Best 4k Camera Drones

1. Yuneec Breeze Flying Camera

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 3.8/5.0

They call the Yuneec Breeze the ‘Flying Camera’ and that’s because this drone is all about the photography. But it’s an enjoyable craft to fly as well.

• Best feature 1: Amazing 4K video and 13-megapixel stills
• Best feature 2: Easy-to-fly camera drone for beginners
• Plus points: Indoor Positioning System, propeller protectors, upgraded 12-month warranty
• Minus points: Short battery life, no physical gimbal

The Yuneec Breeze is a flying camera with plenty of automated flight modes to make piloting and filming easy. And the manual mode offers a great flying experience for those who want more control. There’s not the steep learning curve that we often see with costlier camera drones. The in-app sharing is a popular feature that lets you upload your best photos and video to social media and elsewhere.

The Yuneec Breeze is compact and a reasonably priced 4K camera with 13MP stills. To truly appreciate shooting in Ultra-HD you have to compare it against lesser resolutions. The quality is akin to a high-end smartphone and, like the phone, this drone is also great at selfies—but from the air.

Although it’s not in the same league as say the DJI Inspire 2, it’s a tiny fraction of the cost. Considering what you get for the money this is a fantastic little camera drone that’s heaps of fun. It definitely provides amazing footage for a drone in its class.

The maximum flight time of 12 minutes is perhaps the biggest disappointment. The two-hour charging time only adds to this frustration.

The Conclusion

The Yuneec Breeze is fun to fly, easy to operate, and produces amazing 4K footage and 13MP stills. It’s not a PRO-level camera but then it’s not a PRO-level price. I’d say this is a perfect craft for anyone who wants a serious introduction to aerial photography and videography, especially with the current price reductions.

2. Geniusidea 4K Follow Me Drone

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.9/5.0

This is a cute, bright, light, and affordable little selfie-drone with a 4K adjustable camera. It also sports a GPS Positioning System controlled using either Android or iOS mobile devices.

• Best feature 1: Adjustable angle 4K camera
• Best feature 2: 13MP photographs
• Plus points: Perfect selfie drone, easy to fly/operate, portable and lightweight
• Minus points: Slow flier, no physical gimbal, low average flight time

Meet the Geniusidea quadcopter. This portable UAV may not be a name everyone’s familiar with but it’s certainly earned a spot in this guide. It’s the perfect craft for anyone who wants a high-definition 4K camera with equally impressive 13MP stills—on a budget.

This is also a great beginner drone. Pilot-friendly modes and features include things like Point of Interest, Flight Path Planning, Follow Me, and Face Recognition. Taking aerial shots requires very little effort. That leaves you to concentrate on composing the footage without worrying too much about what the drone is doing. There’s even a built-in tutorial to help get new users flying within minutes.

The Geniusidea Follow Drone is obedient and will follow you everywhere. This is thanks to its sophisticated artificial intelligence and smart following-shot mode. And when you no longer need any of its autonomous features you can bring it home and force it to land with the simple tap of a button.

The manufactures put the maximum flight time (battery life) at around 20 minutes. Reading through all the user feedback this seems to be a little on the ambitious side. A more realistic time—in ideal flying conditions—is probably closer to 15 minutes at best. Battery recharge time can take a few hours too. Make sure you invest in one or two backups.

The Conclusion

Anyone looking for a simple, easy-to-fly 4K camera drone will definitely want to consider the Geniusidea quad. It’s a beautiful craft despite the below-average flight time and long recharge times. It hasn’t got thousands of reviews—yet—but those it does have are close to 5-stars.

3. DJI Phantom 3 4K (White/Gold)

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

The DJI Phantom 3 4K is almost twice the price of my previous pick but is it worth the extra?

• Best feature 1: Stunning 4K video / 12-megapixel camera
• Best feature 2: 3-axis stabilization gimbal
• Plus points: Feature-rich mobile app, Vision Positioning technology, unique Beginner Mode
• Minus points: WiFi can be spotty at times, no collision avoidance

When you buy a consumer drone from the DJI family you know you’re getting something special. My previous pick is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a reasonable quality 4K camera drone on a budget. The DJI Phantom 3 4K costs more, though, and that’s because it offers more.

