There was a time when drones were explicitly used for the military and at that time they were big sized controlled by computers only by professionally trained personnel.
This made drones (Unmanned aerial vehicle | UAV) well beyond the reach of average consumers both price and technology-wise. More than a decade ago from now the first consumer drone was introduced in the market named Parrot AR Drone.
This specific drone revolutionizes the commercial drone industry since it was the first drone that can be operated by a smartphone. After this soon other big brands like DGI entered the business, and competition started which resulted in a boost for commercial drone technology that is still growing.
Nowadays in the market, you will find tons of different drones with different specifications from several brands. Just like any other electronic device drones also have different types to fulfill different purposes.
The price range also matters since everybody either can’t afford or doesn’t want to invest a big amount of money for buying a drone.
Also, you will find very cheap to extremely high-priced drones in the market. However, if you don’t have the required technical knowledge you can end up getting a drone with limited features and low-end specifications.
BEST PRO & BEGINNER DRONE BUYING GUIDE
On the other hand, you don’t have to worry since we have already compiled this detailed drone buying guide for your ease to save time.
No matter if you are buying your first drone or you are upgrading from the existing one this guide will help you equally in getting the best drone available out there in the market as per your requirements, budget and needs.
So without any further a due let us start this guide.
1. Quick Summary
If you are looking for a drone under your desired budget according to your needs, requirements, and personal preferences then you are at the right place. Here is a short summary of this detailed drone buying guide for your ease.
We have included all the essential details and short information about them here. Before buying a drone you must give it a read if you don’t want to get stuck with underperforming missing all the essential features drone that will be of no use to you.
Different Types of Pro & Beginner Drones, Which Type is Most Suitable For You?
Equipped with all the essential features comparatively easier to fly offering different flying modes according to real-world scenarios.
Equipped with high-resolution camera drones for photography are capable of capturing stunning aerial photos and video shots from cinematic angles.
Meant for kids and consumers who are beginners with no drone flying experience, immune to crashes, bumps, and hits because of its flexible material offering protective grills around propeller blades for safety.
Meant for high speeds of up to 175mph, these drones are the most lightweight FPV goggles configurable which makes flaying a ton of fun and joy.
Few of The Must-Have Configurations You Should Not Compromise
Lightweight drones are easier to carry and they can provide you higher speeds at higher and lower altitudes as compared to the traditional bulky and big drones
You should be choosing the drone that offers maximum battery timing since they enable you to maximize your productivity especially if you are buying them for work professional purpose
Drones equipped with the latest high-end features are easier to flay, are more stable, and offer a better camera and other hardware as well as essential features that enhance the overall performance.
2. Types of Drones
Like other tech gadgets, you will find different types of drones out there in the market, it depends on your requirements and needs and which kind of drone you want.
In this, we will be going to explain each type and for which purpose it is best so you can determine the best one according to your desire.
Another important thing here to remember is that consumer drones are also available in different wing designs and motor configurations, which determines their speed, stability, and maneuverability.
Drones are also offered in various sizes from micro quadcopters to big and bulky ones meant for professionals. Apart from that, there are also certain features you must ensure that you are getting in the drone you are buying.
It is a fact that to buy a drone you don’t need specific reasons because learning to fly one is pretty easy and a lot of fun. On the other hand, It is not the only purpose for drones since not only do consumers want to have one but also there are plenty of professional companies who are using them to improve their services by acquiring specific data.
Then there are certain professions like aerial photography and video making in which drones are being used for work purposes. Professional drones are always compact in size with folding wings so you can carry them in your backpack conveniently.
They can certainly enhance your creativity scales to improve the overall quality of your work. As we have mentioned above that the drone market is on the boost right hence you have dozens of options in the market to choose from and that is the tricky part.
To make sure that you’re going to choose the best drone we have mentioned below all the types of drones with all the required technical details.
Since there are different models and manufacturers of drones the way of operating them could be slightly different. However professional drones offer different sensors to make operating them convenient and easy for consumers.
One of the main features these drones possess is the GPS with that in different modes of flight you can assist your drone. Professional drones are also available in different rotor configurations.
It is worth mentioning here that a professional drone with more than two rotors in order to generate the lift is comparatively easier to fly and control since they offer straightforward mechanics.
Do remember one thing all professional drones don’t include a camera. Also so there are drones that come equipped with a camera and on the other hand, there are some models which only offer camera mounts so you have to buy the camera separately.
