Review of the Parrot "Star Wars" mini drone and its flypad smart health innovation

Parrot, a French company specializing in high technology, smart health connected objects and, more particularly, in drones, delivers to us this September the Parrot Swing, an accessible, light machine, whose design strangely reminds of the emblematic X-Wing that all Star Wars fans will recognize.

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Parrot, which means parrot in English, is a French company created in 1994, which designs, develops and markets high-tech products to the general public.. The first drone in the franchise, the Parrot AR Drone was marketed in 2010. Here it marked a remarkable entry into the drone sector, which until now was still a niche market. Since then, Parrot has positioned itself as a pioneer and benchmark for this technology, and has constantly offered products that are more and more efficient, more and more accessible and more and more original. This is how we can now find the Parrot Swing on our shelves, a kind of hybrid device located at the junction between plane and quadcopter. Intrigued, we got our hands on it and offer you today our Review of this brand new product from the Parrot brand.

Mark : Parrot

Category: Drone

Connection: Bluetooth

Resolution: 300,000px

Autonomy: 7 minutes

Maximum speed : 30km / h

Release date : Available

Modes: Plane or Quadcopter

Weight: 75g

Price: € 139.99

Buy the Parrot Swing:

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lox4eOtjxZA (/ embed) 

Unboxing of Parrot Swing

The Parrot Swing is delivered in a rectangular box, rather simple to transport due to the presence of a plastic handle. On the program on this packaging: illustrative images, specifics and functionalities of the device. Like a Russian doll, a similar cardboard box, but smaller in size, is inside. A second, smaller box is intended to accommodate the controller dedicated to the use of your drone. The lightness of the whole is striking. We were pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the unpacking, which will only take you a few seconds. We are indeed in the presence of an easy to use device, mainly intended for children. there is no doubt.

Let's start with the box containing the Parrot Swing. It is firmly held within a polystyrene receptacle that perfectly matches the shape of the device. The receptacle occupies most of the space. Parrot, in this supposedly accessible model seems to have made the choice of minimalism. Indeed, the device does not need to be assembled, it is practically operational when it is unpacked. To accompany it, only a micro USB cable to recharge it, a battery that you will need to insert, and a traditional quick-use guide is used to garnish the box a little. The latter has the merit of being clear and perfectly intelligible. The various stages of installation and use are well described, both textually and visually, and it is translated into eight different languages. You will also find some propellers in case one of those already installed fails.

Regarding the packaging containing the controller, called Parrot Flypad, it also respects a certain minimalism. The controller reigns in its center, above a support to fix your phone which you will have to screw to the device. No external battery here, because it is directly integrated into the controller. No second micro USB cable either, the manufacturer of this Parrot Swing having probably judged that a single socket was enough for the two devices and that the standardization of the connections includes that customers already have a certain number.

Design and Ergonomics of the Parrot Swing

As we have already mentioned, the Parrot Swing comes in a form strongly reminiscent of the X-Wing of the Star Wars saga. The central part, barely larger than a USB key, is white and black in color. We see the brand logo stand out above. The two indicator lights, intended to indicate the operating and charging status of your device, look like a pair of eyes. We feel like we're looking at a flying insect, maybe a dragonfly. The four wings, smart health connected together by two carbon rods are made of EPO polystyrene and are held by a structure in polypropylene, a very resistant plastic.

The choice of materials gives the Parrot Swing unparalleled lightness. Its user comfort is greatly increased. Dice propellers, four in number ensure the balance of the drone. At the back of the central part, you will find all the elements related to the connections. A charging LED, a tab for easy insertion and removal of the battery, the battery compartment, a camera to be able to capture images in flight and a micro USB port to charge your device. On the bottom is an ON / OFF button that will allow you to manually activate or deactivate your drone.

The Parrot Flypad controller, on the other hand, is strongly reminiscent of an Xbox controller. Black in color, you will find two fine joysticks less pleasant to use than those of an Xbox controller, it must be admitted. The button with the Parrot logo on the top allows you to turn the drone on and off, while the Take Off button below allows you to take it off. The buttons, four in number and labeled 1, 2, A and B, will allow you to automatically perform pre-programmed acrobatics. Finally, on the upper edge, the triggers L1, L2, R1 and R2 will allow you to manage the speed of your device, to turn around or even take photos. Once mounted, a support to accommodate your smartphone will fit perfectly with most models in circulation.

The real peculiarity of this machine is that it has two different modes of use. Indeed, through the application or the controller, and with a simple click, you can return your Parrot Swing to modify its movements. These two modes are called "quad mode" and "airplane mode" respectively. The first will allow you to hover and the second to actually fly, up to around 30km / h.

