Pros & Cons
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- Smooth, stable 4K30 video
- Up to 48MP JPG or 12MP Raw photos
- Supports Remote ID
- 32-minute battery life
- No FAA registration required
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- Omits obstacle avoidance
- No internal storage
Potensic Atom 2 Specs
| Dimensions | 2.3 by 3.5 by 5.6 inches |
| Integrated Camera | Integrated with Gimbal |
| Live Video Feed | 1080p |
| Media Format | microSD |
| Megapixels | 48 |
| Remote | Dedicated with App |
| Rotors | 4 |
| Video Resolution | 4K |
| Weight | 8.8 |
The Potensic Atom 2 ($329.99) is a small, light camera drone that's easy to use and delivers smooth, stable video for beginners. We like its portable design and appreciate that it comes with a remote. It also includes Remote ID to support commercial use by licensed drone pilots. Ultimately, we think that creators who want a drone to fly for fun and recreation are better off with the DJI Flip ($439), which has a more capable camera, obstacle sensors, and sturdier construction, so it remains our Editors' Choice winner. That said, FAA license holders who want to add a small drone to their kit will prefer the Atom 2, simply because the Flip doesn't support Remote ID and the Atom 2 does.
Design: A Folding Drone Suitable for All Skill Levels
The Atom 2 is an impressively small drone. When folded, it's small enough to rest in the palm of your hand (2.3 by 3.5 by 5.6 inches HWD), and it weighs just shy of 8.8 ounces (249g), so it can be used in the US without FAA registration and faces fewer use restrictions in other regions. First-time drone pilots are required to pass an online knowledge test prior to taking to the skies, however. If you're new to drones, make sure to get up to speed on FAA regulations prior to your first flight.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Each of the drone's four propellers sits on an arm that folds into the body for storage. You'll need to manually unfold the arms prior to taking off, but that's about as basic an operation you'll find with a piece of tech. Just remember to fold out the forward struts first and the aft ones second. The Atom 2 measures 2.3 by 8.3 by 6.0 inches unfolded.
The Atom 2's design inspiration is pretty clear: DJI was first to market with a 249g folding drone, and other drone makers have made cookie-cutter variations of the original DJI Mavic Mini ever since, up to and including the entry-level Mini 2 4K ($299.99).
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The Atom 2 and the Mini 2 4K are very close in form, concept, and price. The Atom 2 has a big advantage for professional pilots missing from the Mini 2 4K, however: Remote ID. This feature broadcasts the location of the operator and the drone so officials can track unmanned aircraft. Remote ID is a strict requirement for licensed drone pilots, but not for recreational fliers. Remote ID must be manually enabled on the Atom 2 to work; if you'd like to use it, make sure to pop into the settings menu of the Potensic Eve control app to enter your FAA registration number prior to flying. Of DJI's current small drones, only the Mini 3 and Mini 4 Pro support Remote ID, and only if you use them with an extended life battery, sold separately.
Apart from its four motors (which are metal), the Atom 2 is pretty much all plastic. I qualify the material as mid-weight. The plastics give a little when pressed, and just feel thin. The $199 DJI Neo and Flip use sturdier polycarbonates and feel better engineered.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The flight battery is rated for up to 32 minutes of flight, and gets quite close to its rating in the real world. The battery charges directly via a built-in USB-C port. The Atom 2 also has USB-C for data transfer. It does not have any sort of built-in memory, so it requires a microSD card for storage. It encodes video at around 80Mbps, so budget 40GB per hour of footage. Thankfully, the drone doesn't require a fancy card; just make sure to use one rated for U3 or V30 speed.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Potensic offers the Atom 2 on its own with a single flight battery, remote control, and basic accessories for $329.99. It also has a bundle option that includes three total flight batteries, a multi-charger to top them off simultaneously, and a carrying case for $449.99. I received this kit for review and found the extra batteries worthwhile, though I was surprised to see that the multi-charger uses a large wall wart-style AC adapter and DC power coupler, which feels out of place in a world where most tech charges over USB-C.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)Flight Experience: A Remote Control That Works Your Phone
The Atom 2 requires a smartphone and app, Potensic Eve (available for Android and iOS), for activation and camera control. Once the app is loaded, you'll need to plug your phone into the drone's remote control via its bottom USB-C port. Cables are included for newer Android and iPhones that use USB-C and older iPhones with a Lightning connector, but not for micro USB devices. I tested the drone using an iPhone 13, which is old enough to use Lightning, and it worked without a hitch. The only point of weirdness is that iOS asks me if I want to trust the remote every time I plug it in.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The app prompts you to set up a login, a required step to activate the drone. Activation is a strict requirement, and starts a ticking 48-hour countdown clock during which you can purchase a one-year Potensic Care extended warranty for $49, or two years for $79. Potensic Care allows you to replace your drone at a discounted rate if it is lost ($129) or damaged ($35) due to a flyaway, collision, or from water. You're limited to two replacements with the one-year plan, and up to four replacements with the two-year option.
