8 Best VR Drones of 2019
Are you in the market for a VR drone, but have no idea about the process of selecting one? Then you’ve come to the right place, as in this top VR drones guide you’ll learn everything you need to know. We will clue you in as to why you might want to pair up a drone with a VR headset, and what kind of reasons such a purchase is a good idea.
Furthermore, you’ll learn about some general features of drones to better understand how they all differ. Finally, you’ll be presented with a list of the best VR drones on the market right now at various price points. After all, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out the best options from the long list of available choices.
The buying process is going to involve a comparison of the different features of the drones you’ll come across. However, before looking at any drones consider what is most important to you. For instance if you have a limited budget, then stick to the first category on this list. On the other hand, if you want a fast flying experience, then pay attention to top speed. By understanding your requirements, the buying decision is more straightforward.
Budget |
---|
Parrot Bebop 2 FPV |
4.6/5.0 |
Control range: 1,900 meters |
Flight time: 25 Minutes |
Charging Time: 60-70 minutes |
Good battery life and stable flight performance. |
Check Amazon |
Best Value |
---|
DJI Mavic Pro |
4.6/5.0 |
Control range: 7,000 meters |
Flight time: 27 minutes |
Charging Time: 60 minutes |
4K video capture and automated flight features. |
Check Amazon |
Top Pick |
---|
DJI Phantom 4 Pro |
4.6/5.0 |
Control range: 5,000 meters |
Flight time: 30 minutes |
Charging Time: 90 minutes |
4K video capture, advanced obstacle avoidance technology. |
Check Amazon |
Top VR Drones by Price:
The advantages of VR for drones
Other drone features to consider
GPS and automated flight features
Camera
Flight time
Control range
Price
Why you should buy a VR drone
Buy it as a gift
Surveillance
Content creation
Top 8 VR Drones Comparison Table
Make and Model | Control Range | Flight Time | Price Check |
---|---|---|---|
Parrot Bebop 2 FPV | 1,900 meters | 25 Minutes | Check Price |
Ehang GHOSTDRONE 2.0 | 800 meters | 25 minutes | Check Price |
Cewaal Drone with VR Glasses | 60 meters | 8 minutes | Check Price |
ZeroTech DOBBY | 100 meters | 9 minutes | Check Price |
DJI Mavic Pro | 7,000 meters | 27 minutes | Check Price |
DJI Spark | 1,900 meters | 16 minutes | Check Price |
DJI Phantom 4 Pro | 5,000 meters | 30 minutes | Check Price |
Walkera Furious 320 | 1,000 meters | 9-10 minutes | Check Price |
Top VR Drones under $500
Those of you that want an entry level VR drone at a reasonable price point should pay attention to this category. We have found the top VR drones under $500, and they offer an innovative experience. The quality of the headset and flight features combines for an immersive experience.
Some of the drones in this category offer the same level of performance as higher priced models. So buying at the budget end of the scale doesn’t mean you’re missing out on anything.
1. Parrot Bebop 2 FPV (Best Budget)
Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5.0
The Parrot Bebop 2 has a unique looking design for a drone with the elongated body type. It comes with a VR headset and a good quality camera for under $500. At this price point, you’re getting a great deal that you would have a hard time improving upon.
The FPV googles called the Parrot Cockpitglasses, provide an immersive experience. They must be connected to the FreeFlight Pro application via your smartphone. The camera offers 1080p HD quality footage in real time. Once you put on the googles the outside world is blocked out and you’ll enjoy a more comprehensive experience.
It has to be mentioned that the glasses are comfortable to wear. You can even wear them over regular glasses if you need to in order to see properly. The VR drone experience is one that must be experienced for yourself to understand the difference.
The 25 minute battery life is competitive, and the product only weighs 500g, which makes it portable. The 1080p HD camera allows for great footage that’s stabilized via a 3-axis gimbal mechanism.
A Parrot Skycontroller 2 is included – a unit that’s intuitive to use. The controller can be used up to 1,900km away from the drone. At this price point, the drone allows has some excellent specs, and that includes automated flight features.
Waypoints, hit take-off, and other autonomous features allow the pilot to concentrate on the camera, or the visuals, instead of always manually flying the drone.
