Many companies produce drones, so there are different models and types of drones in the market. However, deciding the best drone that will give you the value of your money can be tedious.
The best drone to buy is relative to the purpose. Are you interested in photography? Drones like DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and Autel EVO II are perfect for photographers. If you need to fish, drones like DJI Phantom 4 Pro, 3DR Solo, and the Autel X-Star Premium are the best choice.
You cannot decide to buy any drone because it is the best without a specific purpose. You cannot buy a drone designed for photography and use it for fishing. Although it is one of the best photography drones, you will not get value for your money.
What Are The Best Drones You Can Buy?
Drones are manufactured to meet a particular purpose, and this purpose determines the functionality, specifications, and additional features available on the drone. We will look at some of the best drones you can buy, what you can use the drone for, and why it is one of the best.
DJI Mavic 2 Zoom
The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom was a reform to how drones with cameras operated. It had the best camera when released in 2016, and it is still a recommended drone for photographers until now. One of this drone's advantages is that you have a high-quality camera lens on a foldable and light drone.
This drone is a professional media creation drone that brings you very close to the action, and you have two 24-48mm optical cameras with a 1/2.3″ 12MP sensor. You can capture objects at a far distance, thanks to the four lossless zooms, and there are two optical zooms available.
There are many aerial shooting modes available on the drone that a photographer will find very useful, modes like the Dolly Zoom (a single-tap aerial mode that adds a Hitchcockian effect to your images and videos). You also have Point of Interest (POI) 2.0, Waypoint 2.0, Asteroid, and Boomerang modes.
The drone has a low-drag aerodynamic body design that makes it attain a speed of 48mph, and it has a 4 cell LiPo battery that gives the drone a total flight time of 31 minutes. The propellers are also noiseless, so you can capture quality images without distracting or disturbing others.
Some of the camera features include hybrid autofocus, mid-range shots, super-resolution, and hyper-lapse time-lapse shots (which have four modes, free mode, circle mode, course lock mode, and waypoint mode).
The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom's price varies across different stores, and you can get it for $2,530 on the DJI store, $1,779 on Amazon, and $1000 on Tomtop.
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
Another good drone you can get that offers professional and high-quality visuals is the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is very similar to the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, and they have the same low-drag aerodynamic body design that makes it achieve a maximum speed of 44mph.
The drone was launched and released in August 2018, and it is still one of the best professional photography drones you can purchase. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the first drone with an integrated Hasselblad camera.
The drone has a total flight time of 31 minutes due to a 4 cell LiPo battery it has. Like the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, it also has low-noise propellers that make the drone of the most silent drones in the market.
The drone is equipped with a video transmission technology, OcuSync 2.0, that allows the drone to transmit a video feed in Full HD 1080p quality to the controller from up to 5 miles away.
Equipped with a 20-megapixel camera to capture still images, a video resolution of 4K 10-bit HDR Video resolution, two 24-48mm Optical Zoom. Aerial shooting modes available on the drone are Dolly Zoom, Point of Interest (POI) 2.0, Waypoint 2.0, Asteroid, and Boomerang modes.
An additional feature available is the panorama image mode that supports horizontal, vertical, 180°, and sphere modes. A DJI Mavic 2 Pro price is $1600 from either Amazon, DJI stores, or Moment stores.
Autel EVO II
The Autel Evo II is an upgrade to its predecessor, the Autel EVO, and it was the only able competitor of the DJI Mavic Pro when it was launched. Equipped with a camera that captures images of 20 megapixels and a video resolution of 6k, you are sure to enjoy this drone for photography.
The drone's camera provides an ISO range of up to 6400 for video and 12,800 for images, and the 6K gimbal camera can capture a resolution of up to 5472 x 3648 for still images and 5472 x 3076 for video.
The drone has a 7100mAh battery that allows it to attain a total flight time of 40 minutes, and the total flight speed is 44.8 mph. The drone has a remote controller with an impressive 3.3 inch OLED screen.
The Autel EVO II has 12 omnidirectional collision sensors that can be activated during normal flight, unlike the DJI Mavic 2 with side sensors and are activated only in some automatic modes.
The drone also has ultrasonic landing sensors and LED lights facing downwards. There are also object tracking modes on the drone, including dynamic track (which makes the drone follow the direction of an object), tripod tracks (which makes the drone hover around an object while the camera follows the object). Other modes are parallel track (makes the drone follow and move with an object), small orbit (makes the drone orbit around an object), and orbit mode (makes the drone hover around a fixed point).
