Best drones 2023: Take flight with drones for beginners and experts alike

The best drones are part of a booming market, with new and exciting features being released all the time, so it can be tricky to know where to start when it comes to investing in this fast-moving technology. Luckily for you, our expert reviewers have scoured the market and put a range of different drones to the test to help you choose the best one for you. This list will bring you the absolute highlights across various categories like camera drones, FPV drones and children's drones.

It's worth considering what you want to get from the world of drones. Some of the drones on our list offer incredible camera functionality, allowing you to take your photography and videography to new heights, whilst others feature sophisticated flight assistance and are ideal for beginners learning how to fly drones for the first time. FPV (First Person View) drones usually come with goggles to help you see from the perspective of the drone, which can create an exciting and highly immersive experience.

We're expecting to see some great deals coming up on drones ahead of Black Friday, so be sure to check out our Black Friday deals hub or take a look at our guide to buying a drone on Black Friday to see how you could save yourself some money on your chosen drone. If you already know what you're looking for, we also have guides on specific categories, such as our lists of the best camera drones, best beginner drones and best FPV drones. But if you just want to get an idea of what's out there or you're not sure where to start, then this list should give you some inspiration to get you going.

DJI Mini 3 Pro: was $909.99

DJI Mini 3 Pro: was $909.99 now $799.99 from Best Buy

Save $110 on the popular DJI Mini 3 Pro in this Black Friday deal. It's tiny and lightweight with a ton of professional features that are sure to satisfy photographers and videographers, plus True Vertical shooting for social media content creators.

The Quick list

Best drones we recommend in 2023

Why you can trust Space.com Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test and review products.

Best drone overall

A stunning drone for visual creators

Specifications

Camera: 20MP 4/3 main camera, 70mm and 166mm telephoto cameras
Battery: 5000 mAh / up to 43 minutes flight time
Video resolution: Up to 5.1K
Frame rates: 5.1K up to 75fps / 4K up to 120fps / FHD up to 200fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 33.79 oz / 958 g
Dimensions: 9.10 x 3.85 x 3.75 inches / 231.1×98×95.4 mm (folded) 13.68 x 11.44 x 4.24 / 347.5×290.8×107.7 mm (unfolded)

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent image quality with three cameras
+
Up to 5.1K video capture
+
Advanced safety features

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Three cameras may not be required
-
Heavy compared to sub-250g models
Buy it if

✅ You're looking for versatility: The three cameras on offer on this drone give you the ability to shoot different perspectives and different focal lengths at the same time, which can help produce more creative content. 

✅ You want to shoot high-quality slow-mo: With this drone, you don't have to choose between quality and frame rates. You can shoot 5.1K up to 75fps, 4K up to 120fps and FHD up to 200fps.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're on a budget: With all the features on offer, this is quite an expensive drone and may be overkill for casual hobbyists. 

The bottom line

🔎 DJI Mavic 3 Pro One of the best foldable drones on the market, this allows you to get stunning videos and offers great flexibility with three cameras that can film at the same time. The only real downside is the price, but we think beginners and pros would be pleased with this purchase. ★★★★★

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is truly one of the best consumer drones on the market, with stunning image quality that will satisfy both amateurs and professionals. It is the world's first consumer drone to come with three cameras, unleashing a whole new world of creative potential.

The main showstopper is the 24mm Four Thirds Hasselblad camera, which can capture 20MP photos and 5.1K video and has an adjustable aperture between f/2.8 and f/11. This is flanked by a very useful 70mm medium telephoto and a 166mm telephoto to complete the trio.

It features the hallmark Mavic folding design and, like the other models, we found you could get around 30 minutes of flight time from it. It also comes with two different smart controller options, both featuring 5.5-inch touchscreens, so there's no need to hook up your smartphone.

The Mavic 3 Pro is very intuitive and easy to fly for a drone of this class since it comes with a number of flight and safety features such as Advanced Return to Home, AirSense ADS-B to detect aircraft, GEO 2.0 geofencing, obstacle sensing and automated flight patterns for video.

