If you are planning to buy a budget-friendly drone, here are some deets about the best drones under 300 Dollars
You may think that buying a drone will cost you a fortune. Thanks to improved technology and market demand, the scene has changed. Nowadays, drones are available at a cheaper price. Moreover, the quality is also pretty decent for amateur use. We have done a bit of research and have selected a few drones that are pocket-friendly. Here is everything that you need to know to buy the best drones under $300
Before you start looking for the best drones under 300 dollars
Drones are expensive gadgets. For a professional drone, you must of course pinch your pocket quite hard. However, if this is your first drone, you can get one at a cheaper price. There is a bit of a reality check that you must have in this case. For finding the best drones under $300, here is what you must keep in mind.
In-flight features – It is one of the most important things to check out while buying a drone. It determines how your experience of flying a drone will be. You must check the in-flight features to avoid any hassle while using the drone.
Design and look – When you are buying a drone, the design and look plays a very important role as well. You will not want to carry a heavy drone, will you? Sleek drone designs are ruling the world market. Moreover, a stylish look will just jazz up your filming time.
Battery backup – You know what disgusts a drone user the most? A sudden battery death while filming. To avoid that you must think about the battery quality of the drone before buying. Battery backup is yet another huge factor. But a drone with good battery backup will stay with you for a long time.
Camera quality – A drone with a bad camera is like a horse without a saddle. You can ride the horse but the experience will be painfully bad. A drone has to have a good camera; this is a basic necessity. You cannot compromise on this. Checking on the camera quality is the most ultimate thing.
Overall features – Overall features depend on the purpose of the drone. It is varied. You know why you are buying a drone. So, as per your need, you will pick one or reject one.
Advantages of a budget drone
Not all drones will hurt your pocket, the budget ones will never. IF you are an amateur drone user, set your hand in one of these. Later, you can go for an expensive drone
The budget drones are generally beginner-friendly. It will let you learn the method of using one of these fly babies easily.
Budget drones are good for introducing drones to kids.
Best drones under 300 dollars are usually light weighted.
These drones will never deviate the government guideline as the reach is very limited
These drones are more accommodating for non-recreational work, especially surveillance.
Disadvantages of budget drones
One of the major problems of budget drones is that the camera quality is very low.
Not just the pictures, the video footages are also most of the time unusable.
The battery life and flight time are often very bothering. They aren’t up to the mark at all.
Most of the high-end features that you can see in an expensive drone model are missing over here.
Commonly made mistakes with drones under 300 dollars
There are a few mistakes that are common among the new drone users. Even though you are using a cheap model, that does not mean you will mishandle the drone. This will simply reduce the life span of the drone. These mistakes can be easily avoided by being a little cautious
If you are handling a drone, you must learn how to handle a drone first. Rough handling can cause damage. You will not be able to learn it before buying the drone. So, if you are a beginner, buy a basic drone to learn.
Do not buy drones randomly, that will not help you at all. A drone is a useful gadget, using it properly is very important.
There are several government rules and regulations. Maintain those while using a drone. Otherwise, you might fall into a lot of trouble.
Top 10 best camera drones under 300
Once you start researching buying a drone, you will be bombarded with options. At times you will be puzzled by the number of options you will be getting. We are doing a lot of work on your behalf. We have selected a few best drones under $300. Read on and pick the best one for yourself.
Holy Stone HS720
Holy Stone HS720 is one of the best drones that you will get under 300 dollars. It has a 4K UHD camera. This is not it; the camera comes with an image stabilization feature. It is built with a unique shock absorption holder. This ensures shooting 3840 x 2160 high-res images and videos. The 90-degree adjustable lens will expose you to a new vision altogether.
GPS assistance will never let you lose the drone. The best part is, it will return automatically when the drone shows a low battery or loses signal. You get a one key return feature to bring back your drone very rapidly and efficiently. You can fly the drone automatically. Set the path beforehand, the drone will capture the footage and come back to you.
