Every day of every month, drones are slowly finding themselves in the homes of enthusiasts and curious consumers. What once started mainly in military operations is now becoming commonplace among the general public, and with it, bundles of uses. Drones are nifty devices, manned via remote control, often utilized with a recording device to capture something interesting. A bird’s eye view, a high peak, a sweeping video over an ocean, the potential is endless.
Of course, potential needs a little help. Drones aren’t immortal in the skies, and there are hundreds of designs out there. From frame to blade, efficiency separates quality from fad-style cash ins. One of the biggest factors is battery life, which then translates to flight time. Many drones don’t come with extra batteries either, so there are various factors to consider. The better the battery though, the better a drone can achieve the longest flight time.
We of course want you to find the best tech with the lengthiest of flight times, which will vary based on a few things. Normally it’s based on tiers of price, and also the quality/purpose/make of the drone itself. Not all drones are the same, and many function in different ways, so for the sake of practicality, we focused on what could get you drones with good flight times, how long a recorded video could be. Also, we segmented them in price brackets, depending on what your drone budget might be.
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Related : Top 5 drones for beginners
Drones with long flight time sorted by price :
$200 and Under
Holy Stone HS170
Amazon.com
Our first pick landed on the list for having an excellent starting price of around $40-$50 USD (depending on where you get it from) and a great flight time versus charge time. While it can only scour the skies for about 8 minutes, it’s total charge for full battery is about 30-40 minutes. Other models in similar price/size ranges require longer times and get about the same flight duration too. However, it’s smaller in design and more or less a great starter drone to get a feel for how they operate, so if you’re looking to record or mount payloads, you’ll want a different make. If you want drones with extended flight times, you’ll have to move up a model too.
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MJX X101C
Amazon.com
Next up, the MJX helps introduce newcomers to the glory of video recording, proudly featuring its 720p resolution capture. A nice touch, and even nicer is the lengthier sky time of roughly 8-10 minutes, even though it’s not a drone with the best battery life. The quad-heli style drone currently sits at around $140 USD, marked down from its original plus $200 pricing. So, if you’re looking to budget but still want a cut above the intro brands while having some decent fly time, the MJX is a fine middle ground.
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$200 to $400
Parrot AR Drone 2.0
Amazon.com
Parrot has become a staple in the hobbyist drone field, especially for those looking to utilize GoPro cameras or the like. No surprise, as their models, including their Elite AR model here, feature nice payload capacity and one of the better drones with high battery life. This particular drone handles roughly 11 minutes in the air, depending on what you’re doing. However, better times do exist if invest in batteries with higher charge, reaching flight times of up to 20 minutes. Along with its $270 price tag, this might be the standard in your drone collection.
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Traxxas 7908 Aton
Amazon.com
At the very edge of the $400 drone range is the Traxxas, a recent model on the market with a mix of flight modes and some great durability. The big thing to note here is, on its own, the Traxxas has a bulky 14-minute lifespan in the sky, a great standard for a new model. Combined with its stability in the air, fighting off windy weather and supporting camera payloads, an enthusiast will find themselves in possession of quality hardware. If you’re interested in drones with best battery life, this is definitely one of models you should consider.
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$400 to $600
DJI Phantom 3 Standard
Amazon.com
It’s pretty hard to ignore the quality of the Phantom in respect to both its enormous price cut (basically down from $1000) and healthy battery life. While likely some manner of conservation is used by its “smart” battery, the Phantom boasts a 25-minute sky life with a flight range of nearly half a mile. With this impressive range, and at approximately $500 USD, this is where enthusiasm for the hobby starts to pay dividends.
>>Buy now
Chroma Camera Drone CGO2+
Amazon.com
Next in our list, the Chroma sits at the very edge of the $600 USD price mark, but for good reason. Cut in half from a prickly $1200, the Chroma also holds champion in this range with a 30-minute flight time. This is because its design is primarily made for camera recording and functionality, versus speeding about with impressive aerial feats. However, with this extensive lifespan and ability to capture video at 1080p, it’s a good grab for the “vacationer” kind of hobbyist or those who like to get crisp images during use. If you like drones with the longest flight time this is a solid choice, we feel.
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$600 to $1000
Yuneec Q500+ Typhoon
Amazon.com
We’re getting into pricier models now, but with higher value comes higher performance, and the Yunee Typhon really delivers. Along with its extra blades and double battery equipment, it sports some extremely impressive specs which are sure to please. On average, it boasts sky times of approximately 30-40 minutes, while also capable of reaching heights to about 8000 feet. It comes with its own GoPro capture device and carrying case too. Overall, it feels like something a professional would use, and in this price bracket might be one of the drones with the longest battery life.
>> Buy now
3DR Solo Drone
Amazon.com
In this price range there are few champions tested in terms of performance and life, but among those few the Solo remains a strong contender. This mark on our list was a little tricky, as in fact it sports only 18-20 minutes of fly time versus say, the Typhoon. But, here’s a key difference. The solo is compact, small, catches video/photo while running on a single AA battery. No charge times or wait, just snap it in and let it explore. A pack of batteries means, with small interruptions, you can technically get hours of flight time, provided you have the patience. It’s basically one of the best drones with good battery life, relatively speaking. If there’s a drawback to list, it’s that this miniature powerhouse sits right at the $800 point, so all the performance does come with a literal price.
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$1000 to Unlimited
DJI Phantom 3 Professional
As we approach the tail end of the priciest drone models, performance and quality can be middling. Some expensive models could have HD cameras and durable builds, but only sport 8-minute flight times. The Phantom by DJI, a brand that made up a good chunk of our list, counters this with a quality professionally minded set of hardware. Depending on your budget, this one sits in excess of $1000 USD, and you can opt in for the full package or just the drone/camera, things like that. For flight time it’s pretty impressive, as its battery (comes with two) holds a charge for 25 minutes, so you’re looking at a near long flight time drone.
>> Buy now
DJI Inspire 1 T600
Amazon.com
DJI gets to put more on our list for enlisting quality hardware as part of their fleets. The T600 is definitely that, and a sophisticated piece of machinery. Sitting at about $3000, this shouldn’t be treated lightly and primarily used by those with experience and, heck, education on flight. With that being said, this hard working drone can achieve flight times of over 35 minutes, with a handy “return home” feature should the power drop to a critical rate. It powers through windy environments with great stability so, with such a bulky flight life and solid construction, this is definitely one of the drones with longest flight times.
>> Buy now
The post Top 10 Drones with the best flight times – from $30 to $3000 appeared first on Drones Globe.
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