The best drones for beginners

For a touch over £150, the Nikko 8996 drone is one of the best devices you can buy in this price range. It's a speedy devil with a top speed of over 25 miles per hour with three flight modes for beginners and advanced pilots alike.

The drone comes with an LCD screen on its remote and a really cool pair of FPV goggles, so you can get an up-close-and-personal view during flights. In fact, this drone uses a 5.8 GHz analog transmission and true FPV without the delays of WiFi.

This drone is also highly durable and flexible, so don't let that inexpensive price point fool you into thinking that this drone is cheap — it can handle robust flying action. And for good reason: it's for beginners, and novice pilots crash all the time. 

The Potensic ATOM SE drone is equipped with a 4K camera, GPS, FPV, and lots more other impressive functions. It might even seem too advanced for beginners, but its for anyone who wants to get a feel for what drones are capable of.

There’s another good reason, too, especially if you want something that gives you plenty of flying time without the fuss: more than an hour of flying time between its two batteries.

Under the GPS mode, the drone flies whilst automatically recording the flying route. It can also find its way home. As for the quality of footage, the 4K resolution is bolstered by ShakeVanish technology, which keeps the image smooth. It's not messing around either. There’s a fast take-off option for getting started straight away, plus a sport mode that goes from 0 to 16 m/s in under 3 seconds.

The Potensic ATOM SE is a slightly more expensive option compared to some of the other models on this list, but the wide range of features make it good value.

The Holy Stone HS510 drone is a great introduction to aerial photography, thanks to its intelligent flight modes, intuitive handling, and an HD camera. It’s also lightweight and easy to pack away, with foldable arms and propeller blades. 

What really impresses — especially at this price — is what this can do once it’s in the air. Indeed, it has a very nice range of features.

With the nifty Holy Stone app you can control it using voice commands. Its gravity sensor also connects to your phone, while beaming real-time footage to your phone at the same time. If that’s not enough, this drone also boasts headless mode, two speed modes, and two batteries that give you around 40 minutes of flight time altogether.

If there’s a downside it’s the 1080p camera, which can’t match the quality of 4K-ready drones. But think of this as an introduction to aerial photography. It’s certainly got a beginner-friendly price, which makes picking up an intro model all the more viable.

Some drone enthusiasts rate the DJI Mini 2 as the best beginner’s drone. It’s small, foldable, and ultralight. It fits in the palm of your hand and weighs just 249 grams, which is especially handy. That’s a gram below the CAA’s regulation weight.

The first thing to notice, other than the size, is the excellent camera, which shoots in 1080p and 4K. Not to mention excellent quality still photos. A 4X Zoom feature means you'll get perfect shots from a safe distance. And you can upload directly to social media.

It has a level 5 wind resistance and a 3-axis gimbal that ensures all footage remains consistently smooth. It also uses Ocusync 2.0 video transmission, which allows the DJI Mini 2 to switch between frequencies, and supports up to 6 miles of HD video. It's about as hi-tech as a mini drone gets.

The Ryze Tello has a cool feature that makes it especially good for newbies: It can be easily programmed via an app for both indoor and outdoor flying. And the up, down, right, left-style controls will be very familiar to gamers. Though you can also get it flying with its “Throw and Go” feature. Just chuck it up into the air.

The palm-sized drone is extremely light and portable — seriously, this little superstar will fit in your pocket — but it also packs in impressive photography skills. It comes with a 720p/5mp camera that streams footage to a device within WiFi range of 100 metres, while an EZ Shots function snaps pro level footage. Just choose from Circle, 360, and Up options. The transmission is extra stable thanks to two aerials.

If it’s tricks you want, the Ryze Tello is your pal — it can fly up and down in your palm when put into Bounce Mode, and performs flips when you swipe the app.

In the drone world, FPV (first person view) is its very own thing — and the BetaFpv FPV Cetus Kit is the perfect way to get you started. 

FPV is unlike regular drone action. In terms of spec and build, they’re pretty much the same thing. But instead of controlling from the ground, you control via a live transmission of the drone’s point-of-view. The onboard camera beams the live POV video directly to your smartphone or goggles for a VR-like experience.

The kit includes the drone itself — a lightweight brushed quadcopter — plus a controller/transmitter, and goggles. Not to mention batteries and a charger.

There are nifty features, such as Altitude Hold, which keeps the drone hovering in the same position when your hands are off the controller, and Self Protection. This ensures a safe emergency landing if the drone gets into trouble or runs out of juice.

Drones are used for all sorts of reasons. Racing, photography, and filmmaking, for instance. But if you’re buying a beginner’s drone cheaply, there’s surely one reason above all others: good old-fashioned fun.

That’s where the Potensic A20 Mini Drone comes into play — a kid-friendly, easy-to-control quadcopter that delivers hours of entertainment. Though that will require several changes of its rechargeable batteries. 

It's a budget model but still manages to cram in some entertaining features. Altitude Hold will keep it hovering in one spot, while Headless Mode allows you to fly in any direction. There’s also a one button take-off that gets you up and away instantly. 

The kids are sure to love the bright and colourful design, too. In fact, there are three different colours to consider — red, green, and yellow.