The battery backup is also great. One charge can last for 26 minutes. You get two batteries, so 52 minutes in total. The brushless motors consume low power. The flight is quite quiet. The foldable design makes it super easy to carry anywhere you want.
The 2.4GHz transmitter takes the drone to 3000 feet high. The control range is pretty impressive. Overall this drone can compete for a bit more high-end drones.
Parrot Bebop 2
The drone comes with an enhanced 14-megapixel fish-eye lens. It ensures 1080p video footage and quite an awesome image. The camera experience of this particular drone is commendable. You will hardly get this type of video and image quality in any other drones of a similar range.
Moreover, the battery backup is also good. One charge can make the drone last for 25 mins at a go. 25 minutes of flight time is a decent time. Thanks to the powerful battery of 2700 mAh. At higher altitudes, the powerful motors make the drone perform quite easily. The drone has a rear flash LED. It ensures better sight. You can spot the drone even in the dark.
This drone will need registration with FAA. You can enter their website and do the needful for registration.
Hubsan Zino
Another drone to blow your mind off with powerful features and great design. The camera has a 4K Ultra HD feature. The three-axis gimbal is yet another fabulous feature to fall in love with. The camera allows panorama photography. It comes with a WiFi transmission signal for video and also for controlling the drone.
The drone looks very sleek. The length of the drone is 304.6 mm while the width is 252.4 mm. It is just 90mm high. It is very light-weighted, weighs just 700g without the propeller guard. The drone comes with a follow-me feature, where it will follow your path and keep capturing your route. The battery of the drone is quite powerful, 11.4V 3000 mAh. It will take just4 hours to charge the battery fully. The flight time is 23 minutes.
The in-flight experience is also great. It has a brushless motor system. The transmission distance is about 1 km. All we can say about this drone is one of the best drones under 300$.
3DR Solo Quadcopter
3DR Solo Quadcopter has a video game feel to it. Why? Thanks to the controller. Because of a familiar controller, the flight experience will also become too easy. It has an instant take-off button. You can also make the drone land as well as a pause in one single touch.
It comes with a high-resolution HDMI port. This means you can connect the drone with any device through the controller. It has an iOS and Android compatible app to unlock many features.
The camera and in-flight experience are quite nice. It is easily useable. Hence it can be good for beginners as well. Give this one a try if you are a teetotaler concerning drones.
Xiaomi Fimi A3
Don’t you already love almost all Mi products? Most of us do due to the amazing features their products have at an affordable price. This time also they are not any different. It has easy take-off features, which prepares the drone to be ready to fly within a minute.
The best part of the Fimi A3 is that it is one of the best drones under 300$ which has no complicated configurations at all. You do not need to connect to anything, no applications to depend on. You just need to power on and you are ready to shoot.
Apart from just comfort, the immersive FPV experience is yet another feature to choose this one. 5.8 G real-time FPV system is hard to find in such a price range. The model is also quite lightweight and comes with a chic design. It has a brushless motor and has a flight time of 25 minutes. The 3-cell 2000 mAh Li-Po battery is a dependable one. Also, the 3-axis electronic gimbals will help you to shoot videos properly.
Contixo F24 Pro
If you are planning to buy a drone for work purposes, this can be an awesome pick. The camera has 2.7K Ultra HD resolution. This means you can send the live feed directly from your drone. Be assured of some good quality photos and videos from a shoot with this one.
The flight time is also great. It can fly up to 30 minutes at a go. The flight range is also a notch higher than the rest. It is 1.2 Km for Contixo. However, in FPV mode, the drone will just go up to 600m. Even though a few features are missing, we pick this one based on the price range. At this range, very few will give you a better product.
Let me tell you a great deal that comes with the drone. It is accompanied by a backpack.