The first thing to note is that the Phantom 3, 4K camera drone is still an easy craft to fly and operate—despite its sophistication. The Phantom 3’s intelligent flight system works on autopilot. This helps to keep the drone airborne and under control. You can then concentrate on shooting crystal clear 4K video up to 30fps and capture amazing 12MP aerial photos.

The drone’s 3-axis gimbal helps to keep footage nice and steady as you shoot. Image stabilization is a major consideration for any camera drone. The maximum flight time of 25 minutes is also impressive and so is the 1000m (3281 ft.) flight range. And at just 60-minutes the battery recharging time is also decent.

The DJI Phantom 3 4K sports a lot of smart features normally found on costlier drones. Even so, it’s not without a few faults. The absence of obstacle avoidance is a letdown, and so are the reports that WiFi connections can be spotty on occasions.

The Conclusion

If you want a more serious 4K Video, 12MP camera drone then put the DJI Phantom 3 on your shortlist. It’s fun and easy to operate with any modern mobile device and the Free DJI GO app.

4. Autel Robotics X-Star Premium

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5.0

The increasingly popular Autel Robotics X-Star Premium finds its way on to a lot of review pages. This is—without doubt—a quality 4K camera drone alternative to DJI’s popular Phantom 3 Pro.

• Best feature 1: 4K Ultra-HD video camera with 12MP photos
• Best feature 2: Quick-release 3-axis gimbal stabilizer
• Plus points: Decent flight time, good flight range, excellent value
• Minus points: No obstacle avoidance, camera doesn’t have a lens cover, doesn’t like grass

This is not a DJI camera drone but it looks similar. The Autel Robotics X-Star Premium offers a worthy alternative to the Phantom 3 Pro. It has a quality UHD 4K, 12MP camera with a fast-release 3-axis gimbal. Aerial photographers can enjoy HD Live View as far as 1.2 miles from the controller. The autonomous flight modes work seamlessly with an Android or iOS mobile device and Starlink app.

The intuitive remote controller has a nice feel to it with one-touch buttons and an LCD display. The adjustable clamp accommodates most popular smartphones and tablets. The RC’s command sticks feel right too. They provide the right amount of grip so that users can maneuver the craft with confidence.

Flying the Autel Robotics X-Star Premium is fun and uncomplicated. The aerial photography and videography experience provides plenty of interesting opportunities. The decent flight range and flight time allow X-Star Premium pilots explore new horizons from the sky.

The Conclusion

The Autel Robotics X-Star Premium has a few drawbacks like all consumer drones. These are things that will affect the buying decision for some. It can topple over on grass surfaces for one. The company could certainly improve the landing apparatus. Some form of obstacle avoidance would have been welcome too. But all things considered, this is still one of the best—if not the best—value 4K camera drones available in its class.

5. DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5.0

At #5 is the popular and very capable DJI Phantom 4, 4K camera drone. It’s not the cheapest in this guide but is it worth the extra cost? Let’s take a closer look.

• Best feature 1: UHD 4K video at 30 fps, 12MP stills
• Best feature 2: 3-axis u-frame camera stabilization system
• Plus points: Fast and stable flyer, incredible flight range, smart flight modes
• Minus points: Long battery recharging time, high cost of spare batteries

The more a camera drone costs the more you want to protect it. The good news is that the DJI Phantom 4, 4K quad comes with its own custom hard case. A lot of models don’t!

The Phantom 4 is a highly-sophisticated UAV but with plenty of user/beginner-friendly features. Controlling this baby is simple with the auto-takeoff and auto return-to-home GPS technology. The dedicated app is intuitive and lets pilots manage and monitor the camera with ease.

The Ultra-HD, 4k with its 3-axis gimbal stabilization guarantees amazing video and 12MP stills every time. The drone’s hover function is also smooth and works in harmony with the gimbal to deliver vibration-free footage. It seems that DJI has thought everything through carefully with the photographer and videographer firmly in mind.

