If you are a beginner and thinking to buy a drone, some questions will pop up in your head. Like what to look for in a drone? What are the features one should consider? Or what are the best drones for beginners?
Drones got into trend a few years back, and with time they have become one of the most common gadgets being used by almost every profession. They are being utilized for: photography, videography, by the military, for architectural purposes, and even by hunters.
Having a drone has become kind of a necessity. However, with the increase in demand, the production of these devices has also increased immensely. Almost every company even the ones that have no background in making drones are introducing their products; thus, they can keep up with the modern world.
There is no price range for drones; you can get a drone as cheap as 10$ or as expensive as 1000$ or more. But with price comes advanced features; therefore, mostly the high-priced drones are called the high-end drones, which target the more professional audience towards them. Nevertheless, never consider that the price will always justify the product you are getting.
As with the increase in production, several scams also entered the market, which are tagged for a quality amount of money but do not provide you with a satisfactory experience.
To protect yourself from falling for these products, you should know what you should look for in a top-rated drone.
What You Should Consider?
If you are a beginner there is a high chance that you have ever piloted a drone ever. Therefore looking for a drone that can help you learn in the most minimalistic way is mandatory. Launching and landing the drone can sometimes get complicated and beginners tend to crash the drone a lot.
Not having an idea of the directions is another problem when coping with the speed you are flying at. If you are a beginner you will have to learn to pilot the drone from scratch therefore you will need some simple yet important features which include:
GPS:
GPS plays a vital role in making piloting the drone simple and efficient. Most of the best drones for beginners feature GPS or GLONASS in them. It prevents the drone from getting lost, and several intelligent flight modes depend on the GPS.
Having a drone that supports GPS is something that you should never overlook, as it will help you understand locations and directions. Moreover, it enables the drone to feature some of the easiest modes that are considered quite helpful for beginners.
Read: Why do drones lose GPS signals?
SENSORS:
Sensors play an essential role in flying the drone and protecting it. One of the key sensors that come in handy for everyone but especially beginners is the “Object Avoidance Sensor.” The object avoidance sensor protects the drone from crashing into things.
Thus if you are taking a flight in a city filled with buildings or a place with a ton of tall trees, you will not have to worry about crashing your drone as the sensors will protect it.
CAMERA:
If you are a beginner, the camera is not the most important feature for you, as your focus should be on first learning how to pilot the drone. Although having a camera featured by a drone adds a plus point to it. You can learn how to take pictures meanwhile controlling the drone and can enhance your aerial photography or videography skills.
The minimum camera resolution you should go for is 720p anything less is not something you will like. You can get a drone with a 4K camera, as well, but that will cost you more, although the results you will get will be impressive.
SPEED MODES:
Speed modes are something that not a lot of drones feature but you will still find a bunch of them that comes with three different speed modes, and you can surely consider some of them the best drones for beginners.
SLOW SPEED MODE:
The slow speed mode is the one you should take a flight on if you have never piloted a drone before. It is the slowest flight mode and gives you time to learn how to control all the manual piloting settings.
MEDIUM SPEED MODE:
The medium mode is a little faster than the slow mode, you can update to this mode if you think you have learned all the basics and can control a drone at a faster speed.
FAST SPEED MODE:
Lastly, the fast speed mode is the fastest one. It enables you to fly the drone at its full potential, and you can upgrade to this mode when you think you have finally learned all the things to pilot the drone.
The speed modes enable you to learn gradually and then practice your flight skills so that you can get better at it. They come in handy for beginners as; it is better to go slow than to crash your drone anywhere just because you can’t control it.
WEIGHT:
If you are talking about a drone’s weight, know that in this case, the weight is directly proportional to the stability of the drone. The lighter the weight, the more unstable the drone is in windy conditions.
Nevertheless, if you are looking for the best drone for windy conditions, look for a drone with power motors or a suitable weight to maintain stability. Besides, if you are a beginner, lightweight might come with advantages for you.
A lightweight drone does not break easily when crashed, rather it just bounces back from the surface. Hence, if the wind is not a problem in your area, go for a lightweight drone as it is portable and a safe option for you.
RANGE:
Range tells you how far away the drone can go from you. It helps you understand how far you can take the drone without having to lose its control. For a beginner, it is better to keep your drone close as you are still learning.
Having the drone in front of your eyes will help you learn to pilot it, and with time, you can increase the range. If you are looking for a beginner’s drone, a range of 50 to 100 meters will be enough; however, you can get a better flight range, as well in a beginner’s drone. Additionally, keep in mind the more high-end the drone is, the better the flight range will get.
Read: How to increase your drone’s range?
BATTERY LIFE:
Battery life is something that is highlighted the most when buying a drone. You always should know how long you have until the drone is out of juice so that you can return it to its launching position before it falls somewhere.
The battery life is something that is the most concerning feature for most of the customers as everyone needs an adequate flight time so that they can pilot the drone peacefully without worrying about losing it. Besides, if you are thinking, what is the reliable battery life for a drone? A flight time of 15 minutes and more will be enough as anything less is not the most appreciated flight time.
