The Syma Z3 is a new folding drone. The Z3 has a sleek design and a 720p camera. It has optical flow and altitude hold. How does it stack up against some of the more popular Symas like the X5 or X8 models? Let’s find out. Spoiler alert: It isn’t going to compete with the Mavic Air.
The Syma Z3
Definite bonus points to Syma for styling. This looks like a slick quadcopter. The arms are easy to fold, making this a good portable drone. Flying the Z3 is fun. It seems to be a bit underpowered but ultimately it isn’t too bad in high mode. The altitude hold works well. The optical flow is another story. It doesn’t seem to be well implemented. Syma is trying some different looks with their new Z1, Z2 and now Z3 drones.
The Z3 Flaws
Our initial flight of the Z3 resulted in an uncontrollable flyaway. After crashing we did a calibration and it was good to go from then on. The optical flow doesn’t work super well but altitude hold does a decent job of keeping it level. It is a bit underpowered and we’d prefer flying the old X5 or a larger X8. Just stay away from the X8 Pro.
Our Recommendation
Syma makes some quality drones but we prefer their simple models. The X5 line up is full of awesome quads. If you want basic fun go with the X5C or X5SW. If you want some bells and whistles then we’d recommend the X5UW. If you want something larger the X8 lineup is full of big drones that can carry a good action camera like a GoPro.
| Order a Syma X5 | Order a Syma X8 |
Our Favorite Drone Under $100
Instead of picking up a Syma Z3 we would recommend looking into the Ryze Tello. The Ryze Tello is superior on almost every level. It has a better camera, intuitive flight modes and is the most stable non-GPS drone you can buy. The Tello is hands down the best drone you can buy for less than $100. Learn more about the Tello here.
| Order the Tello from DJI | Order the Tello from Amazon |
More Drones…
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Learn More…
If you want to learn more about taking great pictures or flying FPV then check out our comprehensive guides on those topics. Also take a look at our articles on how to choose the right drone for great aerial photos or for getting started flying race drones. Learn more about drones and how to get the most out of them in our Drone Academy. In the Academy we also detail some of the advanced testing we do, including our recent addition, drone thrust testing.
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