Buying a drone for a teenager is a daunting prospect. There are so many different choices, and there are a lot of things to consider. You want to get a quality product that will last without breaking the bank.
After extensive research, we think that the DJI Mini is the best drone for teenagers due to its capable camera, flight performance, intelligent flight modes, size, and price point.
The runner-up is the Ryze Tello and Holy Stone HS100.
The Potensic T25 if you’re on a particularly tight budget.
Without further ado, let’s discuss how we came to this decision.
Things We Considered in Choosing the Best Drone for a Teenager
There are several important considerations when selecting a drone for a teenager. Most of these involve safety. Teenage drone operators are likely new to the hobby, and as such, it’s crucial that their drone is equipped with adequate failsafe protocols.
There are also some feature factors to make sure the young pilot is getting a great product for the money.
Intelligent Features
Teenagers are not young kids, they may easily get bored flying a cheap toy drone that has limited features. They are likely to expect more from a drone than just flying for fun. So a drone that has plenty of intelligent features will probably hit the nail on the head.
GPS Lock
Another important factor to consider when selecting a drone for teenagers is whether or not it has GPS lock capabilities. This allows the aircraft to stay stable in the air despite wind or other environmental conditions. Teenagers are likely novice drone pilots, so this feature is helpful for avoiding accidents from loss of control of the aircraft. Unless environmental factors are particularly bad, drones with GPS-lock will stay put and remain steady.
Return to Home
Another important thing to keep in mind is whether or not the drone has a return to home feature. This function makes the aircraft return to its designated home point on its own. This is a really important feature for less experienced pilots in case they lose control of the drone or need it to come back immediately.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is a big factor to consider when buying a drone. Teenagers are novice pilots, so they need something that they can simply turn on and fly without jumping through too many hoops. Furthermore, the drone they get should be user-friendly in terms of the actual controls and manipulation of the aircraft.
Camera
When buying any drone, the camera’s capability is a big factor to consider. Teenagers, while still beginner pilots, may also want to take cool photos and videos with their drones. A poor camera not only means poor photos and videos but visual navigation will also be hindered when flying the drone using the camera’s live feed.
Size
Size is another important factor we considered when making our decision. Teenage pilots that are less experienced should get used to flying smaller, lighter drones before moving to larger platforms. The smaller the safer.
Best drone for Teenager Review
The Best Choice: Mavic Mini
The Mavic mini is packed with unique features that make it a higher-end small drone. It features a 3-axis gimbal with a 12-megapixel camera that shoots video in 2.7k. This drone has many features that make it an ideal beginner drone. It’s foldable and can be put right into your pocket. The 249g weight makes it a register-free drone in many countries.
This product is unique because it doesn’t fit in any one category. Kids learn to fly drones with this bird, yet its camera takes good enough photos for the real estate industry.
- Flight performance — Mavic Mini can fly up to 30 minutes per charge which is the longest at the same or even higher price point. It also has a control range as long as 4km (2.5miles). With built-in GPS and downward sensors, it can fly and hover stably even in strong winds.
- Intelligent flight modes — The Mavic mini is equipped with some of DJI’s reliable intelligent flight modes like QuickShot, Circle, Helix. These features make both flying and shooting much easier, especially for beginner pilots.
- High-end Camera — This drone is equipped with an HD camera. It enables you to capture stable 12MP photos and 2.7k videos together with a 3-axis gimbal.
- Easy to fly — You can fly the Mavic Mini right out of the box without any assembling.
Cons:
- No 4k camera
- No obstacle avoidance
- No FollowMe mode and hyper-lapse
Please note that it’s safer to fly with propeller guards.
Ryze Tello Mini Drone
The Ryze Tello is another decent choice for teenagers. It really stands out for its camera, programmable features, and robust flight control powered by DJI.
Pros:
- A decent camera — Allows you to capture 5MP photos and HD 720p videos.
- Easy-to-fly — EZ Shots enables you to shoot videos with Circle, 360, and Up & Away.
- Super Safe — Tello packs Auto Takeoff and Landing, Low battery protection, Failsafe protection, and more.
- Fun to fly — It’s capable of performing tricks like Throw & Go, 8D Flips, and Bounce Mode.
- Flight time — 13 minutes of max flight time is impressive for the drone’s size.
- Programmable — Supports programming with Scratch, allowing teenagers to command the drone to perform specific movements by coding.
Cons:
Like every coin has two sides, users do have complaints about the drone.
