Best Hobby Drones
After conducting thorough research on multiple drones, my top recommendation for the best hobby drone is the DJI Mavic Pro 2. DJI outshines other brands when it comes to long battery life, responsive controls, and high altitudes. Learn more about it and explore the rest of the top 5 best hobby drones below.
Best Hobby Drones for 2024:
Best Hobby Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2
- See the bigger picture: equipped with a...
- Please Update the firmware version of...
- Up to 31 minutes flight time, 44 mph max...
- Functions include active track 2.0,...
- With fly More kit: comes with 2 extra...
The DJI Mavic Pro 2 is a must-have for drone purists because of how wonderful it is. In fact, it is one of the most popular consumer-type drones available thanks to its easy and responsive controls, excellent VR drone head tracking, long 30-minute battery life and high altitude of up to 8km. Of course, it is quite expensive but once you have the Mavic Pro 2, you wouldn’t want to settle for anything else since this is arguably the epitome of casual/professional drones. But if you are a beginner, I highly suggest looking somewhere else as this drone takes a lot of time to get used to.
Best Value Hobby Drone: DJI Mavic Mini
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- 12MP / 2. 7K Quad HD 3-Axis Gimbal...
- Up to 30 Minutes of Flight Time
- Stream HD Video from up to 2. 5 Miles
Considered as the budget-friendlier version of the Mavic Pro 2, the DJI Mavic Mini is more convenient to use both at home and outdoors. It is also significantly cheaper compared to DJI’s flagship drone and also has limited features. While the Mavic Mini does not include a 4K camera, its 2.7K HD still lights up beautifully whether you are taking pictures from outside or getting a selfie in the comfort of your own house. It is also much better beginner drone since the configurations are more limited and controls include a simple mode in case you have no prior droning experience.
Best Budget Hobby Drone: Eachine E58
- Take HD pictures and videos, enjoy FPV...
- Can be carried around & Replaceable...
- It's easy for everyone to fly the drone:...
- 3D flip & one key return & Headless mode...
- APP controls have super cool functions:...
The Eachine E58 includes almost the same features as the DJI Mavic Pro: the same foldability, the same remote control support, and the same overall design. Best of all, the Eachine E58 costs incredibly cheaper than the Mavic Pro. Above all, it just does not perform like a knock-off but more like a direct competitor of DJI that targets consumers who want an easy drone that costs a lot less. As such, this is the best hobby drone you can get - the Eachine E58 has high wind resistance, great battery life, and easy accessibility, all under a very good price.
Best Hobby Drone for Features: Snaptain A15
- 【Foldable and Easy to Carry】Foldable...
- 【HD pictures & Videos and FPV...
- 【Intelligent Voice Control...
- 【Appealing Fly-by-Trajectory】Draw a...
- 【Multiple Flight Modes & Double Flight...
If you like your drone full of features, then the Snaptain A15 is your best alternative. There is plenty of great components in the A15: an accurate voice control, a 120° wide-angle 720P HD camera, a trajectory flight, an altitude hold mode, G-Sensor, 3D flips, a headless mode, easy one key return 2 modular batteries and a free mobile app control. Plus, it is quite inexpensive too, just below $100, making you forget about the more expensive competitions. Whether you plan on taking this to flight outdoors or impress your kid or family members at home, the Snaptain A15 takes its course as a smart type of drone.
Best Hobby Drone for Racing: ARRIS X-Speed
- Simple structure frame installed with...
- The tower comes with integrated OSD, no...
- Newly released high efficiency S2205...
The ARRIS X-Speed is an FPV drone that not only flies fast but also includes a high quality camera. The camera is due to the 1200TVL image quality; which makes the drone easy to move day and night, indoor or outdoor. If you aren’t racing, the drone also includes 3 modes to fiddle with: a GPS mode, an Altitude mode and a Manual Mode. The exclusive Knul design guarantees stability for prop installation and it has a cooling system inside to help the ARRIS X-Speed last long. It is filled with plenty of features which makes it ideal for both racing and casual use.
Conclusion (Why I Would Buy It)
There are so many great hobby drones out there, but if I were to settle with just one, I will certainly go with the DJI Mavic Pro 2 because it has everything you need when it comes to piloting a drone (except for racing). If you think the Pro 2 is too expensive for you, you can always go with the much cheaper DJI Mavic Mini; however that is still pricier than other competing brands. If you would like a budget drone that acts like a Mavic Pro 2, your best option is the Eachine E58. But if photography is your thing and you demand lots of features in a drone, you should go for the Snaptain A15. And when it is all about FPV racing, you will want to play with the ARRIS X-Speed drone.
Drone Buying Guide
Camera Quality
If you are using a drone for hobby use, a drone with a 720p camera should be more than enough. That is, of course, you don’t mind your gadgets unoptimized in 4K. But if you prefer a high-definition camera drone, 4K is always a good choice but that can cost a lot. A cheaper option is a 1080p camera drone which are usually more reasonably priced.
Features
This depends on what you want in a drone for hobby purposes but if you want my take on the most vital features, then look up on 4 major components: good battery life (up to at least 15 minutes), a good altitude (max of 121 m since that is the FAA legal altitude), easy maneuverability or simple controls, and a decent camera.
Price
A hobby drone can be from $30 up to $3000, depending on your budget ad if you want the best drone available. If you are just merely looking for fun, go with around $30 to $300. If you are planning to take your hobby to new heights (figuratively), more than $300 will do.
Large or Small
Small drones are more favorable for indoor flights while large is good if you are planning to treat your drone like an advanced kite. Largeness will depend on your purpose. Some large drones like the DJI can be folded in order for you to conveniently bring it anywhere.
Yes, anybody can fly a drone but not everybody can use an advanced drone within just a few hours. Consumer-based drones like the Eachine and Altair are always easy and ready to use while others like the racing type drones need manual configuration first.
The Mavic Pro costs $999 to $1700 depending on where you are buying it from. The biggest discount price it offered was $815 during the last Black Friday. Some would argue that the DJI drone is overpriced; an Apple equivalent in the drone market, if you will. Yet, drone fanatics say that nothing can beat the original, no matter what alternatives you buy that echoes the same as a Mavic Pro.
Not all drones are good for indoor use. If you are planning on getting a decent indoor drone, you should only get a small size like a good nano drone; this can be the size of the palm of your hand or the size of a small puppy. Anything larger than that is usually made for outdoors.
Yes, the DJI Mavic Pro is a drone with 4K resolution and 60 fps under a 20MP camera. Fortunately, there are specific others that can record at such a pace too. Take, for example, the Snaptain A15: this cheaper drone costs less than $100 but it can record at 4K also with some limitations in the overall camera quality.
