Vivitar Phoenix Foldable GPS Camera Beginner Drone Review & Buying Guide

Do you want to get into camera drone flying, but the price looking really high? Do you want to give the gift of drone flying to a friend or family, but don’t have a huge budget? The Vivitar Phoenix may be the perfect drone for you!

The Vivitar Phoenix drone is a reliable, beginner friendly drone that won’t break the bank. It is also very forgiving, with features designed to make your first flying experience as simple as possible. 

What makes the Phoenix so great?

A camera drone needs to be very stable to get the best pictures and video, and have a good camera to take photos and videos, as well as being easy to fly. Features like follow me, return to home, and altitude hold are all great for a beginner pilot as well.

With drones, it is important to start with something that is relatively cheap because you’re going to make some mistakes and might crash a couple times while you are still learning. At the same time, you still want something that is going to give you a good experience and some nice footage of your adventures to share with your friends and family.

Usually all these features mean paying a lot of money and making a big investment. The Phoenix actually manages to do all of these things, while still coming in under $250 USD!

Key Features

Camera Quality

The 1080p+ HD camera is actually pretty decent for the price. It’s not going to win any photography awards, but you can still use it to capture some quality HD photos and videos of your favorite places.

You can even adjust the angle of the camera 180 degrees using the controller, which makes getting those amazing shots even easier

Flight Time

The Phoenix has an amazing 32 minute flight time, and flight time with drones is very important.

The last thing you want to do is get up in the air, have your shot lined up and then have to go home because you are running low on battery power!

You get two batteries with the Phoenix, which will give you plenty of time for exploring and taking amazing photos and videos.

Keep in mind that the flight time is going to be impacted by things like temperature and wind, so don’t expect to get 32 minutes every time you fly.

Easy Takeoff and Landing

For new pilots, it’s necessary to have a drone that is really easy to operate. The Vivitar Phoenix helps new pilots with its one button takeoff and landing feature.

One button takeoff and landing means you don’t have to learn the hardest part of flying right away. Once you get to your flying location, all you have to do is turn it on, press take off and you will be in the air getting your shots.

One-button landing also means that if something goes wrong, you can simply hit the landing button and get the Phoenix to safety.

Follow Me function

A follow me function is included in the Phoenix. This is a major benefit because follow me is usually only seen in drones that are much more expensive.

You can follow me use it to track your movements, or follow an object. his makes the Phoenix perfect for taking some cool photos and videos of yourself walking, biking, or jogging. Just be sure that the drone is visible to you at all times, to obey drone laws.

Range

The Vivitar Phoenix offers 2,000 feet of control over a rock solid WiFi link.

You won’t be doing any long range flying with the Phoenix, but this is a good limitation for beginners. One of the hardest things about learning to fly a drone is learning to keep it within line of sight at all times.

Line of sight flying is important because it helps to keep you within the FAA drone flying regulations and also means that if you do happen to crash, you will have a much better chance of finding it!

Speed Rates

Having three different speeds to choose from is another reason the Phoenix is perfect for beginners.

Beginner pilots should start out by flying at the lowest speed. As you get more confident, speed two and three will give you even more ability to navigate your surroundings. These speed changes are also perfect for controlling the drone, to make your captured videos more dynamic.

You may want to use a slower speed for more cinematic flying, or higher speeds for those high adrenaline style shots!

Brushless motors

Many cheaper drones will use brushed motors, which have a very short lifespan. Having to replace a motor can often be out of the skillset of a beginner pilot.

Brushless motors will last you a long time and will really only ever fail if you have a bad crash and damage them.

Additional Features

Auto Return Home, Altitude Hover and Location Lock features make flying the Phoenix a breeze! There are going to be times where you may lose connection with your drone. In cases like this, you want an auto return to home feature, so the drone will automatically come back to you.

Altitude hold is essential for new pilots. It means that you won’t have to worry about managing your throttle, since the drone will keep a constant height without dropping or bouncing around in the air. GPS

Location lock is another important feature to have. The Phoenix will use GPS data to keep the drone in one place in the sky, which is perfect for taking photos and videos. GPS lock helps to keep the drone stable during high winds, or in areas where you need to stay in one place to take photos and video.

Foldable Arms + Hard Carry Case.

The Phoenix folds down to a very small size, which makes it the perfect drone to travel with. The hard carry case will make the Phoenix easy to transport and will keep it protected on your way to and from your flying locations.

Mobile App Control

You can use the Phoenix with basically any phone that supports modern Android or IOS software. You can use the app to stream the footage from the Phoenix, allowing you to see exactly what the drone camera is seeing in real time.

Real time streaming makes it very easy to line up your shots and ensure you have everything you need in frame.

Where to Buy

The Vivitar Phoenix can be bought from Amazon, Walmart, and many other stores! 

Final Thoughts

Great flight time, brushless motors, one button takeoff and landing as well as return to home and altitude hold make the Phoenix a very good choice for beginners.

If you, or your friends and family want to get into the drone hobby, the Vivitar Phoenix is an excellent choice that doesn’t break the bank. 

Make sure to leave a comment with any questions you have! We make sure to answer every comment.