Best starter drone under $50: Eachine E58 review

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Advanced Flyer
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Best Starter Drone under $50

Based on my personal experience, learning to fly a drone begins with learning how not to crash or bump it into something. After reviewing dozens of drones, I find the Eachine E58 one of the best starter drone under $50. In addition to the cool Mavic design, it comes with many beginner oriented features.

I got a lot of comments here at FirstQuadcopter.com from people who are looking for their first drone. Many want to buy a high-end, fully-featured and, of course, expensive DJI drone. It is pretty hard to explain them why a cheap as $50 drone is more appropriate for them.

In a nutshell, whether it’s a 20$ or 1000$ quadcopter, all have similar main parts: four rotors, flight controller, camera and remote controller. Therefore, their control mode is very similar.

Best Starter Drone features

Which feature makes the Eachine E58 best starter drone?

  • Cool DJI Mavic alike design;
  • Compact size with foldable arms;
  • Dual control mode (RC and APP);
  • Super stable altitude hold (auto hover);
  • Headless mode (Intelligent orientation);
  • Multiple flight speed rates;
  • Dedicated button for Take-off and Landing;
  • HD camera with angle adjustment;
  • WiFi real-time image transmission;
  • Easy to replace motors.

IMHO “Headless mode” and “Altitude hold” are must have features of an excellent starter drone. While Headless mode eliminates the need to keep track of the orientation of the aircraft, altitude hold automatically maintains the flight height at the desired level.

Easy to fly Starter Drone with Alt hold and Headless mode

As crashes are inevitable, spare parts availability and easy maintenance are also very important factors when you are taking into consideration to buy your first drone.

Let’s find out why Eachine E58 is the best starter drone of 2017

Yesterday, I got a notice that I need to pick-up a parcel from the postal office. Frankly, I completely forgot that last month I was contacted by Eachine to review their E58 Emotion drone, so, like Christmas, it was a big surprise what’s hiding into the package.

Inside the box I found besides the aircraft with loaded battery and its transmitter one pair of spare propellers, 1 set of blade protectors, USB charging cable, screwdriver and user manual (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese).

Accessories included with Best Starter Drone

Till I opened the box, I believed that the VISUO XS809HW is the best Mavic Pro Clone. Honestly, I like more this Eachine E58. It is more compact and apparently has better build quality too. Arms, as well as propellers, are foldable. It has even golden strips on front arms. I had the filling that I hold in my hand a Mini Mavic.

Folded, the drone is very compact (12.5 x 7.5 x 5 cm) and super easy to transport.

The 500 mAh LiPo is loaded from the back of the quadcopter. According to the manufacturer’s specs, with a fully charged battery you can have up to 9 minutes of play time. The battery has micro USB port and can be conveniently charged with almost any phone charger.

During night flights you will be guided by 3 LED lights. Two white LEDs in front and one red on back.

Best Starter Drone: Head LED lights for

Motors are equipped with connectors, which allows easy soldering free replacement. You can find a complete spare arm (with motor, main gear and propeller) for less than 4 bucks.

The included blade protectors can be easily attached to the aircraft and they are highly recommended to be used by beginner pilots. Can protect the propellers if they accidental bump into something.

Transmitter and APP control

Like the aircraft, the remote controller also follows DJI’s design. The included RC comes with similar dual-antenna system (fake ones) and retractable phone holder. Note: transmitter requires 3 pieces of AA batteries.

Transmitter of Best Starter Drone

On front panel, besides the usual control sticks, there are 6 buttons. Take-off and Landing buttons are found on the right side of the throttle stick.

There are two shoulder buttons on each side. While on left side are found the Photo/Video and Headless/RTH, on right side are the 360° Flips/Emergency stop and Speed switch buttons.

Best Starter Drone with phone APP Control

Eachine E58 also supports APP control. You can control the drone with your smartphone through virtual sticks or through gyro-sensor (by tilting the phone). Anyway, for beginners is more easier to learn to fly using the physical remote control.

Best starter drone with Camera and WiFi FPV

Although an on-board camera is not a must have feature for a good starter drone, it is nice that you can record the journey of your first flights.