Honestly, it depends on your requirements whether you want a camera in your drone but our recommendation is you should go for the one which offers a camera or at least a mount for it.
The benefit of these drones is that you can fly them in first-person mode. By wearing the first person (FPV) glasses you can operate your drone like you’re flying it in the VR.
However first personal drone flying is usually for entertainment purposes only and not many people use those (FPV) glasses in professional works scenarios.
We have mentioned earlier that professional drones are equipped with a GPS sensor which allows them to come back at the takeoff point if something goes wrong during the flight.
Another essential sensor that comes in these professional drones is OBS which stands for obstacle avoidance. It is a very helpful feature especially if you are a beginner since it can enable you to avoid crashes and bumping into obstacles in tricky situations.
Nowadays professional drones have come one of the essential gadgets for travelers as well. This allows you to capture the moments from the perspective you won’t be able to without them.
Flying a professional drone requires some skills and you can learn them by operating beginner drones that are cheaper and somewhat more immune to survive crashes, hits, and bump while you learn to fly them.
Learning to operate a drone is not recommended on a professional one since they are more expensive to repair if something breakdown. That is why next we have covered other types of drones in case you want as a beginner to learn how to operate them.
Drones for photography and videography currently available in the market are capable of capturing amazing videos and photos with the convenience of easy-to-use configurations.
Obviously, the most important thing in the drone for photography and videography is the camera itself. As you mentioned above there are two types of camera drones.
One comes with a high-end and high-resolution camera and another offers only camera mounts. Both configurations have their own benefits and disadvantages which we will discuss here in detail.
Also, these drones are available in different price tags from expensive to affordable, and not to forget the various unique features they come equipped with.
Some of the most important things to consider when you are going for a drone with the purpose of photography and videography in mind are these.
The sensor size of the camera, frame rates, resolution of the videos and photos, etc. Although the camera is the most important feature when you are buying a drone for photography and videography but there are some other essential requirements as well you must not ignore in any case.
And one of them is the size and weight of the drone you are looking for. Normally people assume that drones with smaller sizes and compact designs do not offer a good camera which is not entirely true.
However, it is also a fact that full-size drones do offer high-end and high-resolution cameras with amazing picture quality and useful sensors. But nowadays there are drones that have folding wings enabling you to carry them with ease while traveling.
Without a doubt, drones have entirely transformed the segment of photography and videography. They are also a comparatively cheaper and affordable way of taking aerial shots.
Even in film making more and more people are using drones instead of hiring a helicopter for a plane to do the same job but at a much cheaper price. Drones for videography and photography also come equipped with hover capability. This means they can stay still in the air holding their position to save videos and photos from getting blurry.
Also to achieve consistent stabilization these drones use gimbals however these gimbals are not like the ones you use with your DSLR camera. It is basically a mechanism that uses accelerometer and gyroscope sensors which enables the camera of the drone to remain stable in all conditions.
On the other hand, some models of drones for videography and photography use digital optical image stabilization technology as well for the same purpose. Although we recommend the gimbal configuration because it provides better stability comparatively.
There was a time when drones for kids were considered just a toy but now after years of development these drones have become more advanced in terms of performance and features.
Now it is a market where drones are becoming more and more popular and a must-have gadget for consumers manufacturers are competing with each other to make a better quality product at a budget-friendly price tag.
These kids’ drones can not only be used to do 360-degree maneuvers in the garden but are also equipped with decent cameras and features you can also use for taking pictures and recording videos.
As we mentioned that kids’ drones are usually affordable however there are different configurations you can choose from. Choosing the correct one depends on the age of the kid and also the flying skills.
These drones are equipped with a decent HD camera on the other hand if you want it you can go for a full HD camera but were a slightly higher price tag. The best part is drones for kids take very little time to be fully charged.
They also come equipped with features like hovering mode and attitude mode enabling kids to fly them at different speeds while turning without worrying about bumping into any obstacle or crashing.
To make directional control of the drone possible with the controller no matter which way the drone is facing manufacturers offer headless mode in kids’ drones. Since these drones are meant for kids the propeller blades have protection around them as well as buttons for emergency stops.
We have mentioned the FPV goggles earlier in this article in detail. There are many drones for kids that offers first-person view goggles configuration as well making them fun to fly not only for kids but also for adults.
Also, you can travel with these drones easily because they are pretty lightweight and many of them offers foldable wing design to make them even more compact.
