Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone with 4K EIS Camera, Under 249g, 62 Mins Flight, 4KM FPV Transmission, Brushless Motor, Max Speed 16m/s, Auto Return, Lightweight and Foldable Drone for Adults Beginner

This is my first drone. I had $250 worth of Amazon gift cards that I had collected from Christmas and my 55th birthday and didn't need any golf stuff so i decided to look at drones. After 2 weeks of looking and reading reviews and watching a few videos, I decided to go with the Atom SE. It's a great drone. Very stable. Watch the many Youtube reviews of this drone and they are nothing but positive. I've had the drone for 3 weekends now and have flown it on 3 separate days. I had read the manual and watched a few tutorial videos before I flew it the first time. I flew it behind and over my house a few hundred feet above and beyond the house. It went perfect. Very easy to control and learn. The remote is awesome. I have a Pixel 7 Pro and it fits nice and snug even with a case on it. The batteries last quite a while, about 25 minutes on average. Today was the warmest day (45F) that I've flown it and the first time that the battery was warm enough to let me go into sport mode. Lots of fun flying around at 35 mph. The videos and pictures that I've captured thus far look a little bit better than the ones attached to Amazon reviews. I did have a close call today. My oldest son and his fiance were visiting and I was showing my son the drone controls while it was hovering about 50 feet off of the ground. My controller started flashing warnings about losing signal and then the drone started doing a death spiral shortly after that. It started moving towards the ground in a spiral fashion and I got control of it with an emergency stop when it was about two feet off the ground. It was then that I remembered the iPhone warnings that I had heard about in the reviews. They say to put iPhones in airplane mode when flying the drone due to interference. My son had his iPhone in his pocket while I was showing him the controls. I had him place it in airplane mode after that and started the drone back up and flew it for about 15 minutes without issue. Originally I purchased the 2 battery combo package but have since purchased the 3 battery charger with 1 additional battery. It's a great charger, easy to use and, fits nicely in the case. Speaking of the case, it's really nice and fits everything perfectly. Overall, I think this is a great drone for the money. I have no regrets in purchasing it. My drone weighs in at 248 grams with the battery in it according to my weight watchers scale. If you're in the US don't forget to do your TRUST training. I did mine through the Pilot Institute website and it was very easy to complete.

I have had the Potensic Atom SE drone now for over a month and have flown it every weekend, so now I feel I can post an honest review. This is reall a great drone. May not have all the bells and whistles of that other company, but it doesn't have the price tag either. This is my first drone with GPS and what a difference that makes. I also love the fact that if I'm ever in a panic situation I can just release the controller joysticks and the drone will immediately stop whatever it's doing and hover in place. That's saved me a few times already. It is very easy to fly, even for a novice flyer. The controller and app are easy to handle and understand. Very comfortable controller and I like how it holds your phone, very easy to read, and has a range of 4km (about 2 1/2 miles) but I'll never really know how far it can go since I have to keep the drone itself in sight the whole time while flying. The furthest I've flown it was about 3200ft (about .6 miles) and the only reason I could see it that far off is because it was at twilight on a cloudy day and I could see my anticollision strobe blinking. The drone is very easy to handle, very responsive, and FAST! In Sport mode I reached 35mph, per the app. The video quality is impressive during the day, not so much at night. Photos are OK for use online and smaller photographs, but as a photographer I would like to see a better camera where I can make small enlargements, but, again, you can't complain too much at this price point. It handles windy days pretty well and have had no problems with it there. The Follow Me, Waypoint, and Circle Flight works as should and the RTH feature is great. I've initiated it myself a few times and had it return on it's own because of low battery, all times landing within feet of the takeoff point. I get about 25 minutes of flight per battery charge which is decent. The manual is easy to understand (although you have to download it, no physical manual with purchase) and the Customer Service has been GREAT. Had some concerns about the way my drone was packaged and they got back to me almost immediately and help solve my problem. Overall, I highly recommend this drone and you get alot for the price. I LOVE FLYING THIS THING! The ONLY regret I have in purchasing this is that I purchased it off of Amazon - nothing against Amazon, I love them too - but I wish I had gone directly to the Potensic website and seen the new and improved Atom drone and I would have definitley purchased that instead. At the time it was not available on Amazon (is now though) and is not that all more expensive than the SE. Update 11/22/2023 I mentioned in my review a few weeks back that I had a good experience with the Potensic Customer Service department and I had another great experience dealing with them again. Unfortunately, I had an accident with a tree and broke off my front right landing gear (the arm was fine) and couldn't find all the pieces. I emailed the customer service site and told them what happened and sent pictures and they got back to me within a day. They said it was repairable and gave me a price, plus gave me the option of purchasing a replacement Atom SE for a discounted price (BIG discount). After thinking about it I just went about fixing it myself with an old credit card, toothpick, and epoxy - think Frankenstein, but it flies no problem. I was tempted to take them up on their offer for the new SE, but would rather fix this one and save for an upgraded drone. When they asked what I'd like to do and told them I fixed it myself they were almost apologetic that I crashed my drone and offered to send me a new set of paddles. If that's not great customer service, I'm not sure what is. An overall great experience.