- The real flight time is only about 7-8 minutes.
- Android App is difficult to use, especially the latest phones and OS.
Holy Stone HS100
The Holy Stone HS100 is a somewhat larger drone that has several features that make it a good drone for teenagers. It’s easy to fly, stable in the air, and the camera quality is more than adequate.
Pros:
- GPS lock — This drone’s GPS lock makes it more stable in the air which means you can focus more on taking your photos and videos.
- Wide field of view — The HS100 has a 120° field of view. This means the camera can capture a lot of information at all times. This is beneficial for taking better photos and videos, and it also helps the pilot see the drone’s surroundings better
- Camera angle — The gimbal on this drone can turn a full 90° downward. This will let you get a cool bird’s eye view of the landscape below, and it’ll make it easier to see where you’re about to land.
- Virtual reality headset — This drone works well with a virtual reality headset.
Cons:
- Battery life — This drone’s advertised battery life is 15 minutes. Given its larger size, this battery life is somewhat lacking.
- Range — The HS100 has a range of approximately 500 meters. In most cases, this will be sufficient, but there will likely be occasions where a further range will be desired.
- Beeping — When recording video, the remote controller beeps constantly. For long videos, this will be particularly annoying and distracting.
- Long Battery charge time — It takes several hours to fully charge. Given its short flight time, this specification is a significant drawback of this drone.
Potensic T25
The Potensic T25 is similar to the Holy Stone HS100. The T25 handles great and shoots a fairly good video for its price point. It has a good flight time and some intelligent flight modes that make it more than a toy drone. This bird is even compatible with virtual reality goggles.
Pros:
- GPS lock — This drone is also equipped with a GPS lock. An impressive feature for a drone at this price point.
- Beginner Mode — The T25 has Beginner Mode, a great feature for beginner pilots that need to learn the ropes.
- Intuitive app interface — The app that goes with this drone is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Cons:
- Subpar return to home — The return to home function doesn’t work accurately all the time.
- Calibration out of whack — The T25 requires nearly constant recalibration. This is both frustrating and a waste of precious battery life every time you fly.
The Competition
We’ve also done some research on the Eachine E511 and the Potensic D80. Both are good options, but due to their unique shortcomings, they didn’t quite make our list. Also, the DJI Spark had been our best choice since the Mavic Mini was released, but it’s now on our competition list because of the higher price and inferior flight performance compared to the Mavic mini.
DJI Spark
Since the release of Mavic Mini, DJI has discontinued the DJI Spark.
Pros:
- Intelligent flight modes — The Spark is equipped with some of DJI’s reliable intelligent flight modes. These features single-handedly put this aircraft in a class above the competition at the same price point.
- Camera — This drone’s camera is great. It shoots in 1080p and takes 12-megapixel photos.
- GPS lock — This drone’s GPS lock makes it more stable in the air which means you can focus more on taking your photos and videos.
- Battery life — For its size, Spark’s advertised battery life of 15 minutes is relatively high. When you consider all of the features packed into this drone, the battery life is impressive.
- Sport Mode — The ability to toggle between 2 different flight speeds with a button on the controller shouldn’t be overlooked. This feature is tremendously helpful when it comes to flying to and from your shooting location quickly.
- Aftermarket support — Between Neutral Density filters, landing gear, prop guards, and skins, there is tremendous aftermarket support for this bird.
Cons:
- Price — The Spark is somewhat pricey.
Potensic D80
The Potensic D80 is another drone that has a similar camera to the ones we’ve discussed. However, the D80’s camera isn’t adjustable at all, which means props will virtually always be in the shot.
Pros:
- GPS — This drone’s GPS lock adds stability during flight.
- Return to home — The D80’s return to home function is reliable.
- Intelligent flight modes — This drone has a few intelligent flight modes like follow and waypoints.
Cons:
- Fixed camera angle — This drone has a fixed camera. This is a significant limiting factor in terms of creative photography and videography.
- Battery charge time — The battery takes several hours to fully charge. While the drone boasts of decent flight time, the time it takes to recharge is a shortcoming.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we’ve discussed several contenders for the best drone for teenagers. After considering these particular drones and their features, the DJI Mini is the clear winner. It’s packed with excellent technology that’s still easy for the novice pilot to use.
The Mavic Mini simply outdoes every other product around its price point.
If you are looking for a more affordable drone for entertaining and education, then the Ryze Tello would be a better choice.
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