I want to buy a drone for my friend’s son for his birthday so we can fly together. I have an Autel Evo 2 drone.
I don’t want to buy the cheapest one, but I want something that’s worth the money and has some safety features. I don’t need a lot of fancy features because the main thing is spending time together.
Here are my requirements:
It should have brushless motors.
The camera should be manually tiltable.
I’m not sure about the WiFi thing. Some cheap drones claim to have a video range of over 1000 feet with 5G. I’m not sure what that means, but I want something better than those $20 toys that only have a 60 ft range from the cellphone.
I’m considering buying a Holy Stone HS175 2K drone for about $120.
Thanks for any help and for teaching me about drones.
Maybe a Ryze Tello? Honestly, if you want anything worth a damn you kinda have to start at the Dji mini 2 se. Mostly anything less than that is junk. The Tello is a good very entry-level beginner drone.
Of course! If you’re in the market for an affordable drone priced under $100, there are several options worth considering. Here are some highly-rated drones that offer great value for money:
Ryze Tello: This toy quadcopter can be controlled via smartphone or laptop using Scratch. While its video quality may not be top-notch, it’s an entertaining tech gadget and a useful learning tool. You can purchase it for $99 at B&H Photo Video.
Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3 Headless Quadcopter: A popular choice among drone enthusiasts, this model is agile, budget-friendly, and packed with features. It features a six-axis gyro for stable flights and enables aerial tricks. With practice, you can even execute 360-degree rolls while live streaming a first-person view to your iOS or Android device. It’s available for $44.98 on Amazon.
Eachine E010 Mini UFO Quadcopter Drone: If you’re in search of a compact drone, this option measures less than 2 by 4 by 4 inches and is priced at only $24.99. It’s an excellent entry-level drone for beginners.
UFO 3000 LED Drone Quadcopter: This visually striking quadcopter features LED lights that create a mesmerizing light display during flight. Impress your friends with dazzling mid-air maneuvers accentuated by vibrant blue and green lights. It’s priced at $29.99 on Amazon.
QCopter HD Camera Drone with Bonus Battery: Extend your drone flying sessions with this bundle from QCopter, which includes two rechargeable batteries. With up to 15 minutes of flight time per battery, you can enjoy up to 30 minutes of uninterrupted drone fun. Check for availability.
Hubsan X4 Quadcopter with FPV Camera: Ideal for aerial photography enthusiasts, this drone is equipped with an FPV camera. Priced at $79.99, it offers a flight range of approximately 320 feet and can stream live video to the 4.3-inch screen integrated into the controller. You can also capture footage locally using a Micro SDHC card.
Don’t forget to read customer reviews and compare features to find the drone that best suits your needs. Happy flying.!!!
Look for a drone with features like altitude hold and headless mode.
Altitude hold will automatically maintain the drone’s flying height, while headless mode makes it easier to control the drone’s direction regardless of which way it’s facing you.
These features can help prevent crashes and make flying more enjoyable, especially for beginners.
So many great choices under $100, with everything from beginner-friendly options to live streaming and aerial photography.
The Cheerwing Syma X5SW-V3 with its 360° rolls sounds particularly fun for practicing maneuvers. I’ll definitely check out customer reviews for that one and the Hubsan with the FPV camera. Thanks for including the links too
Snaptain is a fantastic $100 drone that offers a taste of the exhilarating experience of flying drones for the first time.
The app and voice control features are valuable additions, particularly considering the affordable price point.
That’s awesome you want to get a drone to fly with your friend’s son! Having a drone to share can be a ton of fun. Let me tell you a bit about the Holy Stone HS175 2K drone based on what my friend who has it told me sometimes back, and also suggest a couple of other options that might be a good fit for what you’re looking for.
The HS175 actually sounds like a pretty good starter drone for what you have in mind. Here’s why:
Brushless motors: You got it right, the HS175 does have brushless motors, which are generally more durable and efficient than brushed motors, especially for outdoor flying.
Manually tiltable camera: Yup, the camera on the HS175 can be angled up and down which is great for getting different perspectives in your videos and photos.
WiFi vs. 5G: Here’s the thing about Wifi vs. 5G for drones. Wifi range can be pretty limited, especially with obstacles and interference. The 5G the HS175 mentions uses a stronger signal than Wifi, but it won’t quite hit 1000 feet. Realistically, you can expect a good connection with the HS175 in the 300-400 foot range which is way better than those cheap toy drones.
The HS175 is around $120, which is a good price for a starter drone, and it has some safety features like GPS return home and headless mode which can be helpful for beginners.
Here’s a quick downside to consider though: the HS175 camera shoots in 2K, which isn’t bad, but my Autel Evo 2 shoots in much higher resolution. If super high-quality video isn’t a big deal for you or your friend’s son, then the HS175 is a totally solid choice.
If you wanted to consider a couple of other options that might offer a slightly better video quality and range, here are two that also have brushless motors and manually tiltable cameras:
The DJI Mavic Mini: This is a very popular starter drone, super light and portable, and has a good range of about 2.5 miles. It shoots in 2.7K video.
The Potensic Dreamer: This is another good option, shoots in 4K video, and has a range of about 1,600 feet.
These two will cost a bit more than the HS175, but they might be worth considering if video quality and range are a little more important.
No matter what you choose, flying drones together is a blast. Most importantly, have fun!
The Holy Stone HS175 2K drone appears to be a good fit for your requirements because of its manually tiltable camera, brushless motors, and longer video range than less expensive models. It places a higher priority on safety and enjoyable flight time even if it lacks modern technologies. Prior to buying, make sure it works with your Autel Evo 2 and check reviews for dependability.
