10 Best Drones for Sale in 2019

1. Potensic F181DH Quadcopter

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Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5.0

My first choice in the toy drone category is the Potensic F181DH quadcopter. This is an affordable yet quality product that’s easy to fly and heaps of fun.

• Best feature 1: FPV transmission displayed on portable LCD monitor
• Best feature 2: Seamless speed control and gradual acceleration
• Plus points: HD camera, one button takeoff/landing, altitude hold, spare battery, affordable
• Minus points: No return to home feature

The Perfect Entry-Level Quadcopter

This is a nice looking toy-like quadcopter that even sports a 720P HD video camera with 2MP stills. Kids love it but it’s also a great practice drone for more experienced pilots who want to develop their aerial piloting skills using a cheaper model. This drone is special because it’s such a smooth flyer and has a lot of great features for a craft in its class.

The following impressive flight features make the Potensic F181DH easy and responsive:

• Screen display gives useful flight data
• Altitude hold is great for steadying the craft before filming or shooting stills
• One-key takeoff and landing
• Headless mode
• Gyroscopic flight stabilization

The Conclusion

And in case you’re wondering you can perform exciting 360-degree rolls to add a little fun to the experience. There’s even a bonus battery which doubles the time you can fly.

2. Popular Holy Stone F181W

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Editor’s Rating: 4.7/5.0

The Holy Stone F181W is a popular WiFi FPV drone with a 720P HD camera and wide-angle lens. The 100s of positive reviews confirm the value of this kid-friendly quadcopter.

• Best feature 1: FPV real-time transmission
• Best feature 2: Bonus 3.7V 750 mAhLiPo battery doubles flight time
• Plus points: 6-axis gyro, controllable LED lights, FPV, 120° FOV WiFi camera, easy-to-fly
• Minus points: Short flight time, low power indicator is hard to see in daylight

This gorgeous little quadcopter is a serious toy and an affordable entry-level flying camera. It will stay in the air for up to 10 minutes in perfect conditions and fly up to a distance of 100m from the controller. Charging time takes around 90 minutes which is quite fast. And the camera quality is perfectly acceptable for a quad that cost around 120 bucks.

Lots to Love & Easy to Fly

Here are some of the flight features that make piloting the Holy Stone F181W so much fun:

• Altitude hold function
• Powerful little motors
• One-key take-off/landing
• Speed controls
• Headless mode
• One-key return feature

No quadcopter is complete unless it can do a few aerial stunts. You’ll be pleased to know that 3D flips are simple to perform yet impressive to watch with the Holy Stone F181W.

The Conclusion

You get a quality toy quadcopter with WiFi FPV, 720P HD camera, and a plethora of other great features & functions that are hard to beat. I’ve only touched on a few here but there’s more to marvel. It’s not perfect because it’s an inexpensive drone but many will agree that it’s perfect for its price.

3. Force 1 U818A Toy Drone W/ HD Camera (Best Budget)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0

The last of my toy drone picks is also the least expensive. Yet despite its low price tag this puppy comes with FPV capability and even includes a VR headset.

• Best feature 1: Gravity mode: flies using a smartphone
• Best feature 2: 3-gear speed modes
• Plus points: Included VR headset, extra battery, WiFi FPV, HD camera, live video
• Minus points: Short flight time, not stable in windy conditions

Force1 claim their fixed 720P camera captures amazing imagery and video. Let’s not fool ourselves here. Yes, the camera is good. By that I mean the stills are perfectly clear and the video is watchable. But what it’s not is amazing. You certainly won’t win any awards with any of these toy drone cameras.

Amazing Quad for 100 Bucks

There’s no doubt that this quad is a capable flyer, it’s simple to operate, it’s feature-packed, and it’s lots of fun. The extra battery is another bonus that gives you twice the flying time. There’s even a power bank included so you can charge the other battery while on the go.

The flight modes of the Force 1 U818A include:

• Altitude hold
• Headless mode
• One-button takeoff & landing
• Custom Route Mode
• 3-gear speed modes

The Conclusion

Consider the Force 1 U818Aif you’re on a tight budget. It’s also a great entry-level drone if you’re not yet sure whether flying cameras are your thing. You won’t find so much for so little in other quads.

4. Geniusidea Follow 4K Camera Drone

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Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5.0

The first of my quality camera drones is the 4K Geniusidea quadcopter. The video and 13MP stills quality are far superior to anything we saw in the toy drones and so is everything else.