The cost of purchasing an Autel EVO II drone is $1,269 on the Autel drone online store; on Amazon, it costs $1,800.
PowerVision PowerEgg X Wizard
PowerVision is another company making innovative inventions in the drone world, like creating the PowerEgg X Wizard, a waterproofed photography drone.
The PowerEgg X Wizard has face recognition features that have been accurately developed to follow an object while capturing an image or recording a video. PowerVision aims at increasing the intelligence of the facial recognition of their drones.
The drone is also equipped with a remote sound pickup technology, called the PowerVision's SyncVoice. It can pick up high fidelity sound utilizing wireless headphones or mobile phone microphones and synchronizes the audio with the captured images.
The PowerEgg X Wizard has a battery life of 3.5 hours, a maximum flight speed of 40 mph, a flight distance of 6km, and a total flight time of 30 minutes. It also has a 12 megapixel 1/2.8 inch CMOS sensor and a 4k video resolution in bright light.
The most notable features of this drone are its ability to fly in heavy rain, land on water, artificial intelligence tracking, and the drone can be used as a handheld camera that can also be set as a stationary camera on a tripod.
Some of the intelligent camera modes featured on the PowerEgg X Wizard are Point of Interest, Follow Me, and Time Lapse which can all be accessed by pressing the AI button from the application.
The PowerEgg X Wizard price is €1,149 on the PowerVision store and $1,183 on the Amazon store.
DJI Mini 2
The DJI Mini 2 is an impressive drone from DJI, and it is a drone designed with some of the best designs available on other high-end drones but cost less. The drone has a total weight of 249 grams, so you do not need to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration before flying it.
The drone has lots of features and modes that are not always available on inexpensive drones, features like the return to home feature, automatic take-off, precise hovering, an all-round object collision system, and other pilot-assist features.
The remote control has a range of up to 10 kilometers, so you can fly the drone in a 24mph wind and still control the drone without losing contact with it. This drone is one of the best for beginners and suitable for photographers.
It has a 12MP 1/2.3-inch sensor with an f/2.8 sensor and a 24mm EFL, and it offers 180˚, full 360˚, and 3×3 panorama shots. The 3-axis camera gimbal keeps the images horizontal and steadies the drone while recording in 4k video resolution.
You can use propeller guards to prevent damages to the propellers, especially when flying close to an object. The drone has a total flight time of 31 minutes, a flight speed of up to 36 mph.
The DJI Mini 2 is available for $419 on DJI stores and $449 on Amazon stores.
Holy Stone HS270 2.7k Drone
Holy Stone HS270 2.7k drone is another excellent drone from the Holy Stone brand with impressive features and a fantastic design. The Holy Stone HS270 2.7k drone weighs 1.312 pounds.
This drone is made of plastic; however, the gray color of the drone makes it look like a metallic and professional drone. The Holy Stone HS270 2.7k drone is designed as a foldable drone, and even the arms and propellers of the drone are foldable, so even though the drone is already small, the foldable design makes it more compact and travel friendly.
A left-hand mode is one of this drone's unique features, making it suitable for both left-handed and right-handed people. This drone has a maximum flight time of eighteen minutes which is better than a drone of seven or eight-minute flight time.
The drone battery has an excellent tolerance level, and the brushless motor that consumes less power makes the battery last longer and the flight of the drone quieter. The drone's battery has a charging time of five to seven hours.
The Holy Stone HS270 2.7k drone can be flown at night as it has a small light that makes flying in the dark easier. This drone is also a suitable one for beginners as flying it is more straightforward than other drones.
This drone's camera makes you take high quality, clear, and still images and videos without stress. Some of this drone's other features are the auto return home, follow me, auto hover, custom flight path, and long control range.
The Holy Stone HS270 2.7k drone cost $249.99 on Holy Stone online store.
Parrot Anafi FPV
This drone is one of the best drones to buy and one of the rare drones that come with goggles. The goggles help provide a clearer view of the images and videos taken or viewed using the drone's camera.
The Parrot Anafi FPV has a weight of 0.683 pounds, and it has a foldable design, so the drone's transportation is more effortless. Flying this drone is no problem even for first-time drone pilots.
The 4K camera of the Parrot Anafi FPV has a resolution of 21MP. It has a gimbal that stabilizes the camera so that a more precise shot or video can be taken. The camera has zoom capabilities when you are using the video mode.
You can create 3D models and get unique angles for your images with this drone's camera, as it can be tilted up or down. The battery life of this amazing drone is twenty-five minutes. This drone has a maximum range of 2.5 miles.
