The Best Drones of 2023

Update, 06/14/2023: We’ve reviewed our recommendations, and we have updated our best budget, best photography, and best video drones. Take a look!

What to Look For in a Drone in 2023

Let’s start with the drone’s camera. The same general rules apply here as with any digital camera purchase. Make sure you look for drones that offer the resolution and framerate you want—the better the picture and video you want to take, the better resolution and framerate you’re going to require. If you’re looking to do more professional work, it’s also worth noting if the drone can take RAW photos or videos that have a flat color grade so that they can be graded later.

Sensor size, aperture, and other features are also important if you plan on taking great pictures, but a lot of this requires knowing how photography works to make full sense of these specs. All of our drone recommendations specify their use case so you don’t have to worry too much about these aspects unless you’re a picture aficionado.

Next up is drone size and weight. Drones vary from tiny nano-drones that fit in your hand to massive flying machines that are powerful enough to haul cinema cameras into the air. What size of drone you’re happy with will depend entirely on your needs.

As a general rule, smaller drones won’t have the professional specs or features of larger ones, but you may be surprised at how good small drones have become. But it’s also important to keep in mind that in some countries, drones below a certain weight are exempt from licensing or registration. If you’re taking your drone abroad, be sure to look up the laws!

Flight performance and transmission technology are also central concerns. Drones that use standard WiFi connections have limited ranges and are more prone to interference, ruining your view. Proprietary systems usually perform better and reduce the chance that you’ll have a flyaway drone or lose contact.

You should also pay attention to how fast the drone can fly, what altitudes it can operate, and how much wind it can handle. If you buy a drone that can’t handle the environment you want to fly in, it’s just going to spend its time on the ground photographing the local insect life—if it doesn’t get broken entirely.

Finally, we have flight endurance, or essentially the drone’s battery life before it needs to return to home for a new battery. The latest drones are zeroing in on 30 minutes, but larger or older drones will offer less time in the air. You need to move out of the consumer drone space and into the professional realm if you want more, so expect 30 minutes to be about the limit.

With all this in mind, here are our best drone recommendations.

The original Mavic Air caused an upset to the DJI product line by being so good, making people question why the Mavic Pro was worth the extra money. With the release of the improved DJI Air 2S, you need to be an absolute stickler for image quality to justify the additional price of the (also improved) Mavic 2 Pro.

While the Air 2S might not have the Hasselblad technology built into the Mavic 2 Pro, it still sports a massive one-inch camera sensor and can record high-quality 5.4K video, compared to the Pro’s 4K limit. The 2S also brings a newer version of DJI’s OcuSync technology, offering transmission at distances up to 7.5 miles compared to the Pro 2’s 6.2-mile promise.

The areas the 2S falls short of the more expensive Pro 2 are speed and obstacle sensing. The Pro 2 is just over 2 miles per hour faster than the S2 flat-out. The Mavic Pro 2 also offers omnidirectional obstacle sensing, whereas the 2S has four directions only. Granted, with all the features the Air 2S packs in, it’s going to be a great drone for nearly everyone.

Best Drone Overall

DJI Air 2S

The Air 2S is more affordable, yet a nearly as good alternative to the flagship DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Its features make it a great purchase for most people!

Amazon

$1039.00
$1299.00 Save 20%

Shattering expectations and pushing boundaries, the DJI Mini 3 packs a technological wallop that leaves a lot of heavyweight drones on the ropes. Weighing in at just under 250 grams, this mini powerhouse is classified as a drone that needs no registration in many jurisdictions, sidestepping rigid flight regulations and granting you the freedom to roam the skies.

The ‘Mini’ prefix might suggest a lesser machine, but don’t be fooled. This little dynamo houses a 4K HDR camera steadied by a 3-axis gimbal, guaranteeing slick, cinematic footage. This drone is also capable of true vertical shooting.

The Mini 3 runs the gamut with an impressive flight time of up to 38 minutes, certainly enough to tour your local vistas, and swapping out batteries is a breeze. If you opt for an Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, you can extend that to 51 minutes.

In fairness, the compact and lightweight nature of the Mini 3 does lead to some compromises. It has a limited transmission distance of up to 10km, which, while significant, can’t compete with its higher-end siblings. Its 4K camera, though good, doesn’t offer the professional-grade features some advanced users might want, and its light frame can make handling in windy conditions a bit tricky, though the Mini 3 is rated for 10.7 m/s winds.

Despite these minor setbacks, the DJI Mini 3 proves a compelling option for anyone in the market for an economical drone that doesn’t skimp on features. We’d hesitate to recommend anything cheaper. If you want obstacle avoidance and a few other higher-spec features in a drone of this size class, consider the DJI Mini 3 Pro.

Best Budget Drone

Amazon

$469.00
$559.00 Save 16%

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro is the drone to beat for photography buffs looking to capture the world from a new perspective. This flying pro camera has features designed to elevate your aerial photography game.

The Mavic 3 Pro has a triple-camera setup. So whether you’re shooting sprawling landscapes or intimate close-ups, this drone can handle it all in a single flight.

But the Mavic 3 Pro isn’t just a one-trick pony; it’s also a video virtuoso, boasting pro-grade specs such as 5.1K/50fps and 4K/120fps video. Armed with these capabilities, you can craft cinematic content bound to drop jaws.

