Mini Drones are all the rage these days, but how do you know which one you need to pick for your budget and use case?
This is what this article is all about!
I’m not going to list a random series of small drones and say nice things about them and let you pick randomly.
No,no...
In this article you’re going to learn everything you need to know about these types of quadcopters and get to select only one perfect mini drone, as I’ve selected the perfect quadcopter for each category (after a ton of research and hands-on reviews).
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
It’s a bit difficult to objectively categorize them into categories, but I’ve researched all the possible sizes and uses and ended up with 2 final categories I think mini-drones should be split in:
Nano Drones
Cost - This is one of the main advantages of buying a mini drone and paying less means you won’t have that much of a risk when flying it as well as being more suitable for beginners who are more probable to crash.
Battery life - Battery life is a touchy subject for this category of quadcopters, but I tried to select some of the longest flying mini drones I could find
Camera Quality - If you’re looking for your mini drone to have a camera, it better be a good one. Recently we’ve even seen capable 4k cameras in tiny drones like the DJI Mini 2 so size barely seems like a compromise lately.
Durability - For people focusing more on buying a mini drone for beginners, this is an obvious one, as you don’t want it to break apart hitting a wall, and preferably even have some prop guards of some sort.
Wind resistance - If the drone is too tiny, it may not be strong enough to face the wind, so use it only indoors. But if not, make sure it is a brushless motor drone so it’s stronger in the wind.
In this section we’re taking a look at 12 of my best mini drones, each being the top of their own category and suited to a specific use, not just randomly selected. They are all mini drones for sale currently and are from different brands, as I’m not affiliated to any one in particular.
| Mini 2 | Holy Stone | Potensic | TinyHawk | Dji Tello |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 min | 16 min | 6 min | 6 min | 12 min |
| 10 km | 300 m | 60 m | 100 m | 100 m |
| 4k | ~4k | no | FPV | 720p |
| PRO | GPS | starter | racing | selfie |
| $$$ | $$ | $ | $$ | $$ |
| Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
4k
31 min
10 km
GPS
While there is no specific order to this list, if anyone ever wants me to give a quick answer on what the best mini drone is, it would be the DJI Mini 2.
Choosing a drone is always a question of price, and that’s why the Mini 2 isn’t always the perfect choice. However, if you’re looking for a stable camera drone that’s small (and even under 250g) AND you have the cash to pay then don’t even look further.
The DJI Mini 2 is my main drone and in my opinion the top mini drone. I consider it to be professional-level actually in many cases as it takes stunning 4k footage ( impossible to distinguish from the likes of Mavic Air2( as I’ve shown here) and it simply has stunning specs.
It can stay for 31 minutes in the air, which is bonkers, can fly for 10km and it also comes with super stable GPS and bottom facing sensors.
What’s more, it has some of the best wind resistance a drone like this could potentially face and an awesome 3 axis stabilized gimbal.
Seriously, the gap between the DJI Mini 2 and any other drone in its size and weight range is actually huge.
However, keep reading the list to see why I think the other choices are absolutely great too, for their price ranges.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
4k
16 min
300m
GPS
The Holy Stone HS510 is a small drone with HD camera(it’s 4k in fact) and frankly I want to put it high in my recommendations mainly because it’s such an awesome drone overall for the price! It also comes with a very capable camera, solid GPS and it’s under 250g.
What more could you want?
I’ll tell you what more… a 300m range, follow me function (although not the great kind) and a 16 minute battery life (which is really great for the price and size) and 2 batteries in the package for it.
It’s a mini foldable drone that gets really compact and thanks to the brushless motors it can also withstand a wider range of wind speed.
The controller comes with telemetry(means you can see the distance, height, battery without being connected to the phone).
Overall it’s a great Mini camera drone in a great package with solid GPS.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
No cam
6 min
60m
Durable
The Holy Stone HS510 is a small drone with HD camera(it’s 4k in fact) and frankly I want to put it high in my recommendations mainly because it’s such an awesome drone overall for the price! It also comes with a very capable camera, solid GPS and it’s under 250g.
What more could you want?
I’ll tell you what more… a 300m range, follow me function (although not the great kind) and a 16 minute battery life (which is really great for the price and size) and 2 batteries in the package for it.
