If you are looking for the best drones to buy under 200 Dollars, here is everything that you need to know about best budget drones in the market
Drones are overpowering the content industry. While bird’s eye view pictures and footages are the most important part of filmmaking and documentation, drones are used for its number of reasons. Drones are even used for surveillance and so many other works in daily life.
Finding a budget drone is quite a big deal. It is almost impossible to spot one that will fit the budget and suit your need as well. Most of the drones that are available in the market are not qualitatively on the higher side.
However, not to worry. Here’s what you need to know about the best drones under $200, and the specifications that you must check out before buying one.
Things you must know before buying a budget drone
The drone is an investment you are making. If you are a beginner, we recommend you get your hands into some basic drones. The budget drones are hard to select. Check the following features before buying your first drone ever.
- In-flight features
- Design and look
- Battery back up
- Camera quality
- Overall features
Some brands choose to enhance the in-flight experience while others go for unique features. But no matter what, you must understand the drone and its features before buying one.
5 mistakes that the beginners make while picking the first drone
Drones, no matter how popular it is, cannot be controlled without any prior knowledge. You cannot even learn it before buying. But most of the beginners make some grave mistakes while picking the drone.
Many of the first-time users end up buying a high-end drone in the beginning. It is a dangerous thing to do if you are not habituated with drones. The beginners will eventually learn how to fly. But trying it on an expensive drone might hurt your pocket badly.
Some of the beginners end up buying drones quite randomly. Beginners need to try their hand on a GPS supported drone. Beginners usually do not check the specs before buying the drone. A drone has a lot to offer, learning about the specs will eventually help you to understand the drone that you are buying.
Use the drone responsibly. Do not overburden yourself with a lot of features. Buy the basic ones that can sustain you for some time till you become a professional.
Pros and Cons of budget drones
It is a tricky place to be in when it comes to budget drones. Here are some pros and cons we have listed for the budget drones that are available in the market.
Pros
- Drones under $200 are budget drones and do not hurt your pocket
- They are basic, hence perfect for the beginners
- These models are light-weighted and perfect for kids
- These drones have limited reach hence, stays within the government guideline
- Easy to handle for surveillance and other non-recreational work
Cons
- The video footages you get are not up to the mark
- The pictures are also not very clear
- The flight time of budget drones is also limited
- The high-end features are missing over here
Our Handpicked-12 Best Drones to Buy Under 200 Dollars
We know it is a lot of work to look for different drones and tally the features. So, we know how difficult it can be! Here we are ready with a list of the top 10 drones under $200. Thank us later, but now let’s have a look at these drones.
Contixo F22 FPV Foldable Drone
Contixo F22 FPV Foldable Drone is one of the best budget drones that are available in the market. It has amazing features and a great look at an affordable price. What else can be cooler than that? There can be no reason to ignore the Contixo budget drone.
One of the main features of this drone is to let you shoot comfortably. The selfie mode has gesture controls. The auto-hover facility and headless mode are also quite made for beginners. However, the most beginner-friendly feature of Contixo is the single and separate key for takeoff and landing.
The adjustable 120-degree FOV is built-in the drone. The wide-angle view gets you to record stuff for First-person view, Bird’s eye view. The full HD Wi-Fi camera lets you upload and edit pictures and videos to social media.
The small compact design of the drone lets you carry it anywhere you go. Just slip it in your bag and you are good to go. The carrying case of the drone is also on point. You can use it to safely carry it while traveling.
Holy Stone GPS Drone with 1080P HD Camera FPV Live Video for Adults and Kids
This one is one of the most beginner-friendly drones that you will ever come across. Holy Stone GPS Drone is the best one to learn how to use a drone. It is one of the best drones under $200. 1080 HD camera is way better than the contemporary 720P camera drones of the same price range.
You can draw a route beforehand for the drone to move along the path. You can even ask the drone to follow you. Those are some cool and unique features of the drone. The auto return technology keeps your drone safe in case of a drop in battery level.
This drone has one of the longest flight times that is of 26 minutes. It allows you to fly for a longer period. It also allows you to view further. The single key takeoff and landing make it even easier to handle. You can also view the real-time footage on your phone through an application.
Potensic T25 GPS Drone
Another powerful drone from the under $200 club. This one has a dual GPS feature. GPS and GLONASS positioning gives a more realistic detail of your drone’s position. The automatic return feature is also yet another great feature. In case of low battery and no signal, the drone will return to its previous position.
