Drones are cool and they are not going away any time soon. Drone is the popular name given to the new toys in town whose real name is actually quad copter. Whatever you call them, they are here to stay and they now come in different shapes, sizes, colors, specs and prices.
A simple search of the word ‘drones’ on Amazon will give you an idea of the number of different drones on the market right now.
Like a phone or any other electronic you buy, there are some important features you need to consider before choosing which drone to buy. Here are some of the major things to look at when looking for a drone(quad copter).
Flying Experience:
For beginners, it’s usually a good idea to buy the cheapest drone on the market. There are drones as cheap as $18 on Amazon. This is almost a negligible price price given that you will get a feel of what flying a drone is all about. All you’re getting here is a drone and a controller and most importantly the flying experience. For around $50 u might get a drone that’s faster and has a decent camera.
More experienced users who know how to fly can go for more advanced droned at $300-$400. These droned have higher speeds, better cameras, more advanced controllers and are usually larger with larger batteries and accessories.
Power users are professionals with drones. If you’re are really good at drones and may want to use it commercially then you need the best. The most stable drones with the best specs. The best drones in the market include the DJI Mavic Pro at around $1000.
Price:
Price always matters. There are quad copters starting from $2 all the way to around $2000 even on Amazon. As usual the more pricey gadgets are the cooler ones with better specs and design. It’s up to you to find a balance between what specs you want vs ho much you are willing to cough out of your pocket.
Flight Time:
Flight time depends on the type of battery you have on your drone and the amount of power your drone uses. The greater the specs, the more battery the drone consumes. Bigger drones usually have bigger batteries which helps with flying time. You can get a range of 3-5 minutes for the shortest flying times to 23-30 minutes for the most advanced drones.
Range:
Range is basically how far the drone can fly. Check the flying range of any drone before you buy it. The more advanced and expensive a drone is, the bigger the flying range is usually.
Speed:
Drones have different speeds and you should consider this depending on what you want to use the drone for. Drones are known to reach speeds of over 100km/h. Drones used to shoot movie scenes should be faster than drones bought just for fun.
On board Camera:
Most drones have cameras on them that send live video feed to the controller or just record and save footage and photos on an sd card. The type and specs of the on board camera determine what it will be used for and obviously, the price. The cameras ranger from simple 2MP cameras to full HD 4k resolution cameras.
Size and Design
Size matters! Drones range from palm size drones to others that need a car just to move it around. If you are a learner, the smaller he drone, the better. Some drones are also designed with foldable arms to fit in your pocket and others have to be carried in a back pack. When looking o buy a drone, think about how you’ll be moving it from one point to another.
Among other things to look out for like durability, color, shape e.t.c.., these are the main bell ringers. If you get these right, then you have the drone right, 9 times out of 10.