The Best Mini Drones on the Market Today

Buyer’s Guide: What to Look for in a Mini Drone

When trying to choose between the best mini drones, there are several categories that you should take into account. There is no official designation of a mini drone, so it is important to know your own weight and size limits. 

Generally speaking, mini-drones should be portable enough to fit in your pocket, purse, or backpack. Additionally, they should not pass the minimum weight needed to register with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

But, some drones can be small in size and quite portable, but still, pass over 0.55lbs limit posed by the FAA. Also, there are light drones that are cumbersome and not as easy to carry around.

In all cases, it will be up to you to determine what constituted a miniature drone for your needs.

Best mini drones are those that can fit into our palm, but not everyone has palms of the same size.

Drone Size Categories

Technically speaking, any unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is considered to be a drone. Because that includes military and industrial aircraft, drones can weigh multiple tons if needed.

On the other side, a drone can be minuscule toys or devices that buzz around and weigh just a few ounces. With that difference, it is hard to make clear categories with a simple qualifier.

When it comes to commercial drones, it always best not to rely on labels and look for the designated weight. The magic number to look for is 8.8oz (or 0.55lbs) as the FAA requirement.

Registration is not that hard, and you should not worry too much if your drone is above this weight, but the less paperwork you need to do is always better.

In online communities, drones that are lighter than 4oz are considered ‘micro’ drones, and the ones up to 8.8oz (250g) are mini-drones.

The next line is 17,6oz, which are regarded as small, not because of the significant size difference but due to EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) standards that allow these drones to be flown in areas that are deemed reasonably safe.

Medium drones are those that weight 4.4lbs or less, with the final category being drones under 25lbs, which are really large. 

Once the weight and size exceed commercial drones, they will usually be called UAV for both legal and consumer purposes.

Weather Durability

Smaller drones can house comparatively smaller blades, which reduces their capability to deal with very strong winds or random gusts of air. But, with a powerful motor, this doesn’t mean that they are unusable when outside.

Drones that have brushless motors will be able to fly comfortably in stronger winds. This makes it possible to raise a mini drone high up into the air without the picture shaking too much or the blades failing to move the drone adequately.

Additionally, because of the higher material density, miniature drones are less prone to breaks and other damage than larger drones. Even if they fall, only the rotors are exposed enough, and they can be changed fairly easily.

The only downside of miniature drones is when it comes to water. Due to the small casing, it is hard to cover all of the parts and isolate them. A drizzle or moisture won’t necessarily hurt the electronics a lot, but any prolonged water exposure will fry their circuits.

Indoor and Outdoor

Modern drones are usually quite stable and won’t crash to the side unless you specifically order it, and sometimes not even then. But, larger drones push a lot of air and wiggle much more, making them very dangerous to fly indoors.

That is where mini drones come to shine, as the best mini drones will have no issues flying through narrow rooms or hallways. Additionally, even if they hit a piece of furniture, they won’t do much damage.

The only issue is that GPS won’t usually work inside. So, if you plan on using your mini drone around the house, make sure you buy one with additional sensors.

Having a barometer and proximity sensors will make the drone adjust its height and speed accordingly, giving you a lot more autonomous features and piloting options.

Additional Features

With miniaturization, the number of features available in miniature drones raises significantly. Depending on your needs, there is a lot that you can find even in the smallest drones.

But, it will always be a question which features are you willing to sacrifice and which might be essential to what you need. There will be a large difference between devices that are meant for taking selfies and ones you want to do tricks with and buzz around at high speeds.

Also, other features go outside the scope of what most people are looking for.

Using drones for orienteering, trekking, or hunting may be something you are interested in, but then you will want slight changes in design. UI capabilities will also be different.

Thankfully, many drones have multiple features that can pull double-duty for some needs. Picking out from the best mini drones available will usually help you in more ways than one.

Range and Battery Life

Energy consumptions are one of the biggest issues when it comes to drones. Batteries are heavy and not as efficient as chemical fuel. The more power drone needs, the larger and heavier battery should be inside, thus needing even more power.

In general, this makes mini-drones have a shorter range and battery life than some of the larger models, which is usually enough for most pilots.

On modern devices, this comparatively shorter range doesn’t need to be anything restricting. On high-end minis, this number counts several hundred feet, especially when it has GPS capabilities to assist it.

Finally, depending on the density of the battery, mini drones will be able to fly for enough time to fulfill their purpose. 

Racing drones will have a shorter battery life but more power to the engines, while camera drones will allow the pilot enough time to look around and find their perfect shot.

GPS and Navigation

It is commendable if you are a type of person with patience and perseverance to slowly learn all the ins and outs of drone piloting through trial and error. But, for most people, you want to have as much fun as soon as possible.

While not all drones have a GPS, this technology allows for a lot of freedom and adds quite a bit of versatility to any drone.

By using a satellite, the drone will know exactly where it is on the Planet and move across the grid with ease. With the information received, it will also know how fast it is moving and what is the altitude of the terrain.

Drones that don’t have a GPS can still use sensors and barometers to move around safely. This set of tools is especially important indoors and places where GPS won’t reach.

But, unlike with a GPS, by only using internal sensors, you won’t be able to track the exact position of your drone without seeing the device with your own eyes.

Portability and Design

The general purpose of a mini drone is to carry it around easily. For that, it is as important to have a good design as it is for the weight to remain reasonably low.

In this aspect, you should pick out your miniature drone, depending on your favorite mode of transport. In some cases, it will be your car, where fitting in the glove compartment should be the best option.

Having a purse or a backpack is probably the best way to go. With a bit more space, you will be able to fit both flat and round models without any danger of damaging.

If you plan on carrying your drone in a pocket, you will need a slim design with foldable wings. While mini drones can sustain a bit more stress than a regular drone, there is no need to endanger your equipment more than it is absolutely necessary.

AI

Almost all modern drones use some sort of firmware, if not strictly internal logic systems, to help navigate the drone. In some cases, this system will be rudimentary, while in others, you may see quite advanced processing.

The general rule of thumb is that the newer you are in drone piloting, the more assistance you need from our silicone-based friends. Good AI helps with stability and can give a lot of auto-pilot functions that will keep the drone in the air while you get used to the commands.

Even when you become an expert, it is nice to have a system in place that will help you repeat the same thing all the time. AI assistance when taking off or landing leaves you to focus on enjoying your drone and nothing else.

Conclusion

While it is true that miniature drones will not have all of the professional features found in their much larger counterparts, they have a lot of other benefits that may make you pick a little drone over a large one.

For one, there is no need to register a little drone. You can fly it right out of the box and anywhere you want. 

While you should wait to get the hang of drone piloting before going into highly populated areas, any park can be your flight course.

Finally, some of the best mini drones on the market have most of the features of large professional drones. These models will be more than capable of fulfilling all of your blogging or photography needs.