The Conclusion
The Parrot Bebop 2 FPV is an excellent choice for buyers who need a functional drone under $500. Some of the features here are only available at much higher price points. The only big disadvantage is the lack of 4K video capture.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 1.11 pounds |
Battery: Lithium polymer |
Charging Time: 60-70 minutes |
Control range: 1,900 meters |
Flight time: 25 minutes |
Video: 1080p |
Photo: 14MP |
The Pros |
---|
Low cost |
Portable |
14MP photos |
Good battery life |
Stable flight performance |
The Cons |
---|
Storage limited to 8GB |
Fisheye camera suffers from lens flare |
2. Ehang GHOSTDRONE 2.0
Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0
The Ehang GHOSTDRONE 2.0 has a black design, with 4 orange rotors. The Head-tracking EHANG VR Goggles included allow you to be the eyes of the Ghost Drone, and the video transmission is directly sent to the googles. The fact that the drone and headset are manufactured by the same company means there won’t be any compatibility problems.
This innovative headset allows you to control the movement of the camera on the drone by moving your head. For instance, if you decide to look right, then the camera will also rotate to the right. This might be the most innovate VR experience on this list of the top VR drones.
EHANG’s A.I. camera is able to take photos at a resolution of 12MP and record video at a resolution of 4K. This is excellent when you consider the price point of the VR drone and will prove to be adequate for content creators.
The flight time of the drone is 25 minutes, which is excellent. However, one of the downsides is the range as it is capped at half a mile. Other drones manage a longer transmission range, but for the price, you cannot complain. The value of the other features might allow you to compromise in this area.
The drone comes with a few intelligent flight features. For instance, when it detects that it’s low on battery or communication is low, then it will return to the starting location.
The Conclusion
The Ehang GHOSTDRONE 2.0 is an intriguing VR Drone because of the immersive headset. The ability to move the camera via head movements is a cool feature to try out. That combined that with an affordable price point and good quality camera means you’re getting great value for money.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 2.87 pounds |
Battery: Lithium polymer |
Charging Time: 90 minutes |
Control range: 800 meters |
Flight time: 25 minutes |
The Pros |
---|
Competitive price |
Good camera |
Innovative VR headset |
Great warranty |
The Cons |
---|
Short control range |
Imprecise controls |
3. Cewaal Drone with VR Glasses
Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0
For the budget consumer, the Cewaal Drone with VR Glasses is a great selection. The features here for the price provide great value for money. It can make for a perfect entry level drone that comes with a variety of features to take advantage of.
The VR headset operates at the 2.4Ghz band and provides a live FPV transmission. The 2.0MP camera provides an adequate image from the front of the drone. This makes it easy to pilot the drone whilst wearing the VR googles.
The VR googles come with blur-ray resistance, eyesight protection, and a 3D immersive experience that you’ll struggle to get elsewhere for under $100. They are comfortable to wear and will not be a problem during the 8 minutes flight time. To achieve this flight time the drone must be charged for a total of 70 minutes.
The remote control distance is only 60 meters, which is one of the limiting factors. You’ll need to walk with the drone if you want to travel further than this short distance. Also, a USB charging cable is included, which means you can charge on the go from a USB compatible device.
Included are a number of automated flying maneuvers, which include advance and retreat, sSdeFly steering, fine-tuning, lifting, high and low-speed switching, and 360-degree all-round 3D tumbling.
The Conclusion
The Cewaal Drone with VR Glasses is a great buy for the budget consumer that only has around $100 to spend. The included VR googles aren’t industry leading technology, but provide an immersive experience nevertheless. The number of flight maneuvers allows the inexperienced pilot to learn the art of flying drones.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 3.3 pounds |
Battery: Lithium metal |
Charging Time: 70 minutes |
Control range: 60 meters |
Flight time: 8 minutes |
The Pros |
---|
Competitive price |
A number of flight maneuvers |
FPV VR googles included |
The Cons |
---|
Short range |
Short battery life |
4. ZeroTech DOBBY Pocket Drone
Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0
For under $300, the ZeroTech DOBBY Pocket Drone is an excellent piece of technology. The big attraction of this drone is the portability. As the name suggests it’s small enough to fit in your pocket and the weight is only 7.02 oz.
The camera is not compromised regardless of the small size. You’re getting 4K video recording capabilities, or you can reduce it down to 1080p when needed. The 13-megapixel f/2.2 CMOS sensor can capture excellent video that’s ideal for the content creation specialist among you.
For travelers that need a highly portable drone, the ZeroTech DOBBY is a serious contender. You can literally take this drone anywhere and take it out for some filming. The only downside is the short battery life, which is only 9 minutes. For a product at this price point, you’d expect a bit more. Therefore, you’ll need to invest in additional batteries to use this for a decent length of time.
When using the included VR googles you can execute hand gesture mode and GPS features like return home. Therefore, you do not need to manually control the drone at all times. Just keep in mind that there is no controller that comes included in the package.
Consequently, you’ll need to download an app on your smartphone to manually fly the drone. This is somewhat of a disadvantage, but if you were likely to use your smartphone as a controller anyway then it’s not a big deal.