AFFORDABLE:
Being a beginner means you are probably going to crash the drone several times. Therefore the life of your drone decreases by suffering several impacts.
Secondly, as a beginner, you don’t have to invest a ton of money in the drone. It is preferable to get an affordable drone and improve your skills. Then update to something expensive and more professional.
That way, you can learn and practice piloting the drone without having to invest a fortune, and it will not be that big of a loss for you even if the drone breaks or gets lost as with a beginner, there are high chances of these scenarios to take place.
INTELLIGENT FLIGHT MODES:
Intelligent flight modes are the modes that the drone features to make piloting the drone simple and efficient. These modes always come in handy for beginners, as using them, you can leave a lot of the flight control on the drone itself.
Moreover, if you are into aerial photography, the modes will give you a plus-point in learning and practicing it. You can activate the automatic flight feature and then focus only on taking pictures and videos.
There are a ton of intelligent flight modes available, but the most common and needed ones, especially in best drones for beginners, are:
WAY-POINT MODE:
The waypoint mode uses GPS. It enables the user to choose a point on the map where you want your drone to reach and the drone will find its own way around to that location. It is quite an efficient way as you can focus on photography/videography meanwhile the drone will control itself automatically.
POINT OF INTEREST/ ORBIT MODE:
The orbit mode enables you to choose a subject and the drone starts rotating around it while taking its pictures and videos.
FOLLOW ME MODE:
Follow me mode is somewhat similar to orbit mode. It enables the drone to start following a chosen subject around and take its pictures and videos while doing that. All these modes are great if you are a beginner in aerial photography as well, as you can learn a lot from them.
HEADLESS MODE:
The headless mode is something that is a much-needed feature for beginners. A lot of people, even sometimes professionals, tend to crash their drones into things because they start directing the drone according to where they are facing.
Although the drone moves according to where its front point is and sometimes ends up bumping into things. The headless mode allows the drone to move according to the direction you are facing, irrespective of where the nose of the drone is.
There are a bunch of different intelligent flight modes available in many drones as well but the above-mentioned one is something you will find in almost every drone out there.
SAFETY FEATURES:
Safety features are self-explanatory. These features help in protecting the drone from getting lost or crashing into things in case of a signal problem or dead battery. A beginner needs these features as they prevent their drone from getting lost or falling off the sky. Some of the safety features that a drone should hold include:
ONE TOUCH LANDING/LAUNCHING:
The one-touch landing/launching feature is one of the most helpful features for beginners. Landing is something that sounds easy, but most of the crashes took place while doing it. The one-touch landing/ launching feature enables the drone to take off/ land on itself, and all you will have to do is press its dedicated button.
RETURN HOME FEATURE:
The return-home feature places an essential role in keeping your drone safe and intact. It activates on its own in case the battery gets low or the drone losses its signals. It uses the GPS of the drone and immediately returns the drone to its launching position before the drone falls off somewhere and crashes.
ONE TOUCH RETURN:
The one-touch return home is almost similar to the one-touch landing/launching mode. In it, all you have to do is press its dedicated button, and the drone will find its own way back to its launching position. It protects you from the trouble of piloting your drone all the way back to yourself.
Some of the best drones for beginners are discussed below to give you a fair idea of what you should look for while searching for a reasonable drone.
DJI MINI 2
SPECIFICATION:
- WEIGHT: 0.5 pounds
- BATTERY LIFE: 31 minutes
- FLIGHT RANGE: 10 km
- CAMERA: 4K
BODY
DJI mini is a small and lightweight drone that appears best for traveling due to its portable size. The travel-friendly drone has a weight of 0.5 pounds and can be stored anywhere, including in your backpack or even in a big pocket of your cargo pants. Additionally, the propellers of the drone are foldable, making it a lot easier to store anywhere.
It comes with a grey-white matte finish and has a rather premium look to it. A micro SD card slot and a USB-C port are present on the rare side of the drone. The drone can be directly charged using a USB-C cable. A 4K camera is attached to the drone at the front, along with a 3-axis gimbal.
FEATURES AND PERFORMANCES
The drone has a battery life of 31 minutes, which is impressive and satisfactory as it will provide enough time for a beginner to practice and learn. It also has reliable battery life for professional use, and you could always get a spare battery if you feel the need. Besides having a reliable battery life, its charging time is also appreciable. It takes approximately 90 minutes to charge the battery from scratch.
It has a flight range of 10km, which is quite fine, and comes attached to a 4K camera. The camera quality is impressive and allows you to take some stunning shots without any vibration and disturbance, thanks to the 3-axis gimbal it comes connected to. It supports GPS and GLONASS and comes with some rather appreciable features. It comes with five different Quick Shot modes, which include: Circle, Boomerang, Dronie, Helix, and Rocket.
These modes enable you to capture some impressive pictures and are great options for beginners who want to learn aerial photography. Moreover, it comes with three different speed modes; so that you can learn to pilot the drone gradually using them. It comes with a dedicated DJI Fly app, which gives you a lot more control over the drone.