• Best feature 1: 4K HD video camera
• Best feature 2: GPS positioning system
• Plus points: Reasonable flight time, easy to operate, quality build, portable & lightweight
• Minus points: Slow top speed, no stabilizing gimbal

The Geniusidea quadcopter enjoys some amazing feedback for very good reasons. It sports Ultra-HD 4K video capability, FPV, and a 117° wide angle lens. It’s a great looking flying camera quad that’s easy to operate and produces aerial footage that’s certain to impress. It’s lightweight and portable too. This lugability factor is an invaluable feature for travelers and folks on the go.

A Feature-Packed DJI Spark Alternative Perhaps

Here are some of the Geniusidea most impressive flying highlights:

• Video Follow Mode
• Circling Flight Mode
• Gesture/Facial Tracking
• Optical Positioning System (OPS)
• One-key Return to Home function
• 360° Panorama and Hover
• Gravity Sense Control
• GPS Altitude Hold

One of the main gripes with the Geniusidea Follow Drone is that it’s a slow flier. This is an issue because it takes longer to get somewhere and return to base. Because we measure flight time in minutes every second has to count. There are also some reports that the 20-minute flight time is overhyped.

The Conclusion

Every drone has a few drawbacks and the Geniusidea is no exception. For the money, though, this is a very capable camera quadcopter that checks a lot of boxes for a lot of pilots at all levels.

5. DJI Mavic Pro Camera Quadcopter (Top Pick)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5.0

The DJI Mavic Pro sets a lot of standards for quality camera drones. It sells well and enjoys plenty of glowing reviews from happy pilots. Keep reading to see if it measures up to your expectations.

• Best feature 1: Foldable design makes it super luggable
• Best feature 2: Incredible range
• Plus points: Sophisticated, 4K camera, pocket-sized RC, obstacle avoidance, long flight time
• Minus points: Take off has to be a flat surface, need smartphone for full flying experience

The Mavic Pro is a DJI product so you can relax knowing the brand has a proven track record of excellence. This flying camera folds down which makes it nice and portable but without any sacrifice to features and functions. It looks fantastic and does an excellent job as a quality camera drone.

Why Buy the DJI Mavic Pro

There are lots of good reasons to buy the DJI Mavic Pro if it’s within budget. Here are some of them:

• Ready-To-Fly (RTF) so it’s good to go soon after it arrives
• Amazing 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor and12MP 4K FPV camera
• Shock-mounted, 3-axis motorized gimbal to stabilize footage
• The drone folds down to the size of a soda can
• Incredible flight range and long 27-minute flight time on a single charge
• Includes some impressive flight features like TapFly, ActriveTrack,and others
• Effective Obstacle Avoidance w/ Sensor Redundancy
• Vision positioning paired with GLONASS& GPS

The points above highlight some of the features and functions of the Mavic Pro but there’s more. It won’t suit everyone though—no drone can. It doesn’t like taking off on soft surfaces which will bother some users. And as good as the camera is some will find the Mavic’s field of view (FOV) too narrow for their needs. If you want a wider FOV the DJI Phantom and GoPro Karma are perhaps better options.

The Conclusion

If the DJI Mavic Pro checks enough of your camera drone boxes then you’re going to love it. If some of its drawbacks are issues for you then youhave other options. It’s also worth noting that the complexity of this model requires a bit more learning compared to other camera drones.

6. DJI Phantom 3 Standard Quadcopter

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

The DJI Phantom 3 Standard may be getting on a bit now but it’s still a very popular and capable camera drone. Let’s look at what makes this DJI model so popular.

• Best feature 1: 2.7K video (4K version also available) and 12MP stills
• Best feature 2: 3-axis stabilized integrated camera
• Plus points: Impressive stills and video quality, DJI Go app, RTF, Intelligent flight modes
• Minus points: WiFi streaming not as reliable as the ADVANCED model, quite noisy

I’d say this is the perfect quality camera drone for the serious beginner. It has an attractive price tag, classic Phantom design, impressive features, and is easy to fly. The model here is cheaper than the ADVANCED version but it still produces amazing 2.7k video and crystal clear 12MP stills. The quad comes with a battery charger, spare set of props, 8GB microSD card, and a radio controller or RC.