Although this is undoubtedly a pricey drone, it's been released at a similar price to older models, making the additional camera fantastic value. If your budget can stretch to it, you will not be disappointed with the incredible features offered by the Mavic 3 Pro.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test results
AttributesNotes
DesignThree cameras and two smart controllers
FunctionalityEasy to fly, with obstacle sensing technology
PerformanceExcellent image quality and videos up to 5.1K

Best single camera drone

DJI’s prosumer powerhouse made more affordable

Specifications

Camera: 4/3 20MP sensor
Battery: 5000mAh / up to 46 minutes flight time
Video resolution: Up to 5.1K
Frame rates: 5.1K up to 50fps / DCI 4k Up to 120fps / 4K up to 120fps / FHD up to 200fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 895g
Dimensions: olded 221x96.3x90.3mm / Unfolded 347.5x283x107.7mm

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent image quality
+
Up to 5.1K video
+
Less expensive than Mavic 3 / Mavic 3 Cine

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive despite reduced cost
-
Not aimed at beginners
-
Much heavier than the Mini 3 Pro 
Buy it if

✅ You want excellent image quality at a more affordable price: This drone contains the same impressive Hasselblad 20MP camera as the other DJI Mavic 3 models, but keeps the price down by doing away with the additional cameras.

✅ You want something easy to fly: With two different controller options and an Advanced Return to Home feature, you should be able to get the hang of this drone quite quickly.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're after an affordable beginner drone: While this is more affordable than the other DJI Mavic 3 drones, it's still quite pricey and there are several other cheaper options on the market for beginners.

The bottom line

🔎 DJI Mavic 3 Classic This is a great option for people who want the image quality of the DJI Mavic 3 drones without paying extra for additional cameras that they don't have need for. Although it's still not cheap, it's easy to fly and would make a good investment for keen beginners. ★★★★½

The DJI Mavic 3 Classic offers a more cost-effective alternative to the rest of the Mavic 3 series for those who don't require an additional telephoto camera on their drone. It is still equipped with the impressive 20MP 24mm Hasselblad camera found on the other drones in the series, so you won't have to sacrifice any image quality in the process. This camera can shoot in JPEG or Raw, has an adjustable aperture between f/2.8 and f/11, offers 3x digital zoom and can film 5.1K video up to 50fps.

There are two controller options with this drone, depending on your budget. You can opt for a controller with a retractable phone holder or pay a bit more to get a smart controller with a 5.5-inch touchscreen, which we found improved the overall user experience. This drone has the typical foldable design of the Mavic range and flight time was around 30 minutes during our testing.

Even beginners will be able to get the hang of flying this drone quickly thanks to all the on-board flight assistance. The Mavic 3 Classic features Advanced Return to Home, obstacle avoidance using multiple vision sensors and the highly effective ActiveTrack 5.0 for subject tracking. The High-Speed Quick Transfer feature also makes it super easy to share your results with clients or on social media since you can transfer files to your smartphone over WiFi at a rate of 80MB/s.

If you don't need a second camera, you can make a decent saving on this drone in comparison to the other Mavic 3 drones without losing many of their other great features and functionality.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test results
AttributesNotes
DesignSingle Hasselblad 20MP camera and controller options
FunctionalityEasy to fly, with good safety features
PerformanceFantastic image quality with 12.8 stops of dynamic range

Best for professional drone pilots

The ultimate prosumer drone

Specifications

Camera: 4/3 20MP sensor & 1/2-inch 12MP sensor
Battery: 5000mAh / up to 46 minutes flight time
Video resolution: Up to 5.1K
Frame rates: 5.1K up to 50fps / 4K up to 120fps / FHD up to 200fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: Standard 895g / Cine 899g
Dimensions: Folded 221x96.3x90.3mm / Unfolded 347.5x283x107.7mm

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent image quality 
+
Long battery life 
+
Adjustable aperture 

Reasons to avoid

-
 Expensive 
-
 Not aimed at beginners 
Buy it if

✅ You're a keen photographer: The main camera on this drone offers the same kind of shooting modes as a mirrorless or DSLR camera and lets you shoot in both Raw and JPEG, making it a great option for experienced photographers.

✅ You want to be able to adjust the aperture: You also get an adjustable aperture on the main camera, letting you choose apertures between f/2.8 and f/11, with auto and manual focus possible from 1m to infinity.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You're a beginner: This isn't the most beginner-friendly drone and the price is probably enough to put off all but the most serious photographers.

The bottom line

🔎 DJI Mavic 3 This pricey but feature-packed drone is likely to appeal to serious photographers or content creators, with impressive functionality for still photographs that is equivalent to mirrorless or DSLR cameras and high-quality video capabilities to match. ★★★★

If you’re a professional photographer or videographer looking for the highest possible image quality in a portable and lightweight drone, then look no further than the DJI Mavic 3. This drone features a dual camera with a large Four Thirds 20MP sensor and adjustable aperture in the main camera offering excellent image quality for stills and video. 

