The Parrot Disco is honestly a good drone but it just doesn’t work the same way as the models we are used to today and I think this is the reason why it gets mixed reviews from people. In this particular one, I want to examine this model and give you the good and bad sides of it.
There are just some GREAT things this drone has that no other model on the market has today but at the same time, there’s bad parts of it which I think don’t make it worth buying for as much as Parrot is charging for it today…
Stats and info on Parrot Disco:
Name: Disco.
Company: Parrot.
Flight Time: Up to 45 minutes.
Range potential: Under the NORMAL set up, you’re looking at about 1-1.5 miles, BUT I have personally seen (and I will provide the YouTube video in this review) of a man who modded this drone and it managed to fly over 25 miles (I’m not joking).
Size: A very large, yet light drone (made of foam mainly). It’s about 2-3 feet in length.
Price: $599.
Camera Quality: 14 megapixels, 1080p footage.
Rating of product: 50 out of 100 points.
This is a good drone, but is more for experienced pilots. It just operates differently than most people who have seen other popular drone models are used to and I think this is lack of understanding is why people give the Parrot Disco mixed reviews.
I have to note personally that I don’t own this drone model, I prefer the Mavic Pro because it actually has a fixed wing option of flight, and it’s just superior so I prefer that:
Let’s examine the Disco’s pros and cons:
Pros:
1) The Parrot Disco’s flight time is awesome:
One thing you cannot take away from the Disco is that it has the longest flight time of any known hobby drone today. 30 minutes is considered extremely high and it’s tough to find drone models which reach that (Mavic Pro Platinum has it, Phantom 4 Pro has it, Yuneec Mantis Q does as well and so do the Inspire 1 and 2 models), but those are just a select few out of the many which don’t even come close and even then, it pales in comparison to the Disco’s flight time of 45 minutes, wow.
Now of course, anyone who flies drones knows that conditions reflect the flight time but still, this is at the top when it comes to hobby drones.
2) The camera’s not bad at all.
Yes 4k drones are the rage today, but 1080p is still awesome footage. Considering how much time you have to film with this drone, it’s not bad at all.
3) It’s very durable.
Considering most of it is made of literal foam, this thing can crash just about anywhere and against anything and still be fine. I’ve seen videos of this thing crash into trees and land and be completely fine. The foam is what makes it so durable.
4) Don’t let the short range trick you.
I though it sucked when I saw that the Disco could get a little over a mile in range, until I saw a YouTube video of a popular drone flier by the name of Dustin Dunhill, who modified the connection inside the drone and basically installed some sort of sim card to basically make this drone have as much range as a cell phone.
Then he tested it out by flying it in Hawaii between 2 islands, both of which were 20+ KM apart (one way!). This thing handled it VERY well, the connection was fine and it even had PLENTY of battery to spare after it returned. Here is the video:
5) It’s very light.
I’ve often had to carry heavy and light drones on my trips and believe me, I elect to use the lighter ones anytime I can. Considering how light this model is, it’s not a big deal to carry it around, if nothing else, the carrying case that goes with it is more annoying to carry than the drone itself.
Cons:
1) Only 1 kind of flight mode: Fixed wing mode.
There’s a few very important things you need to understand about this drone and one of them is that it simply CANNOT hover in 1 spot like other models do. It only operates in what’s known as “fixed wing mode” which basically requires that it always needs to be in motion in order to actually keep flying.
This isn’t really a bad thing, but unless you’re a beginner and expecting a regular hover over ground, the Disco is not for you.
Fixed wing mode is fun to use, but it makes it tough to get good shots (which is another con coming up).
2) It’s tough to capture good footage.
Because this drone can’t really hover in one spot, it makes it tougher for those seeking to capture good footage to actually do it. This model is made more for the flying experience rather than shooting good shots.
3) The foam material can be an issue.
Despite being light and durable like I indicated in the pros above, the problem is that it’s hard to justify paying $599 for a drone that is essentially made of foam…
I mean unless you can mod it like Dustin did in the video above, you’re really looking at short range drone model that can’t really shoot well. And even though it can survive crashes, the actual foam material may be more breakable than other models on the market. So be careful when flying this thing.
4) No sensors:
There’s none on this drone, and even if it were possible to install it, there’s no way you can really use it because this model relies on constant motion to fly. It does have an auto landing feature, but that requires a flat surface.
5) Taking off can be a mixed feeling.
This thing doesn’t take off on it’s own, you have to basically throw it with your hand like a paper airplane in order for it to get going. Perhaps you’ll enjoy it, perhaps not…
6) Landing isn’t exactly easy.
Like I said, you need a flat surface, particularly flat grass fields. This thing can land on it’s own, but it’s literally like an airplane without wheels when it does it so it can get scratched up (it’s foam, but it’s expensive stuff still!), so if you do it on grass, you can avoid having issues.
7) Not many safety precautions.
As far as I know, there is no return to home option (as well as sensors like I mentioned). It does have a GPS, but there’s no real auto pilot to guide it back in case you lose connection.
Is the Parrot Disco the drone for you?
Although I listed more cons than pros in this review, I wanted to point out every single good and bad thing I could find regarding this drone to help you decide if it’s for you.
My personal opinions on it are that it’s not really a good drone for beginners and if you seek a model with fixed wing mode, get yourself a Mavic Pro since it can always turn back into a normal drone that hovers around and takes awesome footage (it has intelligent flight modes you can switch to for this).
I just can’t think of why it would be good to pay $500-$600+ for a drone that is made mainly of foam all the while you have other, better shooting models that can do more.
Yes the Parrot Disco can fly longer and if modded enough can fly further, but what is the point of that if you can’t get great shots of stop in the mid air, hover and take your time. Believe me, flying a drone for even 20 minutes can get boring, let alone 45 minutes.
This model is in my opinion one that is for a die hard, who is a very experienced pilot and fan who can afford it, otherwise, I believe the majority of people who try to fly the Parrot Disco will be disappointed. If you’re not this person but like the Parrot company, consider something like the Parrot ANAFI. It’s a good, portable drone to consider.