This one also has a ‘follow me’ mode. The drone will follow you wherever you go, much like the mobile networks. 1080HD camera gives you quite a decent picture and video and comes with an adjustable angle. The flight experience for this drone has good reviews.
The battery capacity of this drone is 1000 milliamp hours. The maximum range of this drone is 300 meters. It comes in white color and looks great.
HUBSAN H501S X4 GPS FPV Drone
The black drone from HUBSAN is one of the most preferred drones under $200. It comes with a 1080P full HD camera. The picture quality and video footage are going to be amazing.
There are several modes, such as headless mode, altitude mode, which are quite useful for first-time users. Other modes such as fail-safe mode, auto return mode will help you to have a smooth flight experience. The fail-safe mode is automatically turned on when the drone loses connection with the transmitter. The system brings the drone to the home point and makes it land automatically.
The flight time of this drone is 20 minutes approx. The maximum flight radius is 400m. Quite obviously the battery capacity is quite good compared to other drones under $200. One must care about the stability of a drone and in this case, it is amazing. The 6 Axis Gyro makes it stronger to resist wind and control the drone easily. The brushless motor is made of advanced technology making it even better.
In short, if you are looking for the best drones under 200, here is a drone that must be on your list.
Syma X8 Pro
This light-weighting drone has gained quite some popularity among beginners. Being one of the best drones under $200 Syma X8 Pro has been making a lot of noise for all good reasons. Syma X8 Pro comes with amazing features to start with.
The flight experience is amazing. It has a return mechanism nicely crafted with a smart GPS positioning system. This makes your outdoor flight experience safe. The device searches for satellite signals automatically. The ‘hover’ feature allows the drone to hold itself in a particular position. It gives a proper aerial photography opportunity for enthusiasts.
The drones give a clear picture with a 1080 * 720P camera. The remote control works till about 200m. the Wi-Fi FPV transmission travels till 70m. Other features like headless mode and single key return are also there. It comes with a 7.4V 2000mAh Li-ion battery. It takes 150 minutes to charge it fully and runs for 9 minutes at a grow.
UDI RC U818A Discovery RC Drone
One of the best drones under $200, UDI RC U818A is quite a treat for beginners. Budget category drones often lack a lot of features, but this one is an exception. It records videos in full720P HD. It comes with a 1280 * 720 resolution camera.
The headless mode works as a savior when the drone is out of sight. The user’s position will determine the position and direction of the drone. It is also equipped with a one-key return feature. This helps you to keep a track of the drone so that you do not lose it. The device captures good quality photos and videos with its 2 MP camera. It also a micro-SD card to store the data.
The drone comes with two LiPO 3.7V 500mAh Batteries. The charging time is only 60 to 90 minutes. It can fly for 6 to 8 minutes. It has an LED navigation light and comes with different speed modes. The low battery alarm is also very useful.
Looking for a drone fitting your budget perfectly, go nowhere else!
Walkera Rodeo 110 BNF No TX 110mm Racing Drone
Walkera Rodeo 110 BNF No TX 110mm Racing Drone is not a random drone, it has quite a few unique features to stand out. Not all drones concentrate on high-quality features, some go for unique ones. This one is more of a unique kind. It comes with 600TVL HD wide-angle camera.
One of the most unique features of this drone is PM/SBUS radio interface on flight control. This lets you install other radios as well. The flying time of the drone is just 6 minutes. It comes with an 850mAh Li-po battery. It has great acceleration power, making it one of the cheapest racing drones. This one is extremely light-weighted. The wheel-base for acceleration is just 110 mm.
Walkera Rodeo 110 has brushless power which is stronger than many other drones. The front lamp camera is also very useful. The real-time footage transmission along with the front-lit camera lets you take the drone to indoor and dark zones as well. It is one of the best racing drones for beginners.
Parrot AR Drone 2.0
A good drone is measured by the level of comfort it gives while flying. Now the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 has eased the flight experience. The piloting can be done from smartphones and tablets. It supports both Android and iOS, making the drone universally accepted.
It can live stream 720P HD videos. It can also record and save footage to smartphones and tablets. It has an ARM Cortex A8 processor 1GHz 32 bit with 800MHz video DSP TMS320DMC64x. It has 1GB DDR2 RAM at 200MHz. The operating system is Linux 2.6.32.
The drone weighs only 4.62 pounds. It is white and great for beginners. This drone is also great for introducing the act to the kids. Not all drones are kids friendly. However, with the lightweight and easy to handle features, this drone is appropriate for the kids to try their hands on drones. As value for money, not the best but a decent drone under $200.
