Best beginner drones 2024: Get started with the best.

Best beginner drones being flown by a child
(Image credit: Getty Images and Future)

Everyone has to start somewhere, and drones are no exception. Sure, even high-end models can be incredibly beginner-friendly, drone technology is amazing, but it’s true beginner models that deliver a wealth of accessible advantages. Moreover, there’s something suitable for every budget so almost everyone can enjoy the best beginner drones.

While beginner drones can be versatile, you may require something more specialist, advanced, powerful and feature-packed. So, if you’re looking for something slightly different, check out our best camera drones, best beginner drones, and best FPV drone guides, where you'll find many alternatives that will undoubtedly suit your requirements.

Moving back to beginner models, one of the most common features you’ll find is that many fall within the popular and regulator-friendly sub-250 g category. So, not only are these types of drones small, lightweight, and less restricted than larger models, but they can, in some cases, come packed with features that also help to elevate some of the best beginner drones to the coveted best drones category.

The Quick List

Best entry-level drones we recommend in 2024

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Best entry-level drone overall

DJI Mini 3

Best overall: One of the best entry-level drones available in a tiny package

Specifications

Camera: 1/1.3-inch 12MP sensor
Battery: 2453 mAh Li-ion / up to 38 minutes
Video resolution: 4K, 2.7K, 1080p (FHD)
Frame rates: 4K up to 30 fps / 2.7K at up to 60fps / FHD at up to 60 fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 248g
Dimensions: Folded 148 × 90 × 62mm / Unfolded 251 × 362 × 72mm

Reasons to buy

+
Sub 250g drone
+
Excellent image quality
+
Less expensive than the Mini 3 Pro

Reasons to avoid

-
No collision avoidance
-
Reduced video functionality
-
No subject tracking
Buy it if

✅ You're a social media content creator: It has excellent image and video quality, plus it can shoot vertically, which is ideal for social media content.

✅ You don't want to register it: It's in the sub-250g category, so no registration needed!

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're on a tight budget: While it's certainly very affordable for a drone of its caliber, anyone working with a tight budget might need to consider something slightly cheaper.

The bottom line

🔎 With identical image quality to the Mini 3 Pro, the DJI Mini 3 comes with a more beginner-friendly price at the cost of a handful of missing features. ★★★★

The DJI Mini 3 is an incredibly easy to use drone and is capable of capturing high-quality landscape and portrait format photos and videos. What's more, its foldable design makes it easy to carry around and the sub-250 g weight make it much less restricted than larger drones, which is perfect for beginner pilots just getting started.

The Mini 3 uses the same camera as the more advanced Mini 3 Pro, albeit with some reduced functionality. But the key point here is that image quality and the main features the camera has to offer are identical, as we found in our DJI Mini 3 review. The camera offers a 24mm equivalent focal length, a fixed f/1.7 aperture, a 1/1.3-inch 12MP sensor and the ability to rotate the camera 90° to shoot photos and videos in both landscape and portrait orientations.

You can take photos in both RAW and JPEG formats with this camera, and it can record video at up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second using the Normal color profile. However, it doesn't support the flat D-Cinelike profile for video.

The Mini 3 is an outstanding drone in many ways for beginners, but with the low cost it naturally doesn't feature collision avoidance which is an extremely beginner-friendly feature. It does, however, offer Quickshots automated flight patterns for professional looking video capture at the touch of a button.

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AttributesNotes
DesignSmall and lightweight folding design.
PerformanceEasy to set up and fly.
FunctionalityUp to 4K 30fps video.

