FLYING OFF THE SHELVES, THE TOP MODELS

Gary Marshall, of Britain’s most popular technology review site Techradar.com, selects five of the best drones. so will you find one in your stocking on Christmas morning?

BEST FOR BEGINNERS

Walkera Qr ladyBird V2, £60 AT JUST 3cm high and 8cm (1¼in by 3in) across, the Walkera LadyBird is hardly much bigger than its living namesake, and the price tag isn’t massive either.

With a flight time of up to ten minutes and a range of up to 330ft, it isn’t as powerful as professional-level drones, but then it costs a fraction of their price tags.

While it doesn’t come with a camera, it’s fairly damage-proof, with flexible plastic rotors that should retain their shape even if they get bent or twisted. Definitely one to consider if you’re new to flying drones. 8/10

BEST FOR INDOORS

Parrot rolling spider, £90 THE Rolling Spider is a tiny quadcopter (a drone with four motors) with a diameter of 14cm (5½in), whose removable wheels mean it’s a hoot on the ground, where you can drive it along, as well as in the air.

This one’s perhaps best kept inside the house, as its diminutive size mean it doesn’t take much of a breeze to blow it away, and the battery delivers only around six minutes of flying time. But it’s a lot of fun, and there’s a camera attached. 9/10

BEST FOR BUDGET PILOTS

hubsan X4 h107 with lEDs, £28 A MAZON is offering Hubsan ’s H107 — complete with camera — for less than half of the recommended retail price, and while most customers are happy with it, it does seem to have encountered a few quality-control problems.

The H107 is cheap and cheerful, but hang on to the receipt just in case. 6/10

BEST FOR DIY GEEKS

GaUI 330X-s Quad Flyer, £346 THE Quad Flyer from Gaui comes in two versions: a kit for intermediate-level users, and a ready-to-fly version for beginners, though it doesn’t include a camera, so you can attach one of your own choosing. It’s good for 12 minutes of flight time or 20 min- utes with an optional high-capacity battery, and can carry a payload of up to 700g (1.5lb), including its battery.

It works like a remote-control helicopter, but with t he wind resistance and manoeuvrability of a quadcopter. 8/10

BEST ALL-ROUNDER

Walkera Dragonfly Infra X, £168 IF THE cheaper LadyBird is a little basic for you, but you don’t want to shell out really big money for a quadcopter, Walkera’s Dragonfly is well worth a look.

It boasts a GPS autopilot — which means it can hold its position in the air even in strong winds — with up to 15 minutes’ flight time, self-stabilisation and an anti-vibration camera mount.

Of course, you’ll need to buy the controller and camera separately. 7/10