Drone users want to spend as much time in the air as possible but are usually plagued with one problem.
That problem is when the drone’s battery depletes quickly and has to be recharged or swapped out.
Drone battery life determines the flight time of the unit to let you know how much time you can stay in the air.
One sure way to guarantee longer flight times is to buy the more expensive drones with good battery life that can give you more than 20 minutes of flight time.
However, if investing in a pricier unit is out of the question then they are a few ways you may be able to extend the battery life of your current drone.
That being said, don’t expect the flight time of a nano drone to extend significantly or at all.
In this article, we are going to discuss some ways back in how to extend drone battery life.
Drone
Features
Price
- Factors that affect drone battery life
- How to extend the average drone battery life
- Remove excess weight
- Avoid flying in windy situations
- Fly conservatively
- Don't drain the battery
- Buy extra batteries
- Knowing when to charge the battery
- Tips on how to pick a drone battery
- Longest battery life drones
- Affordable drones with the longest battery life
- Mid-priced drone with the longest battery life
- Expensive drones with the longest battery life
- Conclusion: Drone battery life
Factors that affect drone battery life
There are few factors that you can control and there are others that you have to avoid to extend your drone’s battery life.
Wind
Flying your drone in windy conditions will drain the battery faster since the drone will use more power to stay in the air.
This is because it will be fighting against the wind to stay stable and not crash.
Flight style
Are you an aggressive flyer?
Do you fly your drone in an aggressive manner meaning do you suddenly change directions, performing countless flips, or fly very fast?
If yes, then your drone will use up more battery power.
It is always best to fly your drone conservatively to save battery power if you are not racing.
Recording aerial footage
Recording aerial footage will kill your battery faster so if you must record you might want to invest in a unit with a long flight time and good camera quality.
Let’s say your drone has a flight time of 10 minutes when recording which may be cut down to 7 minutes.
Weight
One sure way to expand the flight time of your drone is to decrease its weight.
The heavier the drone, the more battery power it consumes.
Water and excess moisture
Water and excessive moisture are the things that should be avoided when flying your drone.
Water droplets and precipitation in the atmosphere can damage both the motors and the battery.
How to extend the average drone battery life
How long does a drone battery last?
That will all depend on the drone and the battery you choose.
However, there are a few things you can do to extend the battery life of the drone no matter which drone you have.
Remove excess weight
The stay in the air longer you can remove access with from your drone.
There are usually two primary sources that lead to excess weight on your drone.
These two sources are the propeller guards and the camera.
prop guards are a great accessory to have especially if you are a new flyer.
They protect the propeller guards from being broken and prevent your drone from crashing.
If you have been practicing flying your drone for a while and you are confident you can fly well without the propeller guards then you can remove them.
Cameras not only add extra weight but can also contribute to how long the drone battery lasts when in use.
Using the drone camera to record will consume battery power way faster.
If you’re just going for a leisure fly then if the camera is removable, you can simply take it off which will significantly increase the flight time.
Avoid flying in windy situations
Strong winds can decrease overall flight time and it is best to avoid flying in windy situations.
Flying in strong winds will force the Motors out the drone to produce more thrust to maintain balance in the air.
The Motors will need extra energy to create the extra thrust to ensure that the drone stays in the air and does not crash.
Make sure the winds are pretty steady and that the battery power is sufficient enough before flying to great heights.
In some cases, your drone may be able to withstand the wind.
This will all depend on your drones’ weight and you will find that some of the more expensive models like the DJI drones may be able to handle some level of high winds.
Do keep in mind that if you have removed the propeller guards and the camera as stated in the first step you need to be more cautious about the wind.
Fly conservatively
The way you fly your drone can affect how long your battery will last.
Aggressively operating your drone will deplete battery life significantly faster than conservatively operating your drone.
Drones usually come equipped with a variety of different flight modes.
They can either be aggressive or conservative flight modes and you can usually switch back and forth via the button on your transmitter.
Beginners should fly using conservative flight modes since they are not so skilled at piloting a drone.
Performing flips changing directions and flying very fast can reduce battery power and also increase the chances of the drone crashing.
Only after practicing and becoming more experienced should you think about flying your drone in an aggressive manner.
Don’t drain the battery
One common mistake that beginner Flyers make is that they completely drain the drone’s battery during flight.