Best premium entry-level drone

DJI Air 3

Best premium entry-level drone: Dual cameras provide flexibility alongside excellent overall performance

Specifications

Camera: Dual 48MP 1/1.3-inch sensors / 24mm and 70mm cameras
Battery: 4241 mAh Li-ion / up to 46 minutes
Video resolution: 4K, 1080p (FHD), 2.7K Vertical Shooting, FHD Vertical Shooting
Frame rates: 4K up to 100 fps, 1080p up to 200fps, 2.7K Vertical Shooting up to 60fps, FHD Vertical Shooting up to 60fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 25.4oz / 720g
Dimensions: 8.1 x 3.9 x 3.6-inches / 207 x 100.5 x 91.1mm folded / 10.2 x 12.8 x 4.2-inches / 258.8 x 326 x 105.8mm unfolded

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent dual cameras
+
More powerful than the DJI Mini 3 Pro
+
Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance

Reasons to avoid

-
Fixed aperture on both cameras
-
Much bulkier than Mini 3 models
-
Only around 7 oz/200 g lighter than Mavic 3 models
Buy it if

✅ You need multiple focal lengths: This versatile drone is equipped with dual cameras offering 24mm and 70mm equivalent focal lengths, making it suitable for photography and video.

You need more power: Sub-250g drones are great for beginners, but they can't handle winds as strong as more powerful drones such as this.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You need a small and lightweight drone: At 25.4oz / 720g, it's not the lightest option out there.

You'd like the best image quality: The Air 3's image quality is excellent, but it's not as good as that of the Mavic 3 series drones.

The bottom line

🔎 With dual cameras, a mid-size folding design and enough power to handle windier conditions than smaller and lighter mini drones, the DJI Air 3 is an excellent and, indeed, versatile drone for beginners and more experienced drone pilots alike. ★★★★½

The DJI Air 3 is an impressive mid-sized model featuring a dual camera offering focal lengths equivalent to 24mm and 70mm. These two cameras have their own 1/1.3-inch sensor, which is the same sensor used in the DJI Mini 3 and Mini 4 Pro, meaning image quality is fantastic. So, as well as being able to capture more distant subjects, the Air 3 can also shoot vertically, record 4K footage in slow motion and capture photos at 48MP resolution.

Medium-sized drones such as the Air 3 offer much more power and greater wind resistance than sub-250 g models, topping out an an impressive 27mph. The Air 3 weighs in at 25.4oz / 720g, and thanks to DJI's tried and tested folding design it's highly portable.

Larger capacity batteries provide flight times of around 35 minutes before return to home is automatically initiated when the battery reaches 20%, which we found in our DJI Air 3 review.

You might think all these features are too much for a beginner, but with GPS positioning, collision detection from all sides and advanced return-to-home capability, this drone is incredibly safe and simple to fly. Of course, you still need to be cautious, but it's packed with top-notch safety features.

On top of that, it captures great photos and videos, tracks subjects well and you won't outgrow it as your skills grow.

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AttributesNotes
DesignClassic DJI folding desgin.
PerformanceUp to 46 min flight time.
FunctionalityQuick shots, Hyperlapse, slow motion video, omnidirectional obstacle avoidance sensors.

Best cheap entry-level drone

Potensic Atom SE

Best cheap option: A simple camera and low cost make this a great budget beginner option.

Specifications

Camera: 12MP Sony CMOS sensor
Battery: 2500mAh Li-ion 2S / up to 31 minutes
Video resolution: 4K, 2.7K, 1080p (FHD)
Frame rates: 4K at 30 fps / 2.7K at 30 fps / FHD at up to 60 fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 8.64 oz / 245 g
Dimensions: Folded 88 x 143 x 58mm / Unfolded 210 x 152 x 58mm

Reasons to buy

+
Great value for money
+
Easy to use sub 250g drone
+
Good build quality

Reasons to avoid

-
Basic camera control
-
No collision avoidance
-
Sensitive controls
Buy it if

✅ You're on a budget: This is one of the more affordable entry-level drones on this list.

You don't want to register it: It's in the sub-250g category, so it doesn't need registering.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You want lots of camera controls: The only camera setting you can control is exposure compensation, everything else is automatic, plus it's FPV style.

You want collision avoidance: This drone doesn't have it, so you'll need to be careful when flying.

The bottom line

🔎 The Potensic Atom SE redefines what inexpensive entry-level drone models are capable of alongside great build quality, but camera control is limited despite producing reasonably sharp images. ★★★★

DJI may be the best-known drone manufacturer dominating the market, but there are some strong contenders out there for beginners and the Potensic Atom SE is one of them. Weighing in at just 245 g and sporting a folding design, this is a highly portable beginner drone is a great alternative for beginners on a budget looking for a small and lightweight drone without obstacle avoidance.

