Best Drones for Beginners: Top 10 Starter Drone of 2018

Wilbur Wright once quoted, “It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill.” And the beginners who wish to handle drones have the knowledge, just lagging on the skill part. That's where you would need the guide to the drones designed especially for the beginners.

Starting from the ground, what exactly is a drone? A drone is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) without any onboard human pilot. Drones may be used for various fun activities and by budding pilots who wish to experience flying an air object. Through the years, drone manufacturers have cut- short on the heavy prices making them quite affordable! 

With so many available choices of best drones for beginners, choosing the best for yourselves can get troublesome. 

List of Best Drones for Beginners

So, if you are a beginner who has been planning to own a drone of your own, welcome to the beginners’ drone guide!

1. DJI Mavic Pro

The most powerful and portable drones in this series, it is capable of being folded into as small as a water bottle. If you are a quadcopter fan and a beginner, DJI Mavic Pro is the best beginner drone for you to opt. The inbuilt Occ-Sync transmission technology has got to offer up to 4.3 miles of coverage. 

Adding to the feature list with a powerful battery, it guarantees to last up to 27 minutes of live recording. It comes equipped with a GPS system to aid locate the drone precisely. The inclusion of obstacle avoidance technology helps the Mavic Pro dodge any obstacle in the sky. 

With dimensions of 3.27 x 7.8 x 3.27-inch Mavic Pro is quite much different from DJI’s most popular quadcopter series featuring better contour and angular shapes. The camera can record up to 4K videos at 30fps. Additionally, the 12-megapixel camera allows you to capture stills like never before! You can also read best drones for beginner relooks from outstandingdrone.com with in-depth research.

Specifications:

• Weight: 734g
• Controller: Yes
• Camera resolution: 12.35MP
• Battery Size: 3830mAh
• Range: 4.3 miles
• User Rating: 4.6/5.0
• Cost: $836

Pros

• Best drone for beginners
• Can be folded to as small as a bottle
• Long battery backup
• Inbuilt safety features
• Autonomous features
• Wi-Fi enabled

Cons

• Narrow FOV (field of look)
• Improper launching from smooth surface

2. DJI Mavic Air

The reason which makes this drone best for beginners is its capable features along with the compactness factor. It comes equipped with a 4K camera, a 3-axis gimbal and tons of autopilot modes. It stands exemplary to the fact that features can come with compactness too. Mavic’s arms fold up into the size of an average brick which you can easily carry along in your adventure bags. Photographers generally prefer carrying their cameras instead of drones to their adventures mainly because drones are taken for non- portable. With the DJI Mavic Air, this misconception is cleared. Who doesn’t want a high angle shot? Although the Mavic Pro is a solid contender boasting better specs, you simply can’t ignore the fact that the latter costs an extra $200.

Specifications

• Weight: 430g
• Dimensions (folded): 168×83×49mm
• Dimensions (unfolded): 168×184×64 mm
• Controller: Yes
• Video resolution: 4K 60fps
• Camera resolution: 12MP
• Battery life: 21 minutes (2375mAh)
• Max Range: 10 km
• User Rating: 4.5/5.0
• Cost: $799

Pros

• Great compactness making it the most portable drone
• Perfect obstacle detects and avoid sensors
• Can record video at up to 4K resolution

Cons

• Battery backup not good
• Gimbal Controls troublesome at times

3. Parrot Bebop 2

The Parrot Bebop 2 offers a great lot of features at the middle price range. It runs on a high capacity battery that can last for an impressive 25 minutes. You need to fly the Bebop 2 with your own smartphone or flight app since it doesn’t come with its own controller. This new version has Compared to the earlier versions; the new Bebop 2 has a better camera. Adding up, the drone is resistant to wind too, suitable for breezy environments. The integrated camera has a 14MP fisheye lens that shoots clear photos and videos up to full HD 1080p resolution. The built-in camera is a real boon for beginners as they need not worry about the camera part. If you are a budding pilot, this surely is one of best drone for beginners to opt for.