Altair Dagger
Altair Dagger has an even better-quality camera. It comes with a 4K HD camera. You can guess how the quality will be. The pictures and videos coming out of this drone. The speed can go up to 32km/hour. However, a major drawback of this drone is that the flight range is only 300 m.
Altair Dagger will last for a long time. It has some beautiful features. The responsiveness of the drone is also on point. The flight time is also between 15-20 minutes. Despite many drawbacks, we are keeping this one on the list. This is mainly because of the price range that it is following.
At this price, Altair Dagger is a decent buy.
Ruko F11 Pro Drone 4K Quadcopter
Do you know what Ruko is famous for? The brand is famous for making long-lasting drones. If your pic this drone, be sure you are buying the best drones under 300$ in terms of stability and longevity. It also takes you to great heights and pretty long distances. It transmits video signals to a distance of 300-500 meters.
The powerful GPS of the RUKO drone can make the drone fly steadily to take clear images. The 4k ultra-HD camera gives a crystal-clear shooting experience. Deep contrast along with bright colors make the images strikingly beautiful. The 120-degree FOV lens will allow you to get a wide-angle view while shooting.
The flight time of Ruko drones is the flight time. The flight time goes up to 60 minutes. It is the highest among all the drones of a similar price range. The built-in battery of 2500 mAh gives a flight time of 30 minutes. The drone comes with two batteries and hence a total of 60 minutes flight time.
The drone is very much beginner-friendly and easy to control. It is indeed one of the best drones under 300 dollars
MIXI WiFi FPV Drones
If you are slightly ahead of the beginners’ level and looking for a budget drone, you have landed on the right section. It has premium specs but the price is unimaginably low. It is one of the most advanced models within this range.
The drone comes in a headless mode. Moreover, the drone’s one key landing and takeoff, makes it super easy for beginners. It comes with two batteries. Each battery will give you a flight time of 20 mins. It can go up to 15 minutes if you record videos simultaneously. The camera is also quite good. It records videos in 1080p.
It has some exciting features like Altitude Hold, Gravity control, and others to stabilize the experience. The gesture control and follow-me mode are some user-friendly modes. But sadly, it does not have auto-return features. It cannot go ahead of 80 meters.
EMAX Tinyhawk Outdoor Drone
Emax, unlike other brands, is famous for producing drones of the smallest sizes. Small drones are mostly used for racing. EMAX Tinyhawk Outdoor Drone is one of the best ones in the given price range. It is one of the best ones if you are going to fly drones just for fun.
It is made of aerospace-grade carbon fiber. The material used for making the drone is very strong and lightweight. Both factors are very important for racing drones. Such drones go through a lot of shock and drops than any other drones.
However, though it is one of the best drones for under 300$, it is not at all suitable for beginners. If you want to understand the techniques of flying this drone, you will have to have a lot of skill for that. It comes with an 1103 brushless motor for extremely fast performance. It comes with two batteries. Each battery gives a run time of 5-8 minutes.
Laws of flying a drone
It is not just enough to buy a drone and fly it anywhere you want. It is not that easy. Once you plan to buy a drone, you must be aware of the laws behind flying a drone. The Federal Aviation Administration has set some laws to fly a drone. Let’s discuss some of the laws briefly over here.
1. The law says if your drone weighs more than 250 grams, it has to be registered to FAA
2. The registration number should be mentioned on the drone always
3. There are a few designated areas that are off-limit.
4. You are not allowed to fly a drone near an airport. It can interfere with signals which may cause accidents.
5. Drones are not allowed in wildlife areas to avoid disturbance.
6. Flying a drone is restricted in restricted airspace.
Few things about drones that you must know
You can be new to drones or you may have handled a lot of drones at a certain point in time. There are a few things that you must know before flying a drone.
Range and speed
The range is one of the most important factors for flying a drone. Range determines the capability of the drone. You can use the drone for racing or video shooting or surveillance. Whichever the case may be, you will have to have a good range.
