lansing michigan

Drones are neat little flying devices and one of the most sought-after tech toys today. Not only are they for recreational use, they’re practical and can even be used for school projects. Perhaps you have been considering one for your kid, but not sure which one will be the best bang for your buck.

Here, we have reviewed the most top rated and high quality drones for kids in 2018.

1. DJI Phantom 4- Top RC Drone

The Phantom 4 is the latest version of DJI’s top-end consumer drone. It’s incredibly easy to fly, includes a high-speed sport mode and an excellent obstacle avoidance feature. Once an obstruction is detected, the drone will stop and hover in its tracks. The phantom also includes a 720p live view with 20mm wide-angle lens.

Home Lock, a return-to-home feature will bring the Phantom back. The automated and manual flight modes allow for easier control, which makes it the best remote controlled drone on the market. There is now a Pause button on the remote. If you press it, the drone will stop in place and hover. The Phantom’s VPS (Vision Positioning System) will prevent it from crashing into the ground when flying low in uneven terrain.

These high quality features land this drone in a relatively expensive category. Another downside to this one is of needing a third party app for real mission planning. As it weighs 3 pounds, you will need to register with the FAA before flying it if you live in the United States.

2. Hogs Star Wars Ultimate Millennium Falcon – Best For Indoor Flying

This ready-to-fly drone The Falcon is shaped just like the Stars Wars ship. It weighs only 2.24 ounces and because of its lightweight quality, its best to avoid flying it outdoors and suitable only for indoor use. Made of foam, the soft frame will allow it to bounce of walls and furniture without causing any damage. The ducted propellers also make it easy to fly and an excellent choice for beginners.

The Falcon can be charged via USB using a PC or a wall adapter. However, battery life is limited to 8 minutes max and takes over an hour to fully charge. Another downside to The Falcon is that the motors tend to make a high-pitched whining noise.

3.  Hubsan X4 H107L – Best Drone On A Budget

Budget friendly Hubsan has a number of visual and functional improvements over its earlier version, the V1. The blue and white LED lights on each side of the motors offer great night-flying capabilities, which can be activated using the throttle trim.

The anti-flip mode is useful because this particular drone tends to loose altitude with flips. The drone needs more than half throttle to hover but more power to climb out, making its flight performance excellent. It also includes a protective ring for indoor flying. Maintenance of this drone can be challenging, but that’s to be expected given the price.

We also recommend picking up a lot of extra props for this model.

4. Sysm X5C 2.4G – Decent Camera (for the money)

The 6-axis gyro stabilization on this drone ensures maximum stability during flight, a wind resistant drone that can be flown both indoors and outdoors. The HD Camera and 2GB Micro SD card allow you to take photos and videos while flying, however battery life lasts only for 7 minutes. Despite this, users are usually very happy with this particular drone. It also includes a feature that allows you control flips with a press of a button.

The remote control X5C utilizes spread spectrum technology to ensure remote distance and anti-interference ability. Although it does take a lot of practice to learn how to fly this drone high, it’s still a great value for your money.

5. UDI U818A – Best Recreational Drone

For aspiring pilots, the UDI U818A is an excellent and affordable recreational drone with the pilot capable of full control. The UDI has fun and easy to use controls, a minimalistic design with a lightweight frame and is also fast and quick turning.

A small screw holds the rotors to the motor shaft in place, unlike other budget friendly quadcopters. It also includes several LED lights around the front and back of frame. The buttons on the shoulders turn the LED lights on and off and put the quadcopter into stunt mode. There are a few buttons on the front of the controller surrounding the LCD display, which take pictures, start and stop video, change the mode of flight and flip the quadcopter.

The LCD displays battery life, signal strength and how much thrust is currently being applied. The drone can fly up to 40 feet and although the controller is connected to a 2.4-GHz radio signal, there is no interference from Wi-Fi networks. The UDI can be operated with the controller only.

You can definitely not go wrong with a drone as a gift for your child. When you are choosing, keep in the mind the best drones for kids will be ready to fly, have a quality camera, stability and long battery life. They must be good at navigating and controlling the aerial camera while watching out for accidents.

This post was written by Isaac Atia, Founder of 10BestRanked.com, an authority blog where he reviews the top home, sports & outdoors products, and more.