Snaptain A15H
The foldable drone is the right one to carry from one place to another. The flexible and foldable drone blades help you to travel hassle-free. The drones come with a 120°Wide-angle 720P HD Camera. The adjustable angles capture great footage. Snaptain A15H will give you clear footage of what you want to capture.
The drone can understand voice commands. How cool is that? You can control your drone without using the hands. It understands commands like ‘take off’, ‘forward’, ‘backward’, ‘left’, ‘right’, and ‘landing’. This is one feature that you probably will not get in any contemporary drones.
You can connect your phone to the drone with WiFi real-time transmission FPV system. The fly-by-trajectory option helps you to fly the drone in a pre-decided path. You can draw the path in the app and let the drone its job! It is one of the high-end features that you will find in a drone of this range.
There are many flight modes in this drone. Altitude hold mode lets you hold the drone at a certain position to grab a few pictures. Several other modes are there that make this drone much better than the contemporary lot. Headless mode, gravity sensor mode, three-speed mode guarantees you a safe and comfy fly. The other modes that make it stand out are single key take-off and landing, emergency stop, 360 degrees flip-flop, etc.
It weighs only 1.48 pounds and comes with two lithium-ion batteries. It has been a pathbreaker drone in its strata. So, go for it, it is going to be a lot of fun.
Attop X-Pack 1
Not a path-breaking drone, but a decent one for beginners. It is often seen that beginner-friendly drones have no features at all. However, this one is pretty basic with all the basic features available to explore.
The drone weighs only 1.3 pounds. The package dimension of the drone is 11.3 x 8.1 x 3 inches. It works with AAA batteries. The drone will need three of them. Most of the customer reviews say the flight experience is easy and smooth. However, the picture quality is not that great over here.
The battery drains out easily after 5-6 minutes of flying. So, it is better to carry some spare batteries so that you do not fall short of these.
Snaptain SP650
Snaptain SP 650 is a bit more advanced compared to the contemporary drones of a similar price range. It comes with a 1080P full HD camera. You can expect clear visuals and pictures from the drone. The photos are as big and clear as of 1980 x 1080 with 25 fps videos. It comes with 120 degrees FOV and the 90-degree adjustable design just makes it even better. It is one of the best camera drones under 200.
Like the other Snaptain, the voice commands are a major attraction behind this drone. Snaptain comes a long way with that technology and are pioneering it in budget category drones. On top of that, this particular drone also has a gesture control feature. Talk to the drone, make some signals and the drone will quickly get what you want.
Snaptain SP 650 can perform different stunts while flying. It comes with multiple flight modes. It can flip 360 degrees and can fly circularly. It also does high-speed rotation. You can predetermine the route of flying on your phone and let the drone do its job. Single key takeoff and landing is yet another feature that never gets old.
The design is perfect weighing only 125 grams. FAA registration is not needed for this drone. The battery capacity of the drone is 1000 mAh and comes with 2 LI-ion batteries. One fully charged battery can fly the drone for about 12 minutes. It takes 120 minutes to charge the batteries.
The video transmission range of the drone is 60m or 180 feet. The transmitter operating range is 80m or 240 feet. Both android and iOS supports the app. However, the android should be version 4.4 or later and the iOS version should be 7.0 and above.
Drocon Bugs 3
Drocon Bugs 3 is et another budget drone that has been making the tech world go gaga about it. With the price range that it belongs to, Drocon has been able to stand out in the crowd. The drone comes with brushless motors. It keeps the drone from overheating itself. It does not melt like plastic that many drones received complaints from its users. They do not spark like other average brush motors
The flying time of this drone is up to 15 to 20 minutes. IT goes for 15 minutes at a stretch and for 20 minutes of you conserve and use the drone. The best part of the drone is as it flies slower and steadier for beginners, the experts can also fly it faster.
Even when the drone is far away from your site, you will be able to control it. It is made of nylon fiber, making the drone super durable. The weight is a bit on the higher side. It weighs about 1.4 kg. But that helps you to fly the drone in windy conditions.
It comes with a lifetime technical support. SO whenever the drone is sick, the doctor is just a call away.
Frequently asked questions
Many questions may come to you while buying or flying a drone. Here are some frequently asked questions that come to a user’s mind. We are trying to address a few.
Is it easy to fly a drone?
Flying a drone is quite a new thing for all of us. However, if you learn the science behind it, it is a cakewalk. You just take a basic drone and learn the details behind flying a drone. You are good to go.
