Flying Time: The flying time or the flight time of any drone simply tells you about the battery life of a given drone. This is given in minutes as 10 minutes or 30 minutes. Overall, the time of flight depends on several factors like type of motors, capture resolution, wind speed and your flying patterns. As you would expect, a longer battery life is great to have for needing less number of batteries. Video Resolution: If you wish to record cinematic videos or take breathtaking photos using your drone, you should check its video resolution. While budget options offer 1080p video support, better drones even allow you to record at 2.7K or 4K for a better video quality. Drone Type: There are mainly two types of drones out there that include camera ones and FPV ones. While camera ones are more focused towards video and offer great video quality, FPV drones can fly at high speeds and offer the support for FPV goggles for an immersive experience.
As there are a lot of drones, we are here with some of the best drones under 500 dollars price range. You can find their major features and options listed along with a complete detailed “Buying Guide”. That way, you can straight away choose the perfect drone for you by following this article until the end.
Best Drones under $500 in 2023
Top Drones under $500: Reviews
1. DEERC DE22 GPS Drone
DEERC is a popular brand that sells kids’ toys including RC Cars, RC Boats, Drones and supporting accessories.
Best drone under $50 Best drones under $200 Best drones under $300 Best mini drones
The DE22 drone from DEERC uses 2-axis Gimbal and EIS technology that improves image stability by reducing blurring. With this drone, you can record 4K videos at 30fps that are clear and very detailed. Besides, the 5 GHz frequency offers transmissions up to 3,900 feet FPV and delivers live feed without any lags. The drone has a 4K UHD camera with 5X zoom using which you can take high-quality photos at a closer look. You can adjust the lens up to 80 degrees that allow you to take photos from creative angles. You get 52 minutes of flight time with the 2 batteries. When you want to carry the drone, you can fold it and keep it in its case for convenience. The drone is equipped with several features that make flying this drone safe and exciting. If you are a beginner, the functions Altitude Hold, Follow me, Way Points and Circle Fly make flying this drone very easy. The GPS and Auto Return feature ensures that you do not lose your drone and it returns automatically to your location. Highlights
2-Axis Gimbal and EIS Technology Supports 4K/30fps videos Transmission range of 3,900 feet Over 50 minutes flight time 80 degrees rotatable 4K UHD camera with 5x zoom Weighs 556 grams Intelligent flying mode Camera quality is good Long-range and long flight time Advanced features allow easy and safe use Longer charging time Does not have an SD card
2. DJI CP.MA.00000123.01 Mavic Mini Combo
Any list of “best drones” would not be meaningful if there isn’t at least one product from DJI. As you would expect, DJI offers a great combo pack for the DJI Mavic Mini that comes with a wide range of useful accessories and tools. DJI’s Mavic Mini Combo is the 2nd drone in the list as it offers the best accessories in its combo. You get a total of 3 batteries and a 2-way charging hub in it for a long flying time of up to 30 minutes. It even includes various propellers and propeller guards. All of these things can be easily carried in its included carrying bag that is of high quality. This DJI Mavic Mini drone is quite small and compact and offers a foldable design. It means that you can easily fit this 249-gram drone almost anywhere. Despite the small size, you can record up to 2.7K video with this drone that is possible because of its 12 MP camera with 3 axis gimbal stabilization. Highlights
2.7K video support 30 minute flight time 1-year long warranty 12 MP camera with 3 axis gimbal Weighs 249 grams Does not need a license Includes various batteries High-quality accessories Comes with a handy carrying bag Excellent drone with controller A bit expensive
3. DJI Mavic Mini – Drone FlyCam Quadcopter
If you are simply for a drone and its controller without all the combo accessories, then the standalone DJI Mavic Mini from DJI can be an excellent pick, especially for those who are on a budget. This DJI Mavic Mini is the 3rd third drone in this list as it is the cheapest option here. As per its name, it is the base package and does not come with any accessories at all. While you can buy accessories separately, this might be an issue for some users, especially beginners. So, we do not recommend this drone if you are a beginner or planning to buy your first drone. Chose the combo from DJI instead. Although, the drone itself is exactly the same with the same 3-axis gimbal 12 MP camera. You can easily control and fly this drone using your smartphone and the included controller. It supports both Android as well as iOS for the smartphone app. Highlights
2.7K video support 30 minute flight time 1-year long warranty 12 MP camera with 3 axis gimbal Weighs 249 grams Affordable and reliable drone only option Great video quality Does not need a license Does not include any accessories Need to buy batteries separately
4. EMAX Hawk Pro FRSKY BNF FPV Racing Drone Quad
This EMAX Hawk Pro is an excellent option for those looking for a drone and a controller without any extra accessories in a quite affordable price range. This FRSKY BNF FPV racing drone quad from EMAX Hawk pro features a more aerodynamic profile with quick speeds and improved power retaining durability and rigidity. Apart from its slim design, they offer a mounting system to customize for their personalize flight experience. While its FPV transmission system and camera will help the user to fly the drone with ease, as it navigates the terrain with a crystal clear view. Also, it consists of the mini Magnum III F4 flight controller having a power stack that is paired with Pulsar 2306 2400KV LED performance brushless motors and AVAN scimitar propellers to achieve extreme power and efficiency for an excellent flight experience. Highlights
FPV transmission system and camera Lightweight, slim, and compact design Powerful, reliable, and efficient brushless motors, Allows customizations to personalize your flight experience EMAX Tiny D8 FRSKY Receiver Pulsar 2306 2400KV brushless motors Does not include any extra accessories. Can run with a speed of up to 100 MPH Extremely faster that not for beginners. Lacks manufacturer warranty and memory cards. Affordable and reliable drone option.