The quick shot features and speed modes come in handy, but the drone is still missing some intelligent flight modes like the waypoint mode or the point of interest mode. Besides it, the drone comes with reasonable pricing, and the quality of experience it provides is stunning, making it one of the best drones for beginners.
PARROT MAMBO
SPECIFICATION:
- WEIGHT: 0.13 pounds
- BATTERY LIFE: 8 minutes
- FLIGHT RANGE: 100 meters
- CAMERA: 720p
BODY
Parrot Mambo is a tiny mini drone having a weight of 0.13 pounds. The drone is extremely lightweight and easy to carry around. It is a pretty travel-friendly drone and never becomes a burden due to its small size and lightweight.
It comes in a color scheme of black and white. Neon green LED lights are also present right at the front, which look like eyes. The drone has an insect-like appearance yet does not look cheap or chunky. It comes with propeller guards to protect the propellers of the drone.
The drone has a durable plastic body, but the propellers are attached to the drone using metallic rods. Its plastic body may confuse you as it makes the drone look fragile, but the plastic used is durable, and the drone can survive several crashes.
The camera comes separately and sits on the top of the drone. It is as tiny as the drone and looks like a laser if you ask me. You will find a USB port on the rare side of the drone along with the indication LED lights. The LED shines red while the drone is charging and changes to green when it is charged fully.
FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE
The drone has a battery life of 8 minutes approximately when the camera is attached to it, which is not the best and is somewhat disappointing. Although without the camera you will get a flight time of around 10 minutes. It is not enough battery life for anyone; however, you can get some extra batteries if you want. This way, it will increase the flight time of the drone.
The battery only takes 30 to 40 minutes to charge back up from scratch, which is an adequate charging time. The range of the drone is 100 meters, and it comes with720p camera resolution. The drone features three different modes. The mode includes the easy mode, the drift mode, and the racing mode. The easy mode enables the drone to take over all the settings of piloting the drone; it becomes horizontally and vertically stabilized and prevents the chance of you losing control.
The drift mode gives you more control over the drone as the horizontal stability is disabled. Lastly, in the racing mode, you will have entire control over the drone. You can update to the racing mode when you get sure that you have learned to pilot it properly.
The drone comes with a dedicated Parrot’s Free-Flight app, which gives you control over all the settings of the drone. The flight of the drone can be started just by throwing it up in the air. It looks quite cool and a more efficient way to start a flight. It is an FPV drone and comes with FPV goggles and provides you with an exceptional experience.
HOLYSTONE HS510
- Video Capture Resolution: 4K HD
- Control range: 1968~1624 feet
- Battery Life: 16 Minutes
SPECIFICATION:
- WEIGHT: 0.55 pounds
- BATTERY LIFE: 16 minutes
- FLIGHT RANGE: 800 meters
- CAMERA: 4K
BODY
Holystone HS510 is a mini drone having a weight of 0.55 pounds. It is a small foldable drone that is efficient to carry around without feeling like a burden. It comes in white color with a LED light bar at the front right at the top of the camera.
The drone has a plastic body, but it does not feel cheap; besides, it is quite durable. It has quite a decent look to it and does not look fragile. The drone also features a large LED light at the bottom of the drone. It turns out pretty helpful while flying the drone at night or in the dark.
The drone features brushless motors, which enable it to have a smooth, quiet, yet solid flight. It comes with an SD card slot at the side of the drone but does not come with an SD card; therefore, you will have to get one of your own. The drone looks pretty simple yet attractive, and the foldable propellers make it easier to store and carry anywhere you want.
FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE
The drone has a battery life of 16 minutes, which is pretty adequate. It lies in the middle and is not a disappointing flight time as you can still get a pleasing piloting experience is approximately 15 minutes. Furthermore, it takes around 150 minutes to charge, which is somewhat justified and acceptable. It supports a dual GPS module. Therefore, provides you with pretty accurate map tracking and locations.
It has a flight range of 800 meters and an FPV transmission range of 300 to 400 meters, which is quite a fine range for a mini drone. It comes attached to a 4K UHD camera, which takes some impressive shots. However, it does not come with a gimbal or any other kind of stabilizer, for that matter. Thus the pictures you will get will be shaky and will have a vibration in them. The drone also features different modes to make piloting it much simpler.
The modes that the drone comes with include: follow me mode, tap fly mode, point of interest mode, and auto return home mode. These modes make piloting the drone efficient even for a beginner who has no experience in piloting the drone ever before. All the appreciable features, reliable battery life, and durable body make it a satisfactory option if you are looking for the best drones for beginners.
CONCLUSION
Buying drones can get a little complicated sometimes, especially if you have no background in using drone. You should know what you want and what you should look for when purchasing a drone so that you can get an exceptional experience at a reasonable price. All the features mentioned above will help you learn and practice piloting the drone in an efficient and secure manner. To have more options, you could check out top-rated drones for beginners.
