The Drone era has officially taken off and now there are multiple different kinds of drones available in the market with everybody rushing to get their piece of this awesome technology. When doing your research, there are a few brands that have been in the game for years and have steadily improved with each new model released. In this article, you will find all the features, specification, and pros & cons of some of the best rated drones available.
The Best Rated Drones - Comparison Table
DJI Mavic 2 Pro | DJI Inspire 2 | Ryze Tello | |
Preview | |||
Weight | 907g | 3440g | 80g |
Controller | Yes | Yes | No |
Camera Resolution | 20MP | 30MP | 5MP |
Battery Size | 3,850mAh | 4280 mAh | 1.1 Ah |
Range | 3.1 miles | 7 KM | 100 m |
Live Video Feed | 1080p | 720p | Yes |
Number of Rotors | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Automated Flight Features | Return-to-Home, Orbit, Waypoint, Follow | Return-to-Home, Orbit, Waypoint | Orbit |
Dimension | 3.3 x 3.6 x 8.4 inches | 12.5 x 16.7 x 16.7 inches | 1.6 x 3.9 x 3.6 inches |
More info | Check it on Amazon | Check it on Amazon | Check it on Amazon |
DJI Spark | DJI Mavic Air | Parrot Anafi | |
Preview | |||
Weight | 300g | 430g | 3202g |
Controller | Yes/No | Yes | Yes |
Camera Resolution | 12 MP | 12Mp | 21 Mp |
Battery Size | 1,480 mAh | 2,375 mAh | 2700 mAh |
Range | 1.2 miles | 6.2 miles | - |
Live Video Feed | Yes | 720p | Yes |
Number of Rotors | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Automated Flight Features | Return-to-Home, Orbit, Follow | Return-to-Home, Orbit, Follow | Return-to-Home, Orbit, Waypoint, Follow |
Dimension | 2.2 x 5.6 x 5.6 inches | 1.9 x 3.3 x 6.6 inches | 2.5 x 2.6 x 9.6 inches |
More info | Check it on Amazon | Check it on Amazon | Check it on Amazon |
DJI Mavic 2 Pro comes with superior image & video quality and has a very good battery life. This model is smaller in size and has two sensors – obstacle detection and positioning sensors at the bottom side of the drone. The Mavic 2 Pro also features a Hasselblad camera with a 28mm angle of view and a 1-inch image sensor.
This drone has up to 8 GB of internal storage that can be extended with a micro SD card. It gives a flight time of up to 31 minutes per fully charged battery. It has Obstacle avoidance software built into it, which helps the pilot avoid unseen objects and potential crashes.
The Mavic 2 Pro can capture the 4k video at up to 100 megabits per second.
Pros:
- It is portable
- Obstacle avoidance
- Long battery life
- Foldable design
- Adjustable Aperture
Cons:
- Costly
- No DCI Format Support
- Unable to shoot 4K at 60fps
Verdict:
the DJI Mavic 2 Pro will be an ideal choice for the people who are looking for quality images from the sky and a compact design. This model is a great choice for the average hobbyist all the way to a professional photographer with its built in stabilizing software and high-end camera.
DJI Inspire 2 is made of a magnesium alloy body. This model also features retractable landing gear and a 360-degree camera rotation. Obstacle detection and avoidance is another built in feature. This drone has an amazing build quality and captures video at an incredible 5.2k quality.
DJI’s control system is really an incredible advantage of them being in the industry this long and continuing to learn and build off of each model. This model also has intelligent flight and shooting modes. DJI Inspire 2 has a dual battery arrangement which gives 27 minute flight time to allow a great flight and enough time for a safe landing.
Pros:
- Magnesium alloy Body
- Good Battery Life
- Intelligent Flight mode
Cons:
- More Expensive
- Required High-performance camera for video editing
Verdict:
Best drone for professional filmmakers.
Ryze Tello Drone is an excellent toy-grade drone that is easy to fly for a beginner. It also features throw & go mode, which allows you to start flying the drone by simply tossing it into the air. This model allows flight time up to 13 minutes.