Why is drone important?
The drone has become important for professional photographers, YouTubers. Even some times government use drones for work purpose (surveillance, monitoring, etc.). Aerial view or a bird’s eye view has become an important part of the documentation of any form. Hence drone has become more relevant with time.
Is it okay for the kids to fly a drone?
Kids must learn new technology while growing up. Drones will become more relevant in course of time. So, letting kids learn how to fly a drone is not an issue. However, it should be under an adult’s guidance so that the younger ones do not get into trouble.
Is it legal to fly a drone?
It is legal to fly a drone in most places. The restriction on flying drones depends on respective administrators. In case of confusion, you can talk to your local administrator before flying the drone.
Can you fly a drone in a residential area?
Flying a drone in a residential area is not a great idea. Your neighbors may have a problem with that. In case you want to fly a drone in the neighborhood you must get consent from neighbors for doing so.
Can I fly a drone near the government office?
Many sensitive zones are marked as a no-fly zone. Like the USA has got a rule and regulation booklet for drone flyers. Make sure you go through the same before flying.
Do we need to register the drone in the local administrative office?
Any drone that is more than .55 lbs needs to be registered with FAA before flying in the USA. However, FAA registration is required for outdoor flights. You can always fly drones indoors. That will not be a problem.
What happens after registration failure?
If you do not register your drone and get caught, you will end up with criminal as well as regulatory penalties. The civil penalties can shoot up to $27,500 and criminal penalties can shoot up to $250,000. There can be imprisonment of up to 3 years.
Is it recommended to buy budget drones?
If you are a professional and have been using a drone for quite some time now, you might drop the plan of buying budget drones. Save up a little bit if you are tight on the budget and buy a high-end drone. However, if you are not a professional, it will be a different ball game for you. Beginners tend to drop the aircraft, mishandle it in the beginning. It is always advisable to start with a budget drone. They are basic but will help the beginners to learn how to handle the drone.
Are you allowed to fly a racing drone?
There are several rules and regulations of where to fly a drone and where not to by administrators of your area. However, racing drones are allowed wherever you are allowed to fly a drone?
Which is the best drone under $200?
It is hard to pick one. Different users have different purposes for flying a drone. However, we have produced a list of budget drones to pick from. Take the one that suits your need and go ahead, fly the world.
What is the first thing to notice in drones for beginners?
For beginners, in-flight experience is the major factor. Go for an easy inflight experience so that it does not take a long time for you to learn. The flight experience should be comfortable and easy to learn.
Can I fly a drone about my house?
Though air space property is not defined, however, if you are not bothering anyone else, you are free to fly a drone. Just make sure you do not hit something or cause any danger in the process.
How much airspace can a landowner own?
As much as they can use for survival. The landowner can use the airspace about their house while connected to the surface.
How does the international drone law work?
There is no international drone law as such. But you must abide by the respective laws of a country. Drone laws vary from one country to another. A little bit of information can let you fly the drone easily in any country you want to.
Things to remember while flying and buying a drone
While buying
Do not look at a pricey drone if you are a beginner. Look for a drone that suits your need instead. This will help you to experience a peaceful and comfortable flight.
Read the specifications of a drone before buying. Many first-time users buy drones without checking out the specs. This may cause problems later. It is better to look at the specs first and then buy one.
Go for basic drones at first. Drones with basic features will help you to learn the basics first.
Slowly upgrade to high-end features. Once you are good at flying a drone, you can go for drones with high-end features
While Flying
Respect others’ privacy. Many drone users fail to understand this. It is important to understand your boundaries. Do not fly a drone that may affect anyone else’s privacy
Do not fly a drone in a residential area. It is not quite decent a thing to do. Your neighbors may have objections to respect that.
Do not push the drone so far that it loses connection. Drones are using advanced technology but pushing it too far may end up losing your aircraft.
Don’t transfer the control while flying the drone. Do you change drivers while the car is in motion? No right? Do not do that for the drones either.
Understand the science behind drones. That will help you to fly the drone seamlessly.
Conclusion
Drones are becoming an integral part of our lives. It is happening very fast. If you want to try your hand on the drone, now is always the best time to do so. Here is a detailed feature article of the best drones under 200 Dollars which are suitable for beginners. We have also covered the basic tips on flying and buying a drone for the first-timers.
So what are you waiting for? Capture the visuals that are invisible to naked eyes. Happy flying guys!