As a hobbyist only, I didn’t want to get into having to register with FAA or deal with the new FAA Remote ID requirements for drones that is upcoming in 2023. But will say a drone under .55 lbs is tiny… my old toy drone was twice the size of the Atom SE. Anyway, in my usage I found the addition of GPS really took this to the next level for me – makes it very stable drone. There are a few setup videos you can watch from within the app (PotensicPro), suggest you do this. Also take some time going through the app, looking at and setting things up before trying to fly. That and the setup guide was all I needed, other than to allow time for a few updates to install and do compass calibration. This drone hovers very stable, even in wind and it’s very fast and responsive. And with GPS, the Return to Home feature worked really well – within five feet. Do suggest you set the height of RTH to the highest structure or tree in your flying area, as there is no obstacle avoidance (other than straight down). Keep in mind RTH is from takeoff point, not where you are at that point (if you move around). The Follow Me feature, only follows the controller, and this wasn’t very smooth. But way points worked great. Images were GREAT with this 12 MP Sony Sensor, and even better after viewing the SD Card. Now flying in wind is where you’ll find that not having a 3-Axis Gimble is an issue for video, that and not being smooth on the throttle (but I’ll get there). If you are buying this for fun of flying, it’s will meet your needs. Will say the EIS does do a pretty good job, I saw videos of reviews of other drones in this price range… many had a lot of “jello” in them. I haven’t seen that at all on the ATOM SE. The Camera has a motorized gimbal to tilt up and down during flight, another improvement from my “toy” drone. But I hope Potensic can make this work a little slower in future software updates. It uses your phone (I have an iPhone) to connect to the controller with a provided cable to view FPV video as you fly, and for some settings. Had no issues with the flight video dropping out, but where I was flying, I couldn’t test the limits of the range… I only went about 2,000’ was as far as I could go and keep line of sight. Drone is very fast in Sports mode, just learning so I kept in in Video mode most the time. Modes can be changed in the app while in flight. Was very easy to control even with some winds that would have blown my old “toy” drone away. Price… not sure what to say here I got it for about $235 with New Year’s sale and an affiliate coupon code from one of those review channels. I felt at that price point, it was a great value. Pros: - Under 250 Grams so no registration required. - Video and Pictures are great for a Hobby device. - Potensic is doing firmware updates on this new drone (hope they support it a long time) - Quality seemed good for the price paid. - Came as a complete package (fly more style). - Good flight time, 26 Mins - True Radio Drone, not WiFi. So very long control and FPV range - Really fun to fly, clear upgrade over non-GPS drones. Cons: - Lack of 3-Axis Gimble (think it was FB they mentioned a gimble version is in the works) - Follow Me, didn’t work to well - No obstacle avoidance - $299 suggested price… at that point a DJI Mini SE might push me to spend a little more. - New drone, so no parts at this point