Here are some of the Phantom 3’s advanced features for videographers and aerial photographers:

• Easy to fly, beginner-friendly intelligent camera quadcopter
• Return-to-base with the simple press of a button
• Live HD video feed to a mobile device
• Four responsive and powerful motors
• Custom DJI remote controller (RC) with smartphone clamp
• Intuitive and unique DJI mobile app makes flying and filming fun and easy
• GPS positioning

The charging tine is impressive at 1-to-1.5 hrs. depending on the charger. The flight time is also decent at around 25 minutes. The 1km range will be fine for some but it won’t be enough for those who want to fly further and explore more. Another potential drawback is that the Phantom 3 Standard needs a smooth flat surface to take off and land effectively. There are also a few reports of spotty WiFi.

The Conclusion

The DJI Phantom 3 Standard is the ideal progression from cheaper camera drones. It enjoys a high star rating and lots of positive feedback from those who have flown it. If it has what you want you’re going to be a very happy drone pilot and amateur aerial photographer and videographer.

7. DJI Spark, Fly More Camera Quad Combo (Best Value)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0

You won’t want to miss this review if you need a cute, capable, small-sized camera quadcopter. The DJI Spark mini-drone also happens to be an Amazon’s Choice product which is reassuring.

• Best feature 1: Mechanical gimbal ensures shake-free shooting
• Best feature 2: Gesture recognition technology
• Plus points: Light and small, automated shooting, GPS stabilization, safety features
• Minus points: No 4k available, short battery life, flakey performance after 300m

You will need a little patience if the DJI Spark is your first gesture-controlled quadcopter. Hand gestures have to be accurate, within the distance range, and done in bright light. Then it’s time to have some real fun. One of the great things about any DJI product is the lively support forums. They are the place to go for fast ‘real user’ answers and advice if you have any problems or questions.

The Perfect Travel Drone

The Spark is a mini drone that weighs just 0.7 lbs. or 300 grams. You can get it out wherever you are and capture moments in an instant. The Spark’s ability to take off and land from the palm of your hand is as practical as it is novel. It’s pretty nippy too with a top speed of over 30 mph. There is a drawback with this intimate control though. Hand gestures restrict the range you can fly the craft (see below).

Three Control Options

You can fly the DJI Spark without a smartphone and app or dedicated controller. However, as useful as gesture control is most pilots will sometimes want to do more and fly further than hand gestures allow.

The Sparks range for each of the three control modes is as follows:

1. Hand gestures: 10 feet (3m)
2. Mobile device and app: 328 ft. (100m)
3. Dedicated DJI remote controller: 1.2 miles FCC (500m CE)

The range you choose will depend on what you want to shoot from how far and how high. The 12MP camera produces beautiful stills and the video shoots 1080p video @ 30fps.

Here are a few of the other highlights of the mini Spark flying quad:

• Choose from 5 colors
• Excellent value for money
• Simple to fly after a little practice
• 2-axis gimbal for shake-free shooting
• Obstacle avoidance and other smart flight modes
• Active Track

The Conclusion

The DJI Spark has a wide appeal whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned drone pilot. It’s not the only palm-launch, gesture-control product out there but it’s undoubtedly one of the best at the time of writing this guide. There are only two main gripes. One is that there’s no 4K version available—yet. The other is the short flight time (battery life). At least the charging time is decent at just 80-minutes.

8. GoPro Karma with HERO6 Black

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5.0

The GoPro Karma drone got off to a bad start. This surprised many considering the success of their action cameras. But that was then and this is now. Let’s see how the Karma measures up today.

• Best feature 1: Footage from the air, handheld, or body-mounted options
• Best feature 2: Foldable design, fits neatly into its own custom case
• Plus points: Two batteries, reasonable battery life, decent range, fast charging, user-friendly
• Minus points: High cost, no obstacle avoidance

Loyal followers of GoPro action cameras were pleased that the Karma got a second chance after such a disastrous start. It’s not the cheapest camera drone out there but it looks great, oozes quality, and performs well. These are not claims enjoyed by first version.

Tried and Trusted Cameras

This is a foldable quadcopter. That makes it a great traveling companion for folks on the move and opportunists. They’ve designed the craft for use with GoPro compatible cameras like the Hero 5 Black, the Hero 5 Session, and the Hero 4 Black & Silver. GoPro cameras have been around for eons and are renowned for their video and still image quality so there’s nothing to add on that front.