5. DJI Mavic Mini Portable Drone
As mentioned earlier, you can find a wide range of combo and accessory packs for the DJI Mavic Mini. This one is called the starters bundle and is slightly better than the base bundle of this drone. This DJI Mavic Mini starters bundle is another option to consider if you are on a budget. While it has basic extra accessories like a cleaning kit, propellers, and cables, the price is quite decent. As you would expect, it also includes everything from the Mavic Mini base bundle, including the battery, charger, and controller. One of the best things about this DJI Mavic Mini drone is that it is quite small and compact. It even offers a foldable design for easily storing it anywhere you want to. Its 30 minutes of flying time ensures that you do not have to replace batteries again and again while recording videos. As for the videos, you can either record FHD or 2.7K videos as per your wish. Highlights
2.7K video support 30 minute flight time 1-year long warranty 12 MP camera with 3 axis gimbal Weighs 249 grams Does not need a license Includes a cleaning kit Affordable price tag Great battery life Smooth and sharp videos Lacks any storage or carrying bag Does not have an SD card
6. QWinOut F4 X1 FPV Racing Drone
QWinOut is a drone brand known for making high-performance FPV drones that offer various amazing drones at an affordable price range. This QWinOut FPV drone is one of the best options out there if you are looking for a high-speed drone under $500. It consists of a quadcopter drone and a Frsky XM receiver, which ensure that you have precise control of the drone along with a high range while flying it. Another great thing about this F4 X1 175mm FPV drone is that it comes assembled out of the box for ease of use. Since this is an FPV drone, you also get the support for FPV goggles for extra immersion. It has dual CW and CCW (2900KV) motors with 750 mAh 3S 11.1V 80C lithium polymer battery capacity. It is remote controlled that has night and day modes letting you switch between day and night. You will get a GHF411AIO flight controller OpenVTX FS 16 transmitter, LST-009 FPV goggles, and integrated flight control ESC. This is highly compact, and lightweight offering a total of 10-minute flight time that is quite high when you consider the speed of this drone. Unfortunately, this FPV drone does not include any extra accessories that might be an issue for some users. Highlights
FPV camera with FPV goggles support 10-minute flight time 2 CW and 2 CCW (2900KV) powerful motors 1 mm lens with 1200TVL camera Lightweight and compact design High-performance drone FPV goggles support Powerful and efficient brushless motors Extremely fast, only for experienced users. Lacks extra accessories and warranty.
Buying Guide for the Best Drone under $500
After going through this article, you must have seen some of the Best Drones under 500 Dollars mentioned in this article. You might have also got an idea about their differences and drones in general, as we have mentioned all of their essential details and features here in this article. These things can be quite handy while buying a drone for yourself. However, some of you might still be confused and want to know more about these drones. Hence, we are here with a detailed buying guide related to all kinds of drones. This buying guide has all of the essential factors and aspects that you should consider before buying a drone under $500.
Drone Type
Since drones are fun to fly and useful for recording videos as well as taking photos, they are highly popular. Due to this, you can find a wide range of drone models out there. These models offer different kinds of features and options to the user that might be handy for different users. However, you can easily differentiate drones based on the drone type. This mainly includes camera drones and FPV drones that have certain differences between them. Usually, a camera drone will offer a high-quality camera for taking cinematic aerial footage from your drone. But these generally have comparatively slower speeds and do not offer FPV goggle support. On the other hand, FPV drones are much faster with higher flying speed, height, and range that are quite important. While the cameras on these drones are generally quite average, you get the support for FPV goggles for an immersive experience.
Flying Time
The flying time offered by your drone is one of the most important things to check while buying one. It simply tells you about the battery life of a drone as you get an idea of how long you can fly a drone on a single charge. As this is time, the flying time rating of drones is given in minutes as 10 minutes or 30 minutes. Out of these two options, the latter flying time of 30 minutes is more than enough for most users. This is due to the reason that you can carry multiple batteries in your drone bag for an additional flying time whenever needed. However, the flying time of your drone is not a fixed rating since it depends on various things. Things like flying speed, flying altitude, distance, wind speed, and various other things can affect the flying time of your drone.
