Welcome to RemoteAviators.com, your most comprehensive resource for everything related to Quadcopters. When it comes to choosing the best drones to buy, you'll soon discover that there are many quadcopters to choose from with an even longer list of features. Because of this, it's far from easy to make a descision, especially when you are new to the whole universe of quadcopters. We try help you make that decision easier by providing an in-depth analysis of each drone and attempt to make a suggestion on which quadcopter you should buy. But before we get into the nitty-gritty, let us talk about the basics really quick.
Quadcopter is the short term for ”Quadrotor Helicopter”, which explains exactly what they are: A helicopter with four rotors instead of one. Because it has four rotors instead of one, each one of them is smaller than the single rotor of a normal helicopter. Two rotate clockwise, the other two rotate counter-clockwise. This makes them more stable when flying, more maneuverable and at the same time learning how to fly them easier. By varying the speeds of these four rotors, stability and direction of flight are achieved. Sometimes quadcopters are also called “consumer drones”, because that is what they are: Aerial vehicles everybody can buy and use. There are many different use-cases for them and there is a perfect quadcopter for just about everybody:
Beginner drones are usually small, but also cheap and a good choice for you to learn how to fly. Given their size, often times you can even fly them indoors without a problem. In general they will cost you less than $100. Once you got the basics down, you can make the jump to intermediate drones, which allow you to do more advanced maneuvers and can give you a glimpse into aerial photography. Prices for most of the intermediate drones range from $200 to $500. The final step is the move to what we consider professional drones. These drones are your best choice when it comes to taking high-quality pictures and videos from above. They can be anywhere from $600 to more than $3000. It all depends on your needs.
Now that we got the basics down, let's dive into it.
Quadcopter Comparison Guide: What to expect in the reviews
Due to the high number of quadcopters for sale, it takes a lot of time to find and read up on all the necessary information to make a informed decision. We do the hard work for you: We either do an in-depth test ourselves or find the best reviews on the web and compile the necessary information into a readable and easily digestable format.
In the quadcopter reviews for a specific type or size of drone, we start off with a general overview on the topic, provide a list of available drones in that category and finally choose one of two formats:
- Give you an in-depth analysis of our choice OR
- Suggest 3 candidates, have a closer look at each one of them and choose one as a winner
We will give a detailed analysis why we think a particular quadrocopter is our choice for a certain topic and highlight a few features that we think you should know about. Whenever possible, we will add pictures of the drone, transmitter and additional parts .
If, on the other hand we review a specific drone, we will go into as much detail as possible. That includes a description of the drone itself, what you get in the box, the pros and cons and a final verdict. On top of that, we rate different aspects of the drone so you can get a glimpse at the overall quality.
We do our best to keep the reviews as short as possible, so you don't have to spend 20 minutes reading an article but long enough so you get all the necessary information to make a final decision.
Best Quadcopter for Beginners
Quadcopters are an exciting hobby to have, but if you aren't sure if it is something you will enjoy for a longer period of time or if you are shopping for a friend or family member, you generally don't want to go for the big drones right away. Luckily, you have many options to choose from that make it easy for you to get an enjoyable start into an exciting new hobby.
Beginner drones almost always come with some form of automatic stabilization. It uses additional sensors to figure out if it is leveled or not. That means, when you fly the drone, it keeps itself upright preventing it from crashing. Even the smallest drones come with a functionality like that these days. After you've had some experience flying, they allow you to disable the automatic stabilization for a more challenging, but also more agile flight. But you can always switch it back on in an instant, just in case the drone gets out of control.
In addition to some internal functionality beginner drones also come with some form of propeller guard in the box. They are either pre-attached or you can easily do it yourself. These guards serve 2 main purposes:
- Prevent the drone from hurting others when you accidently fly into them
- Protect the drone itself and the propellers from breaking after hitting an obstacle
Depending on how much you want to spend on your drone, you can get all kinds of sizes from different manufacturers. For an in-depth article, please head over to our beginner drone review.
Some notable examples are:
| Name | Price Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| UDI U818A - 1 *New Version* | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| SYMA X5C | $ | 4.5 of 5 |
| Blade Nano QX | $$ | 4 of 5 |
Legend: $ = less than $50, $$ = $50 - $100
Best Mini Quadcopter
- Hubsan X4 H107D (Image watermarked, needs to be replaced)
Drones with a side length of less than 12 inches are called "mini drones". They are usually a good choice for beginners and even though they might look like toys, they are far from being one. Due to their small size, the battery doesn't last very long (generally around 6-8 minutes on a full charge) and recharging them takes anywhere between 30-100 minutes, depending on the model of the drone. So it is a good idea to order a few extra batteries and maybe a second charger for any one of these.
All of them come ready-to-fly (RTF) out of the box. There is no assembly required, just charge the battery, put it into the drone and you are ready to go.
Like most of the other categories there are many competitors in this segment. That is good news for us, as we a wide range of drones to choose from, right? Some are aiming for a low price tag while others aim for the throne of "Best Mini Drone". If you want a good quality mini quadcopter and want in-depth information, head over to our Best Micro Quadcopter review.
