Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

AirSelfie 2 review

Airselfie 2 may as well be a GoPro stapled to a drunk hummingbird

AirSelfie 2 Review
AirSelfie 2
“Airselfie’s awesome design is largely overshadowed by its finnicky, frustrating controls”
Pros
  • Sturdy design
  • Good image quality
Cons
  • Extremely difficult to fly
  • Abysmal app
  • No autonomous flight
  • Overpriced

When it comes to selfies, there are generally two ways to get that perfect shot. You can either use the outstretched arm method, or you can enlist the help of a selfie stick. However, thanks to miracles of modern technology, we now have a third option for snapping pictures of ourselves: selfie drones.

In the past few years, a handful of companies have released flying cameras that allow you to snap selfies from the sky — and Airselfie 2 is the latest addition to this burgeoning category.

Now before we dive into this review, it’s worth mentioning that the AirSelfie 2 is not quite a drone. Since it has no autonomous features, it’s technically just a remote-control quadcopter with a camera on it. Company representatives were quick to correct us when we referred to the device as a drone when we first saw it at CES earlier this year.

Regardless of what you call it, it’s still a flying camera. But does it work? And more importantly, is it worth spending $200 on? We took one for a spin to find out.

Nuts and bolts

The AirSelfie 2 is well executed from a construction standpoint. The casing is made from aeronautical grade aluminum, and while extremely light, it certainly feels sturdy and able to take some hard landings (which, as you’ll see, is a very necessary ability). Four turbofan propellers power the AirSelfie 2, and you should be able to fly it with a range of about 65 feet of your location according to the specs. We kept it much closer, for reasons we’ll discuss later.

AirSelfie 2 Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There are two purchase options, one with just the AirSelfie 2 itself for $200, and another package that includes a charging case for an additional $50. Given the drone’s five minute maximum flight time, we highly recommend spending the extra $50 so you don’t need to plug it into an outlet after every use.

A Horrible App Experience

To get flying, you’ll need to power the AirSelfie 2 on and connect to its built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi hotspot via the AirSelfie app. Despite how simple this sounds, it’s precisely where our problems began. Our app didn’t work, but it’s because of a confusing app store experience: there are actually two versions of the AirSelfie app.

The process of even getting the thing to work through the app was about as bad as it gets.

Save yourself the frustration and search for AirSelfie2. Use the app that appears there rather than the original AirSelfie app. Much to our chagrin, there’s no mention of the two different apps in any of AirSelfie’s documentation, and we wasted a good deal of time with the old app before we realized what was going on.

Unfortunately, the AirSelfie 2 app itself is not much better than the original. The UI is dated, and features a design that feels like it was resurrected from 2010. It’s so bad that it’s actually confusing and counterintuitive — especially if you’ve become accustomed to modern app design.

AirSelfie 2 Review
Image used with permission by copyright holder

To make matters worse, AirSeflie’s app also doesn’t work with the iPhone XS Max on iOS 12. Portions of the app are completely unresponsive to taps. We had to pull out an old iPhone 7 to use the AirSelfie 2, and even after that, UI still didn’t always respond properly.

Testing it from other devices was hit and miss, and was about as bad of an app experience as we’ve had among drones. At times, the app would just suddenly lock up (such as when allowing access to your photo gallery within the app’s gallery) forcing us to manually close and restart everything before we could proceed.

All in all it really feels as if this app is just not anywhere close to being ready for prime time. In a second-generation device, these things simply shouldn’t be a problem.

And I’m not the only one with app issues: reviews on the App Store say the same thing: they’re not much better on Google Play. AirSelfie, what is going on here?

 There’s a Learning Curve, Even in ‘Easy’ Mode

Once you’ve made your way through the app store gauntlet and are ready to fly, the AirSelfie 2 has three different modes that correspond to different skill levels. Easy mode gives you basic controls (up and down, backwards and forwards, left or right), while Medium gives you the ability to steer by tilting your phone. Finally, Expert mode gives you joystick-like control of the AirSelfie 2, which we don’t recommend for anyone but experienced drone pilots.

After we slogged through the above setup issues, we were hopeful for some better luck with flying the damn thing. Getting the AirSelfie 2 to fly involves placing the device in your hand, tapping the launch button to start the propellers, and gently tossing it up upwards into the air (called “TossFly”). This takes a bit of practice, and you need to keep your hand level.

As of now, the AirSelfie 2 simply isn’t ready for prime time.

Flying inside was a challenge. The ceiling in our test area was pretty low, and apparently the AirSelfie 2 requires a bit more than 8 feet of clearance for TossFly to work. High ceilings? You’re cool. Just be prepared to bounce the drone off the ceiling otherwise.

After a few tries, we finally managed to get airborne wouldn’t hitting the ceiling. Flying is a bit of a challenge, as you need to manually control the drone at almost all times in order to avoid a crash. Due to the AirSelfie’s lack of environmental sensors (there’s only one on the bottom of the device to detect the ground and your hand), it’s totally on you to make sure the device stays in the air and doesn’t drift into anything.

Alternatives

All things considered, the AirSelfie 2 is a bit of a chore to fly. After our piloting and app problems, we were pretty nervous to take it outside. If you’re brave enough to fly in an unconfined space, we recommend keeping it low to the ground and in calm winds. We took it for a spin on a day with 5-10 mile per hour winds, and we were worried about losing control the entire time.