They usually are made out of flexible plastic material to survive crashes and hits. Although major parts are easily available in the market in case you break something. Drones for kids are also recommended for those people who are beginners in drone flying and don’t have any experience with drones.
They do have there on apps that you can download on your smartphone for better flight control. Loaded with all the essential features, sensors and decent cameras these drones are must-have gadgets for your kids to have fun with.
Drones for kids also offer auto-saving mode, with that you can automatically save pictures and videos over a Wi-Fi connection.
One thing which always amazes us about drones is their versatility. As we have mentioned in this article about the other purposes of consumer drones now they are being used in sports as well.
In the current era of technological advances, Drone racing has become a sport with a lot of people participating in it and interest in washing the sport. In a very few time, this sport has made hundreds and hundreds of worldwide fans.
Like any other sport, Drone racing is also extremely competitive with professionals participating in it from around the globe. Seeing the popularity of these ports a lot of manufacturers are now introducing racing drones with different configurations. There are a few factors that make racing drones different from traditional ones.
First of all these drones are extremely lightweight with powerful Motors to provide enough power to the propellers so they can achieve higher speeds with ease.
Apart from that these drones don’t include fancy sensors and high-resolution cameras simply because they don’t need time. And in order to make them lightweight and compact manufacturers have to cut off every extra weight from them.
As we have mentioned in this article that sensors for GPS modules and other essential features increase the overall weight of a drone. One feature that not all racing drones offer but certainly the majority of them is the first-person view.
The reason for that is at higher speeds you have two men over pretty quickly to avoid crashes. FPV certainly helps in more accurate and fast maneuvering to avoid any obstacles in the way at fast speeds.
The maximum speed record for Drone racing is 175 mph and it is for now. We are saying this because the drone industry is on a boost and technological advances are happening on the daily basis.
That is why pretty soon there will be another racing drone that will be able to break this world record. In the USA you cannot fly a racing drone in a public open place there are other kinds of drones that are allowed to be flown mainly because of the speed restriction which is 100 mph.
Also, this limitation is for the safety of other people because you can imagine if a drone flying at the speed of 175 mph crashes into someone what kind of injuries he or she can suffer.
The sport of drone racing has been getting acknowledgment worldwide however being able to afford racing drones is not that easy since it does require allowance and they are comparatively expensive to buy.
3. Camera
We have mentioned it before that every drone doesn’t offer cameras although now companies are almost offering cameras in almost all the new models.
For the people who are curious about drone cameras and how they work, cameras in the drones are normal cameras but just slightly smaller in order to fit in the drone.
Also, some drones offer built-in camera, and some the other hand offers detachable camera which you can attach according to your requirements. Detachable camera drones have one benefit however which is you can upgrade the camera to a higher resolution one if you want but it has to offer the same fitting the drone has.
Since drone cameras are configured with the controller the detachable cameras can be rotated or adjusted from the controller according to your will as compared to the fixed built-in cameras.
As we know today’s drones are more advanced and Technology wise higher-end but they have come a long way since they depute. The same goes for the cameras being used in the drones, at first they were drones without any cameras at all but then cameras were equipped in the drones.
At first, they were pretty low quality but with time and technological advances they started to evolve. And now cameras in drones specifically developed for hire and aerial shots and videography.
The quality and resolution of the camera depending on your work requirements and also the price tag for which you want to get the drone. Another thing worth mentioning here is that camera drones are not only used in the field of photography but also have some other specific purposes.
The specific purposes include disaster management, Search and rescue, delivery services, monitoring and surveillance, weather-related tasks and industrial tasks, etc.
That is why drone cameras have some feature it which enables them to capture footage from higher altitude without any pixelation and distortion. In many ways, camera drones have made our life much easier as compared to the previous time.
The high-end and more expensive drones which have been specifically designed for filmmaking have DSLR equivalent cameras that can capture amazing videos with excellent quality.
Apart from the film making the majority of photographers now consider a drone camera equally important as their DSLR camera and the reason for that is worldwide photography now even has an award category specifically for aerial photography.
Not only do consumers who have an interest in photography or they are already working as professional photographers require a camera drone but now a lot of ad agencies and filmmakers are using them for professional use.
4. Battery Time
Regardless of which purpose you want to buy a drone battery backup is one of the most requirements for any consumer. No matter if you want to click some aerial photos, record videos of gorgeous views, or just want to explore the surroundings all of this is only possible if your drone can stay in the air for a decent amount of time.
