11 Drones for Pilots of All Budgets (and Skill Levels)
Is your loved one asking for a drone? Come see what all the buzz is about.
DJI Mavic Pro
DJI is winning at drones. It makes the best stuff, and it keeps moving the whole industry forward. The latest example: [this $1,000 quadcopter](https://www.dji.com/mavic). It takes gorgeous 4K video, automatically avoids crashing, and can stay in the air almost a half-hour at a time. Afterwards, it folds up small enough to go in your jacket pocket. Seriously, your jacket pocket. This is flat-out the best drone on the planet right now.
Aukey Mohawk Drone
Not everyone has a grand or more to spend on a flying camera. And even those who do should practice first on something a little less risky. [This medium-sized flier](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HM7CQ3W/) ($50) has one-touch controls for taking off and doing tricks, flies 10 minutes on a charge, and can take a serious beating. It's a perfect way to get comfortable in the skies.
GDU Byrd
Most drones come with their own camera of… debatable quality. [This one](https://carolinadronz.com/products/gdu) lets you swap out the camera, and even the gimbal, to get exactly the photos and video you want. There are gimbals that work with GoPro Hero cameras, and ones that can take larger Sony DSLRs. You can fly it with the controller or your phone, take off and land with exactly one tap, and generally take badass footage without having any idea what you're doing. $549
DJI Phantom 4 Pro
There's probably someone on your list for whom only the best, highest-end, most professional stuff will do. Get them the [Phantom 4 Pro](http://store.dji.com/product/phantom-3-professional) ($799), which is not only amazingly easy to fly but has one of the best cameras anyone's ever put on a drone. You can draw routes ahead of time to get exactly the shot you want, or just fly the thing willy-nilly and trust that the obstacle avoidance tech will do its job. (It will.)
DJI01DJI Mavic Pro
DJI is winning at drones. It makes the best stuff, and it keeps moving the whole industry forward. The latest example: [this $1,000 quadcopter](https://www.dji.com/mavic). It takes gorgeous 4K video, automatically avoids crashing, and can stay in the air almost a half-hour at a time. Afterwards, it folds up small enough to go in your jacket pocket. Seriously, your jacket pocket. This is flat-out the best drone on the planet right now.
Amazon02Aukey Mohawk Drone
Not everyone has a grand or more to spend on a flying camera. And even those who do should practice first on something a little less risky. [This medium-sized flier](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HM7CQ3W/) ($50) has one-touch controls for taking off and doing tricks, flies 10 minutes on a charge, and can take a serious beating. It's a perfect way to get comfortable in the skies.
GDU03GDU Byrd
Most drones come with their own camera of… debatable quality. [This one](https://carolinadronz.com/products/gdu) lets you swap out the camera, and even the gimbal, to get exactly the photos and video you want. There are gimbals that work with GoPro Hero cameras, and ones that can take larger Sony DSLRs. You can fly it with the controller or your phone, take off and land with exactly one tap, and generally take badass footage without having any idea what you're doing. $549
Photograph: DJI04DJI Phantom 4 Pro
There's probably someone on your list for whom only the best, highest-end, most professional stuff will do. Get them the [Phantom 4 Pro](http://store.dji.com/product/phantom-3-professional) ($799), which is not only amazingly easy to fly but has one of the best cameras anyone's ever put on a drone. You can draw routes ahead of time to get exactly the shot you want, or just fly the thing willy-nilly and trust that the obstacle avoidance tech will do its job. (It will.)
Lego05Flybrix
It's a drone. [Made out of Lego bricks.](https://flybrix.com/collections/flybrix-kits) With a little Lego pilot. And it actually flies. What in the world are you waiting for? $189
Amazon06Hubsan X4
This is the [perfect beginner drone](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LCLKAE2/) because it's pretty hard to break and even harder to break anything with it. Put on the included rotor protector, and it'll just bounce right off of every wall, lamp, and pet in the house. It's more hummingbird-size than pterodactyl, but it's still insanely fun to fly and an awesome way to hone your skills before you take on the bigger aircraft. $45
Parrot07Parrot Mambo
Maybe aerial photography isn't your thing. Is aerial warfare a little more your speed? Strap the cannon on top of the [Mambo](https://www.parrot.com/us/minidrones/parrot-mambo#parrot-mambo-) ($100) and you'll be in charge of the skies in no time. (Just don't fire at the kids. That's frowned upon.) And, when it's cease-fire time, there's a grabber attachment that can fetch snacks from the kitchen. But if someone steals your gummy worms first, well, you know what to do.
Yuneec08Yuneec Typhoon H
Four blades isn't cool. You know what's cool? [Six blades](https://www.yuneec.com/en_US/products/typhoon/h/overview.html). Yuneec's hexacopter shoots great video and has all the autonomous flying modes you'd want, but it's also ridiculously easy to maneuver through even the tightest of spaces, since its many rotors can work independently to keep you moving. And if you get in a scrape and lose one, no worries—the Typhoon only needs five to stay in the air. $1,000
Hover09Hover Camera
Step up your Insta game. [This drone](https://gethover.com/) is more camera than aircraft, really: just hold it up in front of you, let it go, and watch it hover in place to take the perfect selfie. (Dronie?) You can have it follow you for that awesome over-the-shoulder footage, and when you're finished you just snatch it out of mid-air and put it away. It's like hiring yourself a personal photographer, only at least slightly less vain. $600
parrot10Parrot Jumping Night Marshall
This one's for the grounded drone pilot. This [two-wheeled beast](https://www.parrot.com/us/minidrones/parrot-jumping-night-marshall#parrot-jumping-night-marshall-details) can traverse almost any terrain, and can jump more than two feet straight up with a moment's notice. It lights its path with two headlights, and captures it with a forward-facing camera. From the controller app on your phone, you can even see what the drone sees. James Bond definitely had an explorer like this. $80
Amazon11Arris FPV250 Racing Drone
Camera drones are one thing, but [true racing drones](https://www.amazon.com/FPV250-Racing-Drones-Quadcopter-Assembled/dp/B00TDHAZQ0/) are another breed entirely. It ain't pretty, and you'll have to do a bit of tinkering to get it up and running, but the Arris is built for speed, and for the kind of first-person-view racing all the pros are doing. It's a perfect model to hone your fast-twitch reflexes with, and be ready whenever someone wants to race for pink slips. $159
David Pierce is a former senior staff writer at WIRED, covering personal technology. ... Read more