It’s a mini foldable drone that gets really compact and thanks to the brushless motors it can also withstand a wider range of wind speed.
The controller comes with telemetry(means you can see the distance, height, battery without being connected to the phone).
Overall it’s a great Mini camera drone in a great package with solid GPS.
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D I S A D V A N T A G E S
FPV
6 min
100 m
with Goggles
Although this may not look like a complete beginner drone (because it actually has some solid racing specs), it is in fact a beginner's mini FPV drone and a great one at that!
It’s basically a complete FPV package with FPV Goggles, a brushless whoop drone with an awesome camera and specs for an incredibly good price.
It supports both 1s and 2s batteries, depending on how fast you want to fly and comes with inverted motors and a cage all around it for proper protection when you fly it indoors.
Thanks to the powerful brushless motors, this thing can definitely do an outstanding job even when flying outdoors in stronger wind.
The drone itself weighs 32g without a battery, so it’s well under the drone weight limits for registration.
Again, this is probably the best 1s indoor racer you can get for the price in that package, and it works with advanced software like Betaflight as well as working with any FPV goggles or change of transmitter.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
720p
12 min
100 m
Img Stabilized
Although this may not look like a complete beginner drone (because it actually has some solid racing specs), it is in fact a beginner's mini FPV drone and a great one at that!
It’s basically a complete FPV package with FPV Goggles, a brushless whoop drone with an awesome camera and specs for an incredibly good price.
It supports both 1s and 2s batteries, depending on how fast you want to fly and comes with inverted motors and a cage all around it for proper protection when you fly it indoors.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
~4k
16 min
250 m
Img GPS
Yet another amazing camera drone for the money, this time even cheaper than the one before, holystone h510, but with very similar specs.
If your budget is around $100 and you’re looking for a drone that has good range, GPS, and a solid camera, you can’t get better than this.
It’s also a foldable camera drone so it does make it into the most portable category too.
It comes with a 16 minute flight time, GPS return to home, and even 4k footage, although the footage itself is more like 1080p quality.
The motors this time are brushed, the less powerful kind, so you’d have to compromise a bit for paying this price, but it still comes with some outstanding specs otherwise.
We’re taking follow me, return to home and altitude hold.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
4k
31 min
10 km
GPS
The best mini travel drone is none other than the DJI Mini 2 yet again. There’s really no competition here, as if you want to capture some amazing shots of the places you go to, you need a pretty capable camera drone.
The mini 2 fits the small profile, low weight and super stable footage you need for this job, so if you have the money to invest in a tiny compact travel drone, this is the way to go.
As mentioned above, this quadcopter is competing with $1000 drones and you can’t even tell the difference. You can take 4k photos and 100mbps 4k footage that would impress anyone.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
None
10 min
30 m
sensors
If you want your kid to discover a cool hobby and share it with their friends, yet he/she is too young to let them fly by themselves, then try this.
The hand operated drone (for which you can find a couple of models on amazon), is one of the easiest ways to play indoors with a mini drone.
All you have to do is put your hand opposite to the direction you want it to go and it will detect it thanks to its sensors and actually fly that way.
This is more fun than you might think, especially if you find a great working one.
A D V A N T A G E S
D I S A D V A N T A G E S
In this final section, we're taking a look at some specific questions that people ask me, which might also be useful to you.
Are small drones legal?
In the US as in most other countries you are free to fly any drone under 250 grams without need for registration, which makes most of the drones on this list legal to fly. However, before buying a mini drone, even though it might seem small, ensure it is actually within this weight range.
If you’re flying any drone indoors, it’s perfectly safe to do so.What are small drones used for?
Mini drones are used for a variety of reasons from learning how to fly indoors to outdoors photography and taking 4k video with the likes of the DJI Mini 2.Can a mini drone be used indoors?
Yes, a mini drone can be used indoors as well as outdoors, but make sure it is small enough and it has protective gear so if you hit the walls there isn’t going to be any damage.How much does a mini drone cost?
If you’re wondering How much you should pay for a mini drone, know that it greatly varies between less than $20 to upwards of $500 or more for professional mini camera drones.