Specifications

• Weight: 500g
• Battery: 2700 mAh
• Charging time: 55 minutes
• Control range: 300 m
• Max flight time: 24 Minutes
• Max speed: 16 m/s
• User Rating: 4.3/5

Pros

• Great drone for beginners
• Fisheye lens makes recording stable
• Autonomous features
• Powerful motors
• Budget drone

Cons

• Small range of operation
• Limited memory up to 8GB
• Some features need to be unlocked by paying a price

4. DJI Spark

The DJI Spark exhibits a fantastic build with gesture controls in a small compact drone. The affordable cost with lots of great features to try makes it one of the best drones for beginners. The Spark has a surprisingly intuitive face recognition technology that makes the drone to enter quick launch mode as soon as it detects the owner’s face. As said earlier, the drone also recognizes simple hand gestures to control the photo shutter and video shooting. The battery is small basically to make space for a compact drone. Additionally, the drone has many inbuilt automated features like one- tap come home option and other features.

Specifications

• Weight: 300g
• Controller: Optional
• Camera resolution: 12MP
• Battery Size: 1480 mAh
• Range: 2 km
• Cost: $399

Pros

• Gesture controls
• Very compact
• Face- recognition
• Automatic modes

Cons

• Short battery life
• Easily affected by breezy winds.

5. DJI Phantom 4

The Phantom 4 is the most updated DJI drone with all additional features and functionalities, making it one of the best drones for beginners in the price range. It’s an upgrade to the famous DJI Phantom 3 with a high capacity 5350mAh battery. The drone has many inbuilt sensors to detect obstacles in its path and avoid them. The drone can attain speeds up to 45 mph and can fly at heights up to four miles above sea level. The Phantom 4 also has many inbuilt autonomous features like autonomous flying, sports mode, and positioning. Also, the drone offers a 28-minuteS flight time on one recharge which is good! With a fixed f/2.8 aperture and 4K video capture, the camera is outstanding. With very fewer cons, this drone is one of the best drones for beginners at this price range.
Specifications

• Weight: 1380 g
• Controller: Yes
• Camera resolution: 12.4MP
• Battery Size: : 5,350mAh
• Range: 3.1 miles
• Cost: $772

Pros

• Stable 4K recording
• Powerful battery
• Best camera in the price range

Cons
·         Upgrades not easy

6. Holy Stone F181 RC

At this price range, the Holy Stone is one of the best drones for beginners. The inbuilt safety features like One-key return, Automatic takeoff and landing ensure that you don’t lose your drone. The feature of altitude hold makes the drone constant at one level making it possible to shoot stable stills and videos. With all these features, the Holy Stone is obviously the best beginner drones for teenagers and adults alike. 

It can even flip 360 degrees in any direction in the air without losing control. The steady performance and great design are what sets the Holy Stone F181 better from similar drones in this cheap range. At around only eight minutes of flight time, the F181 is bad. But, the good news is that the drone comes with a bonus battery unlike other drones in this range.

Specifications

• Weight: 150 grams
• Dimensions: 365 ✕ 102 ✕ 350 mm
• Flight Time: 7-9 minutes
• Control range: 100 m (328 ft.)
• Video Resolution: 720p
• Maximum Speed: 10mph
• Extras: One-Touch-Takeoff, One-Key-Return, 360-Degree Flips, Altitude hold
• User Rating: 4.8/5
• Cost: $100

Pros

• Best beginner drone in the price range
• Extra safety features
• Intuitive controls
• Can shoot stable videos from a height

Cons

• Short flight time
• Heating up of the motors

7. Hubsan X4 H107 L

The Hubsan X4 H107 L priced at less than $ 40, sure enough, makes it one of the best drones for beginners. It comes with a step-by-step guide following which you can set up the drone for its first flight. The X4 is quick enough and flies quite well. The controller that comes with the packet has all the basic functionalities without any extra options to mess up with. The one major drawback being the short 9 minutes battery life which you can alsolutions overcome by having spare batteries all time. 

The transmitter has the feature to warn you when the drone is getting out of range so that you can call it back. Another poor thing is that it doesn’t come with its own camera attached. You have the option to fly the X4 in basic and advanced flight modes to test your pilot skills. The low cost and compact design make it one of the best drones for beginners.

