The Yuneec Breeze is an interesting entry-level drone, as it’s equipped with a 4K camera, is controlled with your mobile phone, weighs just under one pound, and is extremely portable. It can be flown right out of the box with very little training required, so it’s perfect for beginner pilots. The Yuneec Breeze will set you back around $399.
The Breeze comes inside a nifty hard-shell carrying case that’s about the size of a thick tablet, so it’s easy to toss into your bag for travel. Everything you need fits inside that case; including the drone itself, two batteries, and four propeller guards. There is no physical controller required, as your phone acts as the controller. The only thing that doesn’t fit inside the case that you may want to travel with is the battery charger, which consists of a nice battery charging station and detachable power cable. Each battery lasts about 12 minutes, so it’s a good thing that Yuneec includes two of them. The flight time on two of these batteries just about matches the flight time on a standard-sized drone.
The built-in camera on the Yuneec Breeze is capable of recording video footage of up to 4K resolution (2160p) at 30 frames per second (fps) or 1080p at 30fps or 720p at 60fps, however, digital image stabilization is only available up to 1080p, so video quality at 4K resolution is a bit shaky. The Breeze beams first-person view (FPV) video to your mobile phone through the Breeze Cam app at up to 720p so that you can line up your shots perfectly while also controlling the drone through the app. The still photographs have a resolution up to 13 megapixels, for great quality for a drone of this size.
The Breeze has built-in optical flow and infrared positioning sensors that allow it to maintain its position both indoors and outdoors, which provides a very safe flying experience. There are also auto-landing and auto return-to-home features that help beginner pilots learn the ropes.
The Breeze Cam app allows you to do everything you need to do with your Breeze. There are a number of flight options available to you in the app, including the following:
- Selfie Mode – In this mode, the Breeze makes it easy to snap a great selfie by making positioning the drone simple, so you can concentrate on getting the perfect picture.
- Pilot Mode – In this mode, you’re given full control of the drone so you can pilot it however you’d like.
- Orbit Mode – In this mode, you can simply task the Breeze to orbit around you or any other object automatically.
- Journey Mode – In this mode, you can set the Breeze off on an adventure, it will fly autonomously and return to you.
- Follow Me Mode – In this mode, the Breeze uses GPS to track your movements and it will autonomously follow you. Just be careful, as there is no object avoidance so it may crash into a tree if you aren’t careful.
Within the Breeze Cam app, you can change your drone settings, camera settings, choose your flight mode, and check out your media gallery, including the photos and videos you’ve taken with your Breeze. Within the gallery, you’re able to share photos and videos directly to your social networks. One of the features I noticed is missing from the Breeze Cam app is the ability to stream your video to Facebook Live; something you’re able to do with the DJI Go app.
During flight, you control the Yuneec Breeze using the Breeze Cam app. You see a first person view from your drone’s camera on your screen and there are virtual joysticks that are used to control the drone. You’re also able to switch between video and photos and you can take a photo or start/stop video recording using the physical volume buttons on your phone. While virtual joysticks are not the easiest to use while flying, it works, and it adds to the portability of the Breeze.
Flying the Yuneec Breeze is as simple as 1, 2, 3:
- Unfold the landing gear and install the propeller guards (optional but recommended).
- Turn the Breeze on and connect your mobile phone to the Breeze’s WiFi.
- Take off and have fun!
Once you’re done flying, the Breeze App has an automatic landing button that, once pressed, directs the drone to come down to the ground gently. It’s a very simple way to land, but you’ll want to be sure the area beneath your drone is clear, as it will not avoid any obstacles as it’s landing. Overall, flying the Yuneec Breeze is, forgive me, a breeze!
Check out the gallery of sample photos from the Yuneec Breeze below, as well as the sample video footage:
My biggest complaint with the Breeze is that it wasn’t as fun to fly as their “standard-sized” offering, the Typhoon 4K or the DJI Phantom 3. Because these drones are larger, they have larger motors and larger propellers, which provide more thrust and power. I had a ton of fun piloting the Yuneec Typhoon and the DJI Phantom because they were fast and agile and I could zoom around at speeds of around 35 mph. While the Yuneec Breeze is perfect for drone beginners and those who want a portable drone for photos and video, this may not be the drone for you if you’re also looking to have a lot of fun piloting it. However, I have been impressed at the stability of the Yuneec Breeze as compared to other drones of its size that I’ve piloted in the past. Generally, drones this light do not fly very easily as they are greatly affected by wind, but thanks to the built-in sensors, the Breeze is usually able to maintain its stability unless there are powerful winds to contend with.
UPDATE: After publishing this review, it was brought to my attention that Yuneec released their FPV System, an accessory to the Breeze Cam. The FPV system comes with a Bluetooth controller as well as first person view goggles, which will allow you to fly the Breeze as if you were on board. This sounds like a much improved control system over the controls in the Breeze Cam app. I would be interested in seeing how big of a difference this makes in the enjoyment of flying the Breeze. The Breeze FPV System will set you back an additional $69.99 on top of the cost of the Breeze itself. You can purchase the Breeze FPV System directly from Yuneec.
To sum it up, the Yuneec Breeze is a great option for drone novices and aerial photographers looking for a compact, portable drone that’s easy to fly. However, if you’re looking for a drone that will provide that fun & excitement factor, you may want to turn elsewhere.
You can purchase the Yuneec Breeze directly from Yuneec at their website.
Source: The Yuneec Breeze was a manufacturer loaned review sample
What I Like: Very easy to fly; Portability is fantastic; Stable flight for such a light drone; Good camera quality
What Needs Improvement: 4K video is shaky due to lack of digital image stabilization; Flight doesn’t have the “fun factor” that I’m used to with some of the standard-sized drones