Eachine offers the E58 with two type of cameras, 0.3MP or 2MP. Angle of the camera can be adjusted from shooting straight ahead to straight down (0 – 90 degrees).

Best Starter Drone with Camera and FPV

After I carefully searched on the bottom of the drone, I found a micro SD slot. Pleasant surprise, because theoretically “On-board” recording has better image quality than capturing from the live-video feed. BTW, I read in an another Eachine E58 review, that the files are stored only on micro SD card – mine also recorded on the smartphone’s memory too.

Five minutes of recorded video (1280×720@20fps) occupies about 50MB on the camera’s micro SD card. Image quality is better than offered by other toy drones, but still not remarkable.

Best Starter Drone: Eachine E58 sample photo (original)
Sample photo

Through the JY UFO APP you can display the camera’s WiFi real-time image feed on your smartphone’s screen.

Flight performance

Firstly, I test it indoor. Due to the altitude-hold feature, it is extremely stable. Starting your flight has never been easier, you just need to press the “Take-off” button and the drone will rise about 1 meter above the ground.

Frontal LED lights are very bright, which is very helpful because allows beginners to identify easier the orientation of the aircraft.

Best Starter Drone: flight performance. Test flight of Eachine E58

While 30% speed rate is just perfectly tuned for first-time pilots and indoor flights, at 100% it becomes speedy and more powerful.

The real-world flight time is less than advertised one. My first flight ended after about 6 minutes. When the battery is near empty the drone will autonomously land.

Best Starter Drone: Eachine E58 review verdict

Pricing and availalility

If you’d like to purchase this excellent learn-to-fly drone or find out more information, go to: https://goo.gl/WEPCnK. Need extra fun time? No problem! You can find combo pack of 3 LiPo batteries with dedicated charger for only $22.

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Price/performance ratio
Design and build quality
Transmitter
Camera / WiFi FPV
SUMMARY
Eachine E58 is a fantastic choice for a beginner drone that won’t break the bank. Of the many drones I reviewed in 2017, due to its cool design and wide array of newbie orientated features, it deserves the title of Best Starter Drone.
Pros
+Easy to fly;
+Cool design;
+Very stable altitude hold;
+HD camera with WiFi FPV;
+Easy maintenance (motors with connectors);
+Strong head lights;
+Spare parts availability.

Cons
-Proprietary battery;
-Videos are recorded at only 20 fps.
3.4
OVERALL SCORE
Advanced Flyer
Senior editor and co-founder of FirstQuadcopter.com. Everything started about 4 years ago when I purchased my first drone. I still own that Syma X5C . Since then I have had the luck to review and test more than 100 drones.
best-starter-drone-under-50-eachine-e58-reviewEachine E58 is a fantastic choice for a beginner drone that won’t break the bank. Of the many drones I reviewed in 2017, due to its cool design and wide array of newbie orientated features, it deserves the title of Best Starter Drone. <br> Pros<br> +Easy to fly;<br> +Cool design;<br> +Very stable altitude hold;<br> +HD camera with WiFi FPV;<br> +Easy maintenance (motors with connectors);<br> +Strong head lights;<br> +Spare parts availability.<br> <br> Cons<br> -Proprietary battery;<br> -Videos are recorded at only 20 fps.<br>

99 COMMENTS

  1. IMHO the Eachine E58 is still a solid choice for beginners looking to get into drone flying without breaking the bank. Its foldable design makes it super portable, and the controls are easy to pick up. The camera quality is decent for the price. it’s a great entry-level drone!

  3. The Eachine E58 was my first drone. It lasted only one month but helped to learn a lot about these flying machines. No I own a Mavic 3. A different world, but the basics are the same.

  4. I recently bought a drone e58 and I’ve never flew one before, so I go try fly it and it ends up getting stuck in a tree way up there so I ended up getting it down and every since, only can get 3 of the four engines to spin the fourth one will not spin no matter what I do. I tried to calibrate it but still same results, do you have any idea what’s up with this? Can you help me please. Can you get a hold of me soon as possible please.
    thanks

  5. My son loves flying drones, so I thought why not get him this for last Christmas. He uses it for a year, and still working. Not a bad investment!

