Buying a Drone? | Best Drones 2018

Choosing Your First Drone

Reviewing The Best Drones 2018

 

Adam Clark Estes over at Gizmodo did a great job running through your inexpensive options for your very first drone, take a look at their video or read below to find out more! There are three drones all under $200 for you to consider, Gizmodo tested them against each other for:

1. Usability
2. Air Worthiness
3. Quality

 

However, the app is not quite user friendly – a lot of buttons and no clear instructions. The drone itself lifts fairly quickly into the air, even if the controls are a little sensitive.

While flying, the Drocon Cyclone struggles to stay balanced in the air – shooting up, and falling down – it seems difficult to control (god forbid a windy day). In looking back and checking the image quality, the Drocon Cyclone gave a grainy, almost Google Earth quality image.

The Ryze Tello ($100) has a much sleeker look than its $70 counterpart. The app is easy to navigate intuitively and also allows the user to control the drone remotely. You do have an option to buy a third-party hand held remote, which paired perfectly for Adam.

The drone lifts easily into the air from a flat surface, but you can have more fun with the Ryze Tello if you’d like, by tapping twice in the app, waiting for the engine to start, then tossing your unit gently into the air.

The Ryze Tello was easy to control as it zipped around, staying at the same level or soaring higher was no issue for this unit. The image quality for the Ryze Tello is much better than that of the Drocon Cyclone, it may not be professional 4k, but it would certainly get the job done well.

The Parrot Mambo FPV ($180) comes in a couple parts and is slightly more complicated than the other two drones on our list. Similarly to the others, you need put in the battery, however, on this unit, there is also a place to attach the camera to the top.

Take off is smooth and fast, but note: you need to wait for the green lights on the front of the unit to hold a solid green (not flashing) before you can activate the drone by pushing a single button on the controller.Once in the air, however, the Parrot Mambo did not always follow exact demands – veering diagonally when steered straight or drifting on turns.

 

While not as low quality as the Drocon Cyclone, the picture quality of the Parrot Mambo is a touch blown out or over exposed. Overall the Ryze Tello is the most easy to get started, it handles well and stays in the air, and, most importantly, delivers the best image quality.