For those who’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 fantastically—but it surely has one weak spot that holds it again from being the proper newbie quad—the battery connector. Fortuitously, this may be simply addressed, and I’ll present you the way later on this assessment. Let’s dive into the main points and assist you resolve if the Hummingbird V4 is the correct drone for you.
Be taught extra about tiny whoops and advisable components right here: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/
The place to Purchase
You will get your Hummingbird V4 from these retailers:
Contained in the field, you’ll discover the next equipment:
- One set of spare propellers
- Prop removing software
- Spare screws and rubber grommet equipment
Notice: Batteries aren’t included. You’ll must buy your personal 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
- Beneficial 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 assessment 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
- Increased 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 modern and clear.
The body and cover are constituted of sturdy plastic, they usually’re among the many most crash-resistant supplies obtainable within the tiny whoop class. The digicam angle is adjustable from 5° to 55°, providing nice flexibility relying how briskly you need to fly. It is a beginner-friendly characteristic that makes the Hummingbird V4 extra adaptable in comparison with many different in style whoops in the marketplace.
The flight controller options 4 shiny RGB LEDs, one on every edge, which might be personalized to show numerous patterns. This makes the drone stand out in low-light environments—excellent for racing with associates, the place the lights might be personalized and assist differentiate between pilots.
Each the radio receiver and VTX are built-in into the flight controller, and the digicam plugs instantly 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 straightforward. Do observe, nevertheless, that the digicam and motor have particular connectors that aren’t suitable with parts from different manufacturers, so replacements must come from NewBeeDrone.
Behind 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 fashionable 1S batteries and chargers now use BT2.0 or A30 connectors, which give decrease inner resistance, diminished voltage sag, higher energy supply, and in the end longer flight instances. 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 won’t be a giant deal for freshmen who gained’t instantly discover efficiency variations, you’ll ultimately outgrow it. Upgrading later to raised batteries will value extra in the long term.
I raised this identical concern in my Hummingbird V3 assessment, and it’s disappointing that it hasn’t been addressed. That mentioned, the repair is straightforward—I swapped the connector myself in beneath 10 minutes. I had no alternative anyway, since I not personal any batteries with PH2.0 connectors.
For those who’re in an identical place, I like to recommend getting a BT2.0 U Cable, which can also be suitable with A30 batteries: https://s.click on.aliexpress.com/e/_DDTv0pr
Flight Efficiency
The very first thing I observed when flying the Hummingbird V4 indoors was how easy and predictable it felt. Proper out of the field, this quad flew fantastically—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 answerable for the drone. For freshmen, 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, as a result of worse voltage sag.
I additionally appreciated the extensive digicam angle adjustability. For those who’re simply beginning out, I like to recommend setting the angle between 10° and 15°—excellent for gradual, exact flying in tight indoor areas.
Room for Enchancment
Except for the battery connector, there are a couple of different areas the place the Hummingbird V4 may very well be improved.
The Goober V2 cover is powerful and crash-resistant, but it surely gives little to no digicam safety. The lens stands proud past the cover, making it weak to direct impacts. This looks like a design oversight. For those who are inclined to fly aggressively or crash regularly (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 digicam mount additionally makes use of a 3D-printed insert that doesn’t lock the lean angle in place. After a tough crash, the digicam angle may shift, which might 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 preferrred, particularly contemplating NewBeeDrone already launched the RaceSpec V2 with a more moderen flight controller that makes use of a UART-based ELRS receiver. That mentioned, this seemingly 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 it is advisable to, you’ll most likely have moved on to a different higher and newer whoop anyway.
Methods to Setup for First Flight
The FC comes with Betaflight 4.5.1, and the FC goal is HUMMINGBIRD_F4_V4, unique CLI Diff might be discovered right here. 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. Observe this information in case you don’t know the way: 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” beneath warnings, substitute RSSI with RSSI_dBm)
- Modify your VTX channel and energy (25mW to 400mW) based mostly in your flying atmosphere.
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 fantastically indoor. The plug-and-play design means minimal soldering is required—solely the battery connector in case you select to improve it—making repairs and upkeep simple, even for freshmen.
You will get your Hummingbird V4 from these retailers:
Nevertheless, the continued use of the PH2.0 connector in 2025 is a severe downside. For those who 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 knowledgeable pilots searching for most efficiency, you may need to think about extra highly effective alternate options just like the NewBeeDrone RaceSpec V2 or BetaFPV Meteor65 Air. Take a look at my suggestions right here: https://oscarliang.com/best-tiny-whoop/