Spec Comparison of the Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE 2020 and the Yuneec Mantis Q
This comparison is between what looks like two very similar drones from the offset, both come in at under $500 brand new, lets see what differences and similarities they have.
The Yuneec was released 2 years ago in mid 2018 whilst the Fimi X8 SE 2020 is brand new for this year and only just released, with people who had done pre-orders still waiting for their drone today in late June.
Physical Comparison
They are both folding drones, which means their arms can move in to their body and away for flying.
This is great for portability and means that they can be both packed away smaller when travelling.
The Fimi X8 SE 2020 is slightly larger when folded up, at 21cm in length diagonally. With the Yuneec Mantis Q coming in at 19cm, just 2 cm smaller, so quite a similar size.
The Fimi is larger in both other dimensions which means its total volume is quite a bit more than the Mantis Q camera drone.
In total it has a volume of 1.5L and the Yuneec Mantis Q has a total volume of just under 1L, at 935cm cubed when folded up in its smallest form.
There is also a small weight difference too, with the Fimi X8 SE 2020 weighing in at 765grams and the Yuneec Mantis Q weighing in at 480 grams.
Performance Comparison
The Yuneec Mantis Q is actually one of th fastest camera drones on the market still today, even 2 years after it's release.
It is capable of 72kmh, a smidge faster than the Fimi which tops out at 65kmh.
Even though with this top speed, its ascent and descent speeds are slower than the Fimi X8 SE 2020.
The Fimi ascends and descends at 5m/s and 4m/s.
The Yuneec ascends and descends at 4m/s and 3m/s.
The transmission distance is considerably better on the Fimi X8 SE 2020 at 8km in ideal conditions.
The Yuneec is only capable of 1km.
What is surprising is the battery time of the Yuneec Mantis Q, which is stated at 33 minutes, which is fantastic for a drone released in early 2018.
The Fimi X8 SE 2020, the newer camera drones of the two does a bit better here, with a 35 minute flight time.
Neither of the two drones have obstacle avoidance, so make sure to fly them in "sport mode" in your mind and with that approach all the time and you should be ok.
Photo and Video Comparison
One of the first big differences between the two camera drones in the photo and video features is that of field of view.
The Yuneec Mantis Q has a FOV of 117degrees which is by far the biggest of any camera drone on the market today.
The Fimi X8 SE 2020 has a more standard sized FOV of 80 degrees.
They both record at up to 100 mbps when recording 4k video footage.
They also both take 12MP photos and save in JPEG and RAW photo formats.
If you want slow motion, the Fimi goes up to 100fps at 1080p.
You get a number of photo and video shooting modes like dronie with them both which will make for better personal videography and vloggers.
They both record MP4 videos, but the Fimi records in flat profile F-Log as well, which means if you want to colour correct your own video footage this should help.
The biggest difference between these two camera drones is the image sensor size and the gimbals used to smooth the video footage.
The Fimi X8 SE 2020 uses a 1/2.6" sized image sensor, which is larger than the Yuneec Mantis Q, which uses a 1/3" image sensor size.
The Fimi is a 7mm image sensor in diagonal length and the Yuneec measures 6mm.
The Fimi also does better in the gimbal department and has a 3-axis gimbal to smooth out the video footage.
Where as the Yuneec uses a 2-axis gimbal and electronic image stabilization to make smooth video footage. When you turn left or right and yaw, you will see some movement which is much better on the Fimi because of it's 3-axis gimbal on the front.
Summary
We would highly recommend the Fimi X8 SE 2020 because it is brand new for 2020 and has many features the Yuneec does not.
They also share a lot of features, 4k video, high speeds and are both light and have folding arms, which makes them both portable and very good flight times.
But because the Fimi is newer, it will get more updates through its firmware and is actually cheaper at the moment.
| Buy | Buy @ BanggoodBuy @ AmazonBuy @ Aliexpress | Buy @ YuneecBuy @ Amazon |
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| Title | Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE 2020 Drone Specs | Yuneec Mantis Q Drone Specs |
| Price | $449 | $399 |
| Video reviews |
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| Release Date | 4 years 3 months ago | 6 years 3 months ago |
| Manufacturer | Xiaomi Fimi | |
Physical Specs |
Physical Specs |
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| Diagonal Distance | 210mm | 193mm |
| Dimensions (smallest) | 204 × 106 × 72 mm | 168 × 96 × 58 mm |
| Volume Size | 1556cm³ | 935cm³ |
| Controller Type | remote controller and smart phone | remote controller and smart phone |
| Controller Dimensions | 203 × 91 × 46 mm | |
| Controller Volume Size | 849cm³ | |
| Weight | 765grams | 480grams |
| Controller Weight | 370 grams | |
| Drone & Controller Combined Volume | 2405cm³ | |
| Drone & Controller Combined Weight | 1135 grams | |
| Size | medium | small |
| Physical Features | folding arms | folding arms |
Performance Specs |
Performance Specs |
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| Max Speed | 65kmh | 72kmh |
| Max Ascent Speed | 8m/s | 4m/s |
| Max Descent Speed | 4m/s | 3m/s |
| Max Wind Speed | 50kmh | |
| Wind Resistance | level 6 | |
| Max Flight Altitude | 500m | 800m |
| Transmission Distance | 8 km | 1 km |
| Flight Time | 35 minutes | 33 minutes |
| Noise Level | 68 decibels | |
| Charge Time | 210 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Uptime Score (Charge Time / Battery Life) | 14/100 | 35/100 |
| Flight Distance (Speed X Flight Time) | 37.91km | 39.60km |
| Positioning Sensor | BEIDUO, GLONASS, GPS, optical flow | |
Photo and Video Specs |
Photo and Video Specs |
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| Focal Length | 26mm | 21mm |
| Field of View | 80° | 117° |
| Max Bitrate | 100 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Image Sensor | ||
| Image Sensor Size | 1/2.6" Inch | 1/3" Inch |
| Image Sensor Size Diagonal | 7.04mm | 6.00mm |
| Photo Resolution | 12mp | 12mp |
| Slow mo (1080p) | 3x | 2x |
| Slowest FPS (1080p) | 100fps | 60fps |
| Best Video Resolution | 4k | 4k |
| Flight Modes | cinematic mode, normal mode, search and rescue | sport mode |
| Image Format | DNG, JPEG, raw | DNG, JPEG, raw |
| Image Processor | Hisilicon 3559 v200 | |
| Obstacle Avoidance | none | none |
| Photo Modes | HDR, interval, manual ISO, manual shutter speed, night shot, panorama, single shot | single shot |
| Resolution and FPS Pairings | 1080p 100fps, 1080p 30fps, 1080p 60fps, 2.7k 30fps, 2.7k 60fps, 4k 30fps | 1080p 30fps, 4k 30fps |
| Auto Shot Modes | circle, dronie, fixed wing, helix, rocket, waypoint | dronie |
| Tracking Modes | active track, active track parallel, point of interest | |
| Video Format | F-log, MP4 | MOV, MP4 |
| Zoom | digital | none |
| Video Modes | HDR, video | video |
| Image Stabilization | 3 axis gimbal | 2 axis gimbal, electronic image stabilization |
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| User Guide | Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE 2020 Drone User Guide Manual PDF Download |
As a certified pilot and having owned and used a number of drones from DJI and Parrot, I found this possessed many of the similar traits. There's a large number of intelligent flights modes for any user from beginner to advanced and each are simple to setup. The folding design also makes this perfect for travel or just throwing in a back when you're heading somewhere.