Professional drones are capable of flying for up to half an hour which is acceptable since their hardware and sensors drain a lot of battery. However, this battery timing varies mostly on the price tag of the drone.
High-quality drones can offer you battery timing of 20 to 30 minutes. On the other hand most budget or in other words, you can say cheaper drones sometimes even offer flying time of just 10 minutes or even less.
That is why it is important to choose your drone wisely but it becomes a difficult task especially when you are on a tight budget or want to buy a drone under a specific price tag.
However, the good thing is drones have replaceable batteries so you can buy some extra batteries in order to increase the flying time while you are on the go. Although it may sound easy practically it is kind of a hassle.
Obviously, extra batteries will cost you money and in order to use them you have to keep up all of them charged. Apart from that, there are some tricks and ways to increase the battery timing of your drone.
For example, drones have motors that rotate the fan blades when you make your drone hover instead of flying at high speed it is going to increase the battery timing since hovering hardly puts any load on the motors.
Another way of increasing the battery time is getting a big battery because the bigger the battery, the more the flying time. With time any battery can lose its strength especially if you don’t maintain it properly.
Almost all drone manufacturers are now offering Lithium batteries in their drones in order to provide maximum flying time. Another important thing is the weight of the Drone itself. Lighter-weight and compact drones with bigger batteries offer decently enough flying time as compared to heavier and bigger drones.
In most drones, you will find four propellers which simply means that it has four motors each for one propeller. However the drones could have more or less than 4 propellers, it mainly depends on the model and the manufacturer.
5. Flying Range
Consumers and especially beginners who wanted to buy a laptop always have a question in their minds how far a drone can fly? Do remember here we are talking about drones that are operated by a controller.
The simple answer to that question is it depends on which kind of drone you have are you want to buy. Manufacturers always mention the range of each model of their drone in the user manual or on the box.
The included range by the manufacturer could be less or high in a real-life flying situation. However, with that included lying range, you can have an estimated idea about it.
Also, the controller of the drone always shows you the range and notifies you if the drone started losing signals. In regard to the type of drones, kid drones which are always considered toy drones can offer you a flying range of about more than a hundred yards.
Mid-budget sector drones usually offer a maximum range of more than 3 km and a minimum of about 400 meters. The higher-end more expensive drones offer a flying range of a maximum of about 8 km you can say 4.8 miles and a minimum of almost 3 miles.
Different drones use different kinds of transmitting technology, till the controller is getting good and strong signals you are good to go that far without any problem.
Drones are meant for just recreational purposes at the lowest flying range since they are meant to be flown in your line of sight. Drones that come either with a built-in camera or they have a detachable camera help you in determining whether your drone is responding correctly e to the controller because when your flying your drone is at the maximum rain let’s say 4 km.
It will be pretty difficult for you to keep visual eye contact with the drone. That is why as we have mentioned before manufacturers equipped the drones with the safety feature that enables a drone to come back to the take-off point in case it lost signals.
Usually, industrial drones have the longest fly range however currently there are few latest high-end drones for normal consumers that can offer you if not higher than similar fly ranges.
The thing is that not every person requires a drone with a very high flight range instead normally consumers prefer longer flying time meaning longer battery timing and a high-resolution camera for cinematic shots.
For the high-flying range not only is transmitter technology alone required but also battery timing as well.
6. First-Person View (FPV)
First-person view (FPV), we will make you understand this term through a few simple examples. Basically, with FPV drones you get VR-like goggles hence you can see through what the drone camera is capturing.
So instead of watching that view from the controller or your smartphone screen, you can now watch it in first-person view. Normally when you fly a drone control it from the ground so that you are flying it from the pilot’s perspective view.
Now in first person view, you are flying the drone via drone perspective. As far as the drone is concerned traditional and first-person view drones both look almost the same the only difference is that you cannot connect FPV goggles with the traditional ones.
Flying a drone in first-person view has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, if you have never flown a Drone before we will recommend you start it in the traditional way as a beginner.
To fly in first-person view you have to acquire some flying skills and somewhat get used to those FPV goggles. Once you get used to it you will realize that the first-person view enables you to control the drone more precisely and accurately.
The first-person view enables you to have a better awareness of the surroundings as well as you can react faster in case any obstacle comes in front of you.
First-person view also makes you capable of capturing aerial photos with better stability and it certainly improves your photographic skills.
For now, most people fly drones in first-person view for recreational purposes however it is only a matter of time till other purposes like surveillance, search and rescue, and professional photography and videography will start using first-person view more frequently.
