Best Drones for Beginners
Looking for the best drones for beginners? You’ve come to the right place. There are hundreds of drones on the market for those who are just starting out and it’s a bit of a minefield to know what to look for.
All of the beginner drones below are relatively easy to use. The technology behind drones has moved on a lot over the past few years and even beginner drones can do some spectacular things once you get used to them.
One of the main drawbacks of these drones is the battery life. None of the drones below will fly for more than about 10 minutes so it’s well worth buying spare batteries. One or two of those below come with 2 batteries, but even then if you’re looking for a decent flying time you’ll need 4 or 5 batteries to keep you going. All of the drones below have spares available from the manufacturers and some come with some spares included.
Don’t forget that drones have very fast moving parts and can be dangerous when not used in the right environment. We recommend that drones are only ever used under adult supervision and by ages 14+. Before you buy your drone it’s also worth reading our what you should know before buying a drone guide.
- 96%
This is a nice looking drone which normally retails above the beginner category, but you might well get it below £100. If you do it’s excellent value for money. It’s shown in red here, but is also available in black.
It has a 720p HD First Person View camera which enables you to take video and photos with your mobile device. Also has a useful altitude hold feature which is extremely handy for beginners and helps with stability. As with most in our top ten it also has a headless mode – so you can fly it in any direction. Furthermore, it has another useful feature for newbies and that’s the return feature. So you press a button and it will return to you – no lost drones!
Well worthy of our number one best drone for beginners!
- Dimensions: 31 x 31 x 9 cm
- Weight: 122g
- Batteries: 1 lithium
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: Holy Stone
- Item model number: FJ007-Red
2. DROCON Cyclone X708W WIFI FPV Version Drone
- Overall score 95%
A really good all round low cost drone for beginners is this one from Drocon. Not as much as the Holy Stone. So if you’re on a tighter budget this will be a good choice. Made from good quality materials this drone offers excellent value for money and is our well deserved number 2 best drone for beginners!
Real-time wifi transmission from the onboard 720p camera. Can provide live video feed in HD straight to your mobile device. A really useful feature is the one key return. Hit a button and your drone will return to you – so no problems with losing it.
Charge time is 80 minutes and for 8-9 minutes of flying. Control range is around 80 metres.
Headless means there is no front or back and that really helps beginners with controlling the drone.
- Dimensions: 19 x 19 x 6 cm
- Weight: 105g
- Batteries:1 lithium
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: Drocon
- Item model number: X708W
3. DBPower U818A Wi-Fi Drone
- Overall score 92%
A great all round, indoor and outdoor, fun drone for beginners. The drone is about 34cm x 34cm and weighs 150g. Can be controlled up to 100 metres and has a battery flying time of 6-9 minutes. However, it comes with 2 batteries so with a quick changeover you can be flying again for double the time. Lots of cool features. HD camera 720p with First Person View – you can view live video and photos via a compatible mobile device while flying.
It has headless mode which means there is no front or back as such – that makes flying for beginners easier. There is an alarm which alerts you to when the battery is low and there are LED lights for night flying.
- Dimensions: 34 x 33 x 9.2 cm
- Weight: 158g
- Batteries: 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (2 included)
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: db DBPOWER
- Item model number: U818A WIFI
- Overall score 89%
Like many of the better low cost drones this one can be directed by either a phone app or by direct control. It will work with both android and apple smartphones. Comes with a wifi HD camera at 720p resolution.
Altitude Hold. You can release the throttle stick and the drone will keep the current height. One key take off and landing, super easy to fly & easy to shoot quality images or videos with WIFI Real-Time HD camera. 5-7 minute flying time with an 80 minute recharge. Well worth buying an additional battery so that you can extend your flying time.
This drone can be flown in any direction – there is no head – so no front and back as such. That’s really helpful for beginners.
It has a very stylish, foldable design. The range is 80-100 metres.
- Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.4 x 5.7 cm (unfolded)
- Weight: 126g
- Batteries: 1 x 3.7V 650mAh Li-Polymer
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: TOZO
- Item model number: UKQ1012
- Overall score 85%
This is a great little drone. It comes with a camera with viewing direct from the controller. It is a small drone – fits into the palm of your hand. The footage from the camera can be recorded to an SD card. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor use. 6-axis flight control system with adjustable gyro sensitivity.
- Dimensions: 3.3 x 8.1 x 8.1 cm
- Weight: 354g boxed and 200g unboxed
- Batteries: 1 Lithium Metal batteries required. (included)
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: Hubsan
- Item model number: H107D
- Overall score 82%
This is a slightly larger drone for the price category – definitely not a palm drone at around 30cm by 30cm. The X5C includes the camera – the X5 does not have the camera. 2MP camera for video and photos. 90 minutes charging time for around 7 minutes flying use. Range of about 50 metres. The 6-axis gyro system helps with stability. Has flashing lights. Can be used indoor or out, although to be honest it is on the large size for most indoor use.
- Dimensions: 30 x 30 x 9 cm
- Weight: 900g
- Batteries: 1 lithium included
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: Syma
- Item model number: X5C
- Overall score 81%
A good sized drone for a relatively low price. The size helps with stability making it a good beginner choice. There is a built in 2 mega pixel camera which can produce 720p photos. Low res video footage also. Has 2 speeds and a recharge time of 60 minutes. 6-9 minutes of flying time from a full charge.
- Dimensions: 33 x 34 x 5.5cm
- Weight: 440g
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: Denver Electronics
- Item model number: DVC-330
8. Rabing Foldable FPV RC Quadcopter With HD Wifi Dual Camera
- Overall score 80%
Quadcopter with wifi camera. Top and bottom cameras. Charge time is ok at 80-100 minutes and the battery flying time is 8-10 minutes.
A useful foldable aerofoil that won’t break the bank.
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: Rabing
- Overall score 75%
This drone comes with a 0.3MP HD camera. First Person View from your mobile. Has LED lights for night flying. 5-7 minutes of flying from one charge, although the charge time is quite long at 130 minutes – so you’ll definitely need extra batteries. This one rounds off our best drones for beginners.
- Dimensions: 33 x 33 x 11 cm
- Weight: 499g
- Batteries: 1 lithium
- Recommended age: 14 years and up, but must be used under the direct supervision of an adult
- Manufacturer: MKT
- Item model number: X5HW