With video possible at up to 5.1K in standard and Raw formats, stills in Raw and JPEG format and other advanced features it’s a drone that’s aimed at professionals. The Mavic 3's second camera is much more limited, however, and can only shoot images in JPEG and standard video at 4K 30fps in auto mode, but it does offer a hybrid zoom of up to 24x.

The Mavic 3 features a folding design for easy transportation and the two models available weigh 895g and 899g. The standard model provides 8GB of internal storage, while the more expensive and slightly heavier Cine model includes an internal 1TB SDD with support for Apple ProRes 422 HG video recording. Both models also feature a microSD card slot to expand onboard storage.

This drone is DJI’s flagship ‘consumer’ model and provides up to 46 minutes of flight time with several incredibly useful safety features on offer. The Mavic 3 uses multi vision sensors to sense obstacles, as well as the Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 5.0, which uses six fish-eye sensors and two wide-angle sensors to sense obstacles in all directions. When enabled, the drone can be set to fly autonomously around obstacles when detected or to brake.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test results
AttributesNotes
DesignLarge dual Hasselblad camera
FunctionalityAdvanced collision avoidance and ActiveTrack 5.0
PerformanceImpressive image quality and ISO

Best non-DJI alternative

Great price and features make this a fantastic alternative to DJI drones

Specifications

Camera: 20MP 1-inch sensor
Battery: 6175 mAh LiPo 3S / up to 40 minutes
Video resolution: Up to 5.4K
Frame rates: 5.4K up to 30fps / 4K up to 60fps / 2.7K up to 60fps / FHD up to 120fps
Foldable design: Yes
Weight: 29.45oz / 835g
Dimensions: Folded 210×123×95mm / Unfolded 427×384×95mm

Reasons to buy

+
Up to 5.4K video and Raw Photos
+
Adjustable aperture
+
Subject tracking and cinematic flight modes

Reasons to avoid

-
Some shooting modes only available in Auto
-
Log Color only available in Auto
-
Controller battery life could be better
Buy it if

✅ You're looking for top-quality video: This drone shoots up to an impressive 5.4K, which easily gives the DJI drones a run for their money. 

✅ You want photographic flexibility: The adjustable aperture on this drone is very handy for experienced photographers set on capturing the perfect shot.

Don't buy it if:

❌ You don't like using an app: The controller doesn't come with a built-in screen and relies on the AutelSky app on your smartphone to work. 

You want something ultra-portable: Even when folded, this drone measures 210×123×95mm and weighs 835g, so it's not the easiest to carry around with you.

The bottom line

🔎 Autel Evo Lite+ This drone offers extremely good image and video quality at a very competitive price, making it a good alternative to the DJI drone range. Whilst it's not the smallest or lightest drone out there, it comes with a relatively long battery life and good wind resistance, helping you to make the most of your aerial adventures. ★★★★½ 

If you’re looking for the perfect balance of price, features and camera performance, the Autel EVO Lite+ could be the perfect drone for you. This versatile UAV features a 20MP 1-inch sensor in a camera with an equivalent focal length of 29mm and an adjustable f/2.8 – f/11 aperture, which is ideal for controlling exposure when shooting video. 

Photos can be captured in JPEG and RAW, while video can be captured in Standard and Log Color in 5.4K up to 30fps, 4K up to 60fps, 2.7K up to 60fps and HD up to 120fps. Image quality for both photos and videos is excellent, with aperture settings between f/2.8 – f/5.6 providing the sharpest results before diffraction kicks in and reduces overall image sharpness.

Flight times are advertised at up to 40 minutes thanks to the high-capacity 6175 mAh flight batteries, and with speeds of up to 40mph possible and level 7 wind resistance (up to 38mph), the Lite+ performs well in a wide range of conditions. Plus, features including obstacle avoidance and GPS positioning make it incredibly easy and indeed safe to fly the drone.

The Lite+ features a folding design that makes it much more compact for transportation and storage. Folded, the drone is 210×123×95mm and 427×384×95mm unfolded, alongside a weight of 835g. It’s not the smallest or lightest drone available, but the trade-off here is improved image quality, more advanced camera functionality and more power. 

Available in two kits, the Lite+ Standard Bundle includes the drone, one battery, a controller and other useful accessories which costs $1379 / £1249. While the Premium Bundle offers everything in the Standard Bundle but also includes two additional batteries, extra spare propellers, an ND filter set, a three-battery charging hub and a shoulder bag which costs $1679 / £1519.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Test results
AttributesNotes
DesignHigh-quality folding design with 20MP 1-inch sensor
FunctionalityLevel 7 wind resistance, subject tracking and collision avoidance
PerformanceExcellent image quality with up to 5.4K video