Specifications

• Weight: 554 g
• Battery: 240mAh Li-Po Battery
• Charging time: 30 – 40 min
• Max flight time: 6 – 9 minutes
• Max Speed: Unknown
• Control range: 100 m (328 ft.)
• Cost: $40
• User Rating: 4.4/5

Pros

• Quick charging
• Small and lightweight
• Easy to fly and handle
• Affordable
• Cheapest beginner drone

Cons

• No blade guards
• Small battery capacity

8. Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3

Priced at $55 only, this is the most affordable beginner drone and the added lot of features makes it one of the best drones for beginners. The assembly process to get this drone flying is quite simple and you only need to follow the stepwise instructions. If you have interest in aerial photography and videography, you may consider buying this UAV! 

This WIFI enabled drone sends the stills captured directly to your smartphone, or any other WIFI enabled device. The First-Person Look (FPV) allows you to watch what the drone is seeing live! The protective propeller guards that come with this device guarantee safety against crashes which is a must requirement for the beginners. 

Though the X5SW-V3 is tough to handle in breezy conditions due to it’s lightweight, the drone is good enough in calm conditions. One complaint is the low capacity battery, but this can be overcome by keeping a spare one alsolutions with you. Despite its minor flaws, this quadcopter with all its pros has to be one of the best drones for beginners.

Speicifications

• Weight: 635 g
• Battery: 3.7V 500 mAh
• Charging time: 90+ min
• Max flight time: 7 minutes
• Control Range: 50m
• Cost: $55
• User Rating: 4.0/5

Pros

• Durable design
• Headless mode
• Lightweight
• Affordable

Cons

• Short transmission range
• Short battery life

9. Blade Nano QX

With a size small enough to fly even in your office cubicle and weight about half an ounce, this is one of the best drones for beginners to opt. The stability mode of operation helps correct the drone’s inclination towards any direction for perfect stability. The agility mode offers to perform stunts with this drone. Because of its small size, the drone doesn’t have an attached camera. The Nano QX uses a small 150 mAh battery which powers it only for about 7 minutes of flight. The controller for this drone has a look like Xbox and is excellent to handle. At this price and with all the safety features, this drone is undoubtedly one of the best drones for beginners.
Specifications

• Dimensions: 183 ✕ 160 ✕ 64 mm
• Weight: 18 grams
• Flight Time: 6-7 minutes
• Range: 12 meters
• Extras: Stability Mode, Indoor Flight
• Cost: $59
• User Rating: 4.6/5

Pros

• Great flight autonomy
• Perfect for indoor use
• Two modes for beginner and advanced users
• Mid- flight stabilization.

Cons

• No inbuilt camera
• Cheap plastic components
• Bad propeller guards design

10. Force1 F100 Ghost

If you’re looking for a fast-affordable drone, this surely is one of the best drones for beginners to choose from. With an excellent flight time of 15 minutes, this drone can be used for capturing stills and recording videos from a height of 500 meters. Because the mount for the camera is removable, you can alsolutions your GoPro camera to record videos at 1080p quality. 

One thing you must remember that since the drone doesn’t feature gimbals, you can’t expect DPI quality recording. The altitude hold feature allows you to fly at a constant height without worries. The brushless motors are a great feature enabling quiet flights, throwing focus on the shoot. All these unique features sum up to make it one of the best drones for beginners.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 396 ✕ 350 ✕ 165 mm
• Weight: 1,400 grams
• Flight Time: 15 minutes
• Camera: 1080p
• Control Range: 500 meters
• Extras: Slow Mode, Sports Mode, Altitude hold
• Cost: $149
• User Rating: 4.0/5

Pros

• Great beginner drone in the price range
• Can perform 360 degrees rotations
• Comes with 4 spare propellers
• Easy to fly and handle
• Makes very less noise

Cons

• Difficulty in pairing
• Spares not available easily

The market for newer and better drones with added features is ever rising. Companies are in a constant competition to evolve their older drones into better versions. As for now, this list of best drones for beginners is the most updated one with all the description required. Hope it helps you in choosing the best drone for yourselves. In case of any further doubts, do contact me. 

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