The Best Drones For Beginners

In the many years I’ve been building and flying drones for fun and professionally I’ve helped a lot of people get started for different reasons. Drones open the door to a lot of fun, new kinds of video and photography, and some great bonding experiences, whether that’s with friends or family. Personally I’m lucky enough to have a son old enough to share my passion, and I always get his input, so I can share two perspectives on what makes a fun – and easy – drone for beginners.

DJI Flip

Arguably the best drone for beginners is one you won’t need to replace anytime soon because it’s really good, but is also one you’ll have no difficulties using because it’s simple. The DJI Flips scores highly on both counts.

There is a trend toward ‘selfie drone’ AI – meaning the drone can safely launch from the hand (with guards to protect fingers) and keep the camera on you. The Flip can do that well, and has both voice and simple indicators to let you know what to expect (as well, of course, as an app if you choose to fish your phone out of your pocket).

What sets this further apart, though, is that – while it has that in the bag – it is also a fully equipped drone, with a 1/1.3-inch image sensor capable of excellent 4K HDR video at 60fps, and 48MP Raw images. There is also a real controller supplied with it, and DJI’s radio tech is such that you can have no reasonable worries about range.

Incredibly, too, other worries for beginners – collision, battery life – are also well catered for. This really is an exceptional drone that still, somehow, sneaks under the weight limit despite the safety features.

DJI Neo

This robust little palm-launched drone – without even the vulnerability of folding parts – scores very well for safety, and it’s also very accessibly priced for a DJI drone, yet still has a 4K camera. How do they pull this off?

Partly because the camera output isn’t quite as impressive as that of the more photography/video dedicated devices like the DJI Flip or drones in the Mini series – it actually has a 1-axis gimbal (meaning the camera can only tilt itself one way to compensate for vibrations). This is supported by electronic image stabilization.

DJI, however, has succeeded well with this approach to a steady image in super-fast drones like the Avata 2 FPV drone, and they’ve also brought another massive capability from that drone here. If you choose, you can buy FPV goggles and fly the drone from ‘inside’. FPV is an exciting experience, and the digital version DJI offers is spectacular compared to cheap alternatives.

DJI Mini 4 Pro

I don’t throw 5-star reviews around, or at least not when the spend is this high. Yes, this isn’t a cheap option, but it might be the only drone you ever need. It has an excellent 4K camera which can capture up to 100fps at that resolution, it stays under the 250g weight threshold, and the stills are striking too.

It is still a great contender for best beginner drone because it has all-round collision sensing so it will do a lot to protect its own existence. It can see objects and stop to avoid them in the air, which can save a lot of money and even minor injuries. It even boasts the ability to fly around obstacles and keep on going – and despite this, it manages to stay below the frustrating weight threshold.

The Mini 4 Pro, like the Mini 3 before it, has a rotating camera that will help capture people and social-media content without any resolution loss or time spent cropping into a horizontal image for vertical social media. For some this might be the feature that sells the drone alone.

I’m also a big fan of the fact DJI offers a choice of controllers – none (if you already have one), one that uses your phone, or one with a built-in display. There is also the option of ignoring the weight rules and fitting a longer-lasting battery. In other words, although it’s a high price of entry, this drone might be the only one you need for a long time – professional flexibility in the ultra-light category.

Potensic A20 Mini Drone

This Potensic A20 Mini Drone is perfect for kids and beginners, complete with two rechargeable batteries and a controller. I’ve had fun with drones like this, and while the Potensic A20 might not come with any photo or video capabilities, it’s a great option for those looking for a durable and affordable option that won’t be at risk of breakage from small, clumsy hands!

Featuring Altitude Hold and One Key Taking off/ Landing, every aspect of the Potensic A20 Mini Drone is designed to be simple to use, no matter whether you’re introducing a kid to drones, or you’re a beginner yourself. As our reviewer James Abbot put it, it’s a good example of “less is more.”

One of my favorite aspects of the drone is its Headless Mode. Ordinarily, the forward direction of a flying drone is the same as the nose direction. However, Headless Mode means that the forward direction will be the same as your transmitter. This is particularly useful for kids or beginners who might not be quite au faith with some of the trickier aspects of piloting a drone.

BetaFpv X FPV Cetus Kit

Piloting a drone via goggles which give you the virtual cockpit experience is useful for many sub-styles, including racing, stunts, and the cinewhoop. As a beginner (to be honest, even as an experienced drone pilot) the world of FPV can be bewildering; you need a traditional radio controller, goggles (often analog), and most of the time you need to build a drone yourself, which means familiarizing yourself with motor types and manual battery charging.

You could buy a book, and dive into the message boards. You could find a hobbyist to do it for you. Or you could get a ready-to-fly (RTF) kit. Sure it might not impress some, but it’s cheaper, it works, and the controller will do all the same stuff – and work with your next drone too.

I say this – the fact you can do it means there is clearly a market for it, and even if you get into the self-build community, why not get the skills down first?

I especially appreciated the addition of a beginner-friendly altitude hold option (hover & auto-land) sensor, which is not usually found in small enthusiast drones (and wasn’t there on my first FPV drone (which, as a result, I crashed a few times!).