Installation of the Parrot Swing

The term that best describes Parrot Swing is simplicity. Its installation is no exception to the rule. First, you will need to install the battery. It fits easily. No need to pour out on the maneuver. Then, like most electronic devices, it will need to be charged a first time, at the rate of half an hour, for a use of 7 minutes. This is the first point that disappointed us about this drone.

Take the opportunity to charge the controller, even if its use is not compulsory. Your drone is ready to use. You can either download the dedicated application, FreeFlight Mini, on Android or iOS, or use your controller directly after having previously charged it for 2 hours, for a battery life of 6 hours. Needless to say, you will charge your Parrot Swing more often than your Parrot Flypad.

Use with the Parrot FreeFlight Mini application

The Parrot application is very easy to use, so a very good surprise. The interface is simple, simple and airy. At first, you will most likely need to perform an update that takes a few minutes. Then it will be a question of connecting your Parrot Swing to your application using Bluetooth. We had no connection problems and the maneuver is done fairly quickly. Just press the Start button to access the control interface of your drone, which closely resembles the controller that came with the device.

Unfortunately, piloting your drone using your smartphone is not very intuitive. At first, moving your Parrot Swing will turn out to be quite hazardous and there is a good chance that it repeatedly strikes surrounding objects. The real advantage of this app is that it will allow you to make several interesting adjustments. You can configure the height, the inclination or the maximum speed of your drone.

A menu on the health home page allows you to access a tutorial and an online drone shop. The "My Flights" tab lists your last flights as the name indicates. The amount of information distilled is large and you will be able to know the energy consumed by your device, the flight time, the model of the device, the model of the smartphone used at the place of use, etc. You can also, for the more picky, access a graph summarizing all of this information.

Use with the Flypad

It must be recognized that the handling of the Parrot Swing is much more intuitive and pleasant joystick in hand. You will have to connect the controller to your smartphone, via Bluetooth via the main menu. As with the recognition of the drone, the action takes place naturally and quickly. So install your smartphone in the location you have assembled. You can adjust the location to fit the dimensions of your phone. This is not essential and you can use the two devices separately. But your phone will allow you to view the images recorded by your drone if you decide to capture them.

It will be easier for you to control your drone with the controller provided. Admittedly, the joysticks are not very pleasant to the touch. Even if you are inspired by the Xbox controller, you might as well play the game as much as possible. Eraser and a flatter shape would probably have made using the controller more comfortable. However, this negative point is the only one concerning the Flypad and controlling your drone using it is particularly pleasant.

With a single button, you can switch from quad mode to airplane mode. Also, be aware that the operating distance of your drone will be significantly increased by using the supplied controller, increasing the range of the signal from 20m to 60m. This method is therefore clearly recommended if you have not lost your Flypad. If that were the case, you could buy one for around € 39.

Buy the Parrot Swing or the Parrot Mambo?

After having recently launched its Disco model, at € 1,299 and optimized for virtual reality, Parrot has launched two lighter and more accessible models: the Parrot Swing and the Parrot Mambo. In terms of price, these two models are equivalent. The Parrot Swing costs slightly more, but comes with a controller. The two cameras are similar in terms of photographic quality, autonomy and weight. It should be noted that these latter criteria are quite weak.

The real difference is in the type of use. Parrot Swing has more vocation to fly. This is what we ask of a drone. The presence of a bundle including a controller and the two flight modes confirm this assertion. The Parrot Mambo, on the other hand, is more dedicated to fun use. Indeed, the presence of a clamp and a cannon, which you will use respectively to move small objects and to shoot at the target of your choice.

The choice between these two models will therefore be up to everyone, depending on the intended use. Finally, note that the Parrot Swing works in Bluetooth, while the Parrot Mambo uses Wi-Fi technology. But this is not a determining point.

Good points

• Lightweight

• The price

• Easy to use

• Versatile

Negative points

• Autonomy

• Sometimes hazardous use

Design and Ergonomics – 9

Features – 8

Getting started – 7

Application – 6

Value for money – 8

7.6

Design and ergonomics : A simple but visually pleasing design. We are in the presence of an ergonomic object, pleasant to use, light and robust.

Features : You can use the app or the controller. You can fly in airplane mode or in quadcopter mode. You can make several adjustments.

Getting started : Controlling the drone is risky at first, but you get used to it fairly quickly.

Application : The application is complete, but the movements of the drone are random.

Value for money : A drone that is not very restrictive for occasional use, at an attractive price.

AB SMART HEALTH REVIEW