This drone has a great price point and is good for beginners. Most of the instructions are clear and the controls are easy to learn with a little practice. The video and photo quality are good. The controller does requires your phone to be inserted for drone flying which could be a problem if you are wanting to use your phone at the same time as the drone. A spare old phone worked as a better option for me. The size is great and the carrying case, if you opt for it, is very nice. One feature that I didn't realize was not available on this model is delayed shutter for photos. Since our goal is vacation shots, that feature was important as we don't want the drone controller to be seen in every selfie photo. Time delay allows the controller to be placed momentarily out of sight. It wasn't clear from the descriptions or even manual if this drone's camera had that, it doesn't. We returned and paid the higher price for the next level up model, staying with the brand since we did like the drone overall and could see getting fairly accomplished with it after a bit more practice. It was disappointing to end up paying quite a bit more for the one feature we did want that we had assumed incorrectly would be a basic camera function.

An update to this review concerning Potensic Support. As with any product new to the market I have experienced a few bugs with the Atom SE. The Potensic support team has worked with me on each of these issues and there have been a few firmware updates that greatly improve it's operation. Many of these have been at the suggestion of Atom SE owners. They listen to and welcome our input to improve their product. Most recently the onboard compass has apparently failed and my Atom crashed pretty hard. Support sent instructiions I followed but to no avail. Potensic has apologized for any inconvience and is replacing the drone under warranty. As I said at the end of my initial review the Potensic Support team is quite simply the BEST support staff I have dealt with in over thirty years. They stand behind their products and work with customers to keep us satisfied and flying. Thank you Potensic, you folks are great!! I received my new Atom SE on Wednesday the weather was very overcast so I was only about to charge and start everything. Location, firmware update and time to fly. I am not easily impressed, but the short version of what I think of this drone, WOW! This drone flies amazingly well for one in this price range. Control inputs are instant, crisp, and very sensitive and took a bit of getting used to. Just basic maneuvers on the first day and it performs all of them extremely well. The weather finally broke today (Sunday 1/15/22) and it was off to the park to put it through it's paces. Temperature was around 35 degrees F and brisk winds (Ground level 8-16 MPH) at around 80 ft. altitude wind gusted up to 32 MPH. It handles the wind better than I expected, it holds position and is stable except in the strong gusts. Even then it does move maybe 10 ft. when the gust stops it recovers right back to steady hover. Despite the cold and wind the battery life is almost dead on the rated flight time. I got 28 minutes of flying on the first battery with 10% left, the wind had increased a fair bit so the second battery flight time was 24 minutes with 10% left and considering how it fought the wind so well I am very, very pleased with flight time. Was great fun, but with a couple of extra batteries it will be a blast (sorry wallet). Time to test the autonomous features. First the follow mode and it certainly does so. No matter the direction or number of direction changes it follows and keeps me in the frame. Circle mode is flawless and smooth (as my grampa used to say it's as smooth as the south end of a north bound baby). Waypoint mode again flawless, flies to each point smoothly and turns the corners crisply. The best part of this little gem is the camera, it is amazing. It will record video at 4K 30FPS, 2.7K 30FPS, 1080P and 270P. The EIS gives you a very smooth video. The photos, well you can almost count the leaves on the trees and the colors are vibrant and sharp. A three axis gimbal and some more camera settings I think would give DJI Mini 2 a run for it's money. In conclusion I am extremely happy with my Atom SE and highly recommend it especially for those who can't afford the likes of DJI or Autel. This is a very reasonably priced beginner to intermediate drone. I would love to see a three axis gimbal for even smoother and quality videos. Not to mention this is not my first Potensic drone and their support team is heads and shoulders above the norm, they are polite, prompt and most helpful. I give this drone five gold stars!

Having flown the Atom for a few flights now, I can say this is an awesome drone. It's easy enough for a beginner, but has enough features for a more advanced user. The setup was easy and the drone paired quickly with the controller. The controller itself will hold a pretty large phone. My phone is a Samsung S25+ and it holds it fine. I'm really impressed with the picture quality. Much better than I expected. I did have a small issue with a battery and Potensic was quick to respond and help. Ultimately, they replaced the faulty battery. All in all, this is a drone I can really recommend.