Once you're set up and activated, it's time to prepare your drone for flight. Find the appropriate cable for your phone and plug it into the USB-C port at the bottom of the remote control (the USB-C port at the top of the remote is for charging). The remote includes a large cradle at its center to hold your phone and spring-loaded rails that extend and retract to fit phones of all sizes.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)It's a clever design that can handle most smartphones, though it isn't perfect. I don't like that it ties the remote's ergonomics to the size of your phone. I find the remote a little uncomfortable with the iPhone 13 installed, simply because it puts the flight sticks a bit too far apart for my tastes. Flying a drone isn't that much different than playing a video game with a modern controller. By default, the left stick adjusts altitude and rotation, while the right is used for lateral movement, so both hands must work together to maneuver the drone through the air.
Other aspects of the remote are solid. Its control sticks are removable, so you can more easily squeeze it into a carrying case, and they stow in slots in the rear when not in use. It also includes an "H" button to send your drone back to its takeoff point in case of emergency, plus control wheels to set camera tilt and adjust digital zoom, and two configurable bumper buttons.
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(Credit: Potensic/PCMag)The Eve app displays a live view from the drone's nose-mounted camera with an inlaid map showing its location, plus telemetry data including airspeed, distance from remote, and altitude. You can use the control sticks to fly the drone or choose from some automated options in the app. The Atom 2 supports the same ones as I've seen in Autel and DJI drones—Boomerang, Circle, Pull Away, Rocket, Spiral, and Subject Tracking—plus has a Dolly Zoom option that moves the drone forward while digitally zooming its lens from tight to wide, mimicking a famous camera move from Hitchcock's "Vertigo."
You'll change camera settings via the app too. It has on-screen controls to swap between photo and video modes and adjust resolution and frame rates, along with a full menu. The full menu allows you to set some safety parameters, including a configurable geofence that can keep the drone from flying too far away (FAA regulations require that it remain within sight during flights), set an altitude for automated return to home, change between imperial and metric units, and configure other sundry options.
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The quality of the video feed from the drone is somewhat dependent on your phone's screen, but I was happy with the preview on my iPhone. Its screen is bright enough to use on a sunny day as long as I shade it, but you'll have less fun if your phone's screen isn't as good. The 1080p video feed is pretty sharp within around 500 feet in a suburban environment, but I noticed some fuzziness and occasional garbled frames at further distances. Still, I never lost signal for control when flying toward the limits of line of sight, so the wireless connection is strong and stable enough. Potensic rates the remote for up to 6.2 miles (10km) in ideal conditions without interference and obstructions.
The Atom 2's motors are advertised as powerful enough to fly in Level 5 (23.6mph) winds. I flew the drone on a breezy day with 15mph winds and up to 23mph gusts (according to the weather report) and enjoyed stable flight lower to the ground. The drone struggled higher up, however, and at around 200 feet, the app flashed a high wind warning and cautioned me to descend.
(Credit: Potensic/PCMag)If you need a drone that can fly in heavier wind, you'll need to move up from the 249g weight class and target a larger quadcopter with more powerful motors. I flew the DJI Air 3S, which is rated for Level 6 (31mph) wind, in the same conditions, and it cut through the breeze with even more confidence. The Air 3S also flies faster, at around 34mph with obstacle detection and 47mph without, while the Atom 2 manages about 14mph in its standard mode and up to 36mph in high-speed sports mode. At higher altitudes, you get a better feeling of motion from a drone that flies faster.