In the field of drone racing which is a kind of new sport all the people who participate in it fly their drones in the first-person view. One important thing worth mentioning here is that to be able to fly your drone in first-person view you require low-latency transmission.
The reason for that is in the first-person view to save your drone from crashing or bumping into the obstacles you have to react like in real-time.
If you are wondering how you can get those FPV goggles? You can buy them from the market however some high drones offer FPV goggles included in the package as well.
Although you should also connect your smartphone screen or your controller screen if your controller has one all the time despite using FPV goggles since these goggles are tech gadgets and they could be failing.
So in case of any disconnections, you can quickly watch the controller or smartphone screen to control the drone.
7. Integrated GPS
Integrated GPS is a feature that is available in almost all of the latest drones no matter if they are mid-range or high-end. However, in some of the kid’s drones, GPS is not included mainly because of the lower price tag.
Some of you may think if GPS is among the must-have features or not. Your question is valid and the answer is yes, GPS is not only among the master features in the drone but also without it it would be really hard for you to navigate your drone for even basic things.
The inbuilt GPS in the drones is not only there to track the location of your drone but also there are some essential features configured with the GPS.
The GPS module inside the drone is capable of getting in contact with the specified network by the manufacturer or directly with the satellite.
This connection enables a drone to perform some crucial tasks according to the situation. These crucial tasks include waypoint navigation, return to take-off point feature in case you will lose signal with your drone, hold position maneuver, and last but not least autonomous flight.
The GPS system of the drone is almost identical to the navigation system of road maps. As compared to a decade ago GPS system of drones has become more advanced and improved. And now even some high-end toy drones for kids comes equipped with inbuilt GPS.
However, as we know every Technology brings a lot of advantages but not without some disadvantages. The same goes for the GPS Navigation system in the drones, first advantage of a GPS-equipped drone is that it drains the battery of your drone faster as compared to one which doesn’t have GPS.
Also, the inbuilt GPS module somewhat increases the overall weight of the drone. But at the same time, we would still prefer a drone with the inbuilt GPS. Another issue is the price tag, GPS-equipped drones are more expensive but the thing is once you buy a drone you don’t have to upgrade it or replace it very soon so we would say it justifies its higher price tag with high-end features.
Apart from that, there are certain situations where your drone will find it hard how to operate the GPS system. For example metal, steam, and locations like a warehouse can block and disturb the GPS signals. There is only one situation we will recommend you buy a drone without GPS and that is if you are a beginner and you want to learn how to fly it.
8. Maintenance
Maintenance of the drone is a complex process with a lot of technical stuff included, but don’t worry because we will simplify it for you so normal consumers can understand it properly.
Yes, consumer drones do require some maintenance wait time and usage. We will split this process into three parts for your understanding so you can do it by yourself with ease and convenience.
Inspect your drone before flight for any loose or broken down parts. Secondly, if you found any problem don’t worry because you can find almost any part if you have a branded drone without any hassle from the market.
The third and final process is to fix or replace the broken down part. The maturity of parts of a drone is replaceable even by the consumer himself and they require very little technical knowledge.
Another important thing is prevention which means preventing your drone from bigger issues. In simple words fix the small problems on time to prevent running into a bigger problem.
Fix tap potential issues on time and you will ensure the safety of your drone in the air. From time to time you should check the essential parts of your drone and make sure they are working properly like the rooters, motors, and propeller blades. Because once your drone is airborne and something went wrong then it is more prone to destruction by crashing.
Like any other gadget, drones have moving hardware parts inside which require checkups if they are working properly as they are meant to. Do remember that brief write-checkups are different and maintenance is different.
For example, before the flight when you usually do a checkup to ensure everything is well intact will be considered as a before-flight checkup. Scenario number 2 is that you do a flight check-up found one fan blade broken or chipped off and you replace it this is called maintenance.
Another important thing which you should remain in check is the battery performance. With time performance of the battery can decrease and as a result flight time of the drone can be affected.
You can also perform a sensor test if you want before the flight with the controller of the drone. The motors of the propellers normally make a weird noise if something is wrong with them.
So if you notice a change in the motor sound immediately abort the takeoff and in sure it is working properly. As mentioned before some drones have detachable cameras so before flight makes sure that the camera is attached properly.
9. Speed
Have you ever wondered how fast a consumer drone can fly? If yes then in this article you will be going to get the answer to your question.