Here are a few other highlights of the new GoPro Karma quality quadcopter:

• Can swap GoPro cameras
• Fly the drone for fun without the camera payload
• Digital image stabilization
• Comes with the innovative Karma Grip
• Remote controller with integrated 5″ LCD screen and live-feed
• Can fly with two pilots—one to fly the drone the other to capture footage
• Fast 35 mph top speed

Appearance and styles are subjective but this has to be one of the best looking flying cameras out there. It’s true that many would-be enthusiasts remain put-off by the failure of the first version. Despite this, the new Karma is making up for lost ground and gaining in popularity.

The Conclusion

Loyal GoPro consumers are going to buy the Karma come what may. Others may take a little more convincing because of the bad start and high price tag. I think it’s now a worthy competitor. I would have put it further up on this list if it had a more competitive price.

9. EACHINE Wizard X220S Racing Quadcopter

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

The first pick of racing quadcopters is the RTF EACHINE Wizard X220S. It’s not pretty like the camera drones but then looks are not one of its main selling points. This is a racer so how does it measure up?

• Best feature 1: Tough, lightweight carbon fiber outer frame
• Best feature 2: Speed not publicized but this puppy is FAST
• Plus points: Affordable, improved props, fast charging, rubber HD camera mount
• Minus points: Poor instructions, battery cables not tucked away, average battery & charger

The EACHINE Wizard X220S is unbeatable for the price as an RTF racing quad. If you’re on a budget, at the entry-level, or both, then certainly consider this one. You can even tweak it and upgrade some of the parts if you want to. In fact, customization is half the fun of this sport.

Ready, Steady, Go…

A new Wizard X220S has everything you need in the box to get you up and flying in no time. The camera is a good quality 800 TVL that delivers clear quality results. You can scale the camera angle to 30-degrees to match your recording preference and flying style. There’s also a rubber HD camera mount to accommodate GoPro Session type cameras.

This is a tough racing quad and it withstands those inevitable crashes and collisions well. The inner frame is glass fiber and the outer layers carbon fiber. It would have been nice to see the entire frame carbon fiber but then that would have increased the price.

The Conclusion

There’s not much to criticize with the EACHINE Wizard X220S considering its price. You can fly it as it is or tweak it to better meet your expectations. It’s an excellent and affordable entry-level racing quad.

10. SWAGTRON SwagDrone 150-UP Racer

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Editor’s Rating: 4.3/5.0

My final pick in this guide is the popular SWAGTRON SwagDrone 150-UP.What we have here is another Ready-To-Fly (RTF) racing quad that’s perfect for the entry-level pilot.

• Best feature 1: Kill-switch & failsafe safety features
• Best feature 2: Real-time video via eight channels
• Plus points: Crash resistant, compact design, lightweight, seamless FPV & VR, 3 skill modes
• Minus points: Learning curve, short flight time

The SwagDrone 150-UP is a fast, tough, and versatile quadcopter suitable for any level. Complete beginners can ease themselves in with Primary Flight Mode before advancing to the Mid-level Mode. You can then flip the switch on the controller once you’re ready to race in the High-Level Flight Mode. The 500m range is perfect for high-speed aerial competitions. The 8-minute flight time is short though.

Fancy as well as Fast

Experienced pilots can navigate the skies and perform professional acrobatic loops and 360° aileron rolls. Like the Wizard X220S above there doesn’t seem to be an official top speed for the SwagDrone 150-UP. It is fast and capable—as reported by those who currently race it. It’s also crash resistant which is especially important for competition flying.

The four bonus safety features are also main selling points and include:

1. Motor lock: Allows you to safely carry out maintenance
2. Locator alarm: Will locate the drone if you lose it
3. Out-of-range failsafe feature: Powers the motors down to prevent the dreaded flyaway
4. Kill-switch: Instantly turns the drone off in the event of an emergency

The SWAGTRON SwagDrone 150-UP looks more polished and finished compared to the first racer. They’re two different beasts though. Which one suits you will depend on your use and expectations.

The Conclusion

The SWAGTRON SwagDrone 150-UP is more multi-purpose than the EACHINE Wizard X220S. It looks nicer and has a few more features, but it’s not all good. I can’t find the charging time and that’s an important buying consideration. The short 5-8 minute flight time will also put some people off. And although it’s crash-resistant the 5.6 oz. weight will have some restrictions in blustery conditions.