​Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone review

This video was filmed with Firefly 6s camera mounted on a CX20 drone with a Walkera G2D Gimbal.

One of the main reasons why drone/quadcopters have become so popular is the introduction of several commercial drones made by Chinese companies a few years ago. Cheerson is one of these companies founded in 2011. From its beginnings; Cheerson Company was focused on production, development, and sales of UAV products and accessories. According to their management, the Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone is their most successful product. CX-20 is often the first hobby grade quadcopter droners buy after learning to fly on a toy grade quadcopter.

Basic information

Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone is a budget drone that provides some incredible features making it an ideal drone for both experienced and beginner drone fans. The designers and developers from Cheerson have worked on this model for two years. They have based this model on their previous experience with the CX-10 model, but obviously, this aerial drone is more advanced.

Design

Since the design is the first thing that people notice in every product, we will start by analyzing the design. If you take a close look at this drone, you will notice that it looks very similar to other modern quadcopters like DJI Phantom for example. This means that it comes with an attractive and very compact and integrated design. Although it has four propellers and camera and a specially designed place for the battery, this drone still looks compact. The white color dominates the shell and there are two pairs of red and black lines.

Software

CX-20 Auto-pathfinder comes with solid software options too. For instance, this drone can automatically save your user settings. The basic software solution is the so-called Big Shark software which works on Windows OS. There is also an open source software called Missionplanner that allows users to introduce parameter modifications, firmware upgrades, and perform setup calibration. The missionplanner solution works with the open source version of the cx20, and this is the preference for many experienced Cheerson CX 20 pilots as it is based on the APM flight controller, which allows for many advanced features such as autonomous waypoint missions.

Camera

Aerial drones are usually used for taking stunning photography and video footage, so it is a little bit illogical that this drone doesn’t have a built-in camera. However, upon further investigation it becomes apparent that the Cheerson cx20 quad fans usually enjoy customising their drones. The manufacturer was probably trying to leave this choice to the customer and the only thing associated with the camera that you will get with your Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone is the adjustable and removal mount for the camera. You can use this mount to attach any kind of modern camera used on drones and GoPro is not an exception (any model will work fine), but users usually fit a gimbal which compensates for any shake or wind that may be present in the flight when filming. The majority of customers who are already using CX-20 have mounted GoPro cameras or clones such as the Xiaomi Yi or Firefly and they are very satisfied with the results, especially when used in conjunction with a gimbal. However, this is a matter of personal choice (and finances).

Battery life

It seems that Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder was made to surprise people. Namely, most users expect a relatively weak battery in a cheap model like this, but the lithium battery found in CX-20 is actually powerful and lasts fairly long. As you have probably guessed, this battery is rechargeable. It has a power of 2700 mAh and 11.1V which is a standard for these drone models. This lithium battery is included in the standard package, but it is a smart move to buy one more battery so you can easily switch when you want to fly your drone for a longer period of time. It takes about two hours to charge the battery completely and some drone enthusiasts will say that this is a downside because top models are charging batteries for 30 or 60 minutes max. Another option is to purchase a 3rd party professional lipo charger and high capacity battery for quicker charges and longer flights. Some users modify the internals of the cx20 in order to be able to fit a physically bigger battery.

Controller

Whenever people want to use a drone, regardless of the nature of their activity, they want to be sure that their drone can reach decent range. The good news is that Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone has a range that can exceed 500 meters when the conditions are ideal which is impressive. Although the designers of this drone could’ve used more of their imagination when it comes to the design of the controller, this is still an excellent controller and gets the job done every time. It is very simple to use the controller and you can find only basic options on it. It also has excellent responsiveness. While we are talking about the controller, we should mention the transmission. Namely, CX-20 model uses four channels on 2.4 GHz frequency. This means that you can rely on your drone at any time.

It’s also good to know that Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone provides excellent speed. In fact, this is one of the fastest drones in this category. This attractive and inexpensive model can reach 22 miles per hour without any problems. This is the reason why many users use this drone to record bicycle races, car racing and other fast-paced activities. Of course, the quality of the footage remains the same, so if you have the latest GoPro camera you can expect Full HD or even 4K resolution.

IOC

IOC or Intelligent Orientation Control is a unique feature that comes with the drone’s autopilot system. Typically, the forward position of the flying rotors is not different than the nose position. With the help of the Intelligent Orientation Control, these positions are independent making flying much easier. While we are talking about flight functions, it’s good to know that Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder drone has a great GPS hold system, a useful auto-return feature, hovering and side flying options too.

Advantages of using Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder

– This is one of the fastest drones found in the market and probably the fastest in the budget category

– CX-20 comes with an excellent price and you are definitely getting the most for the price

– It is very simple and easy to use this drone

– This is a very durable drone

– It comes with a long-lasting battery

Disadvantages of using Cheerson CX-20 Auto-pathfinder

– Doesn’t come with built-in camera

– Doesn’t come with transmitter batteries

– Long charging time (about two hours)

Final thoughts

In case you know where to find a good camera for the drone and you don’t mind mounting it yourself then you should definitely consider buying Cheerson CX-20 drone. This is a very solid drone if we take a close look at the price, design and the feature that this aerial drone provides.