Normally high-end and mid-ranged drones can get to the top speed of 40 to 60 mph or more than 60 to 95 kph. However, there are some specific drones that can even attain speeds of more than 70 mph. Beginners drones are the slowest as far as the speed is concerned they only top at about 20 mph which is good because normally people buy them to learn how to fly a drone.
There is a category known as racing drones, these drones are the fastest with top speeds of more than hundred mph or 160 kph. The top speed of any drone depends on some key factors like the design and type of the drone.
Drones that can achieve the highest speeds are normally compact and lightweight. One thing to remember here is that only being a lightweight drone is not sufficient to attain higher speeds.
The most important thing after the lightweight design is the power of the motors which rotate the propellers. There is also a speed limitation for drones at least in the USA, the official speed limit is almost 87 knots which is equivalent to 100 mph.
Having said that this limitation is not for racing drones and it is only for those drones which you are allowed to use in public open places.
The fastest racing drone in the world DLX Racer x can achieve speeds of 179 mph and it is equipped with a 2500 KW with a 43000 RPM rate. It is also worth mentioning here for the sake of knowledge that the overall weight of this fastest racing drone is just above 1.75 lbs which are impressive.
There are ways to modify your normal drone to achieve fast speed as well but they are not recommended and you should not be doing it for the sake of your and others’ safety.
Also, these modifications can destroy your drone’s hardware in a matter of seconds. If you really want to fly your drone fast then you should get yourself a racing drone but at the sacrifice of useful sensors and a high-resolution full HD camera since these things don’t exist in racing drones.
But remember one thing you cannot fly a racing drone in public open places more than the official allowed speed which you have mentioned above is 100 mph.
On the other hand, there are some kid’s drones that don’t have a camera and they are very lightweight and compact but they lack powerful motors and cannot achieve more than 20 mph, unfortunately.
10. Storage
As we have mentioned above drones are after all Tech gadgets and that’s why they do have both internal and external storage options. The internal storage of the majority of drones places very little so a lot of people use Micro SD cards to store the recorded videos and pictures especially when they want them to be high resolution and high quality.
Apart from that, some latest drones offer you features by which you can directly store your videos and pictures on your PC or laptop over a Wi-Fi connection. Flying a drone without any SD card is possible but you will not be able to store any footage especially if your drone doesn’t offer that store over Wi-Fi connection feature.
Some drones come with internal storage but that storage is not enough to store all of your full HD pictures and videos. However, if you are using your drone only for the live feed then you don’t need any external or even internal storage since you are not saying anything.
Now, how much storage you want depends on your needs. If your drone is a full HD 1080 p resolution camera then an SD card of about 8GB is sufficient for your need.
However, if you want to store even higher resolution pictures and videos then you should go for at least a 32 to 64-GB SD card. The higher the resolution you will capture larger the space videos and photos will take.
So if you have a smaller SD card don’t forget to transfer all of your pictures and videos to your laptop or Pc after every flight. Tab maximum built-in internal storage you can find in any consumer drone is 8GB.
The latest drones enable you to use the cloud’s best storage as well which is, to be honest convenient for the consumers. Also so if you don’t want to store the pictures and videos of your drone on your personal computer or laptop then you can go for the external hard drive to store all of your stuff conveniently by plugging in just one cable.
Do not forget to make a backup of your captured pictures and videos because in case you destroy yours by crashing let’s say into the water you can lose all of your data.
Among all the ways the storage of your data, the most convenient are cloud-based storage and storage over a Wi-Fi connection. You don’t have to insert any cable to take your memory card out still your data is stored and safe.
11. Price Range
The price tag of a drone entirely depends on the features and the type of drone you wanted to buy. In the market, you will find tons of options from the cheapest to the highest price tag.
It is up to you to what kind of features you want and w what requirements you’re buying a drone for. Just to give you an estimated idea of the drone prices currently in the market you can find it at a starting price of almost $50 to a maximum of $10000.
However, if you are a beginner in the wanted drone and also learning to fly then you should go for the cheaper kids’ drones which can cost you around $40 to $100. If the camera is your requirement then entry-level camera drones start from almost $300 and you can go up to $500.
A consumer drone with mid-level features is available in the market with a starting price of almost $500 and you can go up to $10,000.
First of all, you have to determine what type of drone you really want. The work for you buying a drone also matters because it’ll help you to determine the type of drone that suits your needs.