It can cause the chemistry inside of the battery cells to break down.
Some batteries come with a controller chip that prevents you from squeezing every last drop of energy from the cells.
However, it would help if you can stop flying your drone when the battery gets to 20% or so.
You will be able to tell when your battery reaches below 20% since most drones usually include a feature that monitors battery life.
If there isn’t a way to monitor the battery level, let’s say your drone battery life is 10 minutes on a single charge then you should stop flying and recharge the battery after 8 minutes.
if you are using an excessively cheap drone or using a third-party battery then you’ll have to pay more attention to not draining the battery.
While it may seem that the flight time of your drone is being cut short instead of extending, this tip will increase the battery life by preserving the cells over the long run.
Buy extra batteries
Buying extra batteries is another great way to increase the flight time of your drone.
This is a handy trick that many professional drone flyers use.
While it does not improve the lifespan of a single battery, it does easily increase the overall flight time of the drone.
All you have to do is swap the depleted battery for a freshly charged one.
You just have to ensure that you have a drone that works with batteries that are easily available on the market.
Knowing when to charge the battery
Naturally, you’d want to charge your drone batteries the moment we see a charging port.
Doing this can cause more harm than good and here’s why.
It is best to charge the batteries only after a certain amount of power has been used up.
Drone users should be aware that the highest number of times you can charge your battery is twice.
This is where beginner drone pilots usually make a mistake so be extremely careful if you disregard this rule.
Timing also plays a critical role when extending flight time.
It is no surprise that freshly charged batteries will give you a longer flight time than batteries charged the previous day.
That is why it is recommended to charge your batteries minutes before you plan to fly.
Li-Po batteries may not lose charge as fast as other types of batteries but they do lose some charge when idle.
Another thing to be careful of is overcharging your batteries.
Batteries are volatile in nature and if overcharged they may overheat and explode.
If you cannot keep your eye on the batteries for the recommended recharge time, then practice the 50% to 60% method and then charge the other 50% or 40% before flying.
Check out the best Lipo chargers on the market by clicking on the link.
Tips on how to pick a drone battery
It is important to have a reliable power source in your drone to give you the best flight time possible.
The problem with drone batteries is that they usually lose power in 5 minutes but take more than an hour to recharge.
The average drone battery life is around 5 to 20 minutes depending on the drone you chose.
This is why a few replacement batteries are always good to have on hand.
So how do you go about choosing a battery that will extend your drone battery life?
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Manufacturer’s battery
The first thing you need to check for is what kind of batteries are compatible with your drone.
Some drones require batteries from specific manufacturers and while this is advantageous for the manufacturer it will be a great disadvantage to you
If this applies to your drone then you have no other choice but to go with the battery that is recommended for use with your unit.
On the other hand, if you have the option to consider different batteries from various manufacturers and looking for a drone battery upgrade, you can find some pretty good spare batteries at affordable prices.
Battery composition
Look for a unit that uses a lithium polymer battery because they are the best type for drones since they can store more power.
These rechargeable batteries from lithium-ion technology use polymer electrolytes instead of liquid electrolytes thereby allowing them to store more power.
Lithium polymer batteries work better than NiCad and NiMH batteries as these batteries self-discharge faster.
It is said that NiCad loses around 1% of the charge per day while NiMH loses 5-20% on the first day and 1-4% each day after that.
Lithium polymer batteries do not self-discharge as much and you can leave them fully charged and pick them up in a week or a month and they still have enough charge suitable for flying.
Capacity
Moving on, you need to check the capacity of the battery that you’re thinking of purchasing.
The capacity is usually indicated in mAh which stands for milliAmpere hour or milliAmp hour.
This is used to measure how much energy the battery can hold.
Keep in mind that the higher the capacity the longer the battery life of the drone.
Charging time
One of the biggest hindrances for anyone looking for uninterrupted flights is the long charging time of drone batteries.
Some drones take an hour or more to complete a charge cycle which is less than ideal and is one of the many reasons why drone users keep a spare handy.
You can always choose a drone with long battery life so that you can have the amount of flight time that you’re looking for.
However, you will come to the point where you will need to charge the battery and you will want to do so as quickly as possible.
Be sure to check the average charging time of the battery that the drone uses or any other spare battery that you purchased.
One way to speed up the charging process is to change your charger.
If you have a 2 amp charger your drone battery may take anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes to charge up.
