Top 5 Things to Know Before Buying a Drone (2018)

They’re one of the hottest gadgets today, but there’s also a lot of confusion about what to look for when buying one. I’m talking about drones, also referred to as UAVs – or “unmanned aerial vehicles” – and sometimes “quadcopters.” See, already a little confusing. Hey everyone, welcome to Gear Up, the WatchMojo series that looks at the latest in gadgets, gear and games. I’m Marc Saltzman, and in this video, it’s 5 things to look for when shopping for your first or next drone. With so many on the market, how do you choose which one is right for you? Here are a few things to consider before picking a drone that suits your needs and budget.

There’s no easy way around this: drones range in price considerably, starting at about $20 for a small model without a camera to more than $20,000 for a top-of-the-line drone with a 4K camera, Thermal Surveying, GPS, and bundled with a first-person screen and fancy controller. In other words, the less expensive the drone, the more of a radio-controlled “toy” it is; the more expensive, the more and flashier the features. Battery life will be shorter, on average, for less expensive drones; there are also likely to be limitations in wireless range and control options. As with most other tech toys, quality of materials and price are related: generally speaking, the less expensive the drone the cheaper the plastics and fewer safeguards (if any) to protect the propellers and body from crashes. While some pricier models are built with carbon fiber or foam, many high-end drones are also made mostly of plastic, but better controls and smarter software should reduce the odds your drone will do a downward dog. Also consider a drone with LED lights to visually track it in the night sky, plus there are many aftermarket kits for hobbyists to attach lighting themselves.

OK, second thing to look for in a drone: the camera

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If you’re buying the drone primarily for shooting video or snapping pics – perhaps you’re a real estate agent looking to showcase the property you’re selling -- you’ll need to ensure it has a good onboard camera -- or at least can mount one, like a GoPro or another POV cam. Typically, drones with cameras usually start with VGA video quality, followed by pricier HD cameras and/or a 180-degree fisheye camera. Ultra HD or 4K cameras, which can shoot video with four times the resolution of HD, are even better than HD cameras, especially if you own a 4K television or monitor to display that footage. Also look for frames per second. 60 is better than 30, for example. And you should also look at whether the drone supports a movable camera – for those who want it – as some only look straight ahead. Some wide-angle cameras let you pan and zoom, digitally, as well as provide 3-axis image stabilization, but it’s not as ideal as a camera on a gimbal. On a related note, be aware shooting video and snapping pics takes up storage. Look for a drone with ample onboard memory and/or expandable memory. Some have 8 gigabytes of internal storage – which yields about 45 minutes of HD recording -- but no microSD card slot. Some have expandable memory cards. Some drones allow for remote camera viewing and recording, too, or might ship with a special headset to see the action from a first-person view.

When it comes to drones, there are usually two main ways to control the action: a bundled radio controller, and support for a companion app, installed on your smartphone or tablet. With the former, the left stick of a remote controller usually handles throttle (up and down) and yaw (rotation), while the right stick controls roll (left and right) and pitch (front and back). Along with the dual joysticks, the remote will likely have a power switch, color-coded battery indicator and perhaps other buttons for tweaking controls -- but this will all vary on the make and model of your drone. Fewer drones allow for smartphone control, but look for this if that appeals to you. Each control scheme has its advantages: a dedicated remote controller offers more precision for flying and lets you keep your eyes locked on your drone, but a smartphone or tablet screen is ideal for tapping waypoints, drawing a flight pattern with your fingertip and seeing what the camera sees. Some apps let you perform tricks with its onscreen (virtual) buttons, like a 180-degree flip, and back again.

Just like drone materials can vary greatly, and camera quality, battery life is all over the place. With inexpensive drone toys it can be as low as 4 or 5 minutes. Then you move up to 8 to 12 minutes of fly time with some models and then about 30 minutes for some higher quality drones. With some kits you get two or so in the box for a total fly time of about an hour. Speaking of which, many drone enthusiasts look for a drone with a removable battery so they can charge up a couple and bring ‘em along on a day trip to the park. Generally, speaking, the higher the number of milliamps the battery, the longer it’ll last between charges – so a 5000 milliamp battery is better than a 2000 milliamp battery -- though there are many other variables like wind, weight, and so on.

There are a few other considerations when buying a drone: One is speed. Some drones can fly 50 miles per hour. Another useful feature built into many of today’s premium drones is the ability to land automatically or return to its flier if it senses it’s going out of range, if the battery is about to die or if it’s about to enter a “no fly zone,” such as an airport, government building or sports arena. Look for good range – how far it can fly away from you – and obstacle detection is a nice feature to look for, too. Some drones have a “Follow Me” mode that tells the flying quadcopter to lock onto you via its onboard camera. That way, you can be sure every moment is captured of your, say, sick skateboard trick or daring mountain biking excursion. In other cases, you can use hand gestures to control the action. And finally, at the risk of sounding preachy, remember to always fly your drone responsibly. Hey, thanks for watching Gear Up; I'm Marc Saltzman. Let us know in the comments section what you you’d like to see more of going forward. And for more tech-tastic lists, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com. Ciao for now.