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Best drone deals: Get a cheap drone for $47 and more

There is a lot to love about drones, especially if you’re somebody who loves nature and photography, as it gives you a really interesting perspective on the world that wouldn’t usually be accessible. That said, owning a drone is often seen as a really expensive hobby, with expensive brands like DJI easily costing thousands of dollars. Luckily, there are a lot of great budget-oriented options, including quality DJI alternatives, and a lot of them have great deals on them, bringing them down to as low as $46. We’ve collected a few of our favorites below — all of which make great gifts for the holidays for the person in your life who appreciates the revolutionary bird’s-eye view they offer.

Of course, if you prefer a more traditional experience, you could always check out these GoPro deals and camera deals instead.

Radclo Mini Drone — $46 $230 80% off

The Radclo Mini Drone flying outdoors.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Radclo Mini Drone may be affordable, but you won’t think that’s it’s cheap because it’s equipped with a 1080p lens that you can operate through the drone’s companion app. You can look through its camera for a real-time panoramic view while you take pictures and videos, and it can fly for up to 22 minutes with its pair of 800 mAh batteries. The drone is easy to operate as it only takes the push of a button to have it take off and land, and once you’re done using it, it conveniently folds into a compact carrying case.

Holy Stone HS440  — $60 $100 60% off

Two men behind the flying Holy Stone HS440 Drone.
Holy Stone

Another excellent beginner drone is the Holy Stone HS440, especially with things like automatic takeoff and precision hover, as well as a more streamlined and easier control scheme to make life easier. It can fly for up to 20 minutes, which isn’t too bad for this price point, and it records in 1080p with a 112-degree wide-angle lens. This set comes with a controller and a nice carrying case for your drone and controller, so you don’t have to spring for a separate set of gear.

Holy Stone HS110G — $63 $90 30% off

The Holy Stone HS110G Drone flying outdoors.
Holy Stone

The Holy Stone HS110G is a great drone for beginners, as it’s very easy to operate with its GPS Auto Return function that allows it to get back to you when its battery runs low or it loses signal, and intelligent flight features such as Follow Me mode on the Holy Stone app. The drone offers a maximum flight time of 26 minutes with a real-time view range of up to 492 feet and control distance of up to 984 feet. The Holy Stone HS110G is equipped with a 1080p HD camera with a 110-degree field of view.

DJI Mini 2 SE Drone (refurbished) — $252 $300 16% off

The DJI Mini 2 SE drone in flight.
DJI

DJI is probably one of the best brands when it comes to drones, and since it’s a premium brand, it’s pretty rare to find cheap DJI drones. Luckily, DJI has made the Mini 2 SE, an excellent mid-range drone with a great deal on it, and this bundle even throws in the controller, which is excellent. It has a 31-minute flight time, can withstand a 38kph wind, and has a couple of smart features, such as quick shots and one-tap pans for some excellent aerial shots.

Bwine F7 — $420 $600 29% off

The Bwine F7 drone on a white background.
Bwine

If you’re planning to use your drone for photography, you can’t go wrong with the Bwine F7. It features a detachable 4K camera with up to 5x digital zoom, and a three-axis gimbal that will keep the lens stable until you’re able to take the perfect shot. It’s equipped with GPS so it can return to you when its battery gets low, and its companion app enables first-person view. The Bwine F7 can fly for up to 75 minutes on a single charge, and it can reach heights of up to 2,000 meters with its brushless motor and strong wind resistance.

DJI Mini 3 Pro bundle (refurbished) — $648 $800 19% off

The DJI Mini 3 Pro in flight with spring flowers in the background.
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

The DJI Mini 3 Pro is an incredibly small and light drone with a foldable design for further portability, but it’s capable of recording 4K HDR video and shooting 48MP photos. It offers a total flight time of up to 34 minutes, tri-directional obstacle sensing to keep in safe while in the air. This bundle comes with the DJI RC Smart Controller that features a built-in screen, an Intelligent Flight Battery, a travel backpack for carrying the drone, and a 64GB microSDXC card, among other tools and accessories.

DJI Avata Explorer Combo (refurbished) — $1,095 $1,430 23% off

The DJI Avata Pro-View Combo.
Andy Zahn / Digital Trends / Digital Trends

The DJI Avata is a drone that’s designed to give you a first-person view through its upgraded camera system that offers 4K Ultra HD resolution, a 155-degree field of view, and DJI’s trademark stabilization, for an exciting flight experience. The drone can fly for up to 18 minutes, and it has a built-in propeller guard that will allow it to withstand minor contact. The DJI Avata Explorer Combo comes with the RC Motion 2 controller for complete control of the drone’s flight, and the Goggles Integra that comes with built-in GPS so it connects directly to the drone.

Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ Premium Bundle — $1,299 $1,399 7% off

Autel Robotics EVO Lite+ Premium Bundle
Autel

The EVO Lite+ from Autel Robotics is a very striking-looking yet powerful drone, as it has a very impressive 4k camera and quite a lot of automation. It’s great for having an easy-to-carry drone for aerial photos and videos, and it even has an adjustable aperture from f/2.8-f/11, which is a great addition. It also has a defog mode so that you don’t have to stop your filming because of the weather, and this premium bundle helps with that by giving you extra batteries to help extend flight time, as well as a few other options. Just be aware that you need Amazon Prime to take advantage of this deal.

More drone deals we love

If you want to take a look at alternatives to the drone deals we highlighted above, you don’t have to go anywhere else because we’ve gathered more bargains below, including drones that are cheap or refurbished to let you get more bang for your buck. Demand for dependable drones is increasing because of their many applications, so if you want to take advantage of any of these discounts, we recommend that you do so right away because they may be gone by the next time you check on them.

  • Holy Stone HS720G —
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
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