Bear in mind that the Atom 2 does not include any sort of obstacle avoidance, while DJI puts forward sensors and automatic braking in its Flip. This means that you'll take care when flying lower to the ground; sensors are less important once you ascend above the treetops.
Camera: Stable 4K30 Footage With Rich Colors
The Atom 2 puts its camera on a 3-axis gimbal, a type of stabilizer that uses brushless motors and gyros to keep the camera straight and level. The Atom 2's gimbal does its job effectively—the drone records video that's as smooth as what you'd get from a camera locked down on a tripod, and maintains this steady picture during turns and changes in altitude. The gimbal supports a straight down (-90-degree) to slightly up (20-degree) articulation, which is less upward tilt than the DJI Neo (60 degrees) or the Flip (35 degrees).
(Credit: Jim Fisher)The camera uses a Type 1/2 CMOS sensor made by Sony Semiconductor with a Quad Bayer architecture and a 26mm F1.8 equivalent lens. It's a pretty good platform for beginners. However, more knowledgeable creators will miss having the option to use add-on neutral density filters, which are required if you want to use the longer shutter speeds needed to get natural-looking motion in movies. The Atom 2 is pretty new to market so we'll have to wait and see if third parties step in to fill the gap, but if you're savvy enough about video to know what a shutter angle is, chances are you will be happier with a drone for which filters are available like the DJI Flip or the Mini 3.
For video, the drone records at up to 4K30 in 16:9; 2.7K30 in 16:9, 9:16, or 4:3; and 1080p60 at 16:9, or 1080p30 at 9:16 and 4:3, with the 24fps and 25fps options available at all resolutions and aspect ratios. Slow motion video is also available at 1080p with a 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x slow-down factor. Video is encoded with 8-bit color in both its standard and HDR profiles, both with standard Rec.709 color. A flat (P-Log) profile is coming later via a firmware update. A flat profile saves video with low saturation and contrast to provide the most leeway to fine-tune color either with a Look-Up Table (LUT) or color wheels in editing software.
The Atom 2's HDR profile is not saved in an HDR color space, rather it is simply a variation of the standard profile with brightened shadows. I don't see this as a bad thing, as true HDR footage can be a challenge to edit and doesn't look right on older SDR screens. Both the standard and HDR profiles show accurate, if slightly oversaturated, color, excellent detail, and avoid the ugly over-sharpened look that some entry-level drones like the DJI Neo exhibit.
The Atom 2 has a few different options for still capture. You can use it for Raw DNG, JPG, or Raw+JPG pairs at 12MP, or take advantage of the full pixel count of its Quad Bayer Type 1/2 chip and snap 48MP (8K) JPGs. And while I typically recommend that non-expert photographers simply stick with 12MP JPGs for social media, I make an exception for the Atom 2. Its 12MP JPGs look overprocessed and aggressively sharpened to my eye. On the other hand, the 48MP/8K mode shows a more natural, organic image when viewed at normal magnification, plus it holds up better when you zoom in or crop. Keep in mind that 8K photos take up a good amount of space (30-40MB per image) versus 12MP (10-15MB per image).
Photo experts will likely prefer the images the drone gets in its Raw DNG format. Raw images save more color information than JPGs, providing more leeway to adjust color and exposure to taste. You must be prepared to do some editing before sharing Raw pictures, however, as they show a strong vignette and washed-out color to start. Each DNG image is saved at 12MP with a 24MB file size.
All and all, I'm a fan of the Atom 2's camera for the potential audience. The 8-bit color will disappoint experts, but standard and HDR profiles deliver pleasing results. I'm a little more down on the look of the 12MP stills, but the 48MP snaps more pleasing JPGs, and 12MP DNG is there for photographers willing to take the time to process images. I'd place its video profile slightly ahead of the DJI Neo, which suffers from over-sharpening, but behind the Flip's pleasing 10-bit footage.