Hi and welcome to my review of the MJX Bugs 5W drone.

This drone is an upgrade to the original MJX Bugs 5W which came with an HD 1080p camera, now it comes with a 2K camera supported by a 1-axis gimbal for stabilised images and videos.

MJX are pretty well-known in the world of low-cost consumer drones, may of their drones are very popular especially among people who like to modify their drone.

I have reviewed one other MJX drone, specifically the Bugs 4W which comes with a 2K camera but I wasn’t a huge fan of its overall design (a bit too bulky for my liking), although it’s still an awesome drone.

If you are looking for a cheap drone with a HD camera with some cool features, the MJX Bugs 5W is a drone worth considering, carry on reading this review to find out more.

Now, I want to nore before I start the full review, that on the product page it says that this drone is a 4K drone, while tecnically correct, it only shoots images in 4K but records videos in 2K.

MJX Bugs 5W Review

The MJX Bugs 5W is a good-looking drone, it has a robust build and looks very futuristic. It has an all-black colour scheme and has some nice company branding around the body of the drone. I still don’t understand why they call it a ‘Bugs’ drone, maybe it’s supposed to resemble some kind of bug? The two LED lights at the front do resemble eyes and gives it sort of a cool mean look.

I am a fan of its overall design, if it were a foldable drone, it would have been much better. It’s not a massive drone measuring 33*33*10 cm, however, if you are going to be travelling with this drone, you will need a drone carry case as it is not a compact drone that you can easily store away in your rucksack. This is one of the reasons I prefer foldable drones, they are easier to carry around and I wish the MJX Bugs 5W was foldable because it is a good overall drone.

One the end of each rotor arm there are landing legs that will help protect the camera when you land the drone. There are also some cool LED lights underneath each rotor arm, I like LED lights on drones, not only do they make the drone look more futuristic, but they also allow you to fly the drone in twilight hours.

These LED lights also serve another purpose, when you are calibrating the drone compass, they will display a set of colours to indicate when it is ready to fly.

The 2K camera is attached on the front of the drone and is supported by a 1-axis servo and dampeners on the top. It’s a nice-looking camera with a big lens and a cool logo on the side, there is also a micro SD card slot on the back on which you will be able to record your videos and images on.

It has no optical flow or ultrasonic seniors so you will not be able to fly this drone in areas where there is a low GPS signal, which is a shame because most modern HD camera drones have these features now.

One of the best features of this drone is its brushless motors, these are powerful motors with 1500kv rating. Brushless motors are more efficient and powerful than brushed motors and they also last longer and require less maintenance. They provide the drone with more thrust during take-off and the drone can go faster, in the case of the MJX Bugs 5W, it has a top speed of 32 km/h which is fast for a non-racing drone.

The drone has a flight time of around 20 minutes, which is good for drones at its price range. 20 minutes is above average, one of the reasons for its above-average flight time is because the drone is powered by a 7.6v 2320 mAh lipo battery. This is a small modular battery that has been engineered to keep its charge for longer and hence the longer flight time.

Although I do advise people to purchase extra batteries if you want to extend the flight time. Fortunately, you do get the option to purchase extra batteries with the drone and I highly recommend you take-up one of these options if you do decide to purchase this drone.

One last thing I want to mention before I get to the main features of this drone is regarding its remote controller which I am a fan of. There are drone controllers that look really ugly but not the Bugs 5W controller which has a minimalist design and looks very similar to that of the DJI Mavic Pro controller.

It’s a medium-sized controller that feels comfortable in your hands, it has a smartphone holder that pulls out from the back and two handles that fold out from the bottom. I don’t see the need for these handles, but some people say it provides a better grip on the controller.

One of the coolest features of this controller is its OLED screen where it will display important telemetry readings about the drone. With a quick glance you can see the GPS status of the drone, how far away it is and the battery level for both the drone and charger.

It has a transmission range of around 600 meters but this is only in optimal conditions, expect somewhere between 400-600 meters, which is still pretty good. The charger is powered by two AA batteries which unfortunately are not included with the drone package.