If you happen to’re new to FPV, the NewBeeDrone Hummingbird V4 is a wonderful tiny whoop to begin with. After spending time flying it, I can confidently say: this drone flies superbly—but it surely has one weak point that holds it again from being the proper newbie quad—the battery connector. Happily, this may be simply addressed, and I’ll present you the way later on this evaluate. Let’s dive into the small print and aid you resolve if the Hummingbird V4 is the proper drone for you.
Study extra about tiny whoops and really useful elements right here: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/
The place to Purchase
You may get your Hummingbird V4 from these retailers:
Contained in the field, you’ll discover the next equipment:
- One set of spare propellers
- Prop removing instrument
- Spare screws and rubber grommet equipment
Be aware: Batteries will not be included. You’ll must buy your individual 1S 300mAh LiHV batteries with PH2.0 connectors: https://oscarliang.com/product-qifg
Hummingbird V4 Specs
- Drone Dimension: 65mm
- Flight Controller: Hummingbird V4 AIO FC
- Receiver: ExpressLRS 2.4GHz SPI (built-in into the FC)
- VTX: SmartMax 25mW / 100mW / 400mW switchable (built-in)
- Body: Cockroach V3 65mm Extremely Mild
- Motors: Hummingbird 0702 30,000KV
- Propellers: Azi Tri-Blade 31mm
- Digital camera: BeeEye Digital camera
- Cover: Goober V2
- Battery Connector: PH2.0
- Advisable Battery: 1S 300mAh LiHV
- Weight (with out battery): 19.35g
What’s New In comparison with the Hummingbird V3?
NewBeeDrone has made a number of notable enhancements over the Hummingbird V3 (full evaluate right here: https://oscarliang.com/newbeedrone-hummingbird-v3/):
- Lighter: V4 is roughly 2g lighter than V3
- Extra energy: VTX max output elevated from 25mW to 400mW
- Greater motor KV: Upgraded from 25,000KV to 30,000KV
Nearer Look
The propellers and cover are available random colours for a little bit of shock—mine arrived in a translucent white, which appears to be like smooth and clear.
The body and cover are constituted of sturdy plastic, they usually’re among the many most crash-resistant supplies accessible within the tiny whoop class. The digital camera angle is adjustable from 5° to 55°, providing nice flexibility relying how briskly you need to fly. This can be a beginner-friendly function that makes the Hummingbird V4 extra adaptable in comparison with many different common whoops in the marketplace.
The flight controller options 4 vibrant RGB LEDs, one on every edge, which could be personalized to show numerous patterns. This makes the drone stand out in low-light environments—good for racing with mates, the place the lights could be personalized and assist differentiate between pilots.
Each the radio receiver and VTX are built-in into the flight controller, and the digital camera plugs immediately into the FC as nicely. The motors are plug-and-play, that means no soldering is required anyplace on this drone. This makes repairs and half replacements extremely simple. Do observe, nevertheless, that the digital camera and motor have particular connectors that aren’t appropriate with elements from different manufacturers, so replacements must come from NewBeeDrone.
In the back of the cover, you’ll discover two antennas: an extended one for the receiver and a shorter one for the VTX.
Outdated PH2.0 Battery Connector
Sadly, the Hummingbird V4 nonetheless ships with PH2.0 battery connector, which feels outdated in 2025. Most trendy 1S batteries and chargers now use BT2.0 or A30 connectors, which give decrease inside resistance, diminished voltage sag, higher energy supply, and in the end longer flight occasions. Contemplating the V4 now runs on 30,000KV motors—very power-hungry by nature—making this older connector wrestle much more.
Whereas the PH2.0 connector may not be a giant deal for novices who received’t instantly discover efficiency variations, you’ll ultimately outgrow it. Upgrading later to higher batteries will price extra in the long term.
I raised this similar concern in my Hummingbird V3 evaluate, and it’s disappointing that it hasn’t been addressed. That stated, the repair is straightforward—I swapped the connector myself in underneath 10 minutes. I had no alternative anyway, since I now not personal any batteries with PH2.0 connectors.
