Potensic Atom SE | DJI Mini Killer?

The Potensic Atom SE is the newest mini drone on the market. It like the DJI Mini series of drones is a sub-250-gram model with a 4K camera and an impressive 31-minute flight time. It also boasts a 4,000-meter range. That is almost 2 and a half miles! The Potensic Atom SE comes with some nice extras, like a second battery and a carrying case. It currently is $280, a bit cheaper than the $329 Mini SE.  Is this finally the competition to the DJI Mini series we have been waiting for?

Potensic Atom SE

The Potensic Atom SE is an impressive little quadcopter. This drone offers pilots a small but capable little drone that is lightweight, portable, and won’t cost an arm and a leg. Mini drones have become quite popular because of the fewer restrictions that apply to drones that weigh less than 250 grams.

The Atom SE Camera

The Potensic Atom SE has a decent camera. You can record in 4K at 30 fps or 1080 at 60 fps. It is not attached to a gimbal of any kind but rather isolation mounts that help reduce vibrations. You can pan the camera up or down from the remote control. The images are stabilized electronically and it does a decent job but the quality won’t match that of a drone with a real 3-axis gimbal. The similarly priced DJI Mini SE camera may spec out similarly but the SE is head and shoulders better in terms of camera quality. You won’t get professional quality or near professional quality out of the Atom SE. Take a closer look at some of the camera specs below.

Sensor brand: SONY
FOV: 118°
ISO range: 100~6400
Memory: Micro SD card

Sensor size: 1/3″
Aperture: F2.2
Focus range: 3m ~∞
Shutter range: 1/30~1/25,000s
Shooting distortion: < 1% (after calibration)

Picture size: 12M (4,608*2,592)
Video specification: 4K30 2.7K30 1080P60 1080P30
Video format: MP4

Picture format: JPG/JPG+RAW(DNG)
Code: H.264

Potensic Flight Modes

The Atom SE has a few useful intelligent flight modes. It includes Circle, Follow me, Waypoint as well as  Return to Home. None of these are done via tracking but rather set up in the app. The follow me feature will follow the remote controller, not a particular subject. I do like the circle feature but find having to set it up a bit bothersome. I wish I could adjust the circle parameters in flight or at least without having to go to an entirely separate menu.

Should you buy the Potensic Atom SE?

Overall I was impressed by the Atom SE. It flies well, the app is intuitive and easy to use and the camera is good. The extra battery and carrying case are nice. If you are looking for a good flight experience and the camera isn’t the most important feature to you for a drone then the Atom SE is a solid option. This is a good drone for any beginner. However if camera quality is the most important aspect to you then I’d suggest looking at the DJI Mini SE. It is a very similar drone but the 2.7K camera on a full gimbal makes a world of difference in taking pictures and video. Ultimately you’ll need to decide what is most important to you. You can order directly from Potensic at https://store.potensic.com/products/atom-se or you can click the link below and save $20 at checkout on Amazon.

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