote control, you need to click the power button once, then press it again while holding it down, otherwise it’ll simply display the remaining battery life.
Once both are powered on they will pair with each other automatically. You’ll also need to download and use the Contixo F28 mobile app on a smartphone and connect to the drone’s local WiFi network. The top of the controller contains a spring-loaded phone holster, so you can mount your phone just above it. The spring has just enough extension to accommodate my Samsung Galaxy s24 Ultra with a slim case. Chunkier cases may need to be removed in order to fit.
The controller has two swappable joysticks for flight control and one-touch buttons for take-off/landing, auto-return home, and mode selection: GPS, Normal, Sport, or Camera. The LCD shows you the current mode, battery levels, GPS and remote signal strength, and distance, height, and speed of the drone. The two dials on the shoulders control the camera’s zoom and tilt of the 2-axis gimbal. Having a 2-axis gimbal versus 3-axis means that rotational movement (side-to-side) will not be stabilized in your videos.
The drone compass needs to be calibrated each time you launch from a new location. The remote will also perform a GPS search to determine its location for functions like auto return home, drone finder, and certain follow features, which are only available if using outdoors. The mobile app streams a live view of the drone’s camera feed and provides you with on-screen controls for take-off, return home/landing, changing flight modes, and changing settings like safety parameters including maximum flight distance, max altitude, and return altitude. There’s also a flight tracking page that gives you stats on your flight habits like time and distance flown. Snapping photos and starting recordings can be triggered from the app’s on-screen controls or via hand gestures performed by a subject within frame of the camera: peace sign for photos and open palm for video in their respective modes, which I find work well.
You’re able to view recorded video and snapshots in the app and can download the files wirelessly from the drone to your phone. The max resolution for photos is 3840×2160 while for video is 2560×1440 at 30 fps when recording to the microSD card. Without an SD card, photos and video are saved directly to your mobile device, however, video quality is reduced to 1280x720p at 25 fps. There is no microphone in the camera so no audio is captured in your video footage, however, you can overlay a handful of stock “music” tracks in your recordings from upbeat to dramatic styles. There are also a handful of filter effects as well, and you can even record in “VR” split footage allowing you to experience your flight recordings in 3D.
Flying the drone takes a bit of practice and its wind resistance was a bit less robust than I had anticipated, though it is rated to withstand up to 12 mph winds. In mildly breezy conditions (8-12 mph) I found it had difficulty staying stable in one spot, often drifting slowly several feet up or to the side. This, of course, can be compensated for by the pilot, though may make it more difficult for beginners to handle. The other thing to remember is that the drone doesn’t have built-in obstacle avoidance, so the operator has to be vigilant in ensuring the drone doesn’t drift or fly into obstacles like tree branches.
In general, the controls for flight were responsive with the drone ascending/descending and moving nearly instantaneously respective to the joysticks’ movements. The drone adhered to the range limitations set in the app accordingly. Remember that the RTH minimum altitude is quite high, so the drone may ascend prior to retuning to the ‘home’ point. I did find that the RTH didn’t precisely locate the original take-off point but landed in the general vicinity. The landing mat also isn’t tracked at all by the drone and is more of a visual target for the pilot.
I haven’t played around with all the different modes, but they are pretty interesting. ‘GPS follow’ tracks your phone coordinates. ‘Image follow’ attempts to follow a slowly moving subject that you mark on your screen. ‘Interest point’ flies a circle around its position in a set radius. ‘Waypoint flight’ allows you to select up to 16 positions on a GPS map for the drone to visit. There are also a handful of cool one-touch cinematic aerial effect the drone can perform while recording footage, like an upward spiral, vertical ascent, and an ascent that moves away from you. Just be sure to verify that there won’t be any obstacles in the predefined flight path prior to executing them, or you may need to manually intervene mid-flight.
The photos and video footage from the camera are decently clear, but due to the small CMOS sensor you lose a bit of detail from what you might typically expect from “4K” resolution. The camera does have a nice, wide 110° FOV, though it has a fixed focus so your mileage may vary on whether or not your subject and backgrounds are in sharp focus. Colors appear slightly dark and under-saturated, at times with an overly warm hue and at others a slightly cooler hue depending on your lighting conditions. Fast movement in videos is fairly smooth with only a hint of choppiness and smearing during rotational panning. The gimbal performs well, keeping the footage smooth and level while in flight.
Overall, this drone is a pretty nice budget 4K gimbal camera mini drone. It takes decent photos and smooth/stable video, has a wide range of flight modes and GPS based functionality, and enforces safety limits. It doesn’t fly well in moderately windy conditions though, which limits when and where you can fly.