Further pushing the envelope, the Mavic 3 Pro also provides an extended flight time of up to 43 minutes and a 15km HD video transmission range, allowing for real-time, high-definition shot adjustments.

Of course, such state-of-the-art features come with a hefty price tag, potentially making the Mavic 3 Pro a pipe dream for hobbyists and newcomers. Additionally, the sheer complexity of its features may be daunting for casual users. And while it isn’t a behemoth, it certainly can’t match the portability of its diminutive relatives, the DJI Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro.

Best Photography Drone

With its launch of the Inspire 3, DJI has truly upped its game for those who take their aerial cinematography seriously. As with all things DJI, there’s a definite wow factor here that isn’t just skin deep. This is a drone that packs in more than you could ask for and then some. The Inspire 3 is a cinematic beast, but it’s one that doesn’t shy away from its professional ambitions.

Sure, you’re going to pay a pretty penny for it. Priced at over $16K, it’s not for the faint of heart. But the full-frame 8K Zenmuse X9-8K Air gimbal camera alone is a wonder, with its 8K/25fps CinemaDNG video and 8K/75fps Apple ProRes RAW video. The flight speed can hit up to 94km/h, thanks to a robust propulsion system. Even better, the TB51 intelligent dual batteries can keep it aloft for up to 28 minutes, which is no mean feat for a drone of this class.

DJI didn’t stop at just image quality and flight performance, though. The Inspire 3 incorporates high-precision RTK positioning technology and an integrated triple GNSS system for superior stability and precision. New Waypoint Pro intelligent flight modes and the Spotlight Pro feature bring a new level of sophistication to flight-route planning and object tracking. And if all that wasn’t enough, this drone has a whopping nine visual sensors to keep you from flying into trouble.

In a nutshell, the DJI Inspire 3 is the Rolls Royce of drones. It’s big, flashy, and packed with the best technology money can buy. This is the kit you’ve been waiting for those who want a drone that can capture unparalleled aerial shots and offer versatility like never before. It might take some getting used to, and you’ll need to dig deep into your wallet, but for the right customer, it’s worth every cent.

Best Video Drone

DJI Inspire 3

This is where professional drone cinematography starts. It might seem expensive, but compared to the next cheapest pro drone DJI are practically giving these away, and we’ve been waiting for a new Inspire for years.

The Ryze Tello is an interesting product. It’s not meant to be a traditional camera drone; instead, it’s a platform to teach you about drones and perhaps create some new uses for them. The 5MP, 720p camera isn’t going to win any awards, but as a casual bit of fun that can be shared on social media, it’s just fine.

This is not a DJI drone, like the other picks on our list, although some marketing and packaging mention the company. Instead, some of the software and the flight controller is provided by the drone giant while Ryze carves out its own niche in the industry.

But, if you want a physical controller for the Tello, you’ll have to pay extra for it and learn proper manual flight skills. Otherwise, you’ll be restricted to the smartphone app, which doesn’t prepare you for real drone flying.

Even with the additional cost of the (optional) controller, the Tello is still amazing value for the money—if you’re realistic about what the drone’s hardware can actually do. Thanks to the Scratch programming language, you can also create software for your Tello. That means it’s a great way for kids of all ages to get into basic programming and robotics, and the Ryze Tello is just beginner-friendly in general.

Best Drone for Beginners

Ryze Tello Drone

The Tello is an excellent educational drone and one made for those who like to tinker.

Best Racing Drone: DJI FPV

Drone racing is a growing sport that’s still quite a niche, and so there aren’t many mainstream products that really fall neatly into the category. At this point, if you actually want to race drones competitively, you’re much better off buying or building a custom racing drone. But if all you want is to satiate the need for speed and feel like Superman tearing around the sky, then what you want is the DJI FPV.

While it’s not the fastest or most maneuverable FPV (First-Person View) drone you can buy, the DJI FPV is the most polished and complete product in this category. DJI has offered FPV experiences using headsets before, but sadly support for the DJI Goggles was dropped and are no longer in production. So if you want the immersive drone experience, the DJI FPV is the official answer from the company.

The FPV is an amazing machine with a properly good 4K, 60fps camera, cutting-edge low-latency video transmission technology, and an option motion controller. There’s really nothing quite like it! This DJI drone represents the next generation of FPV drone flight and offers a new way to create drone content. FPV footage and the sorts of shots you can get with the FPV range from difficult to impossible with more traditional camera drones.

DJI has gone a long way to ensure you don’t trash your expensive drone out on your first flight, too. It has automated protection systems, an emergency brake, and a hover feature.

While the FPV may not be as fast as the most barebones carbon fiber custom racer, it’s about twice as fast as a Mavic 2 Pro with superior wind resistance. So, despite all the safety nets DJI has included, you can still easily wreck it if you’re not careful. But if you’re a solid pilot and want to take your drone content to the next level, the FPV is the drone to get.

Best Racing Drone

DJI FPV

The DJI FPV is the only properly polished first-person view racing drone on the market today. It requires no assembly and offers massive speeds and crystal clear video transmission to your headset.

Amazon

$1198.00
$1298.00 Save 8%

Frequently Asked Questions