You should also make an estimate of how much money you want to spend to buy the drone. As we have mentioned earlier if you are a beginner and you still have to learn how to properly fly a drone then you should go for the cheaper option which is toy drone kids’ drones.
While learning you will crash many times and the flexible material used in kids’ drones as well as the protection of the propellers will save your drone from breaking down.
Now after improving your flying skills you can go for the mid-ranged drone equipped with all the latest features and a better camera that capture stunning aerial footage.
These drones are also equipped with GPS to make controlling your drone much more easier and convenient. These drones are much more fun to fly with easy-to-use flying modes. You can also go for photography and videography drones since entry-level photography drones are affordable and can easily fit into your budget.
If full HD 1080 p resolution is not enough for you then you can even go for 4K resolution capable camera drones available in the market but with a slightly higher price tag.
Nowadays there is another way of getting a drone according to your desire and which is a DIY drone. Meaning you can get a kit to make a drone as you desire but for that, you would have to have some technical knowledge.
12. High-End Features
There are some essential features that you should never be ignoring in any case while buying the drone. They are crucial if you want to fly the drone conveniently and easily in a hassle-free fun way.
Each of these features is worth mentioning in detail in order for you you to understand their importance and to know why they are useful.
All the latest drones come equipped with them now from the manufacturers no matter which brand you are going for. Buying a drone means you are investing a decent amount of money in it.
That is why we want to make sure that you are getting the best drone out there for your requirements according to your desire.
Headless mode
Headless mode is one of the most essential features of a drone, it really helps you out in controlling and maneuvering your drone from your controller.
Headless mode simply means regardless of which way your drone is facing it will respond to the directions of the controller operated by you.
This feature especially helps you out if you are a beginner and you want to learn to fly a drone. In order to properly understand this mode you have to understand how a drone is able to fly.
Normally drones have four propellers but not all of them rotate in the same direction. Two of the propellers rotate in a clockwise direction and the other two rotate in an anticlockwise direction.
However, each of the propellers has its separate motor to power it up. As you know don’t doesn’t have flaps in their wing arms which is why maneuvering and turning are controlled by the rotation of the propeller as well. Now you must have got the idea of why all four propellers do not rotate in the same direction.
Because in that is that room will not be able to turn at all. Speaking of maneuvers traditional drones are only able to do three basic maneuvers.
These three maneuvers include pitch, roll, and yaw. Yawing is a maneuver where the drone starts rotating on its own axis. When you make a drone go backward and forward it is known as pitching.
A directional maneuver that includes left-right movement is known as rolling. Now before you get confused do remember one thing all the flying patterns the drone able to achieve consistency in these three maneuvers.
Since you have got a basic knowledge of how drone fly now you can understand the headless mode better. You can say this mode is like a compass that helps you out in controlling your drone.
When the drone takes off and goes into the air you have no idea about the actual direction which your drone is facing. So when you command your drone from the controller to turn right it can go left because the actual orientation of the Drone is completely opposite. Just like the compass that always points to the north regardless of from which direction you are using it.
Now when you will command your drone to turn on the right side it will turn on the right side doesn’t matter which way the actual orientation of the Drone is.
It is thus most simple and easy to understand the definition of the headless mode. Now you will be able to understand flying a Drone without the headless mode can become a headache pretty soon.
Return to Home
Another useful feature found in the latest drones is known as return to home or back to the take of point. And no this mode is not that confusing to understand like headless mode.
It is a pretty straightforward and easy-to-understand feature. If in any case, your Drone loses a connection from your controller then this feature will make it safely come back or return to the take-off point or to the pre-designated location by you safely.
This feature can not only save your expensive drone but also it can save the data which you haven’t yet transferred from the SD card to your personal computer or laptop.
However, this feature is only useful when you use it correctly and you know how it works. Otherwise, instead of saving your drone, it can become a part of destruction in a matter of seconds.
There are two ways you can use this feature. First, the takeoff point can be saved in the memory of the drone automatically. But, if you want you can save a home point manually, and then in case of any disconnection drone, will automatically follow the path to the home point you have saved in its memory by using its built-in GPS module.
The only thing it is required to do so is low-latency signals and that’s it it will even land on its own. As we have mentioned earlier in this article that although these features are pretty useful one drawback is there drain the battery of your drone pretty fast.
Another important thing worth mentioning here is that selecting the correct return to home point also varies on the location you flying it.
For example, if you have traveled to a different city and your fly your drone there with the return to the home point selected of your actual home in the other city.
