For years, consumer drones were essentially separated into two groups. There are the super-cheap (and also super flimsy) drones that will fly for about five minutes on a full charge, and then the more hardcore-oriented drones that cost upward of $1,000, but are fully stocked with all the features you’d want including HD camera, GPS, and long-range radio controllers. These days, there are more options on the market, and even cheaper drones have lots of cool features. The best drones under $500 boast stuff like 4K cameras, obstacle avoidance systems, and indoor tracking.
If you’re a novice to droning — or if you’re looking to buy for someone who fits that description — chances are you don’t need to drop thousands on a top-shelf model. We’ve found tons of cheaper selections that’ll make for perfect introductions to the field, or just fun toys for weekend use. We’ll also make recommendations based on different user types and drone activities, so you can rest assured you’ll find the best drone available for what you’re looking to do. Enjoy!
Yuneec Breeze
Why should you buy this: It shoots fantastic pics and videos, and is also highly portable.
It shoots 4K video, 13MP stills, and can easily fit in your backpack.
$249.00 from Amazon.com
Who’s it for: Those looking for a photography-focused UAV
How much will it cost: ~$390
Why we picked the Yuneec Breeze:
The Breeze is a smaller, lighter, and cheaper version of Yuneec’s popular Typhoon line. While it doesn’t have near the functionality of its bigger brethren, we think this is one of the best drones for the price when it comes to photography. Features like real-time live streaming back to your phone while in flight and autonomous filming modes such as Orbit, Follow Me, and Selfie are features you’ll not find on many drones at this price point.
The Breeze is outfitted with a 4K camera, which is something few drones under $1,000 can boast — let alone under $500. It’s ultra-portable, too, which is perfect for photogs; there are few things worse than leaving your gear at home before experiencing a true Kodak moment.
We also found super-cool features like GPS including indoor tracking useful for flying indoors (some more expensive drones we’ve tested haven’t flown as reliably indoors as we’ve liked) and despite its plasticky feel, the Breeze is surprisingly durable.
Add to this flight times that closely matched Yuneec’s 12 minute claims (24, if you consider that the Breeze comes with two batteries), and easy control via a companion app for both iOS and Android, and you just can’t do any better than the Breeze at this price point.