On the other hand, if you have a 6 amp charger, it can charge the battery in about half the time.
Replacement costs
If you’re looking to extend flight time and thinking about buying a replacement battery you need to consider the price of these units.
You can find some affordable batteries which may cause 5% of the total drone cost and you can find others that go as high as 20% of the drone cost.
If you find that the battery is extremely expensive then you should think twice before making that purchase and start considering investing in a drone with a longer flight time.
Longest battery life drones
Below is a short compilation of the longest battery life drones on the market.
You have a selection of the most affordable, mid-priced, and expensive drones with the longest battery life.
For more details on these units, hop over to the longest battery life drones post.
Affordable drones with the longest battery life
Ryze Tech Tello from DJI
- Flight range: 100 meters
- Flight time: 13 minutes
- Weight: 2.88 ounces
- Equipped with a high-quality image processor, the Tello drone shoots incredible photos and videos….
- Camera features 5MP (2592×1936) photos and HD720 videos at a maximum flight time of 13 minutes.
- Tello has two antennas that make video transmission extra stable and a high-capacity battery that…
- Thanks to all the tech that Tello’s packing, like a flight controller powered by DJI, you can…
- What you get: RyzeTech Tello powered by DJI, 4x Propellers (Pair), Propeller Guards (Set), Battery,…
- Video capture resolution: HD 720p
Holy Stone HS270 GPS 2.7K Drone
- Flight range: 80 meters
- Flight time: 18 minutes
- Weight: 21 oz
- 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…
Mid-priced drone with the longest battery life
Parrot Bebop 2
- Flight range: 1.24 miles
- Flight time: 25 minutes
- Weight: 17.6 oz
- Enhanced 14 megapixel fish-eye lens offers 1080p video recording and stunning image capture
- 25 minutes of flight time thanks to a powerful 2700 mAh battery
- Equipped with powerful motors for flight in greater altitudes
- Powerful rear flash LED for better visibility—even in the dark
- Requires registration with FAA. Visit their website for more info on how to register.
- German (Publication Language)
Expensive drones with the longest battery life
DJI Mavic Air 2
- Flight range: 6.2 miles
- Flight time: 34 minutes
- Weight: 20.10 oz
- 【UP YOUR GAME】: The Mavic Air 2 camera drone takes power and portability to the next level. It…
- 【NEXT-LEVEL CONTENT】: Capture impressive 48MP photos with a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor while the…
- 【IMPROVED FLIGHT】: An impressive flight time of up to 34 minutes allows you to pull off epic,…
- 【INTELLIGENT TRACKING】: Mavic Air 2 features intuitive shooting functions that make aerial…
- 【APP COMPATIBILITY】: The DJI Fly app requires iOS v10.0, Android v6.0, or above. Compatible…
- 【WHAT YOU GET】: Mavic Air 2 Aircraft, Remote Controller, Intelligent Flight Battery, 3x…
- 【VIDEO CAPTURE RESOLUTION】: 4K Hd. Operating Temperature Range–10° to 40°C (14° to 104°F)
Autel Robotics EVO II
- Flight range: 5 miles
- Flight time: 40 minutes
- Weight: 40 oz
- 40 MINUTES OF STABLE FLIGHT TIME: From inspecting electrical cell towers to surveying property…
- LIGHTWEIGHT FOLDABLE DESIGN: Deployed in under 30 seconds, the 2.5lb EVO II is ideal for rapid…
- PATENTED LOCKING PROPELLER DESIGN: No tools required, quick release foldable propellers for the EVO…
- INTERCHANGEABLE PAYLOADS: Designed for versatile operations, pilots can alternate between the 8K,…
- LIVE CONTROLLER VIDEO FEED: Control almost all aspects of your mission right off the 3.3 inch OLED…
Conclusion: Drone battery life
In the end, there are a few simple tips and tricks you can implement and things to avoid if you want to extend your drone’s battery life.
Remember to never fly in high wind situations or rain or fly aggressively.
Also remember to pay special attention to the battery type, capacity, and composition when deciding on a drone when flight time is of utmost importance.
Pay attention to the batteries’ health and implement good battery practices so that they can serve you well and for a long time.
You can check out our drone flight time post with the longest flight time drones.
Read here about the best drone landing pad and drone antenna that can help you fly better.
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