Unfortunately, this drone doesn’t come with a controller, you have to control this drone via a mobile app, optional Bluetooth remote, or the scratch programming interface. As the drone itself has no storage, images and videos are saved through the app onto your mobile device.
1 of our least favorite features of this drone is the lack of the “return- to- home” feature. This means when your drone goes out of the Wi-Fi range, It rotates in the place until it receives a Wi-Fi signal again. You can expect 13 minutes of flight time with the Ryze Tello drone so it is a shorter flight time than the dji models without the “return to home” safety.
Pros:
- Small and fast drone
- User-friendly control system
- Light weight and durable
- Automated Flight pattern
- Good image quality
- Easy to fly
- less expensive
Cons:
- Low quality video
- No return to home capability
- Flight time
Verdict:
the Ryze Tello is a fun beginner drone which you can quickly learn to fly with a smartphone or laptop. Although it does have a shorter battery life, we would recommend this for a beginner looking to test out a drone at a cheaper price.
DJI Spark drone is a user-friendly and portable drone. Besides its hyper-portable design, It comes with a really cool gesture recognition ability, which allows flying it without a controller. This means you can control this spark drone with the movement of your fingers or hands. It has an average of 16 minutes of flight time per battery.
Like the other DJI models, this drone has obstacle avoidance software which helps you avoid crashes. Aside from its 12- megapixel camera that records raw video in 1080p at 30 fps, DJI Spark also comes with a two axis stabilizer.
Pros:
- Return-to-home feature
- Obstacle avoidance system
- Supports gesture control
- Automatic quickshot mode
- Small and Light-weight
- Intelligent flight mode
Cons:
- Short flight time & hover time
- Short battery life
- Video limits of 1080p
Verdict:
Perfect choice for people who are looking to take epic selfies. This drone is very portable and can fly without the controller leaving your hands free to pose for the camera. This is a great drone for people that like to travel due to its size and gesture control capabilities.
DJI Mavic Air is a foldable drone that allows you to carry this model easily anywhere you go. Like DJI Spark, this drone also has gesture controls. Its camera is 4k at 30 fps, shooting at 100 Mbps with UHD quality. Additionally, You can record slow-motion video in 1080p at 120 Fps.
Besides an external Micro SD memory card slot, It comes with 8 GB internal storage. Hence, you can store your videos and images directly on the drone’s internal memory. With the help of a USB 3.0 Type-c port, you can export all the files to your pc or mac. This drone has an average of 21 minutes of flight time. it also allows 720p live transmission video from up to 4 km away.
Pros:
- Robust obstacle avoidance
- Dedicated Joystick controller
- Gimbal stabilized 4K camera
- Intelligible flight modes
Cons:
- No 4K DCI video
- No USB charging support
Verdict:
The DJI Mavic Air drone comes in a small/compact size and features a very portable design. This drone has all the features similar to the other larger drones on the market but with the benefits of its size. This is a great choice for Beginners, Enthusiasts, and people who like to travel.
Parrot Anafi is 1 of the smallest drones with an unbelievable camera range built in. The drone comes with an integrated camera that allows capturing 4K HDR videos with 100Mbps bit rate and sharp 21MP photos. It offers flight time of up to 25 minutes.
Parrot Anafi is an ultra lightweight and portable drone that comes with a very nice carrying case to keep everything secure during transportation. This drone has the ability of lossless digital zoom and Its gimbal can tilt 180 degrees vertically.
The flaw of this drone is that It doesn’t come with the obstacle avoidance software like the DJI models.
Pros:
- Support charging with USB-C
- 15 minute flight time
- 4K video capture
- Tiny size
- Solid camera with HDR
Cons:
- Lack of obstacle detection software
- Digital zoom cuts into 4k quality
Verdict:
Besides the DJI Spark, the Parrot Anafi is another great choice for selfie fans. Due to its fold-able design, It is an ideal selection for people that like to travel and don’t have enough space in their luggage for a full-sized drone.