The Atom SE delivers several useful features despite its competitive price including GPS positioning, Return to Home, and some basic automated flight modes for easy video capture. The controller features a unique yet highly functional design that holds smartphones conveniently, although we did find controls were on the sensitive side in our our Potensic Atom SE review.

Considering its price, the camera on this drone is pretty good. It uses a 1/3-inch 12MP Sony CMOS sensor with a wide 118-degree field of view. With this setup, you can record 4K video at up to 30FPS and take still photos in both JPEG and RAW formats. However, if you're a more experienced photographer, you might find the camera's settings somewhat limited, as most of them are automatic.

Despite this, the pictures generally come out well, with only a slight darkening around the edges in photos and none in videos. Overall, we think most beginners would be satisfied with how well the camera performs on this drone.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
AttributesNotes
DesignSmall folding design (similar to DJI).
PerformanceImage quality ok but not amazing.
FunctionalityLimited controls and flight patterns.

Best cheap 3-axis gimbal drone

Potensic Atom

Best cheap 3-axis gimbal: The most affordable sub-250g drone with a 3-axis gimbal and 4K video

Specifications

Camera: 12MP 1/3-inch Sony CMOS sensor
Battery: 2330 mAh / up to 32 minutes
Video resolution: 4K, 2.7K, 1080p
Frame rates: 4K up to 30fps, 2.7K up to 30fps, 1080p up to 60fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 8.8 oz / 249g
Dimensions: 3.5 x 5.6 x 2.3-inches / 88 x 143 x 58mm folded / 8.3 x 6.0 x 2.3-inches / 210 x 152 x 58mm unfolded

Reasons to buy

+
Up to 4K 30 FPS video
+
Manual camera control
+
Subject tracking & Quickshots

Reasons to avoid

-
No neutral density filters available
-
No Collision Avoidance
-
Fixed focus lens
Buy it if

✅ You're on a budget: This is simply the best inexpensive sub-250g drone available that can capture up to 4K video.
You want a lightweight model: Sub-250g drones that fold for transportation and storage are incredibly comfortable to carry.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You require a flat video profile: Professionals and advanced enthusiasts may want to color grade their video footage, but the Atom doesn’t offer a flat color profile.

You need to fly in strong wind: While every drone has a maximum wind resistance, smaller drones typically have a lower resistance than larger and more powerful models.

The bottom line

🔎The Potensic Atom may not be quite as slick as its DJI Mini counterparts, but it’s the closest inexpensive competitor that blows the other competition out of the water thanks to a 3-axis gimbal, clear 4K video and smooth flight. ★★★★

The Potensic Atom builds on the popularity of the Atom SE to deliver a similar drone but one that features a 3-axis gimbal and greatly improved camera functionality. It set a new benchmark for drones of its type, being one of the first beginner models to offer 4K video capture alongside photos in both JPEG and Raw, all for an affordable price.

Its sleek dimensions of 3.5 x 5.6 x 2.3 inches (88 x 143 x 58mm) when it's folded up and 8.3 x 6.0 x 2.3 inches (210 x 152 x 58mm) when unfolded also make it a great portable option, while it weights under the critical 250g mark. And with a flight time of 25 minutes on a single charge, you will get reasonable purchase from the Potensic Atom. Plus, it has a level 5 wind resistance, meaning it can withstand winds of up to 24mph.

In use, the Atom is easy to set up and fly, with GPS positioning holding the drone in position when hovering and providing a reliable return to home and subject tracking functionality. There’s no collision avoidance, which is unsurprising given the low cost of the drone. But, with careful flying this won’t be a problem — we found it an absolute breeze to fly in our Potensic Atom review.

Video capture is always an important element of drones, and you'll be pleased to hear that the Atom can capture 4K at 30FPS, 2.7K at 30FPS and 1080p at 60FPS. This offers undeniable flexibility for beginners alongside the option of capturing photos in both RAW and JPEG formats. This is an impressive drone that's a competitor of the DJI Mini 3, but at a more affordable price.