Some good examples in this category include:
| Name | Price Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Hubsan X4 H107D | $$$ | 4 of 5 |
| Blade Nano QX | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| Syma X1 | $ | 4 of 5 |
Legend: $ = less than $100, $$ = $100 - $500, $$$ = $500 - $2000, $$$$ = $2000+
Best Quadcopter under $200
A high quality quadcopter doesn't have to cost a fortune. When you want to shop for a friend or family member, most of the time you don't want to spend the big bucks, but still want it to be a memorable gift. Many manufacturers have drones available in the price segment under $200.
You will be surprised how much you get for two hundred dollars. A lot of these drones come with a camera, some even in 720p quality. You have very small drones that you can fly indoors or bigger drones that you need to fly in wide open spaces. Some are FPV drones that stream to your smartphone, while others directly record to an SD card. Before deciding on a drone, you should ask these questions:
- How much experience does the intended pilot have? (if anyone other than yourself)
- Should the package include a transmitter?
- How long should the flight time be?
- Should it be capable of flying outdoors? Indoors?
- How expensive are replacement parts?
Answering these questions narrows down the list of possible candidates quite a bit. To help you find your answer, either check our review or have a quick look at this table:
| Name | Price Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Syma X5C | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| UDI U818A | $$$ | 4 of 5 |
| Cheerson CX-30 | $ | 4 of 5 |
| Swann Xtreem QuadForce Video Drone | $$$$ | 4 of 5 |
| Walkera QR W100S | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| Hubsan FPV X4 H107D | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| Extreme Fliers Micro Drone 2.0 | $ | 4 of 5 |
| Blade 180 QX HD RTF | $$$ | 4 of 5 |
Legend: $ = less than $100, $$ = $100 - $200
Best Quadcopter for aerial videography and photography
After you have been flying smaller drones for a while, you are ready for the next step: Buying a drone that is able to take stunning, high resolution pictures and videos from above. It opens up a whole new perpective on the world. This kind of drone comes in all kinds of sizes, price ranges and video quality. There are a few things you should consider before buying a video drone:
If you own a GoPro, you might want to consider one of the models on the market that allow you to attach it. You can attach them right out of the box, but due to the vibrations of the drone, the quality of the video might suffer. To remedy this, you will need to purchase a gimbal for the drone. This will completely shield the GoPro from the drone and allow for a perfectly still image when taking pictures or video. The most prominent manufacturers in this segment are DJI and Walkera. A few examples:
| Name | Price Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| DJI Phantom 2 | $ | 4 of 5 |
| Walkera QR X350 | $$ | 4 of 5 |
Legend: $ = less than $100, $$ = $100 - $500, $$$ = $500 - $2000, $$$$ = $2000+
If you don't have a GoPro, it is a better idea to buy a drone that has an integrated camera. The drone itself will be more expensive than one without a camera, but overall cheaper than buying a drone, a gimbal and a GoPro. Because these drones are targeted at recording aerial images, their video quality is no less than 720p, most of the time they come in 1080p Full HD and record at 30 frames per second. You can start and stop the recording right from the transmitter and even see a live feed.
As manufacturers try to find the best balance between price and quality, there is a wide range of available drones now. The by far most popular one is the Parrot AR.Drone, which has been around for a while now and seen multiple improvements over the years. They released an impressive new drone they call Bebop not too long ago, which is a step up from the AR.Drone. The second big player in this category is DJI, who offers a wide range of drones in multiple price segments. To get a better idea what's out there, have a look at this table:
| Name | Price Range | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| DJI Inspire 1 (4K video drone) | $ | 4 of 5 |
| DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| Parrot Bebop | $$ | 4 of 5 |
| Parrot AR.Drone | $$$ | 4 of 5 |
Legend: $ = less than $100, $$ = $100 - $500, $$$ = $500 - $2000, $$$$ = $2000+
No matter which type you choose, you should definitely have a solid background in flying quadcopters before you attempt to buy and fly one of these. Crashing it can hurt quite a bit, emotionally and financially.
To see our choice for the best camera drone, we suggest you read our review.
What is the Best Quadcopter in 2015?
By now, we covered many different types of drones for many different types of purposes. But out of all the quadcopters we looked at, what is the best quadcopter in 2015? There is no final answer to this question, as it always depends on your needs. But if we had to make a choice, it would be the Parrot Bebop. The Bebop drone is Parrot's newest creation. After being anticipated by many for a long time, it was finally released in December of 2014 and it has immediately taken the hearts of many quadcopter enthusiasts by storm. It is RTF (Ready-To-Fly) out of the box. All you have to do is charge the batteries and put them into the drone. It's as easy as that.
It comes equipped with a 1080p Full HD camera that allows you to take breathtaking pictures from above. At the same time, it is very versatile and agile, making it the best all around drone. Add the moderate price compared to other quadcopters in the same category it is virtually unbeatable. As with all Parot drones there is a big difference to most other drones in how you fly the Bebop: You install an application on your smartphone or tablet, connect to the drone and then control it from there. You have buttons for fully automated takeoff and landing and you can even see the camera feed in the app. If you are willing to spend some extra money, you can get a dedicated transmitter called the Skycontroller. You will still use your phone or tablet to see the camera image of the drone, but the Skycontroller allows for more precise control of the drone and also extends its range.
Given it's specs and overall feature set, the Parrot Bebop definitely deserves the title of overall best drone 2015!
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