A year on from receiving it as a gift, my son is still showing me his toy drone. He still enjoys flying with it, and he hasn't broken it.
That's why I chose this kind of drone as his gift; not only was it relatively inexpensive, but he can take a pride in the skills he develops using it because – while there isn't any serious danger to him – it also requires him to develop useful dexterity that some more expensive drones leave out thanks to the inclusion of helpful technologies like GPS.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to fly a drone without GPS on a video shoot, but I'm glad I learned flying before it was commonplace because I'm a better pilot for it. It is a technology that can take over. My son can fly a drone without it, and that makes him better.
That, in turn, means I'm more confident letting him fly more expensive drones (although still with supervision of course).
Great first drone
Holy Stone HS210
My choice of first drone was the HS210, which is cheap but it has some key features that make it a great choice:
- Propeller guards Circular guards around the props prevent most possible skin abrasions AND stop you needing to replace the propellers all the time after minor bumps)
- Mode 2 controls The control scheme looks like a joypad, so as friendly as a console, but the sticks move in the same directions as those on a real drone, so the lessons learned are useful.
- Flip function The stunt function does help my son feel like he is impressing me, even if I know he is getting a bit of help from the system!
Better but more expensive...
DJI Neo
The DJI Neo is the wrong side of a $100 / £100, even in its cheapest format, but it offers a lot more while still having all the key features of the HS210 I mentioned as a brilliant first choice (and a whole lot more, of course). Well, depending on how you choose to buy it.
For example, you get a 4K camera into the bargain even in the cheapest configuration, and all the features I've listed here, but a manual controller is actually an optional extra...
- Safety cage design Not only does it have propellor guards, but
- Automatic A.I. follow-and-video Throw the drown from your hand and it'll follow you and record video of you.
- App control Will work with your phone, offering live view and on-screen controls.
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Check my guide to the best beginner drone and the best cheap drone.
