The drone market is overflowing with units but how do you know which to get?
Figuring out your wants and needs may be a good place to start so is figuring out how much you want to spend.
If you are somewhere in the middle, not a beginner but nowhere near experienced drone pilot status, then this article is for you.
Today, we’ll be talking about drones that are a bit of a step up from toy drones but we’re not going as far as high-end drones.
We are still staying in the affordable drone range and will be highlighting the best drone under 200.
Let’s jump right into the drone reviews under 200.
Drone
Features
Price
- Control range: 150 meters
- Flight time: 15 minutes
- Weight: 34 oz
- Control range: 250 meters
- Flight time: 16 minutes
- Weight: 9 oz
Best drone under 200
- Control range: 600 meters
- Flight time: 18 minutes
- Weight: 21 oz
For crystal clear images combined with smooth and vivid videos choose the Holy Stone HS207.
It is the best quadcopter with camera under $200 you can find.
The 2.7K HD camera provides impressive picture quality and when in FPV mode, the 5Ghz transmission delivers interference-free live feed.
This foldable drone is compact and portable and is ideal for those on the move.
The control range of the unit is about 600 meters while flight time is around 18 minutes.
It also comes loaded with a bunch of intelligent flight features like the Return-to-Home.
This feature allows the drone to come back to the original take-off position when losing battery power or signal.
There is also the auto-hover feature that stabilizes the drone to prevent you from taking shaky pictures and videos.
It can also automatically circle a fixed point of interest and capture video from all angles.
All in all, this is the best drone for $200 and under $200.
It can even be ranked among our top picks for the best drones under 300.
- 2.7 K Camera & 5G Image Transmission -- 2.7K HD camera catches incredible clarity in the photos; 5G...
- Intelligent Flight -- Equipped with GPS positioning, the drone can automatically follow the pilots....
- Custom Flight -- Design a flight path by tapping several points or make it fly in circle with camera...
- Folding Construction-- Both drone arms and propellers are foldable. There can always be surprises on...
- Unlock More Play Ways -- It’s quite wind-resistant for outdoor fights. FPV transmission range up...
- Control range: 150 meters
- Flight time: 15 minutes
- Weight: 34 oz
The Altair Aerial AA300 is a kid-friendly drone that is easy to fly and comes with increased functionality and camera quality.
This drone comes with three skill-level settings that allow younger users to fly straight out of the box.
You can start with the lowest setting if you are a beginner and then move your way up as you master the levels.
The Altair Aerial AA300 comes with a Return-to-Home function that reassures new drone pilots that the unit will return home should the drone battery level drone or loses signal.
It also comes with Follow Me mode where you can record your activities hands-free.
The saved videos and photos are crisp and clear thanks to the drone’s 1080P HD camera that captures memories and provides an exhilarating FPV experience.
This unit is one of the best FPV drones under $200.
Controlling the unit is easy and is enhanced by the GPS satellite stability feature which ensures that your drone remains balanced and upright during flight.
\The control range of the Altair AA300 is 150 meters and provides 15 minutes of air time.
You can consider buying an extra power pack if you would like to increase the flight time of this unit.
- Control range: 450 meters
- Flight time: 20 minutes
- Weight: 15 oz
The Hubsan H501S X4 Is a GPS-enabled drone that is equipped with a 1080P camera on brushless motors.
While it may not be a big deal compared to other premium models today, the H501S was a game-changer in the toy drone market.
Before this drone, most toy-class drones made use of inefficient brush motors and were sometimes limited in their functionalities.
These earlier drones had no navigation or tools for object avoidance or flight assist.
The GPS in the H501S allowed users to take advantage of the hover feature and even allowed them to set a GPS-controlled route through a mobile app on their smartphone.
These increased functionalities changed the way people viewed toy drones.
This unit also comes with an RTH function and many other intelligent flight modes.
The H501S is still one of the best drones that lie somewhere between a high-tech toy drone on a premium experience GPS drone.
