The Best Drones in 2019

Drone popularity is soaring to its highest peak in 2019, with users from all walks of life now reaching for a drone for representing their weekend fun with the family, overseas sightseeing, and of course more professional endeavours.

With this increase in popularity, comes an increase in models flooding the market so you may find yourself asking, what drone should I buy?

Below you will find a list of what we think the best drones are to take into the sky in 2019.

DJI are the undisputed leaders of the drone and quadcopter world, and this Mavic 2 Pro Drone is the company’s flagship model. The DJI Mavic 2 Pro could be seen as the culmination of DJI’s technological advancements up to this point. Incredibly powerful, the Mavic 2 Pro uses a Hasselblad-branded camera with 1-inch sensor to produce stunningly detailed images, which it can transmit at a range of 8km. For this reason, the Mavic 2 Pro is the best aerial photography drone.

Despite being a lightweight drone, the Mavic 2 Pro is not one to be pushed around, using its aerodynamic frame to reach top speeds of up to 72 km/h and the latest omnidirectional obstacle sensing technology to keep it out of trouble. It also has a maximum flight time of 31-minutes, making it a firm contender for the drone with the longest flight time. With its folding design, the Mavic 2 Pro is portable enough to assure you have it with you more often than not, but does it make our list of best Drones for travel?

Released alongside the high-achieving Mavic 2 Pro, the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is an impressive drone in its own right. The Mavic 2 Zoom does not feature the same Hasselblad camera with larger than average sensor that its sibling possesses, relying on a ½.3-inch 12MP variant, but this sensor allowed DJI to add an all-important feature to this model that separates it from its competition - zoom!

The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom features a 24-48mm equivalent zoom lens, permitting you to choose between a wide field of view that captures the full scope of an area, or zoom in to capture a cropped portion, thus providing you with more cinematic options for your drone photography. In the air, this drone is just as capable as the Mavic 2 Pro, so if you want to take advantage of all the tools at your disposal, take a look at our tips on using drones to capture beautiful aerial photography.

The DJI Mavic Air is the most compact of all DJI drones to include a 3-axis stabilised gimbal and therefore the best portable drone for photography. It may look unassuming but make no mistake, this drone is capable of some truly astonishing aerial visions. As well as 4K video the Mavic Air can capture 12MP stills, so you can experiment with your capture type and even try your hand at more advanced techniques, such as hyperlapse videos.

During flight, the Mavic Air comes into its own, with a very respectable top flight speed of 68.4 km/h and a 21-minute max flight time. Through the compatible DJI Go App, you have access to various advanced flight functions under the ActiveTrack section. The DJI Mavic Air is a Drone that follows you! This affordable travel drone is all about portability, with the unit itself and even its remote folding down to maximise on storage space, so you will have plenty of room in your gadget bag for the essential accessories for your drone.

We love the DJI Tello because it makes it possible for the complete beginner to experiment with the wonder of drones. With its easy to use controls and budget-price, the DJI Tello is the perfect first drone for you and the family but be sure to have a read of our beginner’s guide to flying a drone before takeoff.

Unlike more advanced drones, the DJI Tello can be controlled completely by your smartphone, as soon as you have downloaded the free Tello app. This featherweight drone will be soaring above you in a matter of moments, thanks to its auto takeoff and landing abilities, while you are sure to get a thrill when you first inspect the 5MP stills and 720p video that the built-in camera comes back to land with.

The DJI Spark is a good mid-level drone, ideal for those that take their drone flying and aerial photography seriously but lack a massive budget. The Spark is a mini drone that borrows key characteristics from DJI’s higher-performance models, assuring it is safe and competent in the sky and it can transmit high-quality Full HD video to your DJI Go App-enabled smartphone, down on earth.

Everything about the Spark is simple, from controlling the unit via easy-to-master hand gestures or your smartphone, to editing and sharing your results directly from your smartphone to your chosen social media platform. The max flight time for the Spark is 16 min, which is exceptional when considering the overall size of the Drone including the installed battery but we would wager you will be having too much fun flying to stop after such a short time, so a spare battery or two is essential.