Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE Review [2023]

• Range: 8km
• Flight Time: 35 minutes
• Weight: 1.69 pounds

The Fimi X8 SE costs half as much as a DJI drone and comes with almost the same features.

This drone closely resembles the DJI Mavic Pro with its app, functions and size.

Meanwhile, visuall, it is based on the DJI Mavic Pro, Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom.

It comes with a bunch of useful camera modes and flight modes as well as safety features to keep the drone safe while capturing breathtaking imagery.

Moreover, its foldable design makes the unit super portable so you can feel free to pack it up and go

This mid-range drone is great for anyone looking for an affordable unit with awesome features.

Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE features

Build quality and design

This Fimi drone comes with a collapsible wing design similar to the earlier X8 models.

The arms of the drone can be stored beside the body which reduces its footprint for easy portability

It also comes with sturdy aluminum construction and a rainproof coating so flying in adverse conditions should not damage the drone.

The Fimi X8 weighs around 765 grams and includes powerful brushless motors and refined aerodynamics for a great flying experience.

Moreover, this drone includes an integrated MicroSD slot that supports 256 GB memory cards for capturing a whole lot more footage.

Overall, the drone feels robust, well built and durable.

The battery compartment even has a secure clip to hold the battery securely while the wings are well-designed.

Camera Quality

The Fimi X8 SE comes with a 1/2.6 -inch Sony CMOS sensor and a fixed 26mm F/2.0 lens with an 80° field of view.

This is all mounted on a 3-axis gimbal.

This unit also comes with the Hisilicon chipset that is capable of recording 4K UHD videos up to 30p, 2.7K at 60p and 1080p to 90p with a 100 Mbps data rate to the MP4 format.

While this sensor is smaller than the earlier models that use a 1/2.3 inch chip, there isn’t any noticeable reduction in image quality.

However, on this model, the manufacturer improved the gimbal’s tilt accuracy tolerance and algorithms to 0.005°.

This tighter tolerance allows you to take smoother pans and tilts during flight even when flying at high speeds.

Xiaomi also added the new H.265/HEVC codec that provides almost the same quality and detail as the standard H.264 codec.

However, it requires 40% less storage space.

While that’s on the plus side, the negative with the newer codec is that it can be rough on your computer post-processing so keep that in mind.

The new model also allows for HDR recording for both images and videos.

This allows you to capture images and videos with more details and information in contrasting scenes.

The camera produces awesome footage for a sensor of this size with the default camera settings providing natural color rendering and crystal clear images.

Xiaomi also dealt with internal processing to reduce overexposures and vignettes in the corners.

The blue cast that was a big problem with the earlier models was also addressed and is now gone.

The camera is capable of capturing 12 MP photos with a reasonable dynamic range in JPEG and DNG RAW format.

It offers an ISO range from 100 to 3,200.

There’s also a built-in panorama feature that can capture multi-angle panoramas in a single tap in either landscape or portrait orientations.

The app can also stitch them together automatically.

Xiaomi also included the rectangular 3×3 mode if you want a broad format panorama.

The camera also has 3x Digital Zoom so you can get close to your subject without putting yourself in danger.

There’s also a Time-Lapse Mode with lots of customization and Night Shot Mode to capture stunning images with more detail and clarity at night.

Range

For a drone at this price range, you expect the drone to have a short flight range.

However, you’ll be glad to know that this unit has a range of 8km.

This means that the drone can fly well out of your line of sight.

It reaches top speeds of 40km/h which means you can reach the max range in less than 10 seconds.

If you fly out of range or lose signal, there’s no need to worry as the security features ensure the drone automatically returns to its takeoff location.

However, it is recommended by the FAA that you fly your drone within your line of sight.

This means you should see your drone at all times during its flight.

Remote Controller

The Xiaomi Fimi X8 SE comes with an RC controller that includes a large central mount.

You can mount your small smartphone in its case or your medium-sized tablets like the iPad Mini.

Like most RC controllers, this one offers a great flair of functionality like 1-click return home, mode selection, gimbal pitch and flight controls.

It also has a programmable joystick that you can program to your preference.

There are also detachable control sticks and a dedicated slot on the controller for storage.

All in all, the controller is great as it fits well in your hand and is very responsive.

Flight Performance

You’ll need the Fimi Navi app to fly this drone.

The app is loaded with all of the essential flight specifications such as elevation, speed and more.

It also allows you to share a live video feed online on social media.

The app is well designed and all the critical information you need is clearly visible like battery life, current position on the map, etc.

It is very intuitive and making adjustments to flight controls, gimbal settings, and calibrations is a breeze.

You also have full manual control over the settings from resolution to quality to white balance and metering, etc.

The app is awesome and if you’re familiar with the DJI Go4 app then you should have no problem.

They both have a similar UI and if you don’t have experience with either, the app is still easy to use.

It’s unlikely that you’ll have a hard time in the app.

Flying the drone is easy and taking off is as simple as performing a calibration then using the 1-click take-off function.

In the air, the Fimi X8 SE is reminiscent of the DJI Mavic series of drones.

When you launch the drone, it automatically starts to hover 1.5 meters above the ground.

You may notice a bit of sway but thanks to the gimbal, this does not affect your footage.

Overall, flying the drone is a breeze

Battery Life

The Fimi X8 comes with a 4500mAH battery just like the earlier models.

However, the flight time of this drone is 35 minutes in ideal conditions which is great since its predecessors only have a 33-minute maximum.

For a drone at this price, the battery life is exceptional.

The fully drained battery takes anywhere from 70 minutes to 2 hours to charge fully.

You can also purchase an additional battery and keep it charged up to further extend your flight time.

Flight Time

One of the most important things people look for when buying a drone is flight time.

Fortunately, the Fimi X8 SE offers a great deal of time in the air.

The 35 minute flight time in ideal conditions is most welcome by many.

In less than ideal conditions, you can expect about 30 minutes which is still great for a drone in this price range.

It will allow you to capture all the aerial imagery you need and have time to land the drone safely.

Do remember it is always best to land your drone before the battery dies so that you don’t crash.

Yes, most drones do return home when the battery percentage reaches a certain level but it never hurts to be careful.

Other Features

The Fimi X8 SE comes with various flight modes and features.

There’s Smart Object Tracking that uses AI algorithms to detect a subject intelligently.

You can perform several tracking features using the app.

The Trace feature allows you to track targets from different viewpoints while the Profile feature allows you to track in parallel and the Lock to Track allows you to track from a fixed perspective.

You’ll also find a much improved and more powerful Flight Planning integration.

Flight planning gives you the option to tap and set waypoints in the app.

Once you configure your flight route, the drone automatically follows it.

This is a great feature to take advantage of if you want to streamline the flying process and capture a specific sequence.

The drone also includes several Intelligent Flight Modes called Smart Shots.

A single tap is all it takes for the drone to lock onto a subject and capture complex aerial footage.

These include:

•  Rocket – the drone flies upwards
• Circle – the drone circles the subject
• Dronie – the drone flies backward and upward
• Spiral – the drone spirals the subject

These features are great if you want to capture these movements quickly without the required piloting skills.

There’s also an Automatic Return to Home and Precise Visual Position System.

The downward-facing camera helps recognize optional launch pads for a safe landing.

This system is accurate and works well with the unit’s internal GPS and GLONASS system for safer landings.

As a result, the drone can land within a 3m range of the take-off location.