If you happen to’re in an identical place, I like to recommend getting a BT2.0 U Cable, which can also be appropriate with A30 batteries: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_DDTv0pr
Flight Efficiency
The very first thing I seen when flying the Hummingbird V4 indoors was how easy and predictable it felt. Proper out of the field, this quad flew superbly—no PID tuning required. Management felt locked in, with wonderful throttle response and nimble dealing with. Even utilizing inventory charges and PIDs, I felt completely in charge of the drone. For novices, that is precisely what you need: a drone that flies nice with minimal setup.
After upgrading to a BT2.0 connector, I used to be getting about 3:00 to three:half-hour of flight time utilizing a 1S 300mAh battery. That’s pretty typical for 1S whoops. With the inventory PH2.0 connector, you may count on a shorter flight time (round 2.5 minutes) and early low-voltage warnings, because of the worse voltage sag.
I additionally appreciated the large digital camera angle adjustability. If you happen to’re simply beginning out, I like to recommend setting the angle between 10° and 15°—good for gradual, exact flying in tight indoor areas.
Room for Enchancment
Apart from the battery connector, there are a number of different areas the place the Hummingbird V4 might be improved.
The Goober V2 cover is powerful and crash-resistant, but it surely provides little to no digital camera safety. The lens stands out past the cover, making it weak to direct impacts. This appears like a design oversight. If you happen to are likely to fly aggressively or crash ceaselessly (let’s be trustworthy—everybody does with a whoop!), that is one thing to be careful for. A easy repair is so as to add a few small items of froth subsequent to the lens as bumpers.
The digital camera mount additionally makes use of a 3D-printed insert that doesn’t lock the lean angle in place. After a tough crash, the digital camera angle may shift, which could be disorienting. A locking mechanism can be a pleasant contact in future variations.
One other level: the onboard ExpressLRS receiver is SPI-based. This isn’t very best, particularly contemplating NewBeeDrone already launched the RaceSpec V2 with a more moderen flight controller that makes use of a UART-based ELRS receiver. That stated, this probably isn’t a dealbreaker. For most individuals, it’s merely not essential to replace the firmware on the FC or receiver—and by the point you’ll want to, you’ll in all probability have moved on to a different higher and newer whoop anyway.
The best way to Setup for First Flight
The FC comes with Betaflight 4.5.1, and the FC goal is HUMMINGBIRD_F4_V4. ESC firmware is Bluejay, 0.19, 48kHz (O-H-10).
Firstly, bind the receiver, go to the Receiver tab in Betaflight, and enter your bind phrase there. Alternatively, click on “Bind Receiver” button on the backside., then go to ExpressLRS LUA script in your radio and allow Bind mode. Comply with this information for those who don’t understand how: https://oscarliang.com/bind-expresslrs-receivers/#Methodology-1-Bind-Button-in-Betaflight-Configurator
For maiden flight, listed here are the Betaflight configurations:
- Load ExpressLRS Preset
- Set Your Charges
- Set Arm change, angle mode change, turtle mode change
- Set OSD (disable “Core Temperature” underneath warnings, exchange RSSI with RSSI_dBm)
- Alter your VTX channel and energy (25mW to 400mW) primarily based in your flying surroundings.
Closing Verdict
The NewBeeDrone Hummingbird V4 is a wonderful beginner-friendly tiny whoop. It’s light-weight, responsive, well-tuned proper out of the field, and performs superbly indoor. The plug-and-play design means minimal soldering is required—solely the battery connector for those who select to improve it—making repairs and upkeep easy, even for novices.
You may get your Hummingbird V4 from these retailers:
Nevertheless, the continued use of the PH2.0 connector in 2025 is a critical disadvantage. If you happen to resolve to choose up this whoop, I extremely advocate swapping it out with a BT2.0 U cable and utilizing A30 or BT2.0 batteries.
For skilled pilots on the lookout for most efficiency, you may need to take into account extra highly effective options just like the NewBeeDrone RaceSpec V2 or BetaFPV Meteor65 Air. Try my suggestions right here: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/