Then chances of finding your drone again in any case of disconnection are almost zero. So do remember to select the correct return to home point every time before making your drone go Airborne.
And honestly, every time before a flight making this safety precaution is not very convenient. However, we can certainly not deny that this feature can save your drone in the case of disconnection if you use it with the presence of mind. And when you are shopping for a drone just make sure your desired drone has this feature.
Autonomous Flying/Follow Me
Hovering is the only feature present in all the latest drones including some high-end kids’ drones that can save your battery as well. As we have mentioned the clockwise and anticlockwise rotation of the drones’ propellers. The same rotation enables a drone to hover in the air while flying.
This feature is also very useful from the photographic point of you since it can enable you to take stunning aerial shots without your images being pixelated and messed up. In fact, hovering in the same spot is considered among the best maneuvers a drone is capable of doing.
The hovering feature was first included in consumer drones only a few years back. In the current market, you can even find drones now which offer designated buttons on the controller to use the hovering feature more conveniently.
This means you can make your drone hovers 360 degrees around the specific object for example without even controlling it from the ground.
However, using this feature is also possible without the specific button on the controller. But doing a hovering maneuver without the designated button is not an easy task and requires some serious flying skills that you develop with time.
Also, this feature cannot be used without the inbuilt GPS module present in your drone. The hovering feature is also helpful for drones in the process of automatic lending.
Another similar feature you can get in your drone is autopilot and yes it is almost the same that you use while flying in an airplane. Nowadays this term is known as autonomous flying, you can set up a path using the GPS module of your drone, and then the Drone will follow that pattern without any need for you to use the controller.
If you have heard about the follow me feature in the latest drones it is also become possible because of that autonomous flying feature.
But in that case, instead of a path, you set yourself as a point to follow on the GPS navigation. A lot of people use this feature when they drive a car and Want to fly the Drone at the same time for cinematic aerial shots.
Navigation
The GPS navigation feature is important because of various prospectives for a drone. First of all this module is essential for a drone in order to operate accurately and precisely.
Secondly, this GPS Navigation module enables many other features like autonomous flying, return to home feature, etc to work and without it, these other features will have no use.
Just like you use the navigation map for the roads while driving GPS Navigation module is built into the drone so you can be aware of the location of your drone at all times.
It also shows you the speed, heading direction, and other useful information on the screen of your controller or smartphone. Basically, this GPS module guesses the signal from the satellite or from the specific network manufacturer has configured for it.
Because of these signals drone is unable to maintain its course at the location you have pointed out it. Let’s say there are high winds that make the drone Fly Away from the current heading temporally, the Drone can correct its course on its own without being you doing it manually from the controller.
That is why the GPS Navigation module feature is also responsible for the stable flight of a drone in any circumstance. Just like that direction this feature enables the drone to hold the specified height which is extremely important since in the USA drones can only fly at the maximum altitude of 400 ft.
The majority of the latest drones are configured to record flight logs in order to improve performance. The navigation module feature also helps in gathering all the required information to create a flight log like the flight time and location.
Waypoint navigation is a feature that you can use by assigning appointments to follow the map for your drone. And then your Drone will start following that we point on your command at the assigned time.
This feature is mostly used by professionals in the field of photography and videography. You can put your focus on fixing the camera angles of a photographer instead of controlling the drone from the ground.
This concludes our detailed drone buying guide, we will be updating this guide when any other technological advancement will happen in the field of drones.
But for the time being this Drone buying guide has all the information which is required to buy the best drone in the market. We have tried hard to keep this guide as simple as possible so consumers with little technical knowledge about drones can also understand and get benefited from this information.
After reading this article you will be able to determine which drone will best suit you according to your personal preferences needs and requirements. In this guide, I will also educate you about the types of drones and the different essential features various drones offer the consumers currently in the market.
This Drone buying guide is equally beneficial for you no matter if you have used a Drone before or you are a beginner who still has to learn to fly. We have covered every segment of drones in this detailed guide for your convenience and ease.
From the cheapest to the most expensive, from the toy drones to the higher ends we have covered each and every aspect of the Drone industry in this guide.
We will also be posting detailed reviews of various drones with all the technical details included. For that keep visiting dronechest.com where you can also buy drones and their related accessories.
You will also get updated with the latest news regarding the drone industry on this website on this website.
In my leisure time, I love to read books, fly my drones and have a cup of coffee.
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