Other features of the Parrot Anafi FPV include a return to home, take-off, and a shoulder button. This drone comes with lots of accessories like a sky controller, eight additional propeller blades, a backpack for the drone, a smart battery, a mounting tool, cocktail pit glasses, and a 116GB micro-SD card.
The Parrot Anafi FPV drone is sold at $799 on Parrot's official online store and $969.79 on Amazon.
Ryze Tello Boost Combo
The Ryze Tello Boost Combo production was achieved through the collaboration between the Ryze industry and the DJI Company. This is why this drone has features from both the DJI and Intel, making it one of the best drones you can buy.
This drone is one of the lightest drones, with a weight of 0.176 pounds. You can control the Ryze Tello Boost Combo with either your phone or with a Bluetooth game controller.
The Ryze Tello Boost Combo has a 1100mAh battery that can last for up to thirteen minutes. A warning will always appear on your screen when the battery of this drone is low so that you can quickly bring it back to your location.
The drone has a camera and video resolution of 5MP and 720p, 30fps, respectively. With the help of in-built sensors and a 14-core processor, this drone can take off and hover. The maximum distance of this drone is 0.06214.
You can use a virtual reality headset with the Ryze Tello Boost Combo to get a super fantastic view. You can also perform some stunts like an 8D flip. One of the amazing features of this drone is the bounce mode which will let the drone automatically fly up and down from your hand.
One of the things that makes the video transmission of this drone super stable is the two antennas that it comes with. You do not have to set the drone to the ground before flying, and you can toss it into the air and start controlling it.
A collision detector is featured on this drone to prevent it from quickly crashing. It also has some propeller guards. When the connection is lost, the failsafe protection of this drone allows it to land safely.
Skydio 2
The Skydio 2 is a very safe drone even though it does not have geofencing restrictions. The drone's inbuilt GPS enables an autonomous flight experience with some features that allow it to follow a signal or fly to a point on the map within the SkyDio 2 application. You can fly this drone in the darkness and fog.
If there is any trouble in establishing a strong GPS signal on the drone, a warning message will inform you that it is not safe to fly the drone. With the SkyDio 2 application, you can easily direct the drone back to your location or a home point that you set on the map when you have lost sight of your drone's location.
One of this drone's features is the obstacle detection and collision avoidance sensor technology, which makes it less likely to crash. You do not necessarily have to have an active data plan before the SkyDio 2 GPS works, but you have to turn on your location service when flying the drone.
You can use the SkyDio 2 for inspection, analytics, 3D photogrammetry, and filming. This drone has a very high video quality, a sharp camera, and flies very smoothly. For this reason, this drone is suitable for professional filming.
The price of the SkyDio 2 is $999 at Skydio.
Additional reading: Skydio 2: More Range & Flight Time
DJI Mavic Air 2
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is an upgrade and more advanced than the DJI Mavic Air. This drone is easy to fly and has lots of features, including some protection features that will help keep your drone from breaking or crashing after the first try at flying.
This drone has a battery life of thirty-four minutes and a weight of 570 grams. This is one of the DJI drones that has a foldable design. This drone has a maximum flight speed of 42.3mph and a flight distance of 11.49 miles, so long the battery level is not low.
The maximum hover time of the DJI Mavic Air 2 is thirty-three minutes when there is no wind. The drone has an auxiliary light that helps improve visibility, especially during flight at night.
This drone is also one of the quietest drones as it has low-noise propellers, which makes it ideal for flying at night. An obstacle avoidance feature on this drone prevents it from crashing, as it will only hover when there is an obstacle.
The camera of the DJI Mavic Air 2 can capture 48MP photos. This drone's features include straight to home, sport mode, tripod mode, and an autopilot mode.
DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is another impressive drone of the DJI Industry. The camera of this drone is an excellent one. It has a 1-inch CMOS sensor that shoots 4K/60fps videos and 20MP images. You must have the DJI GO 4 App on your phone to be able to fly this drone.
This drone has a 2.0 HD transmission system that ensures the drone has a stable connection and reliability. This drone's remote controller has an in-built screen that allows you to have greater control and precision.
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 has a five-directional obstacle sensor that helps ensure more safety and additional drone protection. The drone has a maximum flight time of thirty minutes and also has a mechanical shutter.
Some of the features of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 are return to home, draw mode, follow me, and tap fly. This drone's weight is 3.03 pounds, and its camera has a three-axis motorized gimbal that provides stability and reduces vibrations.