The Potensic ATOM SE was highly rated on YouTube so I purchased one for my birthday. It arrived the next day. I followed all the instructions and after I pressed the launch button I knew this drone was the one Ive been looking for. It hovered 5 feet above the launch pad and was perfectly steady even though winds were 7-10 mph. I was surprised to see that it was connected to 24 satellites. I hit record and flew for 20 minutes. Even though it was my first flight, I wasn't nervous because of the safety features. If the battery was too low or if I lost signal it automatically returns to the spot where it was launched. I didnt want to go too far on the first flight so once I reached one mile out, I hit the return home button. The drone elevated to the 200 foot setting then it flew back over my head and landed without my help, 18 inches from the launch pad. This drone is so steady and easy to fly. I am a novice and I had no problems flying. I have only flown one other cheap drone once or twice and I just got tired of running after it. This drone with the remote that connects to any phone is so easy to use. I am so pleased with this drone, I bought one for my son and after I let my two best friends fly it, both have ordered one. The flight time, distance, steadiness and safety features are well worth the cost of this drone. Then you add the 4K video quality and the choice is easy. I love the waypoints feature because I have property for hunting and fishing. I pick 4 or 5 green fields (deer plots) from the GPS map and the drone flies to each spot while I watch and record the deer and turkey. The drone doesnt seem to bother the deer unless it is 50 feet or less from the ground. The drone is also used to identify trespassers. I can fly the drone to where I hear ATVS or gunshots and take a high resolution photo of the trespasser or vehicle or license plate. I could keep signing this products praises but I am about to go flying. Do yourself a favor and try the Potensic ATOM SE. You will be glad you did.

Warning, When you buy this you are not warned that this is under a new return policy if you should chose to return it. They will hold your money for up to thirty days or until they decide to take it off the container it is placed in when it hits their dock. This is not covered under their return when it is picked up by the carrier policy of pretty much everything else. They are apparently putting many items if not all over $100 or so ( I don't know the actual amount, they would not tell me) under this new wait for your money back policy. The drone was good in the wind and even for most of its flight characteristics. The GPS functions and such are all pretty nice for a basic set.This drone is ok for the price if you are aware of the limitations of the camera system and some issues with phones and DJI mics effecting the range of the drone. Not using that mic and switching your phone into airplane mode can help. More below. It can provide good pictures, if you have enough light and are willing to post process them to get the horizon back to level. There are only two directions you are getting a level horizon, straight into or out of the wind or breeze. That is the main drawback of the 2 axis gimbal. If you are okay with sideways pics your are good to go unless you run into the cameras other big issue, low light or high contrast will effect what I think is the electronic stabilization in a bad way. The picture may look good until you look at detail, then where you have contrast you may have a good view of the top of a building but a side in the shadows is blurred clear out and in such contrast to the clear parts the picture looks like a photoshop workup. I had to re-calibrate the compass on every battery even from the same spot. If you do not calibrate it then this drone will start doing the toilet bowl self destruct procedure. For you new dronies that means the drone will start looping in an ever increasing circle wider and faster until it loses control and crashes into something and essentially self destructs. The manual claims you only have to calibrate the compass once or if you move to another location about 50KM away from the last calibration point. This is something you should only have to do with a sub $50 drone in the first place but this one was requiring it every new flight after the first day.. I was having some interference lines go through the video at just 50 feet on a few occasions, they were becoming more common by 800ft. This was out in the country not anywhere near anything that should cause interference. It is well known now this thing does not get along well with your phones that are required for video. The range and video transmission can be destroyed by using a specific DJI mic near you when flying, This has effected many social media reviewers and some don't yet know this is causing their distance issues. Another thing that will help is only flying in airplane mode on your phone. I would love to try the new 3 Axis version of the Atom but it was not available on here when I ordered a mini 3 instead and now that it in stock is my money is still being held hostage so its not likely to happen any time soon. Since I bought the DJI mini3 in the mean time I am finding out they are not near as good at meeting their posted specs either but I would love to try the Atom 3X for a head to head vs the Mini 3 vs the value.