The Conclusion
The ZeroTech DOBBY is a great package for the user on the go. The drone can fold down to fit in your pocket. It allows for a throw in the air type take-off, which is great to capture shots at short notice. The camera on this drone at the budget price point is another attractive feature. Sadly the short battery life means you’ll need to invest in additional batteries.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 7.02 0z |
Battery: Lithium metal |
Charging Time: 45 minutes |
Control range: 100 meters |
Flight time: 9 minutes |
The Pros |
---|
4K video capture |
Portable |
GPS features |
Competitive price |
The Cons |
---|
Short control distance |
Short battery life |
Top VR Drones under $1,000
If you have the budget for a VR drone under $1,000 then you’ll be pleased with the performance found here. Not only is the VR experience great, but you also get an excellent camera for content creation purposes. Additionally, a number of GPS based intelligent flight features can be found here.
This category is ideal for those that want something a bit extra that the budget category cannot provide, but don’t have the budget for a premium priced drone.
5. DJI Mavic with Xtreme VR Vue Virtual Reality Viewer (Best Value)
Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5.0
The DJI can be paired up with the Xtreme VR Vue Virtual Reality Viewer. This combination costs more than the standard Mavic price, but for the extra VR features, it might be worth the cost. This drone is relatively small in size, which means carrying around the VR goggles alongside this drone is more practical.
The Xtreme VR Vue Virtual Reality Viewer can be combined with the majority of smartphones for control purposes. With regards to comfort, the headset will not bother you whilst wearing it. In fact, the immersive aspect of the experience allows the pilot to forget the headset is being worn.
The camera on the drone provides the image quality to the VR headset, and it’s superb. You can achieve 4K footage and the stabilized transmission technology ensures the footage is smooth. The top speed of 40mph, means you can quickly navigate the skies using the DJI Mavic.
The 7km range is excellent for the explorers among you that want to get a sense of what the local area looks like from above. The flight time of 27 minutes is more than enough to explore that range in a single direction.
Worried that you’re a VR drone novice and you might crash the DJI Mavic? Don’t be, it comes with advanced obstacle avoidance that can avoid objects at a distance. Also, GPS features enable the drone to return home without further manual piloting when you’ve had enough.
The Conclusion
The DJI Mavic VR drone is perfect for that immersive feel to your flight experience. The combination of a long flight time, excellent range, and great camera means you’re getting a package that’s worth the money. You can even combine this headset with the DJI VR googles for the best VR drone experience possible.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 1.64 pounds |
Battery: Lithium metal |
Charging Time: 60 minutes |
Control range: 7,000 meters |
Flight time: 27 minutes |
The Pros |
---|
4K video capture |
Portable |
Long range |
Automated flight features |
Competitive price |
The Cons |
---|
Motor not powerful |
Images not perfect in low light |
6. DJI Spark
Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0
The DJI Spark can be bought bundled with a 3D VR headset that provides great performance at a competitive price. For around $750 you’re getting a drone from a well-respected brand that provides a top flight speed of 31mph.
One of the downsides of this purchase is that the drone doesn’t come with the DJI VR headsets, which is compatible with higher price models. However, the included virtual reality drone headset allows for an experience that is not compromised. You’ll have full view of where the drone is flying, and a remote controller is included to navigate the unit. Some drones that come with a VR headset not provide a controller, and you need to combine the headset with a smartphone for control purposes.
The camera is secured via a 2-axis gimbal and it can capture footage a 1080p. Alternatively, you can take pictures at 12MP while out and about.
16 minutes of flying time is available for this drone, which is rather limited when you consider other options in this price bracket. However, you get a control range of 1,900km – this is more than enough for the amount of flying time you have.
The Conclusion
The DJI Spark is top VR drone for those who value portability above all else. The low weight and small size means you can take this drone on the go whilst traveling. Just make sure to take a few extra batteries with you to get decent flying time.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 6.1 pounds |
Battery: Lithium polymer |
Charging Time: 52 minutes |
Control range: 1,900 meters |
Flight time: 16 minutes |
The Pros |
---|
Portable |
Decent top speed |
Competitive price |
Stable flight performance |
The Cons |
---|
Short battery life |
No 3 axis gimbal for the camera |
Top VR Drones under $2,000
Buyers with a premium budget should look at the options in this category. You’ll find excellent drones that bring a lot to the table. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro, in particular, is a well-rounded drone that competes with any drone in the marketplace.
The quality of the VR experience can be amplified when the build, camera, and flight features of the drone are improved – that’s exactly what you’ll find here.
