What Are the Best Drones for Beginners?

The best drones for beginners are typically reliable, safe, reasonably priced, and, most importantly, easy to fly.

Whether the drone is intended for aerial videography or aerial photography, there are several options available for beginners.

Are you looking for the best drones to use as you start out flying them? Here, we review a few options with regard to pricing, ease of use, reliability, and other essential factors. 

Here's a list of beginner drones that could be the perfect start to your drone flying journey:

Autel Robotics EVO Nano+ is a great drone for new pilots. Small and easy to learn how to fly, the Nano+ is ideal for beginners looking to explore 4K HDR drone flying, thanks to its user-friendly design and advanced features. Weighing only 249 grams (8.8 ounces) and with a foldable, compact build, it’s easy to carry and fits anywhere. Its 1/1.28-inch CMOS sensor in a 3-axis gimbal captures stunning 50 megapixel (MP) images and 4K 30p videos, while the dual PDAF+CDAF autofocusing system ensures fast-moving objects stay in focus, even in low light.

Best for: Capturing 4K HDR video

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The DJI Air 2S is one of the best starter drones, particularly in low-light conditions, thanks to its Hyperlight feature that optimizes photos for enhanced clarity and reduced noise. Equipped with a 1-inch image sensor and large 2.4 μm pixels, it can capture stunning 5.4K/30 fps and 4K/60 fps video. The drone's 10-bit Dlog-M color profile records up to 1 billion colors, ensuring rich detail and vibrant footage even in dim environments. The drone is easy to fly, even for new drone pilots who are taking to the skies for their first flight.

Best for: Low-light conditions

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If you are a new drone pilot looking for speed, the DJI FPV is the drone for you. The DJI FPV drone offers an unparalleled immersive flight experience with the DJI FPV Goggles V2 or DJI Goggles Integra, providing a super-wide 150-degree field of view for ultra-smooth, real-time visuals. It captures stunning 4K/60 fps video at up to 120 Mbps, ensuring crisp and detailed footage that matches the thrill of flight. Compliant with FAA Remote ID rules, the DJI FPV includes features like an auxiliary bottom light, Smart Return to Home (RTH), Low Battery RTH, and forward and downward obstacle sensing to enhance safety, even at high speeds.

Best for: High-speed flying

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Become an FAA-Certified Drone Pilot to Fly for Commercial Use

There are many excellent online courses, such as Altitude University and the Pilot Institute, to help you learn the material and pass the FAA’s Part 107 exam.

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The HOVERAir X1 is a flying camera perfect for beginners looking to familiarize themselves with drones. It is an intelligent follow-me camera drone that uses advanced tracking algorithms to seamlessly follow and capture your movements at speeds up to 15 mph, making it perfect for activities like cycling and skateboarding. The HOVERAir X1 incorporates advanced Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) technology alongside a Time-of-Flight (ToF) laser altitude determination system, enabling precise control with centimeter-level accuracy. This sophisticated combination allows for smooth and seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor flying environments.

Best for: Both indoor and outdoor capturing

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Most drones are essentially flying cameras, and if you are looking for a drone to take complex shots as a beginner, look no further than the DJI Air 3. This drone captures breathtaking, immersive shots with its dual cameras, offering creative focal-length options perfect for travel photography. Compliant with FAA Remote ID regulations, it ensures safe and worry-free flying with omnidirectional obstacle sensing, even in challenging environments like forests. The drone records stunning 4K/60 fps HDR videos and impressive 48 MP images, allowing for high-quality crops that reveal surprising details.

Best for: Taking complex shots

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You can find less expensive drones than the DJI MINI 4K, but none that match its quality and value. The DJI Mini 4K is an excellent choice for new flyers. It captures stunning 4K Ultra HD video with a 3-axis gimbal, ensuring cinematic-quality footage in various lighting conditions. With a 10 km maximum HD video transmission range and Level 5 wind resistance, this drone offers stable flights and clear video transmission, even in challenging environments. Additionally, it is beginner-friendly with one-tap takeoff/landing, GPS Return to Home, and intelligent QuickShots, making it easy for novices to create professional-level videos.

Best for: Affordability

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Drones are unmanned aircraft remotely controlled using software-controlled flight plans. Technically, they are aerial robots flown autonomously using GPS and onboard sensors.

A drone offers two primary functions: navigation and flight mode. You need a power source, which is usually a battery, to fly a drone. Drones also include propellers, rotors, a frame, and a controller. The controller allows aircraft to launch, navigate, and land remotely. Drones connect to the controller using radio waves like wifi. The frames are typically lightweight to reduce the overall weight and enhance maneuverability.

Before buying a drone, you must consider several factors, especially as a beginner. While your choice should primarily depend on your needs and perceived expertise, below is a comprehensive guide on other major factors you should consider. 

You must consider and choose the drone which best suits your budget. However, ensure you do not prioritize price over other essential factors. It is generally believed, though not entirely true, that low-priced drones are made of low-quality materials. Therefore, you should choose drones that are reasonably priced for the amount you are able to spend.

The primary use of a drone is to take amazing videos and images. Therefore, you must prioritize the camera quality, including the camera specifications, frame rate, shutter speed, image stabilization, and aperture. These factors and more are instrumental to determining the quality of photos and videos you can take.

Your drone’s camera resolution should be between 2.7K and 4K to achieve brilliant cinematic effects. Generally, full HD (FHD) 1080 pixels is just perfect for beginners. With that resolution, you can capture amazing holiday or home videos and photos.

The battery life of your drone is also an essential factor to consider. Even the best drones barely surpass 30-minute flight times. Therefore, you can also consider carrying an extra power source whenever needed. Consider the cost of spare batteries when making a drone purchase. 

Getting the correct licensing for flying a drone in the U.S. is extremely easy. All you have to do is be at least 16, read, speak, write, and understand English, be physically and mentally able to safely fly a drone, and pass the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small (UAG) test. That is not the end, however, because different states and even towns will have different rules and regulations regarding flying drones. 

CAA, commonly regarded as a drone license, serves as formal permission to fly a drone in the United Kingdom. Before flying a drone, ensure that you are compliant with U.K. regulations, and most importantly, safety. Where and how you want to use your drone also matters, as it determines the certification required. Regardless, ensure you are able to legally fly before choosing a drone.

Generally, it is easier to find the spare parts of more popular drones. Access to spare parts is important—you will always need them. Therefore, ensure you choose a drone with readily available spare parts. Besides reducing ownership costs, prioritizing this factor ensures your drone spends more time in the air than in repair shops. These spare parts include landing gear, propellers, batteries, motors, controllers, and others.

Flying a drone can feel frustrating at first because it will take some practice. As strange as it may sound to some people, playing video games can help you improve your dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Take the time to learn how to fly safely to not somehow hurt yourself, others, and especially not your drone. 

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How much does a decent drone cost?

You can find drones starting at $20 and going up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Drones below $100 are typically low-quality toys. Look to spend at least $250 on a decent beginner drone.

Is it hard to learn to fly a drone?

No. If you purchase one of the drones in our list, you will find it is easy to learn to fly drones.

How do I practice flying drones?

Many users fly their drones immediately after unboxing. You may also need to watch some YouTube videos, try a software simulator, or consult other online training materials.