Can you get a good drone for under $50
Drone technology has come a long way, leading to the point where you can actually get a decent drone for under $50.
This is a rapidly changing topic as there are always a ton of new contenders in the cheap drone category. But there are a lot of great drones with features like an onboard camera, pre-programmed maneuvers, and automated stabilization.
The 6 best drones for under $50 are:
- DEERC D20 Mini Drone $39.99
- Holy Stone HS430 – $49.99
- Temu P8 Drone – $41.58
- DRONEYE 4DV13 – $49.99
- TEMU Folding Drone – $33.98
- Zuhafa – $39.99
The best drone for under $50
The best drone in the budget drone category is…
1. Holy Stone HS430 – Best for Drone Photography
- 1080P HD wifi camera.
- HD display on the remote control.
- 2 batteries
- 13-minute flight time per battery.
- 3-speed modes.
- Does pre-programmed flips.
- VR mode.
- Foldable.
This drone has a throw-and-go feature that tells the drone to start flying once it is thrown. It also has a gravity control mode that allows it to be controlled by simply tilting your cell phone in the direction that you want the drone to fly in. It also has a circle fly feature which tells the drone to fly a circle around its target, allowing you to get a smooth 360-degree shot of a target. It comes with propeller guards. This is a true mini drone at only 8 inches wide.
This is the best drone under $50, and is a great drone for beginners and drone enthusiasts.
2. DEERC D20 Mini Drone
- 720P HD Wifi Camera.
- 2 rechargeable batteries.
- Programmable flight courses.
- Does pre-programmed flips.
- 10-minute flight time per battery.
- Foldable.
This is a true mini drone at only 7.7 inches wide. While the camera on this drone does not have the definition that some of the other drones on this list have, I like this drone for its slightly higher customer reviews and the fact that this company sells spare parts, spare batteries, and spare propellers are very helpful.
This mini drone has one button take-off and landing, climb, decend, and altitude hold. Comes with propeller guards to increase drone durability. This drone also has voice control and will do selfies with hand gesture controls.
3. DRONEEYE 4DV13
- 1080P HD wifi camera.
- 2 batteries.
- 13-minute flight time per battery.
- Programmable flight course.
- Does pre-programmed flips and rolls.
- 3-speed modes
- Foldable.
This mini drone has one-button take-off, landing, and altitude hold. It has a waypoint function that lets you plot locations on your cell phone that the drone will then follow. This drone comes with gravity control that allows you to steer the drone by simply tilting your cell phone in the direction you want the drone to go in. Gesture control allows you to take a selfie or start a video with a hand gesture.
Prop guards just in case it bumps into anything. Comes in at 9 inches wide and 2.8 ounces.
4. XKRC X6 Foldable Drone
- Dual Camera
- Obstacle Avoidance
- OOptical Flow Positioning
- Smart Return
- Gesture Photos
- Foldable.
Very stable and easy to fly. This is a rather large drone considering the price at 11 inches wide when unfolded. Comes with propeller guards to keep it airborne in case it does bump into an object.
5. E88 RC Drone
- Dual HD Camera.
- Altitude Hold.
- 3 Batteries.
- Propeller Guards.
- Foldable.
This drone has one-touch take-off, landing, and hover mode. It is 9 inches wide when unfolded.
6. Zuhafa Drone 1080P
- 1080P HD wifi camera.
- 2 batteries.
- 20-minutes battery.
- 2-speed modes.
One button take-off, landing, and altitude hold mode. This drone is a bit larger at 12 inches wide.
A few things to understand about cheap drones
The main drawbacks about inexpensive drones:
- Not as stable, especially outside with a breeze.
- No gyro-stabilization.
- No 4K video.
- Short battery life.
- Spare parts aren’t as easy to get.
- Poor customer support.
While cheap drones lack many of the awesome features of advanced drones, some are quite good and reliable, and for the price, offer an easy entry into droning for a hobby.
Camera Quality
Video Resolution
None of these drones under 50 dollars have high-end, 4k cameras. A 1080P camera is a mediocre camera by today’s standards, but isn’t terrible.
FPS
These cheaper drones don’t even mention their Frames Per Second, so it’s safe to assume that they are 30 to 60 FPS. Compare that to an expensive drone like the DJI Mavic Air 2 that does 080P at 240 FPS and 4k at 60 FPS.
Flying Speed
Some budget drones offer 3 speeds. Slow speed is great for most drone photography and is also great for learning.
High speed is best once you’ve gotten good at drone flying and you can do some cool motion videos.
How the drone functions and flies
Small drones are not as stable as larger drones and they are not as fast. This makes for a more difficult flying experience, especially when outdoors.
These drones do have some really cool flight modes and do great indoors and
Range & Flight Time
An obvious difference between cheap drones and expensive drones is the range and flight time. Most of the drones on this list have a range of between 50 and 100 meters, while more expensive drones can go up to 9 miles!
The flight time on most of the drones on this list is about 10 to 20 minutes per drone battery.
Other Features
The majority of drones below $50 will not offer the amazing features of expensive drones. But don’t let that stop you from buying a cheap drone. The top pick on this list are really impressive in terms of image quality, controllability, and affordability. And they can do cool tricks. What they lack is stability, especially when outside, flight time, and flight range. Think carefully when looking for a drone.
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