  6. I purchased this E58 drone because it sounded like a really good RC toy for the money. It looks great and is easy to control.

  9. there are trim buttons on the drone. if you do any RC stuff you know how to do it.
    I got an e58 drone and I trimmed it with ease

  10. buongiorno potete aiutarmi ? posseggo un Eachine E58 da natale ma nn capisco quale scheda di memoria possa andare bene x questo drone …su libretto e recensioni e tutorial viene spiegata una micro sd ma nello slot ci balla dentro e con l’adattatore invece non entra nemmeno nello slot
    good morning can you help me? I have a Eachine E58 since Christmas but I don’t understand which memory card can fit this drone … in the booklet and reviews and tutorials a micro sd is explained but in the slot it dances in and with the adapter instead it does not even enter the slot

  13. Hi, I am trying to connect my brand new E58 drone to my phone, I have turned on the drone, gone into my wifi settings but nothing…
    PLEASE HELP!!!

  17. A friend and myself purchased two of thee quads They both flew great the first couple of times. Then on my 3rd flight, it flew off into the wild blue never to be found. The day after my friends did the same thing!!! Not happy at all

  18. I can not find any instructions that are usable. Everything I find is so small you have to use a magnifying glass to read. Also, on my first lift off, the drone wandered. I tried the instructions on how to stabilize and that did not work. Don’t waste your money,,,,

  21. buongiorno
    dove posso scaricare il manuale in italiano?
    grazie
    good morning
    where can I download the manual in Italian?
    thank you

  27. Hi.
    Downloaded the app (android) but can’t connect via wi-fi. I.e. no take off arrow or land d.o., furthermore when seeing the symbol for the wi-fi on phone is says: Maybe not suitable for your phone (Samsung Galaxy A9)???
    PS. Checked the net – many have the same experience!
    Regards
    Morten Landor

  38. I hope there is some support center. I can’t find any other address to send questions too.
    I recently got the ECHINE E-58. Also know as Emotion Drone.
    I have charged a saucer battery and put in 3 others in the control panel. I get some beeps and some lights come on but no propeller motors will spin.
    Can somebody contact about getting this unit to fly or give me the option to have permission to return it for a refund.

    • Unfortunately, we can’t provide you real customer support just some advice.
      1. did you followed the instruction from the user manual?
      2. did you tried to arm the motors?
      3. you have found communication between the drone and remote control? if not maybe the remote is dead

      If you want refund or replacement you should contact the seller where from the E58 comes. I suggest to record a video and send them.

      • Robert buongiorno puoi iutarmi per il manuelae in italiano? dove posso trovarlo? Grazie Massimo
        Robert good morning can you help me with the manual in Italian? where can I find it? Thanks, Massimo

    • Try these steps:
      1. Turn on the drone; blue lights will start flashing.
      2. Turn on the Remote Control; blue LED will flash and a beep should be heard.
      3. Toggle the LEFT joy stick away from you then toward you; the drone and RC will be paired and the flashing lights on the drone will turn ON solid.
      4. Either press the up arrow(one key take off) or push away from you the LEFT joy stick to increase the throttle. The blades should be spinning now.

  39. The WIFI is easy to connect. The flight is stable and can be tuned for beginners thro to experts. The video is good and I have flown mine for at least 5 – 6 hours and it is still going well. I don’t need any but I note all the spares you might need are on Banggood. I bought mine early 2018 when it first came out at £34 but I note the prive has now climbed to around £45. Nevertheless its still a good buy

  74. Does it have any review videos? I like the design more cool.
    I pledged for LeveTop drone on KS AND wait for shipment. They don’t have remote controller, well, it’s a disadvantage. Except low price and cool design, what about camera footage?

  76. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CONNECT THE PHONE TO THE Eachine E58 DRONE???
    It seems so many are complaining of this. I also am having same trouble. Have other
    Drones using HTS UfO and no trouble

  87. I Have the eachine E58 drone. I broke the motor ar. It is very weak, also the propellers. The Eachine never sell parts only the hall arm :( (axis Arms with Motor and propeller. I don’t need propeller also motor. I need just the connection part….

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