Flying Time

What to Consider:

• Average Flight Time: Entry-level drones typically offer flight times ranging between 10 and 30 minutes per battery charge. High-end models may provide longer durations. The remote or phone app will often signal a warning when the drone’s battery level is low, and many drones will return to home and land automatically. This allows the pilot to change over to a fully charged battery and quickly resume flying (this is why it’s recommended to carry more than one battery).

• Usage Needs: Consider what you’ll be using your drone for, as this will influence how long you need the flying time to be. If you’re mainly looking to develop your skills or grab a few aerial photographs, you might be more comfortable with shorter flight times. Longer flights may be more beneficial for activities like aerial videography, surveying large areas or buildings, or extended recreational flying.

• Spare Batteries: Consider purchasing additional batteries to extend your flying sessions. These will allow you to swap out depleted batteries for fresh ones. Many drones will come with more than one battery in a pack.

Flight Range

What to Consider:

• Control Range: The flight range refers to the maximum distance a drone can travel from the controller while maintaining a stable connection. Entry-level drones usually have a range of 50 to 100 meters, while advanced models can reach several kilometres.

• Purpose and Environment: If you’re looking to photograph or video large areas, it’s worth opting for a model with a longer range. Please note: it’s important to be aware that certain obstacles like buildings and large trees can affect signal strength, so always be aware of your surroundings.

• Regulations: Drone restrictions are complicated and can differ from place to place, and time to time (for example, specific restrictions may apply to certain areas only when large crowds are present), so it’s important to check your local regulations to see which ones apply to you. For more detailed information on drone laws and regulations, see the Laws Around Flying Drones section of this buying guide.

Camera Quality

What to Consider:

• Resolution: Look for drones with at least 1080p resolution for video and 12 megapixels for photos. Cheaper, unbranded drones may seem more appealing due to their lower price points, but the cameras are often of inferior quality which will only lead to disappointment when you sit down excitedly to check your footage and find the breathtaking beach you spent all afternoon capturing is now a pixilated mess! If you’re looking for stunning 4k footage and higher megapixel counts, it’s worth looking at some of the mid- to high-end models.

• Stabilisation: This is a feature that utilises a built-in gimbal or electronic stabilisation to help the drone capture smooth footage with minimal shake – particularly useful on windy days or for reducing camera shake when changing directions.

• Field of View: A wider field of view will help the drone’s camera capture more of the scene. This can be beneficial if you’re interested in landscape photography as it will help you grab more of those captivating views.

• Additional Features: More expensive drones benefit from advanced camera functions such as adjustable apertures, zoom, and even a follow-me setting (this is useful for content creators as it can lead to more professional, TV production-like shots when presenting travelogues and other videos).

Maintenance

What to Consider:

• Regular Checks: Perform regular checks on your drone's propellers, motors, batteries and battery connections to ensure they’re in good working order (most drones allow you to swap out worn or damaged propellers for new ones).

• Firmware Updates: Check regularly for any firmware updates from your drone's respective brand. This will ensure you always benefit from the very latest features, improvements and bug fixes.

• Cleaning: By taking the time to clean your drone after each flight it can prevent any debris, dust or sand from affecting its performance (especially important if you’ve been flying your drone at a beach).

• Storage: Store the drone in a cool, dry place and always remember to remove the batteries if you don’t plan on using it for an extended period.

GPS

What to Consider:

• Navigation and Stability: GPS-equipped drones offer better navigation and stability, allowing for precise hovering and return-to-home functions.

• Advanced Features: GPS enables features like waypoint navigation, geofencing, and follow-me modes, enhancing the drone's functionality and ease-of-use.

• Safety: GPS can improve safety by helping the drone maintain its position in windy conditions and automatically returning to its take-off point if the connection is lost.

Batteries

What to Consider:

• Battery Type: Most drones use lithium-polymer (LiPo) batteries. These are particularly lightweight and ideal for use with drones. It’s always worth checking that your drone uses reliable and safe battery technology.

• Charging Time: Consider the time it takes to recharge your drone batteries. Some models offer fast-charging batteries, which can be convenient if you have limited time between flights.

• Battery Life: Over time, after repeated charges, batteries can lose capacity, so it’s worth checking the lifespan of your drone’s batteries to understand their potential charge cycle and how often they may need replacing.

Speed

What to Consider:

• Maximum Speed: Drones vary in speed. Consumer models typically hit speeds of around 45 mph, with the more expensive models capable of reaching over 70 mph. Even faster are racing drones. Built primarily for speed, these can top 100 mph – imagine how much skill is needed to pilot one of those!

• Control and Stability: If you do opt for a faster drone, it’s worth noting that higher speeds often require greater skill to control, so if speed is a priority for you, ensure the drone has good stabilisation features.

• Adjustable Speed Modes: Many drones offer different speed modes. This is useful for beginners as it allows you to start at slower speeds and then gradually get faster as you gain confidence and skills.

Sizes

What to Consider:

• Rules and Regulations: One of the most important things to know is that the rules and regulations differ slightly depending on whether your drone weighs 250g or more, or less than 250g. You can learn more about these differences by referring to the Laws Around Flying Drones section, below.

• Portability: Smaller drones are perfect for casual use due to their portability that makes them easy to carry from place to place.

• Stability and Performance: Larger drones often provide superior stability and performance, particularly in windy conditions, and will typically have more advanced features.

• Intended Use: Consider the intended use when choosing a size. Compact drones are great for indoor use and quick flights, while larger drones are better suited for professional photography and outdoor exploration.

Best Drone for Beginners

Specifications

• Take off/land with one tap

• Stable Hovering

• Return-to-home function

• QuickShots for automatic shooting of 4K video

• 10km ultra-long video transmission

• 3-Axis gimbal ensures smooth and stable imagery

• 4x Zoom for easy adjustment of distance when shooting HD videos

• Maximum battery life of 31 minutes

Best Drone for Enthusiasts

Specifications

• Maximum speed of 16 metres per second

• Maximum flying height of 4000 metres

• 58 minutes charging time for 34 minutes flying time

• Built-in camera 48MP and 4K video

• Internal storage capacity 2GB

Best Drone for Photographers

Specifications

• 1-inch-CMOS primary camera and a 70mm medium tele camera

• Air 3S captures landscapes, portraits, and more in stunning detail

• Nightscape obstacle sensing and next-gen Smart Return To Home for enhanced safety during night time photography

• Dual-camera system consists of a 1-inch-CMOS primary camera and a 1/1.3-inch-CMOS medium tele camera

• The primary camera integrates a 50MP 1-inch CMOS sensor, supporting 4K/60fps HDR and 4K/120fps video recording as well as 10-bit D-Log M colour mode

• The medium tele camera, with its 48MP 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor, supports the same video specs and colour modes as the primary camera.

• Both the primary camera and medium tele camera of DJI Air 3S offer Free panorama mode, letting you create seamless panoramic shots by stitching together multiple images with a manually selected subject or area.

Best Drone for Children

Specifications

• Palm takeoff and landing

• AI subject tracking

• Quickshots

• Multiple control options

• 4k ultra-stabilised video

• Full-coverage propeller guards

Laws Around Flying Drones

The individual laws around drone flight in the UK are too numerous to list in this buying guide, and for a detailed breakdown of the regulations in your area we recommend looking at the official website of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which can be found here: https://www.caa.co.uk/drones/rules-and-categories-of-drone-flying