The Intelligent Flight Support Systems include Vision Positioning a Dual Satellite Positioning. These things help to make flying the Phantom 4 safer and more predictable/reliable indoors and out. You can fly far from the controller too if you want to. The flight range is around 7km or 4.3 miles. The drone can reach its destination in no time with its 45mph maximum speed.

The optimal flight time is a decent 30 minutes which is just as well considering the 3-hour recharge time. Spare batteries are expensive too, to the point where it can affect the buying decision for some.

The Conclusion

It’s hard not to like the DJI Phantom 4, 4K camera drone. It’s a good choice if you’ve got a bit extra to spare and want to take your aerial photography and videography to the next level. There’re good reasons why this mechanical bird has got so many glowing reviews from so many happy pilots.

6. DJI Mavic Pro 4K Camera Quad

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5.0

Next up is another popular choice from DJI. This time we take a look at the DJI Mavic Pro 4K Camera Drone. It’s another of the costlier models so let’s see what’s on offer.

• Best feature 1: True 4K video, 12MP stills
• Best feature 2: 3-axis mechanical gimbal
• Plus points: Fast, responsive, stable, small, foldable, portable, lightweight, quality
• Minus points: Shallow ground clearance, not happy in windy conditions

The DJI Mavic Pro is a gorgeous looking flying camera drone. And as long as there are no strong gusts around it performs beautifully too. If portability is an important feature to you then the foldable design of this craft will suit you just fine. The lugability factor is a godsend for people on the move.

The Mavic Pro is easy to fly and its camera is simple to operate like most drones from the DJI family. You can fly far too thanks to the new OcuSync transmission system. The maximum control range is now 4.3 miles (7km). You have plenty of time to reach your destination with the 27-minute maximum flight time. And the Mavic doesn’t hang around either with its 40 mph top speed.

Capturing true 4K footage is smooth and amazing thanks to the fully stabilized 3-axis mechanical gimbal. The smart features like ActiveTrack and TapFly ensure professional looking results every time. And as you’re filming you can relax knowing the Obstacle Avoidance System is helping to make flights safer and more reliable. This is the perfect camera drone for some—but not for all.

The DJI Mavic Pro 4K might not be the best choice if you need a quality camera drone that can hold its own in a wind. You also need to look at the areas you’ll want to take off and land from. The shallow ground clearance of this drone could pose a problem for some operators.

The Conclusion

Consider the handsome DJI Mavic Pro 4K Camera Drone if you want quality combined with portability. If it checks enough of your boxes it’s sure to serve you well.

7. Yuneec Typhoon H Pro

View on Amazon

Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5.0

My last pick is a high-quality hexacopter. It’s a flying camera drone just like the others only the Yuneec Typhoon H Pro has six rotors instead of four.

• Best feature 1: UHD 4K-camera with 360° rotation, 12MP stills
• Best feature 2: Folding landing equipment
• Plus points: RTF, ST16 all-in-one controller, collision avoidance, 8 smart flight modes
• Minus points: No low battery indicator, long recharging time

There’s a difference between a quadcopter and a hexacopter besides the obvious two extra rotors. It can carry a heavier payload and is a more powerful and stable flyer overall. It costs more as well. Hexacopters can also fly higher and faster than quadcopters.

The Yuneec Typhoon H Pro is a very capable camera drone that offers 360° range of motion. It’s a really professional craft aimed at the serious hobbyist or prosumer. The 3-axis gimbal camera captures amazing Ultra-HD 4K video and crystal clear 12MP stills. Control is via the intuitive Android-powered ST16 Ground Station which sports a 7″ touchscreen.

The easily retractable landing gear keeps rotors out of view while filming. Another feature worth a mention is the 5-rotor fail-safe. This allows the craft to land safely if one rotor fails. There’s also the effective Sonar Collision Prevention and eight smart flight modes. These make piloting the Typhoon H Pro safer and more fun. You also get plenty of flight time with 25 minutes per fully-charged battery.

There are some complaints that the drone’s camera mount is rather flimsy. The long battery recharge time is another gripe, though that’s nothing unique to this product.

The Conclusion

The Yuneec Typhoon H Pro is a serious camera hexacopter for the determined amateur or prosumer. Only you can know if its price tag matches your current budget, needs, and expectations.