Some of the accessories that come with the drone are a remote controller, an intelligent flight battery, a power cable, a carrying case, four propellers, a charger, a micro USB cable, a gimbal clamp, and a micro SD card of 32GB.
DJI Inspire 2
The DJI Inspire 2 is a significant improvement of all the good features of the Inspire 1. The image processing system of this drone is upgraded to CineCore2.1 and a video resolution of 6K. This drone can fly from 0 mph to 58 mph, which is its maximum speed.
This drone has a maximum flight time of twenty-seven minutes, and it also has a self-heating technology that makes it suitable for flying in low temperatures. The drone also has two directions, obstacle avoidance and sensor redundancy.
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 has multiple intelligent flight modes that give pilots the ability to create dramatic and complex shots. The maximum range of this drone is 4.35 miles. One of this drone's features is the return to home feature that helps bring your drone back to your location when you have lost sight of it.
The weight of this excellent drone is sixteen pounds. This drone was released to the public on December 1, 2010. This drone comes with accessories like extra propellers, two batteries, a charger, a calibration plate, a transmitter controller, and a carrying case.
Other incredible features of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 are tapfly, smart return home, active track, and broadcast mode. The price of this drone is $3,299 at DJI Company.
PowerVision PowerRay
The PowerVision PowerRay drone is one of the world's best underwater drones. This drone has a weight of seven pounds. Situated at the front of the drone are a camera and two LED lights, while at the back are the dual thrusters and a tail LED.
To control this drone, you have to connect the drone to either your device, the remote transmitter, or both. There are different camera modes on this drone, modes like slow motion, burst mode, and live streaming.
You can connect a virtual reality goggle to the PowerVision PowerRay to get a clearer view of what it is like underwater. The battery of this drone is exceptional and can last for an hour or two, depending on the drone's activities.
This drone has a 4K camera that allows you to take clear and breath-taking images and videos underwater. At the bottom of this drone is a port for attaching a fish-finder module and an additional thruster so that you can use it for fishing.
The PowerVision PowerRay is an easy drone to operate, and the controls are very responsive, so you can quickly dart, turn, and dive. You can buy this drone for $999.99 at the Best buy store.
Yuneec Mantis Q
The Yuneec Mantis Q is a small but good drone. This drone's battery life is twenty-five minutes, and it is also another drone with a foldable design. This drone is one of the smallest drones but still heavy enough to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Unfortunately, the camera of this drone does not have a gimbal; however, it is mounted on a tilted mechanism. Hence, it can be pointed forward, downward, or in between. The drone comes with a remote controller, but you can also control it with the app on your smartphone if you want.
Some of the features of this drone are the return to home and high-speed sport mode. There are also the record and photo buttons on the controller. You can fly the Yuneec Mantis Q both outdoors and indoors because of its special sensors that recognize the ground.
The Yuneec Mantis Q's maximum speed is 13.4mph, but it can fly as fast as 44mph when in sports mode. You can also direct the drone using voice control; all you need to say is "take a picture", and the drone will do so.
The maximum flight time of this drone is for thirty-three minutes when the battery is fully charged. The price of the Yuneec Mantis Q at Amazon is $499.99.
PowerVision PowerDolphin
Just like the name suggests, the PowerVision PowerDolphin is one of the best underwater drones; it can skim along the water's surface and can capture both the surface and below the water.
The drone features a phone-ready remote controller with an application available on Android and iOS platforms, a feature very similar to the PowerEgg X drone features.
The drone has two propellers to control the drone's movement on the surface of the water, and there is a GPS return to home feature available. The 4K camera of the drone can be expanded to 150 degrees to look down into the water and 70 degrees to capture above the water.
The PowerVision PowerDolphin has a control range of 800 meters when you use the remote controller but a range of 100 meters with the mobile application, a 220-degree dual-joint 4K camera, a battery life of 2 hours, and a flight speed of 4.5 m/s.
The PowerVision PowerDolphin weighs 2.3 kg and can stay at a depth of 2 meters underwater for up to 30 minutes.
The drone can achieve a speed of 10 mph on the water, and there are three sailing modes available, the Cruise Mode, the Normal Mode, and the Underwater Mode. You can get a PowerVision PowerDolphin for $1,197 on the official store and $999 on Amazon.
What Is The Best Brand Of Drone To Buy?
Choosing the best brand of drones to purchase can be confusing because there are different functionalities and specifications associated with different brands.