Flying Speed
As a drone is essentially a vehicle, it can go from one place to another for taking photos and videos. Although, if you want to cover long distances with the long flying time of your drone, it needs to have a faster flying speed. As you would expect, a faster flying speed results in a quicker drone that can save a lot of time for the user. This is also useful if you want to perform various kinds of aerial maneuvers using your drone. Just like any other vehicle out there, the flying speed of a drone is given in MPH as 20 MPH or 35 MPH. When compared with each other, the 2nd option is clearly the better option if you want a fast-flying drone. If you are worried about the battery life of your drone, then the flying speed should not be an issue. This is due to the reason that you can simply adjust the flying speed of your drone using its controller or the smartphone app.
Flying Height
Another important factor to consider while buying a drone is the flying height. As you would expect, it simply tells you how high you can take your drone. This can be useful while taking aerial footage from a high height. Even if you are flying an FPV drone just for fun, the flying height is an essential factor in ensuring that you can fly your drone however you want to. While some options come with a maximum flying height of 1 mile, others might even go up to 2 miles that is quite high. Just like the flying speed, you can easily adjust the flying height as per your wish using the controls of your drone. Although, a higher flying height generally results in a higher battery life consumption while using your drone.
Range
As you would know, all drones are completely wireless so that you can fly them to a far away distance without any issues. Even if your drone is away from you, you can easily control it using the wireless radio controller that came with your drone. These controllers even allow you to get a video feed from your drone to either your smartphone or FPV goggles. However, even this controller has a certain range, after which it will stop working. This range is given in miles as 2 miles or 3 miles. And if you take your drone out of this range, you might lose control over it. Therefore, it is generally recommended to buy a drone with a higher range rating, like 2 miles or 3 miles, to ensure that you do not face any issues.
Video Resolution
If you are familiar with drones, then you might know that all of them come with a camera at the front. This camera allows you to either use it with an FPV goggle or record videos for making films. However, if you want cinematic footage from your drone, then you should ensure that you are getting a drone with a high-quality camera. The easiest way to look for a high-quality camera is to check the video resolution. Most of the drones out there offer the support for 1080p or FHD videos. But some options even allow you to record at 2.7K or 4K for much better video quality. That being said, a higher video resolution results in larger file size while recording videos that will fill your memory card much faster. It even drains your battery faster if you record at a higher resolutions.
Controls
One of the most important things to ensure while flying a drone is to make sure that you can fly and control it properly. Therefore, you should check the controls of your drone before buying one. While some drones are controlled using your smartphone, some use a dedicated controller. Not only that, but you can even find drones that use a combination of both of these. You should buy a drone that offers easy to use controls that are geared towards new users. Some drones even offer automated control options that make the flying experience much simpler and easier compared to controlling everything manually.
Accessories and Combo
You can find a wide range of drones out there that come in a combo package. Generally, these combo packages offer a great value for money to the user because of the various things that you get. Although, if you are buying 3rd party accessory combo packs, make sure that you are still getting a warranty with your drone. These accessory combos may include things like carrying cases, battery packs, memory cards, extra propellers, safety guards and much more. While these things do not directly affect the performance of a drone, they generally result in a much better experience. Even though you can buy these accessories separately, having them in a combo allows you to use your drone right away. If you are a first time buyer, then we highly recommend a combo kit as it comes with all the necessary accessories for the drone.
Size and Form Factor
Even though a drone is meant to be flown in the air, its size and form factor are still very important to consider. Any drone that is small and compact can be easily stored in your camera bag without taking much space. And if you are buying an FPV drone, a smaller one is much quicker in terms of the flying speed. You can also take a compact FPV drone through small areas without any issues. Apart from the size, the weight of your drone is also quite important as lightweight drones are easy to carry around. This is especially true for the drones that offer a foldable design. Another benefit of buying a lightweight drone is that if it is under 250 grams, you do not need a flying license for it.
Warranty and Repairability
Just like any other product, the warranty of a drone is quite important to check. It ensures that you will not have any issues with after-sales service and support. Usually, most drones come with a 1-year warranty that might differ for different parts of the drone. If you are buying an FPV drone, you should check its repairability as you can replace parts if you face any issues down the road. Any drone that is easy to repair will offer peace of mind to the user.
Conclusion
As there are a lot of drones under $500, it can be difficult to choose the perfect one for you. In such a case, you can simply choose one of these recommendations:
The DJI Mavic Mini CP.MA.00000123.01 is an official combo from DJI and offers everything that you might need while flying your drone. Although, if you are on a budget, you can go with the DEERC DE22 GPS Drone as you get various things for a budget price tag. If you want to have more fun while flying a drone, the ARRIS Dazzle 5″ FPV Racing Drone can be a great pick for its fast flying speed and FPV goggles support.
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