When you think of drones you may think of expensive, high-tech aircrafts used by the military or video professionals. However, there has been an increase in popularity for toy, hobby drones that anybody can use. Toy drones are smaller drones that are easy to use but still come with some amazing features that will keep you busy and having fun. Even kids are able to learn to fly toy drones because they are so easy.
If you’ve been considering buying a drone for a while but aren’t quite sure which one to go for, a toy drone is a great starting point, especially if you’ve never flown a drone before. To help you begin your search, this article will go over what you should look for when buying a toy drone and some reviews on the top-rated drones available on the market today.
What to Look for When Searching for the Best Toy Drones
What is a Good Price for a Toy Drone?
One great thing about toy drones is that they are often a lot cheaper than more professional drones. Instead of spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a drone, you can get a toy drone for less than $200. If you are on an even tighter budget, but still want to enjoy the features that drones have to offer, there are even some toy drones under $50. Once you decide how much you’re willing to spend, you will be able to narrow down your search.
What Age is Appropriate for a Toy Drone?
A lot of times the more expensive drones can be harder to fly. This makes it nearly impossible for kids and teenagers to enjoy piloting a drone. If you’re buying a drone for your child or grandchild, toy drones are definitely the way to go. They are smaller and easier to fly making them perfectly kid friendly. Toy drones are also great for adults, especially those who are complete beginners for these same reasons.
How Long Will Toy Drone Batteries Last?
Battery life is a huge factor when it comes to buying a drone. Toy drones do often have a shorter battery life, but you can still get a lot of flying time out of them. What’s more is that a lot of manufacturers will include two batteries in the package to double your flying time. This is a great added bonus and is definitely something to look for when you go to purchase your toy drone.
Are Toy Drones Easier to Fly?
As mentioned, you want your toy drone to be easy to fly. This is what makes it safe for kids and teens who are just learning to pilot. It also makes it better for adults who are beginners, too. There’s no real way to know for yourself how easy a drone is to fly until you try it out on your own, but there are some features that will help you learn the controls. Toy drones are great because you can almost guarantee that no matter what drone you end up buying, it will be easy to fly and safe for your kids.
Which Features are Important for New Pilots?
If you’re a new pilot, there are some features that you will want to look for in your toy drone that will help you learn to fly. These features include altitude hold, one-touch takeoff and landing, and low-battery alarms. Altitude hold helps keep the drone steady midair and one-touch takeoff and landing makes the whole flying process much easier. As a new pilot, these are some features that you will really appreciate, and many toy drones come equipped with them.
Reviews for the Best Toy Drones in 2019
818 Hornet Drone
The 818 Hornet Drone is one of the top toy drones on the market today, and for good reasons too. For a toy drone, it has a long battery life of 15 minutes, plus you get two batteries in the package which doubles that time. Not only that, but the Hornet also comes with altitude hold and an HD action camera. This means you can take birds-eye-view photos and videos with your toy drone which is a lot of fun. The 818 Hornet costs less than $200 and is a steal of a toy drone that any pilot will love.
AA300 GPS Toy Drone
It’s rare that you get GPS features on a toy drone, but that’s what makes the AA300 so great. This is one of the best drones for new pilots and is extremely affordable too. The GPS flight mode on the AA300 works great and makes it easy to fly your drone without losing control of it. It also comes with beginner-friendly features like one-touch takeoff and landing. If you’re up for some fun, you can switch on follow-me mode and watch your drone follow you wherever you go. This is one of the most exciting toy drones that you can buy and won’t cost you more than $200.
Hubsan X4 Quadcopter
The next exciting little toy drone on the list is the Husban X4 Quadcopter. This is a tiny drone but still packs a punch feature wise. It comes with a built-in HD camera for taking photos and videos and is also capable of doing flips midair. This drone is ideal for kids who need an easy to drone to start learning the ropes, and the drone is small enough to be flown inside. The best thing about this Hubsan toy drone is that it can be safely flown indoors, however, it only has a battery life of about 7 minutes, so be sure to purchase some extra batteries if you want to be able to fly for longer than that.
Holy Stone HS170 Kids Toy Drone
Another awesome toy drone for kids is the Holy Stone HS170. Holy Stone is a respected drone brand and makes high-quality products and the whole family will love the HS170. This drone is easy to fly and the headless mode system that keeps the drone facing forward at all times. It also has 3 different speed modes that you can fly with as you or your child improves their skills. The only setback with this drone is that it does not come with a built in camera so there’s no way to take photos or videos while flying. Nonetheless, it’s still a great drone to learn the basics of flying and have tons of fun.
Cheerson CX-10C Mini Toy Drone
One of the smallest toy drones on the market is the Cheerson CX-10C drone. This mini toy drone is a lot of fun considering how small it is. It comes with a built-in camera and 3 flight modes so you can fly at different speeds. Plus, it also has a low-battery alarm letting you know that it’s time to land the drone. This is a great drone for kids and fits in the palm of your hand. This tiny toy drone costs you just over $20 and is a great option for you and your kids to have some fun around the house.
Best Toy Drones FAQ
How much does a toy drone cost?
Toy drones typically cost anywhere from $20-$250. Depending on what features you’re looking for will depend on the price. If you want more technical features, expect to play closer to the $250 mark. However, if you’re just looking for a small toy drone to have around the house, there are great options that won’t cost you more than $100.
Is it hard to fly a toy drone?
Like any drone it will take some practice learning how to fly a toy drone. However, they are relatively easy to use and don’t break easily. Even if you do crash your drone while learning to fly, it won’t be game over. Toy drones are great for this reason.
How long do toy drones last?
Depending on the toy drone you buy, you will most likely be able to get a few months of flying out of your drone before it gives out. More expensive drones won’t have this issue as they are built to last and there are plenty of toy drones available that won’t give out on you so quickly.