There has been a remarkable evolution of drones since UAVs were first produced and released publicly almost ten years ago, and they have become more efficient and streamlined to make the public enjoy them. Nevertheless, there are certain brands of drones that the public has accepted as the best brands to purchase.
DJI Drones
DJI, an acronym of Da-Jiang Innovations, is a Chinese technology company that manufactures commercial drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). DJI was founded by Frank Wong, its CEO, in 2006, and it has its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong, with manufacturing annexes across the world.
The UAVs produced by the DJI Company are mainly for aerial media production (photography and videography). DJI Company is currently the biggest manufacturer of UAVs globally, and their drones make up about seventy percent of the drones used commercially around the world as of March 2020.
Drones like DJI Mavic Air, DJI Mavic Mini, DJI Mavic Pro Platinum, DJI FPV Combo, DJI Mavic Phantom 4 Pro, DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, and DJI Mavic Inspire 2 are among the most popular drones produced by DJI Company.
Drones manufactured by DJI Company have been proven to be the most technologically advanced drones available for commercial use. Furthermore, they also design and produce camera gimbals, action cameras, camera stabilizers, flight control systems, propulsion systems, and flight platforms.
Parrot SA
Parrot SA is a company based in Paris, France, that specializes in manufacturing wireless products. The company is one of the leading UAV manufacturing companies in Europe. Parrot SA was founded by Henri Seydoux, Jean-Pierre Talvard, and Christine/M De Tourvel in 1994.
The company has been on the French Stock Exchange list since June 2006 but has focused exclusively on manufacturing drones since 2017. One unique feature of drones developed by Parrot SA is signal processing and voice recognition embedded into their products.
Another unique feature of Parrot SA drones is it is user friendly and straightforward, and you do not need to be a professional drone pilot to fly a Parrot SA drone. They produce drones that you can depend on to perform accurately and are also affordable.
Some of the drones manufactured by Parrot SA include Parrot Anafi FVP, Parrot Disco FPV, Parrot Bebop Drone, Parrot Anafi USA, Parrot Skycontroller, and Parrot AR Drone.
Autel Robotics
Autel Enterprise Robotics is the leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for public users and organizations in the United States of America. The company was established in 2014 to make drones available to both commercial and recreational users.
Autel Robotics offers the highest resolution thermal imaging of any drone available on the market and their latest drone. The EVO II Series was developed specifically for manual and automated flight in fire, law enforcement, inspection, security, and mapping with data security ingrained.
Another benefit of using Autel Robotics drones is that you do not need LTE, mobile devices, or required sign-ups for cloud services for you to fly any of the drones. The drones manufactured by Autel Enterprise Robotics are Evo Series (the EVO II, EVO II Pro, EVO II Dual, and EVO II Dual 640T) and Dragonfish.
Autel Enterprise Robotics is owned by Autel Intelligent Technology in China but operates majorly in the United States.
Yuneec International
Like DJI Company, Yuneec International is also a Chinese drone manufacturing company with headquarters in Jinxi, Kunshan, a town in Jiangsu, China. The company was established in 1999 by Wenyan Jiang and Larry Liu.
When Yuneec International was first established, the company was into radio-controlled model aircraft production and made it available to the United States through GreenWing International.
However, in the late 2010s, the company decided to expand its operations base by designing and manufacturing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The first electric aircraft called Yuneec International E430 was designed and manufactured by Yuneec International.
The Yuneec International E430 won the Lindbergh Electric Airplane Prize in July 2010 at the World Electric Aircraft symposium. Moreover, the first certified electric aircraft in the world was developed by Yuneec International, it was called Yuneec's e-Spyder, and in February 2013, it received the DULV Type Certification.
Currently, Yuneec International has partnered with Intel Corporation, and the companies have released some highly efficient drones like the Breeze (a drone capable of capturing UltraHD 4K photos and videos).
Yuneec International has made partnerships with other companies, and so they have some of the most sophisticated drones on the planet by combining different technologies.
Final Thoughts
Every drone pilot has thought about the best drones available in the market and deciding the best drone can be very difficult, especially for a newbie. Although there are many drones available in the market, some things differentiate the best from the ordinary.
With all the technologies and functionalities that drones are equipped with, you do not have to stress yourself out deciding the best drone to buy. This article explains the different specifications of the best drones available, so you have the choice to pick from.
Learn More: Best Foldable Drones You Can Buy
Shawn Manaher loves to play with new toys and dive into new hobbies. As a serial entrepreneur, work definitely comes first but there is always room for hobbies.