The improved $50 Costco drone - Ascend Aeronautics ASC-2680 1080P Camera Drone Review

If you’ve been to your local Costco or big box store, you may have come across Ascend Aeronautic drones. In this review, we’ll be looking at the latest version of the Ascend Aeronautics drone which is the ASC-2680. This drone adds a number of features such as a higher resolution camera and Optical Flow technology for more stable flying. Despite the improvements the drone still retails for a budget friendly $49.99. The ASC-2680 is a lightweight quadcopter with a 1080P HD camera for video or image capture. Ascend Aeronautics claims a 15-18 minute flight time with a 400 foot range. Additionally, the ASC-2680 features autonomous launching, landing and stunt modes.
Out of the box, the drone comes fully assembled and ready to fly. The only initial setup that is required is putting the AAA batteries into the controller and charging the drone’s rechargeable battery. Before each flight the controller and drone need to be synced before flying which is quick but a bit cumbersome. Per the instructions, you should power up the drone first and then quickly turn on the controller. The syncing process requires pushing both joysticks forward until you hear a beep and then pull both joysticks back in unison until it beeps. Done correctly, the drone and controller LEDs will go from flashing to solid. Note, there also is no battery status indicator for the drone or the app which means you’ll need to be careful to track your flight time. As the battery status goes down the drone will struggle to hold an altitude and tends to self land.
The Ascend Aeronautics ASC-2680 uses a compact quadcopter design with folding wings that make it easy to transport. As with the previous ASC-2400 we reviewed, the ASC-2680 has a compact form factor and plastic construction that’s durable enough to handle crashing. The main body of the drone has a perforated plastic design that conceals the internal electronics. On the front of the drone you have a 1080P HD camera that can manually be rotated 90 degrees from a downward angle to a horizontal angle. There is also a micro SD card slot that lets you store the full high-fidelity data as the camera data is only transmitted at 720P through the app. This is a beginner friendly drone that can be flown using just the remote or with the connected phone using a free app for a first person perspective.
... Read the full review @ thesweetcyclists.com/ascend-a...
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00:00 Intro
00:11 Unboxing + Specs
02:51 Fit + Finish
07:05 Flying
09:25 App
10:14 The Final Score
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[@brv0102]

Nice review. Just saw one at Costco Canada. Will get it to try for my road trip. Thank you 🎉🎉

[@kursna]

I got this to do some fun filming at my wedding

[@TheSweetCyclists]

That's great. Just be aware that there is no image stabilization, so you'll want to fly very slow and out of the wind if you want smooth shots.

[@donsmith2833]

Great review, I have one but not used it yet, so I was using this as a "how to" video. I got mine on clearance at Costco Canada for $39.

[@TBM.92]

Hey, do you mind sharing which Costco Canada is selling this drone for 39 CAD? I got mine for 79.99 a couple of days back. So if it's the case, i can price match it. Appreciate your help!

[@donsmith2833]

@@TBM.92 It was in January I think (definitely in winter), I see they are back to normal price again now. It looks like they were clearing them out, but brought them back.It was in Toronto, Thorncliff warehouse.

[@TBM.92]

@@donsmith2833 Oh, I see! Well i appreciate it Don, thank you.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Glad it could help you. For only $39, the drone is amazing deal. I've never seen it go that low here in California.

[@mihaichirobocea4187]

Just bought one today from Costco Canada. 69.99 CAD reduced from 89.99

[@TheRealGOAT6]

There is actually a button on the drone. The right joystick also controls the camera. A quick push down on it takes a picture. Holding it down until it beeps starts the video.

[@ramonhamm3885]

Good review, about how long is fly time and can you get more batteries from Costco for swapping?

[@Spellboundgang]

20 min it flies continuously i have one . according to me you should buy more battery if it is available

[@bassdudeman1251]

Ive had this drone from about a year and out of nowhere one of the props stopped working, does anyone have a fix?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Unfortunately, the Ascend Aeronautics company doesn't even have a support email so replacement parts or service doesn't really exist. I'm sure most of these parts are generic, so if you can find a part number you can probably fix it.

[@risitas5874]

I'm having a strange problem where the drone starts drifting right after it gets off the ground and I have to try and control it. It doesn't seem like your drone is doing this. Any idea what I could be doing wrong?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

It sounds like the calibration on your drone is off. Make sure you're launching it from a flat surface and repeat the joystick to corners procedure to calibrate it before launching. If that doesn't work, you can also do manual calibration with the buttons around the joystick but the instruction manual isn't particularly clear.