- Control range: 250 meters
- Flight time: 16 minutes
- Weight: 9 oz
The Eachine E520S Is a budget-friendly drone that comes with an amazing spec sheet.
You are getting way more than what you pay for with this drone.
The Eachine E520St is the perfect choice for any beginner or someone who’s not looking to spend a lot of money on a drone.
The unit is very portable, travel-friendly and fits comfortably in a backpack.
It comes with a flight time of 16 minutes thanks to its 7.4 Volt 1200mAh lipo high-performance battery.
The control range with the dedicated remote controller is 250 meters which fall just below the industry standard but is not a major drawback since the unit is so affordable.
It also comes with FPV abilities and is capable of streaming a live feed up to 150 meters.
Moving on to the camera, one can expect fairly good quality pictures and videos.
The 4K resolution allows you to take professional quality stills.
The camera has a super wide-angle of 120 degrees which is something uncommon for drones in this price range.
The drone is capable of recording full HD videos and in VR mode the quality is amazing.
Another instance where the Eachine E520S shines is its long list of features.
This drone possibly has the longest list of features for drones in this price range.
Some of the features include Waypoint Mode, Auto Return Mode, Real-Time Camera View, Orbit mode Altitude Hold, 3D VR Mode and 4K resolution.
- Control range: 150 meters
- Flight time: 15 minutes
- Weight: 9 oz
The Altair 818 Hornet Is an excellent unit if we’re looking for a drone under 200 for your kids.
Not only does the drone come with altitude hold and one-button takeoff and landing but it also has three skill levels.
This allows kids and beginners alike to start at the lowest skill level and then work their way up.
The drone also has a neat design and supports live video and custom route mapping.
One of the best things about this drone is that it can be flown both indoors and outdoors and performs well in both scenarios.
It is overall a great drone that has great stability. is swift and able to turn corners gently.
The build quality is also fairly strong and the drone seems durable enough to survive a few minor bumps or hits.
As a drone catered more to kids, the camera isn’t as impressive as the best camera drones under 200.
However, the 2MP camera with 720p resolution and a 120 degrees wide-angle lens is still capable of recording some decent quality videos as well as photos.
It also transmits live video via Wi-Fi directly to the pilot smartphone which can be placed in the remote controller phone holder.
The control range of the Altair 818 Hornet is 150 meters while flight time is about 15 minutes.
For more kid-friendly drones, check out the best drones under 100 and the best drones for kids posts.
- 720p HD Camera for amazing aerial photos and videos
- Easy to fly for all ages! Multiple Skill Settings Included
- Flight Modes like Altitude Hole, One Button Takeoff and Landing, and Headless Mode
- Smartphone Ready but Not Required!
- Durably Built for Stable Flights!
Things to look for when buying the best drone for $200
When looking for a drone under $200, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
These factors will ensure that you get the best bang for your buck.
Battery Life
The longer battery life your drone has the more time you will have in the air.
You will find that some drones can fly for a decent amount of time but you are not going to find drones under 200 having the longest flight time.
High-end drones will have a flight time of 20 to 30 minutes and drones under $200 will have a flight time of 10 to 20 minutes or less.
That being said, if you are flying the drone in your backyard then a short battery life may not be much of an issue since you can simply land and recharge.
However, if you are venturing into larger spaces then you can consider investing in a drone with a longer flight time or purchasing a few extra batteries for your under $200 drone.
Purchasing a few extra batteries, charging them up and keeping them handy will expand your flight time and may cost less than investing in a drone with a longer flight time.
Control range
Aside from flight time you also need to pay attention to the control range of the drone.
Drones in this price category usually have a control range of 100-500 meters.
Although the control range may seem limited, remember the FAA regulation states that your drone must be in your line of sight at all times.
It is also important to note that the control range is often longer than the FPV range.
While you may be able to control the drone at its maximum distance you will lose the video feed after a certain point.
Camera
If you are looking for a camera drone at this price point then you need to pay attention to a few things like resolution, video frame rate and Field of View.