On the other hand, speed is most important for racing drones. Racing drones are made of a particular material. They are light weighted. These drones can speed up to 35 miles per hour. Racing drones and their speed is very much product-specific.
Video quality
For the videographers, this is yet another factor to look at before choosing the right drone. The quality of the drone shot depends on the resolution. If you are planning to make a YouTube video, a 1080p Full HD recording will be fine for you.
On the other hand, the drone shots used in the films are of higher quality. But such high-resolution videos will drain out the battery faster and will affect the flying time.
Remote Control
Remote is the key to flying a drone. Drones are generally run by remote controls. Most of the remote for flying a drone has two joysticks. These are of similar kind as you see in video games, PlayStation, or Xbox.
One stick controls the attitude of the quadcopter. The other one controls the revolution and throttle of the quadcopter. A good remote controller determines the flight experience to a great extent. You must be comfortable with the controller that you are using.
Some models do not have a controller at all. They use the smartphone for controlling the drone. That is yet another complicated process of controlling a drone. You need to do that with an application. They do not give a good drone flying experience.
Battery Life
Who wants a dead drone in the middle of a great flying? No one. Battery life is yet another important factor. Battery determines how long can you fly a drone. The best drones under 300 $ will give you a flying time of about 20-30 minutes.
You can get more flying time by not recording videos. But when you need to record videos, the camera will take up a lot of battery. You will end up having a smaller flight time. Most of the brands come with more than one battery. Some of the brands come with disposable batteries. However, advanced drones have in-built batteries.
How to fly a drone safely
The drone may sound a bit fancy but it comes with a lot of responsibilities. The FAA has set regulations. However apart from that here are a few things you must follow:
1. You must know your drone very well. Read the manual as long as it is not clear enough. The more you read; the more familiar you will become with the drone.
2. Before flying the drone, check it thoroughly. See if the drone is in a proper condition to fly or not. In case of any confusion, do not fly it. You may end up hurting someone.
3. Avoid flying around animals if possible
4. Avoid crowded area so that the chances of accidents of abrupt fall diminishes to a great level
5. Be aware of your surroundings. Do not end up invading the private space of any individual.
6. The drone can cause noise, avoid hospitals and such sensitive areas.
7. Do not be rude to someone who asks you not to fly the drone.
Frequently asked questions
Are the best drones under 300$ good for beginners?
Yes, definitely. Always go for basic and cheaper drones when you are learning, that makes the learning process much better. The advanced ones are for those who can fly a drone easily.
Can I fly a drone indoors?
You can but be careful not to hurt anyone in the process. If you are flying in your home, take permission from your family members.
Can I fly a drone both indoor and outdoor?
Depends on the model you have chosen. Some models will let you fly anywhere you want. However, some drones are specific.
Are drones safe for children?
Not all drones are safe for children. There are special drones made for children. You must buy those for them. The drones for children will not have any propellers and motor.
Is registration with FAA compulsory?
In the USA, FAA registration is required for all drones that weigh above 250 grams.
Can drones be used for shooting a film?
Yes, you can, but those drones will be of very advanced quality. For YouTube, a 1080p video recording drone will be good enough.
Are drones safe?
It depends totally on how you use it. If you use it with proper care and maintain regulations while flying, it will be a cakewalk.
Is it legal to fly a drone?
There is no legal issue in flying a drone if you follow FAA guidelines. But you can get into trouble in case you do not follow their rules.
Is it okay to buy a drone for under 300$?
If you are a beginner or amateur, a 300$ drone will suffice your need. But if you are looking for a more professional and high-end drone, it will be hard for you to get one in that price range. Most of the cheaper drones do not have enough features. But the features that they have will be good enough to learn how to fly a drone.
Conclusion
Drones are used in various fields. Some use it for videography, some for racing. Drones are also used for surveillance by different government bodies. However it may be used, drones have created a new era in exploring with bird’s eye view. It is one of the gadgets that one will love to use and explore.