[@Braque509]

Sorry to bother you but do you know how to remove the battery ? I’ve been trying to remove it for an hour to charge it and I checked all their videos and instructions and nothing mentioned how to remove it, did I just put the battery on wrongly or is there a way ?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

The battery simply slides out - see 04:23. Just push down on the tab and pull on it. Then you can access the USB charging port to recharge it.

[@Braque509]

@@TheSweetCyclists ohhh I’ll try that thank you!!

[@SalvableRuin]

Orient itself, not "orientate." I got one of these drones yesterday and just set it up. I am excited to fly it.

[@ramonperez7667]

Mine didn’t come with a battery is it in the drone if so how I get it out

[@TheSweetCyclists]

See 04:18. The battery slides out of the rear, you just push down on the tab. Mine did not come pre-installed, it was in the cardboard holder at the bottom of the packaging (where the remote batteries are).

[@toetickler9000]

@@TheSweetCyclistshey what do the arrow buttons next to the analog sticks do ? same with stunt

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Some of the buttons are for trimming the drone if you have drifting issues and the auto-calibration doesn't correct it. There is more details on how to use it in the user manual. I can't remember if all four sets of buttons are used or only a few of them.@@toetickler9000

[@toetickler9000]

@@TheSweetCyclists ok thanks.

[@MW-rz2qo]

and it's 50 foot range not 400

[@notme.9920]

50 in the x axis and 400 in the y axis

[@Youtubesucks777]

How do you charge battery?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

To recharge the battery you need to remove it from the drone to access the micro USB slot on the front of the battery. The drone comes with a USB-A to micro USB cable which can be plugged into a USB outlet to recharge.

[@bayboybob]

I got everything working easily except the phone AP. Haven't been able to connect to the video yet, but I am still working on it. Will get an SD card and try it

[@PhiNguyen-dq5hw]

How do you move camera

[@TheSweetCyclists]

You have to manually rotate the camera. That's one of the downsides of these cheaper drones like this, on higher end computers the mounts have motorized mounts that let you adjust it on the fly.

[@chadacampbell99]

Anyone know where to get extra batteries

[@Ehrichee]

Buy another drone 😂

[@mistermagoo2081]

This particular drone had a buggy phone app: the video on the phone consisted of green lines. However, if you fly the drone with the remote and NO phone app, the drone will record video that you can download to your laptop through the included USB microSD drive adapter. Overall rating for this drone, at least from my point of view: 2.5 / 5: it's no better or worse than the drone that my wife got me from Sears a few years ago.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

The app has been okay for me, but it probably depends on the operating system and version. It's definitely a budget drone though, so don't expect too much out of it.

[@mistermagoo2081]

Thanks for the reply. FYI: I'm using a Samsung A325G, with Android version 13. Good point: a budget drone can be fun, but keep the expectations of it reasonable....

[@pulkitgoyal6201]

Did using miscoSD card help the green line issue???

[@TheSweetCyclists]

I'm not sure what the green line issue is, but I would recommend using a MicroSD card and pulling the video directly from it. It's more convenient as the app isn't that helpful for this type of drone.@@pulkitgoyal6201

[@coreyman00]

Can you load betaflight?

[@TheSweetCyclists]

That/s an interesting question, I'm not sure how customizable this drone is.

[@darrinwilliams2013]

I own this drone. I hate it. I have spent my time running after it as it flies away without and response to controls even after syncing and testing in training mode. It just takes off like it's got a mind of its own. Current location is unknown, probably hostage in some neighboring town. Don't waste your money.

[@TheSweetCyclists]

Sorry to hear about the issues. I haven't had that issue with this drone, but other budget drone like this can get out of range pretty quickly so you have to be careful. One of my drones is current stuck in a neighbors tree.

[@pheleekseh1391]

It's so difficult to start 😢

[@TheSweetCyclists]

I'd recommend using the lower speed settings and just practicing in an open field and repeating fixed flight patterns (i.e. figure 8, square, x shape...) until it become easier. Also you want to avoid any wind and make sure the battery is full charged, otherwise the drone gets blown away or keeps losing altitude.

[@Braque509]

If the battery runs out or is close to that will it auto land or just crash ? Because it’s gonna be very risky if I don’t know what percentage it’s at 🥲

[@TheSweetCyclists]

As the battery starts to go down the drone will struggle to hold altitude and act sluggish. I'm not sure why they didn't show the battery status at least on the app so you would be prepared.

[@carlosqu55]

It will auto land

[@MW-rz2qo]

10 minutes on full battery flying 5 feet above the ground 😢

[@TheSweetCyclists]

You can fly higher, but just make sure you stay in range. I've already lost a different model drone when it lost connection and flew off into a tree.