I test drones for a living, and have flown them for fun and commercially for years, and I like to think that gives me some insights into what is worth having (and what isn't).
Prime Day is great because it brings some opportunities to own better gear than you thought you could possibly afford – as well as introduce new people to the fold. Kids love drones, for good reason, and they offer a lot for educational reason, so why not take the chance to include them for less?
This year I have scoured the deals out there and these are the five which I'd spend my own money on (although, as I've already written, in many cases I can't because I already own the item in question and – [inaudible grumbling] – paid full price.
To be fair, though, there is nothing on this list that wasn't a good deal at full price.
US drone deals
A drone for the kids (honest, just the kids...)
A great drone for everyone
DJI offer two very powerful drones in the ultra-light category (drones that you don't need to register with the FAA because they weight under 250g, which is 0.55 pounds). One is the Mini 3 Pro (which had a good deal on Prime Day until it sold out), and the other is the even cheaper Mini 3. You can get it – with a remote controller that has a built-in color monitor – for surprisingly little cash and it takes 4K HDR video. Not only is the video true 4K, but the camera is stabilized by a gimbal that can also rotate the camera to portrait mode for social media shooting with no loss of resolution.
An ideal beginners drone
Choosing a good beginner's drone is about not spending too much and – oddly – about not getting the best gear either. If you splashed out on the best drone the first time, you'd probably be able to master it because they have so much equipment, like collision sensors and AI. But it is better to start with something that requires a little more thought about how things inside are actually working (this makes it a lot easier to problem-solve later with any other drone, or in a professional exam).