We honestly didn’t try the medium and expert settings because we didn’t feel confident enough to do so.

The AirSelfie 2’s Picture Quality is a (Somewhat) Bright Spot

Despite that fact, we are happy to report that the picture quality of the AirSelfie 2 is one of its few saving graces. Pictures come out quite clear, and videos are not too bad either.

We’d equate the picture quality to that of a mid-level smartphone. AirSelfie says the camera itself is 12 megapixels, with 1080p at 30fps picture quality, however our results, as you can see in the image, were definitely not as sharp or clear, and colors seemed washed out. It was a cloudy day when the picture was taken, but we would have liked to see slightly better picture quality at this price point.

Our Take

The AirSelfie 2 feels like a product that could be so much more had some attention to detail been taken, and the app itself not released without a lot more beta testing across a variety of devices. Something went horribly wrong here in app development, and at this price that’s unacceptable.

Is there a better alternative?

At $200-$250, the AirSelfie 2 really needs to offer some type of autonomous behavior (not to mention an app that works) in order to edge out the competition. Unfortunately it doesn’t have those things, so there are a few alternatives on the market that you should most definitely consider. The DJI Spark, for example, now sells for $399 just about everywhere, and for twice the price, you’ll get much, much more. But you don’t even need to spend that much: ZeroTech offers a similar drone for $150, which also includes target tracking and image stabilization — two significant features the AirSeflie 2 simply does not have.

How long will it last?

Despite its app issues, we have no questions on the manufacturing quality. The AirSelfie 2 is made of aluminum — not plastic like most cheaper drones. We think you’ll likely get plenty of use out of this bird before any potential mechanical problems arise. Software? That’s another story. We don’t expect to see software support for this product continue for more than a couple of years at most.

Should you buy it?

While we’re big fans of the construction, design, and pocketable size of the AirSelfie 2 — as well as the quality of the images/videos it produces — there are just too many issues here to recommend this drone. A well-functioning app is an absolute necessity in drones with no autonomous capabilities, and the AirSelfie 2 does not have this. Again, two generations in, why is this a problem?

There’s one sliver of good news: most of the AirSelfie 2’s problems are software related. This means that fixing the AirSelfie 2 may be as simple as focusing completely on app development and pushing out software that actually works and doesn’t look like it was made for the iPhone 3G.

At that point we’ll be happy to revisit this review and hopefully be able to recommend what could be a promising product. However, as of now, the AirSelfie 2 simply isn’t ready for prime time.

Ed Oswald
For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…
Leica SL2 vs Panasonic Lumix S1R: Two L-mount leaders with one big difference
Panasonic Lumix S1R Review

The Leica SL2, released November 2019, is the german manufacturer's response to the Panasonic Lumix S1R. Both are 47-megapixel, full-frame cameras built around the same lens mount. With the SL2, Lecia is making a statement that it wants to lead the way in the world of premium full-frame mirrorless systems, but as you can use all the same L-mount lenses on the less-expensive Panasonic, is the Leica worth the extra cost?

That's not to say that Lumix isn't pricey. It comes in at $3,700 for just the camera body -- but that's still well short of the Leica SL2's $5,995 price. It's fair to suggest that both will break the bank for most, but these are high-end cameras for the most demanding photographic assignments with plenty of features to justify their costs. Here's how they compare.
Sensor
Both cameras ship with a staggering 47-megapixel, full-frame sensor. Even more impressively, they both come with the ability to create incredibly detailed, 187-megapixel composite images. Yes, you read that correctly: 187 megapixels. This is thanks to the 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization system that can move the sensor by half a pixel's width in between exposures, then combine eight separate exposures into one image with increased resolution. A tripod is required for this mode.

Read more
This $75 million blockbuster was reportedly shot on an iPhone
75 million blockbuster shot on iphone 15

The highly anticipated horror flick 28 Years Later was shot entirely on the iPhone 15, Wired claimed in a report on Thursday, noting that with a budget of $75 million, it's is the biggest movie yet to use a smartphone for filming.

The main filming for the Danny Boyle movie finished up last month and the final product is expected to land in theaters in June 2025. Those working on the set had reportedly been instructed to sign a nondisclosure agreement to ensure news didn’t leak about the use of the iPhone. It’s possible that Apple and the moviemakers had been planning a big reveal to highlight the powerful capabilities of the iPhone when it comes to capturing moving pictures, but Wired's report may impact that plan.

Read more
Best drone deals: Get a cheap drone for $47 and more
The DJI Mini 3 Pro in flight with spring flowers in the background.

You don't have to be a YouTuber or Twitch streamer to find a lot of use for drones, especially if you're the sort of person who enjoys photography and filmography. Even better, a lot of modern drones, especially the ones targeted to consumers, have a lot of automation in them, so you don't need to be incredibly skilled in drone flight to use one. Of course, drones can still be quite expensive, especially if you want something that's a step above the basic budget-oriented drones. That's why we've collected some of our favorite drone deals, including some DJI alternatives, so you can find what works best for you.

Of course, if you prefer a more traditional experience, you could always check out these GoPro deals and camera deals instead.
Radclo Mini Drone -- $50, was $230

Read more