7. DJI Phantom 4 Pro (Top Pick)
Editor’s Rating: 4.7/5.0
One of the best drones on the market is the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which comes packed full of industry-leading features any drone owner would be proud of. The unit is bundled with a VR VUE Virtual Reality Viewer. This package provides the complete VR drone experience that leads to immersive flying.
The VR headset can be combined with the latest smartphones, which acts as the controller. Therefore, you do not need to invest in an additional controller or carry one around in order to pilot the drone. Whilst using the headset you can get a very detailed view of what the drone is seeing. Since the outside world is blocked out you get to pilot the drone without distractions.
The control range of 5km means you can fly the drone over a wide area. Additionally, the drone can be used for 30 minutes before it runs out of battery power. This is more than enough to capture excellent footage and cover the wide area available.
For content creators, the camera is one of the big attractions of this drone. You can use the 1inch-20MP camera to capture highly detailed images. It’s great for amateurs looking to shoot family events, or professionals that want to create content for clients.
The video capture allows for 4K resolutions at 60fps, or you can reduce the resolution and increase the fps. The versatility of this camera and secure 3-axis gimbal design is something that content creators can rely on for a long time to come.
The obstacle avoidance features work 360 degrees up to 30 meters away from approaching objects. This gives the drone plenty of time to come to a halt to avoid the collision.
The Conclusion
The DJI Phantom 4 Pro is an excellent drone that has a wide array of features. The combination of intelligent flight features and an excellent camera means you’ll be using this drone for a variety of applications. If you decide to get the VR bundle, then the immersion factor of the flight experience will be improved.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 10 pounds |
Battery: Lithium polymer |
Charging Time: 90 minutes |
Control range: 5,000 meters |
Flight time: 30 minutes |
Obstacle avoidance sensors: stereo vision and infrared |
The Pros |
---|
Advanced obstacle avoidance technology |
Long control range |
4K video capture |
Great flying time |
The Cons |
---|
Must pay extra for touchscreen controller |
8. Walkera Furious 320 with Goggle 4 FPV Glasses
Editor’s Rating: 4.4/5.0
A unique entry to this list is the Walkera Furious 320 as it’s a racing drone. It comes with the Goggle4 FPV Glasses for a truly immersive flight experience. The price of this drone represents an investment but for the experienced user that wants a thrilling time, then the Furious 320 is an excellent choice.
The Goggle4 FPV Glasses uses 5.8G antennas and the build quality is excellent. You can get many years of use of these without wear and tear setting in. They are also comfortable to wear, which is important if you’re going to have a great time racing this drone. Even if you’re a casual user having a comfortable piece of kit is an advantage.
Within the headset, a 5″ LCD display (3 x 800 x 480 pixels) is included and it allows for 2 hours of operation time. That’s more than enough time because the majority of drones are not able to offer similar performance. However, you can invest in additional batteries to increase the running time.
The Walkera Furious 320 has a running time of only 9-10 minutes, and that’s because it eats up the battery very fast. The top speed of around 75mph is amazing as it lets you navigate the skies fast. It makes for an adrenaline-packed experience.
Included is a 1080p camera which doesn’t compete with the quality of other cameras at this price point. 4K should be expected so that content creators can capture the fast flying experience in great detail.
The Conclusion
The Walkera Furious 320 combined with the Goggle 4 FPV Glasses makes for a great package. You’re getting a very fast drone that’s applicable for racing. Also the camera included is serviceable if you aren’t looking for high definition video capture.
Tech Specs |
---|
Weight: 12.57 pounds |
Battery: Lithium polymer |
Charging Time: 60 minutes |
Control range: 1,000 meters |
Flight time: 9-10 minutes |
The Pros |
---|
Top speed of 75mph |
Good VR headset |
Strong build |
The Cons |
---|
Short battery life |
Relatively short control range |
Contents
- Top VR Drones by Price:
- The advantages of VR for drones
- Other drone features to consider
- GPS and automated flight features
- Camera
- Flight time
- Control range
- Price
- Why you should buy a VR drone
- Buy it as a gift
- Surveillance
- Content creation
- Top 8 VR Drones Comparison Table
- Top VR Drones under $500
- 1. Parrot Bebop 2 FPV (Best Budget)
- 2. Ehang GHOSTDRONE 2.0
- 3. Cewaal Drone with VR Glasses
- 4. ZeroTech DOBBY Pocket Drone
- Top VR Drones under $1,000
- 5. DJI Mavic with Xtreme VR Vue Virtual Reality Viewer (Best Value)
- 6. DJI Spark
- Top VR Drones under $2,000
- 7. DJI Phantom 4 Pro (Top Pick)
- 8. Walkera Furious 320 with Goggle 4 FPV Glasses