Resolution
The higher the resolution, the better although the file size may be huge.
If you are looking for a drone with a camera that captures videos then it needs to have a minimum of 1080 vertical pixels (Full HD).
You will find that at 2.7 K which is equivalent to 2704 horizontal pixels will deliver clear images.
On the other hand, if you want a drone with a camera for photography purposes, the more megapixels you have, the better.
Video frame rate
Drones usually have a frame per second (fps) rate.
This can be anywhere from 24,25,30 or 60 fps.
An FPS rate of 60 will allow you to slow your footage down a tad bit post-processing.
Field of View (FOV) – if you are going to be taking images of single objects then a lower degree of FOV is perfectly fine.
However, if you are going to take panoramic videos and views of landscapes then you will need a larger FOV.
Image stabilization
No one wants blurry images or shaky videos.
It is tough to keep a camera or smartphone steady in your hands much less using one on a drone.
Factors such as wind, your beginner-level of piloting and vibrations from the rotors and motor are the recipe for blurry photos and shaky videos.
Fortunately, some budget drone manufacturers have thought long and hard about it and are integrating image stabilization systems into their units.
The units will usually come with either of the three stabilization systems.
The first system is the mechanical gimbal.
This system uses a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes and brushless motors to adjust the camera position to compensate for the wayward motion of the drone.
Next is digital stabilization which features onboard software in the camera.
The software shifts the image from frame to frame and in this way, it compensates for movement.
The last system is Altitude Hold which is more of a feature than a system.
This feature allows the drone to maintain its height without any manual control.
You will find multiple-axis gimbal stabilization systems in the more expensive drones.
Drones under 200 will incorporate digital stabilization or Altitude Hold.
While they may not provide as much stabilization as a multiple-axis gimbal, they still do offer some stabilization.
You can always improve photos and videos post-processing using enhancement software
First-person view
The FPV feature allows the camera on the drone to transmit real-time video to a screen in your hands or on your eyes.
You can use FPV goggles, the remote controller screen or your smartphone to view the real-time video which puts you in the pilot seat even though your feet are on the ground.
This feature presents an exhilarating experience and is great for shooting videos or when racing.
Return to Home Function
Whether you buy a cheap or expensive drone, you don’t want to lose it.
Sometimes you’re so taken up with flying that you may fail to notice that the battery levels of the drone are becoming low.
You may even be captivated by your FPV view and concentrating on your FPV screen that you can lose sight of the drone and have no idea how to bring it back home.
Look for a drone with a return to home feature.
This feature allows the drone to return to its original take-off position through GPS without you having to manually fly it back.
In some drones, this feature automatically kicks in when the battery percentage reaches a certain level.
Other times, the drone returns home if it loses signal or you can press the home button on your controller and the drone returns to its original starting position.
Additional intelligent flight features.
While you shouldn’t expect too much from these budget drones they do include some additional intelligent flight modes to help you pilot your drone better.
Some of these features include:
- Follow me- this feature uses GPS which allows the drone to follow you without you having to manually control it.
It can do so either by tracking your smartphone or controller.
- Gesture control – custom control allows you to pilot the drone and take pictures simply by the wave of your hand.
This is usually done through an accelerometer on your wrist for these cheap drones.
- Custom fly – in this feature you will be able to draw a route on a map and the drone then follows this custom flight route.
- Tap fly – this feature allows you to fly your drone without a remote controller.
You simply tap on the smart screen in the direction that you want your drone to fly.
- Orbit Mode- This mode is also called Point of Interest and it allows you to set a point of interest for the drone to orbit.
The drone flies around the subject capturing it from all angles.
- 3D Flip- this feature allows you to have a bit of fun with your drone and perform 360 degree flips with just the touch of a button.
Drone
Features
Price
- Control range: 150 meters
- Flight time: 15 minutes
- Weight: 34 oz
- Control range: 250 meters
- Flight time: 16 minutes
- Weight: 9 oz