Ryze Tello Review

Ryze Tello Review: Offering fantastic value for money and an enjoyable flying experience, this drone is a delight for users seeking an affordable yet entertaining option. However, it may not be the ideal choice for serious aerial photographers. Let's dive into the details and uncover whether the Ryze Tello is the right drone for your needs.

Breaking free from the limitations often associated with drones under 100 dollars, the Ryze Tello takes the lead in its category. Priced at a mere 99 dollars, it transcends expectations with surprisingly advanced features. While not designed to be a professional or serious camera drone, the Ryze Tello boasts a 14-core Intel vision processor, a five-megapixel camera capable of shooting 720p HD video, and benefits from DJI flight stabilization technology, all supported by a commendable 13-minute battery life. The drone's design is equally noteworthy, featuring a compact form that comfortably fits into the palm of your hand. Its sleek and minimalistic two-tone structure, weighing just about three ounces, contributes to its overall appeal.

However, the Ryze Tello does have its drawbacks. It lacks a dedicated controller, necessitating reliance on its smartphone app equipped with virtual joysticks. Unfortunately, these virtual controls can be inaccurate and challenging to manage. To address this issue, the drone offers support for third-party attachments. This means you have the option to purchase a physical controller and link it to the Ryze Tello. While this may incur an additional cost, it's a reasonable investment given the overall affordability of the drone.

Battery Life

​Beneath the canopy is the Tello’s 1100mAh 3.8V LiPo battery which takes up nearly half the space in the body. The battery features a proprietary slot-in design. There is no firm battery lock and the battery is installed by simply pushing it all the way in till you feel a light click. In my first few test flights of the Tello, the battery popped off quite easily during crashes. This isn’t exactly a bad thing since a battery that disconnects on impact allows for the motors to shut off instantly during a crash.

Camera

​Image quality on the Tello’s 5MP camera is quite impressive though not quite as good as the image quality of mid-range smartphone cameras. ​

Design

​Like all other DJI products, the Tello features excellent build quality. I find the build quality of the Tello to be superb and second to none. The Tello’s body is mostly made out of nylon which is a great choice of material since it is highly impact resistant. Nylon motor arms are more likely to bend and flex during a crash instead of breaking. This is a common problem with stiffer materials such as ABS. Although the Tello’s arms are quite stiff vertically, they were designed to offer plenty of lateral flex.

Flight

​Flight performance is one of the things that sets the Tello apart from other toy drones. Specifically, the Tello is one of few toy drones at the moment to feature optical and infrared sensors that help in positioning and altitude hold. Under optimum lighting conditions, the downward-facing optical sensor helps the Tello “see” the ground and maintain its flight position while the two infrared sensors help it accurately maintain its altitude.

Controller

​With the basic version of the Tello, flight control is done entirely on the Tello app. Interestingly, unlike other DJI drones, the Tello does not rely on the DJI GO app. Via the Tello app, the drone can be flown using virtual control sticks. This isn’t exactly the best way to fly a drone since virtual sticks do not have the same tactile feedback that actual remote controller sticks have. In other words, it’s quite hard for you to have a good feel of how much input you’re putting into these virtual sticks.

​Conclusion

​​During our Ryze Tello review the range on this good enough at 100 metres, with speeds of up to 11 miles per hour. You can use it both outdoors and indoors. In the latter case, you will need to use propeller guards for safety reasons. When the battery runs low, the drone will set the shortest flight path back home for a recharge to avoid crashing.

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